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Doug Fieger, lead singer of "The Knack" has died

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  • Doug Fieger, lead singer of "The Knack" has died

    suprised not mentioned here on this site yet.....

    Just learned hearing over the radio when I got off of work this afternoon that the lead singer of The Knack has passed on.

    Famous for "My Sharona" the song IMO still rocks my heart and checking to see if its on my ipod.


    http://www.examiner.com/x-19248-Vint...arona-has-died

  • #2
    Re: Doug Fieger, lead singer of "The Knack" has died

    Bring back those skinny ties.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Doug Fieger, lead singer of "The Knack" has died

      Sad to hear about this. "My Sharona" was one of my all time favorite songs of the 1970s. Bought the single as well as the album, "Get the Knack." This was the perfect anti-disco song to come out at that time. Other great tracks on the album include "Good Girls Don't", "Oh Tara", "She's So Selfish" and "Maybe Tonight".


      My original 45 with the picture sleeve.


      M-m-m-m-m-my Sharona! | Watch the video

      Mel's Vinyl Vault Photos
      Last edited by mel; February 15, 2010, 04:32 PM. Reason: added video link
      I'm still here. Are you?

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      • #4
        Re: Doug Fieger, lead singer of "The Knack" has died

        Originally posted by mel View Post
        Sad to hear about this. "My Sharona" was one of my all time favorite songs of the 1970s. Bought the single as well as the album, "Get the Knack." This was the perfect anti-disco song to come out at that time.
        My Sharona has often been pointed to as "the" song that ended disco's stranglehold on the charts. But even as that song reigned #1, I had always thought of the Knack as a group that took advantage of the in-roads that the Cars had earlier established in the popularization of the power pop/new wave sound. Of course, none of the Cars' singles from their first two albums, great as they were (Just What I Needed, My Best Friend's Girl, Good Times Roll, Let's Go) would ever come close to matching the initial sales impact of My Sharona. But even then, I chalked it up not to the relative strength of the material, but to the mere fact that Doug Fieger and co. happened to be blessed with teen idol looks, while Ric Ocasek and his boys looked rather geeky.

        Over the long haul, artistic merit would prevail as the Cars became one of the dominant groups of the 1980s, while the Knack quickly fizzled out.
        Last edited by Frankie's Market; February 16, 2010, 02:42 AM.
        This post may contain an opinion that may conflict with your opinion. Do not take it personal. Polite discussion of difference of opinion is welcome.

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        • #5
          Re: Doug Fieger, lead singer of "The Knack" has died

          Yeah, I'll agree with that assessment of The Cars vs. The Knack. Surely The Cars had a longer shelf life that took them nearly to the end of the 1980s. The Cars had more hits in the long run, and the artistic respect that The Knack probably never got.



          Screenshot of "Get the Knack" album cover on my iTunes.
          I'm still here. Are you?

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          • #6
            Re: Doug Fieger, lead singer of "The Knack" has died

            Random bit of trivia regarding Doug Fieger is that he was a brother to Geoffrey Fieger, the lawyer who defended Dr. Jack Kevorkian. I always think of the scene featuring "My Sharona" from the movie Reality Bites when I hear that song.
            Peace, Love, and BBQ!

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            • #7
              Re: Doug Fieger, lead singer of "The Knack" has died

              Originally posted by mel View Post
              Sad to hear about this. "My Sharona" was one of my all time favorite songs of the 1970s. Bought the single as well as the album, "Get the Knack." This was the perfect anti-disco song to come out at that time. Other great tracks on the album include "Good Girls Don't", "Oh Tara", "She's So Selfish" and "Maybe Tonight".

              Mel's Vinyl Vault Photos
              Another great track on the same album I liked was "Frustrated".

              Originally posted by Frankie's Market View Post
              My Sharona has often been pointed to as "the" song that ended disco's stranglehold on the charts. But even as that song reigned #1, I had always thought of the Knack as a group that took advantage of the in-roads that the Cars had earlier established in the popularization of the power pop/new wave sound. Of course, none of the Cars' singles from their first two albums, great as they were (Just What I Needed, My Best Friend's Girl, Good Times Roll, Let's Go) would ever come close to matching the initial sales impact of My Sharona. But even then, I chalked it up not to the relative strength of the material, but to the mere fact that Doug Fieger and co. happened to be blessed with teen idol looks, while Ric Ocasek and his boys looked rather geeky.

              Over the long haul, artistic merit would prevail as the Cars became one of the dominant groups of the 1980s, while the Knack quickly fizzled out.
              My Sharona and The Cars' Just What I Needed was some songs that I used to do with my former band. It was 1979 when My Sharona and Let's Go by The Cars came out and soon after was the end of the Disco era. It was 97.5 KDUK "The Duke" that was playing all the Disco tunes back in the day and then in late 79' is when it transformed to 97.5 KPOI 98Rock. I missed The Knack's concert at Pipeline Cafe a few years ago.

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              • #8
                Re: Doug Fieger, lead singer of "The Knack" has died

                What about My Bologna?

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                • #9
                  Re: Doug Fieger, lead singer of "The Knack" has died

                  Originally posted by Walkoff Balk View Post
                  What about My Bologna?
                  Or My Toyota.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Doug Fieger, lead singer of "The Knack" has died

                    I remember taking my college roomie to Odyssey Records to buy that LP. That was the most "pirated" album at the dorm at the time. A guy down the hall had a kickass cassette tape deck. lol

                    Yeah those were the days The Cars, Roxy Music, J Geils Band...

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                    • #11
                      Re: Doug Fieger, lead singer of "The Knack" has died

                      Here's a top 20 list of songs that were popular in 1979:

                      1. My Sharona, The Knack
                      2. Bad Girls, Donna Summer
                      3. Le Freak, Chic
                      4. Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?, Rod Stewart
                      5. Reunited, Peaches and Herb
                      6. I Will Survive, Gloria Gaynor
                      7. Hot Stuff, Donna Summer
                      8. Y.M.C.A., Village People
                      9. "Ring My Bell", Anita Ward
                      10. Sad Eyes, Robert John
                      11. Too Much Heaven, Bee Gees
                      12. MacArthur Park, Donna Summer
                      13. When You're In Love With a Beautiful Woman, Dr. Hook
                      14. Makin' It, David Naughton
                      15. Fire, Pointer Sisters
                      16. Tragedy, Bee Gees
                      17. A Little More Love, Olivia Newton-John
                      18. Heart of Glass, Blondie
                      19. What a Fool Believes, Doobie Brothers
                      20. Good Times, Chic

                      A lot of music back then was dominated by disco. My Sharona by The Knack broke huge and became the biggest hit of the year.

                      Chart source: http://www.musicoutfitters.com/topsongs/1979.htm
                      I'm still here. Are you?

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                      • #12
                        Re: Doug Fieger, lead singer of "The Knack" has died

                        During the early 90's when I was in college in Arizona, this song "Rocket O' Love" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pir69Od-y0s) used to get a lot of airplay, I remember buying the cassette tape and playing it quite a bit way back when. I always thought The Knack was a cool group that should have had more hits, but it is hard to top "My Sharona"...

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                        • #13
                          Re: Doug Fieger, lead singer of "The Knack" has died

                          Originally posted by Kalihiboy View Post
                          I always thought The Knack was a cool group that should have had more hits, but it is hard to top "My Sharona"...
                          The Knack was victimized by its own initial success. My Sharona created such huge expectations that any follow-up single from their 2nd album was going to be deemed a disappointment, if not a downright failure. And surely enough, that is what happened. That's the danger of what can happen to any music act that hits it so big on their debut. This is in contrast to musicians who had to work their way up and put in their dues before experiencing mainstream success. (Examples of such Knack contemporaries would include the Cars, Cheap Trick, and even Blondie.)

                          Another thing working against the Knack was the perception that their debut success was inflated by teeny-boppers who were eager to latch onto a group they could shower their adulations on, just as earlier generations did for the Beatles, the Monkees, the Osmonds, and the Bay City Rollers. This caused a backlash against the Knack from older fans who were past puberty. (Remember those Nuke The Knack shirts?) This goes back to what I earlier said about the Knack's early chart success being tied into their good looks and fashion influence, rather than to the merit of their music. Fine, copies of My Sharona and Get The Knack outsold anything the Cars and Cheap Trick would put out in 1979. But with the latter two groups, you knew that good looks weren't fueling any sales, not with guys who looked like Ric Ocasek and Greg Hawkes (The Cars) or Rick Nielsen and Bun E. Carlos (Cheap Trick).
                          This post may contain an opinion that may conflict with your opinion. Do not take it personal. Polite discussion of difference of opinion is welcome.

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                          • #14
                            Re: Doug Fieger, lead singer of "The Knack" has died

                            Originally posted by Frankie's Market View Post
                            But with the latter two groups, you knew that good looks weren't fueling any sales, not with guys who looked like Ric Ocasek and Greg Hawkes (The Cars) or Rick Nielsen and Bun E. Carlos (Cheap Trick).
                            I've seen Cheap Trick probably more than any other band in my life over the years, coming from Chicago (even though they were from nearby Rockford, IL) we sort of considered them one of our own. But if you don't think Robin Zander had sex appeal with the ladies, I'm not sure what to think, the girls loved Tom Peterson too. Regarding the Cars, the late Ben Orr had lots of women followers too. It works both ways too, I think whn the Wilson Sisters went mainstream in the mid-80s, with an emphasis on their looks, clothes, etc. i think the guys took more notice and that translated into more success for them too. They had come a long way from being called lesbians on their debut album a decade earlier.

                            Aj (a once long time member of the official Cheap Trick fan club)

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                            • #15
                              Re: Doug Fieger, lead singer of "The Knack" has died

                              Originally posted by Kalihiboy View Post
                              I've seen Cheap Trick probably more than any other band in my life over the years, coming from Chicago (even though they were from nearby Rockford, IL) we sort of considered them one of our own. But if you don't think Robin Zander had sex appeal with the ladies, I'm not sure what to think, the girls loved Tom Peterson too.
                              Problem is, Robin and Tom made up only half the group. The other guys looked like, well;





                              As any manager of a teen idol/boy band group can tell you, all of the members have to be appealing to the girls. You can't have some members looking like misfits, no matter how talented they are. That's the reason why the Knack could be marketed to the teeny-boppers, but not Cheap Trick.

                              I'll give you a example of just how important looks are to the teeny-booper crowd: when auditions were held for the Monkees, one of the most talented who showed up was Stephen Stills. (At the very least, he was definitely more skilled as a guitarist than any of the four who were ultimately selected.) But Stills was rejected because of his receding hairline. It had nothing to do with his abilities as a singer or a musician. But that's show biz for ya.

                              Another example was Ian Stewart, who was an original member of the Rolling Stones. At manager Andrew Loog Oldham's request, Stewart stepped down from the starring lineup and took a behind-the-scenes role as the Stones' road manager and backing musician because he just didn't fit in with the trendy image that the rest of the group was projecting.
                              This post may contain an opinion that may conflict with your opinion. Do not take it personal. Polite discussion of difference of opinion is welcome.

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