Get The Knack

Overview
Get the Knack is The Knack’s debut album, released June 11, 1979, and produced by Mike Chapman. Fueled by the US chart-topping single “My Sharona,” the LP spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and sold roughly two million copies in the United States. Its brisk, hook-driven power-pop helped define late-1970s new wave. ([classicrockreview.com](https://www.classicrockreview.com/2019/06/1979-get-the-knack/?utm_source=openai))

Recording History
- Studio/location: Recording took place at MCA Whitney Studios in Glendale, California. ([vintagedigital.com.au](https://www.vintagedigital.com.au/classic-track/my-sharona/))
- Producers and engineers: Produced by Mike Chapman; recording engineers included Pete Coleman and, on some material, Dave Tickle, with Coleman handling mixing on tracks. ([vintagedigital.com.au](https://www.vintagedigital.com.au/classic-track/my-sharona/))
- Recording dates/sessions: The sessions occurred in April 1979, with the band tracking most material in a short, intense period (about two weeks). ([classicrockreview.com](https://www.classicrockreview.com/2019/06/1979-get-the-knack/?utm_source=openai))
- Techniques/equipment: The Knack pursued a direct, live-in-the-studio sound with minimal overdubs; the drum sound and room ambience were notable features of Chapman’s approach, emphasized in later interviews and retrospectives. ([moderndrummer.com](https://www.moderndrummer.com/2011/09/bruce-gary-controlled-bombast-with-the-knack/?utm_source=openai))

Chart Performance & Recognition
- Chart performance: Get the Knack topped the US charts (Billboard 200) for five weeks. The album also achieved top positions in other markets, including Canada and Australia. ([musicchartsarchive.com](https://www.musicchartsarchive.com/albums/the-knack/get-the-knack?utm_source=openai))
- Sales & certifications: The album sold about two million copies in the United States and has been described as double-platinum in retrospective summaries. ([number1albums.com](https://number1albums.com/get_the_knack_-_the_knack_august_11_1979/?utm_source=openai))
- Critical reception at release: Contemporary critics were divided; the album sparked backlash despite its hit status, with mixed reviews noted by outlets such as Trouser Press and early mainstream press. ([trouserpress.com](https://trouserpress.com/reviews/knack/?utm_source=openai))
- Year-end/legacy: Billboard placed Get the Knack high in year-end contexts, and later assessments (including AllMusic) view it as a defining, if controversial, power-pop artifact. ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Get_the_Knack?utm_source=openai))

Cultural Impact & Legacy
- Influence: The album’s brisk, Beatles-influenced power pop helped shape late-1970s/early-1980s mainstream rock and influenced thinking around the period’s pop-rock production sensibilities. The broader industry legacy includes anecdotes about its impact on contemporaries, including discussions around songs like Beat It that drew on similar energy. ([musicradar.com](https://www.musicradar.com/artists/it-was-like-getting-hit-in-the-head-with-a-baseball-bat-i-fell-in-love-with-her-instantly-and-when-that-happened-it-sparked-something-the-new-wave-classic-and-no-1-hit-that-was-written-in-one-hour-and-recorded-in-one-take?utm_source=openai))
- Covers & samples: “My Sharona” has been widely covered and sampled, with numerous artists citing or reinterpreting the riff; the track’s lasting footprint is documented in sample- and cover-tracking databases. ([whosampled.com](https://www.whosampled.com/The-Knack/My-Sharona/?utm_source=openai))
- Today’s regard: AllMusic regards Get the Knack as a well-executed, if polarizing, sprint of pop songwriting; it remains a touchstone for discussions of power pop and late-70s rock excess. ([allmusic.com](https://www.allmusic.com/album/get-the-knack-mw0000203259?utm_source=openai))
- Trivia: Capitol’s marketing famously echoed the Beatles’ Meet the Beatles! cover, a visual gambit that fed into the album’s notoriety and backlash. ([en.wikipedia.org](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Knack?utm_source=openai))