Hard to believe it’s been well over a year since The Knack
graced the pages of “The Daily Vault” – I really have to get the
Pierce Archives computerized (as well as organized) one of these
days.
Following the surprise success of their debut album
Get The Knack, Doug Fieger and crew quickly regrouped to
record their second album,
…but the little girls understand. But somehow, when they
dug out the recipe for success they used on their first album,
something went terribly wrong. Maybe it was their trying to create
copycat hits from “My Sharona,” maybe it was they didn’t spend
enough time fine-tuning the songwriting process. Whatever the case,
this album is a weak followup.
After creating such a furor with “My Sharona,” The Knack return
to the dirty old man guise with “Baby Talks Dirty”. Unfortunately,
not only is this not as good of a song, it’s also a poor copy,
right down to the staccato guitar line in the body of the song.
Plus, the innuendo-laden swagger the band had put forth just one
album ago on songs like “Good Girls Don’t” seems real stale.
Too bad the band didn’t drop the innuendo after one song; it’s
still pretty strong on “Mr. Handleman,” and has a lesser presence
on “I Want Ya”. But by this time, they’ve slipped from the Beatles
with a hard-on to a poor cover band in their sound. No doubt about
it, the songwriting is definitely not as strong this time
around.
Oh, they try to put on a more “sensitive man” face on songs like
“Can’t Put A Price On Love,” and this song does succeed a little
more than some of the others, but it’s too little, too late. Let’s
face it, on
Get The Knack, Fieger and company first established
themselves as a rock band before they delved into pervert-land.
The bulk of
…but the little girls understand is made up of the dreaded
filler – the songs aren’t bad, but they aren’t good, either. The
whole second side seems like the band is sprinting towards the
finish line, churning out six songs in just over 15 minutes. Cuts
like “(Havin’ a) Rave Up,” “End Of The Game” and “How Can Love Hurt
So Much” just seem to pass through the head without leaving any
solid impression – that’s not a good thing.
What could have made this album a little better? First, more
time – you can hear the rush job that this album became, a release
to capitalize on their recently-found fame. Had they spent a little
more time writing solid songs, even if they still were at
crotch-level, I think this album would have been more fondly
remembered. Second, they had to stop reading their own press
releases and tone down the songs a tad. I’m no prude by any means,
but people seem to classify The Knack with guys who wear raincoats
and flash city buses. They were better musicians than their lyrics
hinted at.
…but the little girls understand has a certain amount of
kitsch value, I guess, but not much more to offer. If you
absolutely must own this to make your collection complete, then
pick it up. Otherwise, your life won’t be incomplete if you never
hear Fieger make orgasmic noises in lieu of singing.
