Customer Reviews

The Knack - Live from the Rock 'n' Roll Fun House

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

There seem to be a lot of so-called "experts" reviewing this DVD that
A) didn't see the actual DVD, they saw it broadcast on satelite TV, which had extra interviews not on the DVD,
B) don't "GET" the Knack and their attempt at recreating in a hokey way the shindig/hullaboo type TV shows of their childhood ala the beatles on Ed Sullivan COMPLETE with stark lighting and cheesy staging. This is typical, since many so-called 'critics' didn't 'get the knack' in the first place. The 1st album, including "my sharona", was a concept album written from the point of view of a 16 y/o boy.
C) don't play an instrument and appreciate how hard it is to nail it perfectly, especially when singing! If all Doug Fieger needs is 10 seconds of dubbed corrections out of 13 or so songs, that's pretty impressive.

To them, someone needs to say, "It was all done tongue in cheek, you guys! As a 16 y/o when that first knack album came out, I can attest to its accuracy in terms of what was important to and in the mindset of a 16 y/o in 1979.

I did notice the OCCASIONAL synching problem with the vocals only, but from what I read most "live" concert videos do this, going back and fixing weak spots. Actually, on most, they overdub the lead guitar a lot too, and Berton Averre seems to be so good they didn't need to do this, at least not to a noticeable degree. Also, some of the video special effects (split screens, slow motion, etc) required re-snyching the video with the audio, so that might have caused some of the problems.

Anyone who says the Knack can't play or sing or who leaves the impression this was some sort of lip-synched forgery is way off base. Their multi-platinum debut Album, GET THE KNACK, was recorded live in the studio with minor extra tracks for backing vocals and solos, etc, for just $18,000 in a few days. Try getting any modern era act to do that! They made their reputation playing clubs, these guys can play.

I could have done without the awkward and overly brief Jimmy Lemonjello character as well, but it was no big deal. The lack of extra features or interviews was my biggest disappointment in this DVD. The guitar/bass mix was fine. Geez, it's live, not a studio recording. Most live acts are a thump of bass and a badly played guitar scratching in the background. I heard every note lead Guitarist Berton Averre played and could follow the bass line easily. Drummer "Holmes Jones" was fantastic, with a hard hitting, energetic style. I've never seen anyone twirl sticks in between beats and play at the same time like that! He looks like a mad Bethoveen at the piano. Other than a slightly too-fast riff on My Sharona, he was great.

There are a lot of Knack haters out there, but then again there are a lot of pretentious people who see paint splashed on a canvas and call it modern art, so keep that in mind. Sometimes you just want to have fun listening to music. The Knack is all about having fun.

I was disappointed with this DVD. I could not get past the cheesy production, poor lip-sync and the overall ho hum feeling of this performance. Let me say that I am a big Knack fan from the late 70's and was looking forward to another performance video to add to my collection. I think what the band was trying to do was a send off of the British 60's variety shows such as Ready, Steady Go..and that would explain the bad lip sync. In short, groups used to re-record their songs and then lip to these recordings because of union rules about playing records on television in the 60's in the UK. The problem, is that the modern production takes away from that feeling. Each member playing on a separate ministage limits interaction among the group members. Also, the moderator could have been done away with. Why didn't the band just do a live compliation video of performances? The main problem with the "Fun House" is that there is no fun. The audience looks as if they are on xanax. Comparing this to the Carnegie Hall video...well you really can't so I won't go there.

On the bright side, the song selection is quite good and Doug F's guitars are AMAZING. What is that...a new Epiphone Casino with the Bigsby tailpiece? Yummy. And the Harrison '64 Rick 12 string will jingle jangle you out of your seat, not to mention the (new?) Gretch Tennessean, Yee Haw. How about the Gibson J 160 E, Lennon/Harrison would be proud!

Overall I'd rather have this than not, but I wish that the concept was played out more cleanly and that there were more extras. By the way the discography on the DVD is incomplete, for some reason it omits "Zoom"(!?!).

if youve never seen the knack in person here is the next best thing. they are excellent musicians and there songs have incredible hooks! most people only remember "My Sharona", but the knack have dozens of other great songs.....i highly recommend this dvd to all fans and anyone into good power pop music!

As the reviewer earlier mentioned, there are some dubbing problems that become distracting at times. Along with a few sync issues, they re-recorded many vocal parts, taking some of the "Live" out of the title. It's easy to hear (and see) the difference between the live and the studio vocals.

But don't let this bother you. The overall mix is great, with excellent separation between instruments, although the bass isn't quite as punchy as I'd like. Switching to the 5.1 mix and bringing down the center channel volume to a nice blend (vs home theater mode "center channel = main speaker" mode) helps the bass quite a bit. Guitar tone is simply outstanding, and as also mentioned earlier, it's like a candy shop for beautiful instruments. When I took this down to our bandroom years ago for my friends to hear, my first words were "Even if you're not a Knack fan, it's worth it to see the guitars."

"Get The Knack" is the only CD I had from them, and I was impressed by songs on this DVD I didn't know. "Pop Is Dead", "Baby Talks Dirty", "Can I Borrow a Kiss"....all these I had never heard before, and I was blown away. I mean, I knew these guys were good, but they're REAL good. It's a shame that they're written off by so many as one hit wonders. Great writing, great vocals, great playing, and hooks that are off the HOOK.

Buy this DVD, accept the fact that there are some dubbing issues, and relax and slip back to a time when songs made you feel good. The Knack gets the job done here.

I quite enjoyed watching the Knack mime to a new recorded track, as the performance captures the fun and excitement of a live Knack show. The newly recorded songs sound great, the band looks good, and the set is full of energy. I may have to get the audio CD as well, since it sounds so good! I like watching Berton Averre's fingers fly over the fretboard, and the man is such an underrated guitar player.

Terrific live performance by one of the genuine power-pop finest landmarks. Never be afraid of watching them in 2001, they really look and sound true, surprisingly young and fresh. The playing and singing reach the studio perfection looking effortless. Additional bonus are the astounding Moonesque drummer and the real gem guitar showcase... and almost no pauses between the songs. Essential.

I really enjoyed this DVD. I "get" the cheesey production values and the emcee character Jimmy Lemonjello, and I didn't much care for it but thankfully it's kept to a minimum. As far as the music, the band really nails a nice selection of songs and they are indeed in fine form. They're a tight unit. The somewhat bad vocal editing, in my opinion, probobly couldn't be helped, I see it all the time in live concert productions for video. Unlike a few reviewers, I didn't think the whole show was a pantomine, they are indeed playing. Even though it's unbelievably tight, that's just the Knack trademark, clean, tight playing and songwriting. In my DVD the bass booms a bit, and is hard to clean up on my EQ, but the guitar sounds are amazing. Doug's fender strat just is so clean yet heavily distorted, and Berton's guitar work is amazing. It's so cool to watch him in the background just getting OFF! Holmes Jones is a sledgehammering machine on the drums playing with a heavy beat a la Chic. This release is long overdue for a band underappreciated for their brand of power pop. I'll give 5-stars any day. WEll done guys!

I kinda dig The Knack, and was surprised by how excited I was to have the chance to see this. I tell you, though, although it is a lot of fun and they play all the right selections, somehow it appears to be oddly overdubbed--almost like they are lip-synching--though not to a studio track. You can see many many examples of this--especially in the vocals--I forget which song, but one of the very early tracks involves many "screams" from the singer--they simply don't match with what he is doing--one time they have the wisdom to "cut away." Why would they lip-synch to a live version of their own stuff? This is why I say it is one of the oddest DVDs I have seen. The entire recording seems as though it is not occuring as we are watching it. The drums are similarly dry and do not sound like they are coming from that "space." I am baffled and bothered by the detachment between what we are hearing and what we are seeing. They allude to the possibility of something being "up" in this regard in the little sit down bit they do before they play--but it is edited so that they never finish the thought. I would be most curious to hear what others think about this. Again, songs are great, The Knack is great, that they are still doing music in their own way is great--but I am telling you I think the whole thing is overdubbed, and the results are oddly annoying.

First of all, I've got to say that I have been a big Knack fan ever since Columbia House sent me a copy of "Get The Knack" on 8-track in 1980. And if that wasn't enough, Doug Fieger even went to the same high school as I did in Michigan--although he was gone long before I got there.

So when I saw that Direct TV was showing free previews of this DVD all weekend, I figured this would be right up my alley. Well, I've sat through this turkey twice already, and I'm still counting the ways where they went wrong with this one.

First of all, the mix is awful. The guitars are WAY down, especially Berton's sublime lead work, and all that is coming through is vocals and drums. This is fine for RUN-DMC, but it ain't doing much for The Knack.

Secondly, when it comes to the look of the overall piece, this thing has "cable access" written all over it . Flat lighting, uninspired set design, and arbitrary camera work hardly kept my interest for more than a few minutes, and I'm getting this for free!

Finally, this performance is fairly loose and detatched for the most part. I've got a copy of their Carnegie Hall performance from a while back, and that thing runs rings around this DVD. I've got a feeling that the band has a lot riding on this one, but I think they would have been better served re-releasing the Carnegie Hall performance on DVD and leaving well-enough alone.

I have to admit that I was only a casual Knack fan back in their heyday but took a chance on this DVD. I'm glad I did as it is superb. It is power pop at it's finest with top notch picture and sound quality. The idea of appearing on a 60's type TV show works very well. The band looks great and really seem to be enjoying themselves. I would highly recommend this for anyone interested in seeing power pop at it's finest.