Rock history has been rather unkind to The Knack. Forever tagged as "One Hit Wonders" for that song, (My Sharona, for any cave dwellers reading this), The Knack are remembered as a band that tried hard, but never quite cracked it. One hit wonders sure, but history will also record that their 1978 debut album, Get The Knack, sold over six million copies courtesy of that song and received two Grammy nominations. They toured the world on the popularity of just that one real hit. Their second album, without the aid of any hits as sizeable as My Sharona, sold over two million copies, ensuring that none of the band members ever need work again. Who's laughing now, huh?

Of course every bubble has to burst. The Knack managed to knock out one more album (Round Trip) before calling it quits in 1981. That could have been the end of the story ("great!", some would say), had it not been for a one-off reunion in 1986 that proved to be “too much fun�. 2002 sees the band still together 24 years after they began, with the same members (bar the drummer), still flogging a career courtesy of that one song. They released two more albums after the reformation, but neither set the world on fire, (though My Sharona re-entered Billboard's Top 100). With the release of their latest album, Normal As the Next Guy, they set out on the promotion trail again, and one of the results is this DVD release, The Knack - Live From The Rock And Roll Funhouse.

Looking more like something from the 1960s, though in reality 2001, this 60 minute show could have been broadcast anytime between 1963 and 1965 and it would have been quite popular. Sure, the band has gone for that look intentionally, and the similarities to The Beatles are both respectful and annoying, but one can't help but feel these guys were born 30 years too late. This show even looks filmed for television and the two guitars, bass, and drums lineup, with some vocal harmony, does start to get a little bit 'samey' after a while. Despite the cover's promise of a "new standard for other concerts to follow...", this falls way short of spectacular. A film studio does not really allow for much in the way of laser lights, explosions, light shows, pyrotechnics, or stage props, and hence there are none. Not even back up singers or images projected on the backstage screen a la U2, or Talking Heads. Nix. No skimpy dancers, obligatory stage invasion, mosh pit, or even a spotlight in sight. It's a plain ol' rock 'n' roll set to match the plain ol' rock 'n' roll sound, so in that respect it kinda works. Of course, most of the songs are the typical verse, chorus, verse, chorus, guitar solo, chorus structure, but that's rock 'n' roll, baby.

Most of the lyrics are school boy stuff about wet dreams, sexy girls, and 'making out', but are mostly listenable songs nonetheless, and there are no epics amongst them. Most of them clock in around three minutes, so if there's a song that sounds crappy, at least it's over quickly. There is, however, one track that gets quite dirty vocally, and while the DVD is rated E for exempt, there is a small "Explicit Lyrics" warning on the back. All other lyrics though, as mentioned, are thinly disguised sexual musings of over-sexed, unsatisfied teenage lust - from 40-plus year old men. The show is 'hosted' by singer/guitarist Doug Feiger's alter ego Jimmy Lemonjello, and while he only makes the briefest of appearances, he is a completely annoying and juvenile inclusion. Like the inserted 'commercial break', it allows the band to change guitars and jackets etc, and while the show sounds seamless, it is heavily edited. Presumably, this would be less obvious on television using real commercial breaks.

Once hailed "The New Beatles" by Rolling Stone magazine (good call, that one!), the likelihood of The Knack even getting within a bull's roar of the same success was always zero, but at least they had (and are still having) fun doing it. At 60 minutes, this won't change your life, but you won't feel cheated either, and unless you are a fan of The Knack (and I know one of them personally), then I would advise you to give this a miss. It's not a bad effort really, but neither is it ‘must see’ stuff. And yes, they do perform that song.

I have sung the praises of Image Entertainment before, but this release is not quite up to their usual standard. It is presented in a full frame aspect ratio, and therefore it's not 16x9 enhanced. It has a definite television look and is quite a clean and sharp image, though at times it appears to soften. Colours are accurate and acceptable, in fact there is not a lot of colour around to be truthful. The band wear black and white, the stage and most equipment is mainly white, and there are very few coloured stage lights. Therefore, there are no problems with colour bleeding, oversaturation or cross colouration. Shadow detail is almost non-existent, because there are almost no shadows, certainly none anywhere on stage. The audience is in shadow, but we rarely see them, and they are even less interesting than the show. There are a few mild instances of grain and aliasing of guitar strings, but these are very minor and no cause for concern.

There is an audio choice of Dolby Digital 5.1 or 2.0. Both are fair, though both need the volume turned up higher than usual. It is a good clear transfer with nice sharp vocals and all instruments nicely mixed. The low frequency sounds such as the bass guitar and kick drum in both mixes lacked punch, and the subwoofer barely gives a rumble. The sound is mostly focused to the front, with not a great deal of noticeable separation, but there are, at most, only four instruments and a few vocals. The surround speakers were more audible during the applause from the appreciative, but small, audience. There is a noticeable amount of percussive sound (cymbals and high hat) and some lead guitar that spills into the rears, but this all sounds fine. The Dolby Digital 2.0 mix is similar but the separation of the guitars is more pronounced.

I was going to remark that this may have some serious overdubbing, as the vocals, at times, seem not to match the picture. I then concluded that it might be synchronisation problems for there are a few bum notes from the singer (which is refreshing for us hack singers), and surely if there were overdubs applied, then these would have been touched up too. Further viewing just confused the issue and I cannot decide which it is, overdubs or synchronisation. Either way, be warned.

As this is a single layer disc, and a short show, there is no disruptive layer change.

There are two extras included, but neither is world-beating. There is a self-navigating Photo Gallery that lasts 2:55 - nothing particularly rewarding. There is also a Discography that is just a still shot of their first five album covers, with no added information such as tracks included or release dates. Strangely, there is no mention of their 1998 album, Zoom. Okay, I'm starting to sound way too much like a Knack-ophile now.

Sadly, The Knack never really had 'the knack'. Victims of their own instant and overwhelming success. They have earned enough from that one song to never have to work again. They are fair musicians, and certainly have fun playing their songs. Trouble is, if you only use two guitars, bass and drums, the songs are bound to all start sounding the same, and people are going to notice. Notice they did, and The Knack these days play to a small but loyal fan base. One hit wonders for sure, but that's one more than most of us will ever have.