The Knack - Live at the Rock 'n' Roll House Fun House  
Omnivore Recordings
http://omnivorerecordings.com/music/live-from-the-rock-n-roll-fun-house/

Rating: B

Omnivore Recordings has gotten The Knack! 

The label has been busy re-releasing some of the more rare and hard to find albums by the band, including Havin’ A Rave-Up! Live In Los Angeles, 1979.  From there they reissued Zoom and Normal As The Next Guy in June of 2015.  Now comes a great live recording in the guise of a 1960 television show.  The album originally came out in 2002. 

The live album has new artwork and liner notes, including notes from band members themselves.  Most exciting for those who have The Knack are the two tracks recorded for the original release, but were not released... until now!  "It's Not Me” and "Seven Days of Heaven" fit nicely among the super hits like 'Good Girls Don't," "Oh Tara" and "My Sharona." 

The Knack became a very famous pop band, but we needed to be reminded they were also a great live band who had many great songs beyond the hits; that’s where this album comes in.  In addition to the hits, one gets great musical numbers that totally rock, including show openers “Pop is Dead” and “Baby Talks Dirty.”  The band pound through an impressive live set and kick out other great songs like “Siamese Twins (The Monkey and Me),” “That’s What the Little Girls Do” and “(She’s So) Selfish.” 

This live effort was, sadly, the last album released by The Knack before main man Doug Fieger passed away, making this release historically significant as well as a great snapshot in time of a truly fun band.    

Track Listing:
1. POP IS DEAD
2. BABY TALKS DIRTY
3. OH TARA
4. CAN I BORROW A KISS
5. ANOTHER LOUSY DAY IN PARADISE
6. GOOD GIRLS DON’T
7. ONE DAY AT A TIME
8. IT’S NOT ME*
9. SIAMESE TWINS (THE MONKEY AND ME)
10. HARDER ON YOU
11. SWEET DREAMS
12. SEVEN DAYS OF HEAVEN*
13. THAT’S WHAT THE LITTLE GIRLS DO
14. (SHE’S SO) SELFISH
15. MY SHARONA
16. (HAVIN’ A) RAVE UP
17. TEQUILA/BREAK ON THROUGH (TO THE OTHER SIDE)
 

By Jeb Wright