Review by Don Krider of Power Pop News

Pros Lots of video power pop fun from veteran hit-men The Knack ("My Sharona").

Cons Explicit lyrics may bother some people.

The Bottom Line Looking youthful as ever, The Knack prove that rock 'n' roll music can still be fun in a fictional TV performance filmed before a live audience in 2001.

Full Review

Plot Details: This opinion reveals minor details about the movie's plot. The Knack rose to international stardom in 1979-80 with the Top 40 hits "My Sharona" (which hit # 1), "Good Girls Don't" (# 11) and "Baby Talks Dirty" (# 38).

Their debut album was recorded in 11 days for only $18,000. It earned a Gold Record Award (500,000 copies sold) in just 13 days after release in June, 1979, eventually earning a Platinum Record Award (for sales of over a million copies).

That album, "Get The Knack," established the band as hit-makers, rising to # 1 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart and selling 5 million copies.

"Get The Knack" also produced the # 1 single "My Sharona" and the Top 20 hit "Good Girls Don't."

The band's popularity quickly declined (their second album sold only 600,000 copies (going Gold) and later albums sold even less) amid a press backlash against their Beatles-inspired appearance and explicit lyrics.

The press, and the public, never really did "Get The Knack" after all.

Today:

The Knack today continues to record as a group with three original members (out of four; the fourth member position has been a revolving door for fine drummers over the years).

Critics have applauded the group's last two CDs, "Zoom" and the brilliant "Normal As The Next Guy." The band's current music is instrumentally tight with clever lyric writing highlighting melodic power pop songs.

Worth seeking out as well is lead singer Doug Fieger's fine solo album, "First Things First."

The DVD band:

For this DVD performance, the band is Doug Fieger, lead vocals and rhythm guitar; Berton Averre, lead guitar and vocals, and Prescott Niles, bass guitar, all veterans of the original lineup of the band.

Filling that fourth spot in the lineup is "David Henderson as Holmes Jones, drums," according to the credits.

The film concept:

Described by the band as a "one-of-a-kind retro fantasy," "LIve From The Rock 'n' Roll Fun House" is a live television concert that never actually happened.

The Knack's performance brings back memories of The Beatles on "Ed Sullivan" and of the classic '60s TV rock shows such as "American Bandstand," "Shindig" and "Top Of The Pops."

Fieger not only sings lead with the band, but also appears as the the host of the fictional TV series "Rock 'n' Roll Fun House," a character named Jimmy Lemonjello.

Fieger's Lemonjello is a fun molding of Ed Sullivan, Dick Clark and Austin Powers with a brightly-colored mod clothing and long blonde hair (the wig covering Fieger's shorter, John Lennon circa 1964 light brown hair) with a bit of a British accent.

Mixed with scenes of Lemonjello introducing the band and getting fan response (ala Dick Clark's "what do you you think of the band?" audience banter on "American Bandstand") are fake commercials for products such as "Zit Gone" done in the silly style of The Who circa their "Sell Out" album.

The gig:

For the film, the band performs an hour-long set before a live audience, recorded in Long Beach, California, on August 18, 2001. The audience, packed with die-hard, supportive fans, reacts wildly with standing ovations, applause and cheers to the band's outstanding set.

The songs:

"Pop Is Dead," "Baby Talks Dirty," "Oh Tara," "Can I Borrow A Kiss" (gorgeous little Merseybeat love song with great lines like "...can I borrow a kiss / and I'll give it right back to you..."), "Another Lousy Day In Paradise," "Good Girls Don't," "One Day At A Time," "It's Not Me," "Siamese Twins (The Monkey And Me)," "Harder On You" and "Sweet Dreams."

Also, "Seven Days Of Heaven," "That's What The Little Girls Do," "(She's So) Selfish," "My Sharona" and "(Havin' A) Rave Up."

The performances:

Fieger has an uncanny resemblance to the late John Lennon of The Beatles when he performs on stage (both gentlemen play Rickenbacker guitars, as well) --- memories of Lennon in "A Hard Day's Night" and "Help!" come to mind as Fieger sings lead on The Knack's songs.

Fieger's stance, hair and facial expressions add to that Lennon effect. His "windmill" guitar-playing style (his right arm swings around like a windmill as he plays, a playing style usually attributed to Pete Townshend of The Who) is also impressive.

Dressed in black suits (no ties, thank you), looking much younger than their years, The Knack are full of energy. The entire band bows to the audience in unison, further recreating that '60s/'70s innocence of their idols.

For the band's most Beatle-ish tune, "Good Girls Don't," Fieger discards the suit jacket to reveal a vest and he adds a mouth organ (a harmonica attached to head gear allowing him to play the instrument with his mouth while leaving his hands free to play his guitar).

Averre and Niles assume the Paul McCartney-George Harrison Beatles' positions on the tune by sharing a microphone, singing while facing each other.

As a band, The Knack could pass for The Beatles here, if only in the good-time, fun-loving feel for the music vibe they give off.

On the band's monster hit, "My Sharona," the group shines. It's easy to understand the hysteria of 1979 when the tune was # 1 in Billboard magazine for six straight weeks (spending 22 weeks on the Hot 100 Singles chart), the first of five Hot 100 singles for the group.

The drums command your attention like a military order, followed by the throbbing bass line, the nasty lead guitar hook and Fieger singing, "...m-m-my Sharona..." And the audience? They, of course, go wild when the band plays this tune.

You can't fake or manufacture the chemistry of The Knack. These guys love their music --- the smiles as they sing, the cocky twist of the head as Averre burns off a lead guitar solo and Niles jumping in the air as he plays bass, all show a band as much into rock 'n' roll as those in the adoring audience watching the show.

Multiple camera angles:

The overall impact is enhanced by the style of filming here, which ranges from tight closeups of individual members to long shots of the whole band from cameras placed in multiple locations.

Crowd shots are, thankfully, limited to the space between tunes which allows you to view the entire performance by the band uninterrupted.

Recommendation:

The disclaimer about explicit lyrics not withstanding, The Knack's songs and performances are fun to watch. There's really not a bad song or performance here (one might wish they had included their 1991 Top 10 AOR hit, "Rocket O' Love," but perhaps it will appear on a future DVD collection).

For the 60 minutes the DVD runs, at least, you can slip back into your youth and share some fun memories with the Knack --- that alone is worth the price of admission.

The film and its music should appeal to fans of The Beatles, Cheap Trick, The Raspberries and anyone who ever tried to figure out why Dick Clark never aged on "American Bandstand."

The DVD:

Besides the feature selection, the DVD includes such extras as a "track listing" selection where you can pull up any single song performance from the show; an audio selection feature which allows you to choose between 5.1 or 2.0 Dolby Digital; a photo gallery section of band shots from the live gig, including behind-the-scenes shots, and an illustrated discography section.

Included is an illustrated, 8-page booklet about The Knack (and a 12-page catalog of Image Entertainment films)

Fieger and Jake Hooker were executive producers of the film for Image Entertainment (the folks behind "An All-Star Tribute To Brian Wilson" and "The Go-Go's: Live In Central Park"). The film was produced by John Bilecky and James LaRocca (who also directed).

Recommended Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older