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Get The Knack!  On May 8, Omnivore Recordings will reignite its longtime series of Knack collections with Knackology: The Zen Recordings, a 19-song collection from the archives of the label founded by the band’s main songwriter and lead singer, the late Doug Fieger.  The set boasts demos, live recordings, and studio rarities from the band that’s so much more than just “My Sharona” and “Good Girls Don’t.”

Knackology rounds up demos from Fieger and Berton Averre – the pair began collaborating in 1973, six years before the release on Capitol Records of Get The Knack – of “That’s What the Little Girls Do” and “Rock & Roll Is Good for You,” as well as the band’s live performances from various venues of “My Sharona,” “Good Girls Don’t,” “Baby Talks Dirty,” “(She’s So) Selfish,” and other favorites.  Studio recordings have been culled from the band’s final two albums: 1998’s Zoom (“Pop Is Dead,” “Ambition,” “Can I Borrow a Kiss,” “Love Is All There Is”) and 2001’s Normal as the Next Guy (the title track, “Les Girls,” “Seven Days of Heaven”).  The band’s fan-favorite cover of Badfinger’s “No Matter What,” originally included on a 1996 Badfinger tribute set, is also reprised here.

The collection is in the good hands of Grammy-winning Omnivore mainstays.  It’s been mastered by Michael Graves and features liner notes by the compilation’s co-producer, Lee Lodyga.  With a cross-section of tracks spanning four decades, it serves as both an introduction to the band’s small but potent discography and a reminder that, well, “Rock & Roll Is Good for You.”  (Need a further reminder?  Check out TSD’s 2010 Back Tracks feature on the group’s catalogue to that point.)

The collection follows such past, indispensable Omnivore releases as Havin’ a Rave-Up! Live in Los Angeles, 1978 and Rock & Roll Is Good for You: The Fieger-Averre Demos (both 2012); and expanded editions of Zoom, Normal as the Next Guy, and Live from the Rock ‘n’ Roll Funhouse (2015).  Look for this celebration of all things Knack on May 8 in both CD and digital formats.  You’ll find the track listing and pre-order links below.  As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.  (Note that Amazon links aren’t active at the time of this writing but should go live soon.)

The Knack, Knackology: The Zen Recordings (Omnivore OVCD-621, 2026) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada / Omnivore)

1. Let Me Out (Live In Los Angeles, 1978)
2. Pop Is Dead
3. (She’s So) Selfish (Live At Mountain View, California, June 10, 1994)
4. Ambition
5. That’s What The Little Girls Do (Fieger/Averre Demo)
6. Les Girls
7. Rock & Roll Is Good For You (Fieger/Averre Demo)
8. Can I Borrow A Kiss
9. Oh Tara (Live From The Rock ’n’ Roll Fun House)
10. Normal As The Next Guy
11. Shine (Live At Leeds, 1991)
12. Good Girls Don’t (Live From The Rock ’n’ Fun House)
13. No Matter What
14. Love Is All There Is
15. One Day At A Time (Live From The Rock ’n’ Roll Fun House)
16. Seven Days Of Heaven
17. Harder On You (Demo)
18. Baby Talks Dirty (Live From The Rock ’n’ Roll Fun House)
19. My Sharona (Live At Mountain View, California, June 10, 1994)

Track 1 from Live in Los Angeles 1978, Omnivore/Zen OVS10-17, 2012
Tracks 2, 4, 8 & 14 from Zoom, Rhino R2 75290, 1998
Tracks 3, 11 & 19 from Forever Together, Sunset Blvd./Smile CD-SBR-7987, 2020
Track 13 from Come and Get It: A Tribute to Badfinger, Copper CPR-2181, 1996
Tracks 5 & 7 from Rock ‘n’ Roll Is Good for You: The Fieger-Averre Demos, Omnivore/Zen OVCD-39, 2012
Tracks 9, 12, 15 & 18 from Live from the Rock ‘n’ Roll Funhouse, Zen ID1292DG, 2002
Tracks 6, 10 & 16 from Normal as the Next Guy, Smile/Zen ID1156ZR, 2001
Track 17 from Zoom [Expanded Edition], Omnivore/Zen OVCD-124, 2015