The Knack: Live From the Rock N Roll Fun House

Although, at 23, I was old enough to disapprove of the faintly pedophilic whiff that emanated from the lurid lyrics of The Knack's debut album Get the Knack--kind of a Beatles meet toned-down Frank Zappa--I was still young enough to be one of the 13 million to snap up a copy upon its initial release and wear deep grooves into the vinyl while singing "My Sharona" (which, I'm very ashamed to say, I and many other young American males--boasting no more intellectual development than your basic amoeba--sang as "My Scrotum"). Looking and sounding like they'd just been popped out of cryogenic freeze, The Knack, captured live here before a studio audience in Long Beach, California on August 18, 2001, dish up a 16-song power-pop set, led by the lasciviously smiling Doug Fieger on guitar/vocals. Hits include "Baby Talks Dirty," "Oh Tara," "Good Girls Don't," "That's What the Little Girls Do" and "My Sharona" (all but one off the debut album), interspersed with songs from their less successful follow-up efforts, including 2001's Normal As the Next Guy. What's (suspiciously) amazing is how absolutely hi-fi fresh (in Dolby Digital 5.1) these guys sound 20-plus years later; in fact, on more than one occasion Fieger's vocals and his mouth don't quite match up, and one can't help but wonder whether some lip-synching was involved here. Sleazy, sexist, and hummable beyond belief (now you can't get "My Sharona" out of your head, right?), The Knack had a huge impact on the post-progressive rock/pre-New Wave musical landscape, making this fine retrospective of the anti-Beatles' best a strong optional purchase. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)