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The Knack - The Retrospective: The Best of the Knack Audio CD

A fair review of the The Knack "The Retrospective: The Best of the Knack" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all The Knack reviews here, or go back to the The Knack tabs.

The Knack Band: The Knack
Title: The Retrospective: The Best of the Knack
Rating:
Release Date: 1992-11-24
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: My Sharona 2: Your Number or Your Name 3: One Day at a Time 4: Hard Way 5: Good Girls Don't 6: (She's So) Selfish 7: Just Wait and See 8: Baby Talks Dirty 9: We Are Waiting 10: I Want Love 11: Africa 12: Can't Put a Price on Love 13: Rocket O' Love [Demo Version] 14: Another Lousy Day in Paradise 15: Sweet Dreams 16: Don't Look Back [#] 17: Pay the Devil (Ooo, Baby, Ooo)

HOT! HOT! HOT!
For the most part. If you like My Sharona in the least, GET THIS ALBUM!!!!!!!! It is a MASTERPIECE!!!!!!!! It's new wave with some psychedelic over tones. . . . . . IT JUST ROCKS!!!!!!! buy it!!!.


All The Best From The Knack
I was going in to my freshman year of high school, and I heard that song, along with "Good Girls Don't" playing on the radio all the time. I can remember the summer of 1979 when "My Sharona" was released. Needless to say, I was glad to find a cd that contained both of these songs from my high school years, as well as some other pretty good songs as well.

The Knack gets most of their acclaim for their highly successful debut album, which included "Your Number or Your Name" and "(She's So) Selfish)", which are on this disc as well. But their second album, "But The Little Girls Understand" is good in its own right, and I was glad to see that "Baby Talks Dirty" from that album was included on this cd. There's some other songs on this disc that I've never heard before, such as "Africa" and "Don't Look Back", but they still have that distinctive Knack sound.

This is a very good cd. Their signature songs ("My Sharona" and "Good Girls Don't") headline the list of songs, but the others are good as well. Pick up this great disc and hear the anthology of one of the early 80's first great rock and roll groups. (By the way, the Knack's lead singer really did date a girl named Sharona). .


Best of the "Best of" Compilations
I recommend it if you see it in the store or on-line. Of all the Knack "Best of" compilations CDs I happen to like this one best.
The track sequencing is not chronological by the way.
"The Hard Way" is from ". . . but the little girls understand" and is also a cover; the original version being by The Kinks.

Here is the track listing (I don't see one from Amazon)
01. My Sharona [Averre, Fieger] 4:53
02. Your Number or Your Name [Averre, Fieger] 2:56
03. One Day at a Time [Averre, Fieger] 4:23
04. The Hard Way [Davies] 2:13
05. Good Girls Don't [Fieger] 3:09
06. (She's So) Selfish [Averre, Fieger] 4:30
07. Just Wait and See [Averre, Fieger] 3:01
08. Baby Talks Dirty [Averre, Fieger] 3:45
09. We Are Waiting [Corey, Fieger] 4:23
10. I Want Love [Averre, Fieger] 4:04
11. Africa Averre, [Fieger] 4:33
12. Can't Put a Price on Love [Averre, Fieger] 4:39
13. Rocket O' Love [demo version] [Averre, Fieger] 3:09
14. Another Lousy Day in Paradise [Averre, Fieger] 3:28
15. Sweet Dreams [Fieger] 3:31
16. Don't Look Back [#] [Springsteen] 2:21
17. Pay the Devil (Ooo, Baby, Ooo) [Averre] 4:07

There is also a 1996 compilation, Very Best of The Knack that has 16 tracks, 4 of which are "new songs". The new tracks (2 are covers) sort of spoil the idea of a "Best of" compilation by taking up space for previous classic Knack songs.
"Retropective" is a CD which does what it was designed to do; i. e. give an overall perspective of the Knack's output up to 1991.

There is a demo version of 1991's "Rocket of Love" (from "Serious Fun" CD) and a Springstein cover we've never heard before. (the lone totally new song).

In my opinion this CD was wise to include "Africa" and "We Are Waiting" from the Knack's 3rd album "Round Trip". Both tracks are expressive and unusual Knack songs but also highlights from an overlooked great album.
Also from "Round Trip" is "Pay the Devil (Ooo, Baby, Ooo)". Thankfully, this is the last song on the comp and one of very very few Knack songs I just don't care for. Sadly, this was chosen as a single from "Round Trip" back in the day and I still think this song Killed The Knack.

"One Day at a Time" also appears here and it's from Serious Fun and was even redone on "Normal as The Next Guy" (2001). Truly a great love song.

The Knack's first and second albums are well represented:
"My Sharona" and "Good Girls Don't" & "Baby Talks Dirty", etc. etc.
Of course this lacks tracks from Zoom/Re-Zoom (which came later), but you should buy "Re-Zoom" separately anyway (HINT HINT!).
It's that good. .


More To Offer Than You Might Think
I listen to that song over and over and I never get tired of it. I bought this Cd for one reason, so I could listen to "My Sharona" whenever I wanted to. That's an accomplishment in itself when any band produce a track like that.

To be honest, I didn't know what else The Knack had done besides "My Sharona". If you were a teenager in the late seventies and early eighties, you will recognize some of the other tracks here. My favorites are "Good Girls Don't" and "Can't Put A Price On Love". But all the tracks are good. This CD is well the price, not only for "My Sharona" but to learn more about the band that produced it.


Sorry you didn't get it....
I don't know what your personal tastes are, but The Knack is just fine for me. Sorry Peter, but you really didn't get it. I'm 48, saw The Beatles in '65, and spent my high school years in the Summer of Love in San Francisco. I wish more artists today had an ounce of this band's energy, wit, talent, chutzpah, and just plain damn simple dedication to ROCK N' ROLL.


You can see a complete list of all The Knack discography, or go back to the The Knack tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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