The Knack
Listen/Download – The Knack – Time Waits For No One
Greetings all.
I hope all is well on your end of the digital stick.
I should get things started by letting you in on something many of you probably already know, that being that in the history of the music known as rock, there was more than one band calling themselves The Knack.
This is one of them (heh…), the first in fact, who trod the stages of southern California during the mid-60s when all was a-jangling on the ole Sunset Strip.
Aside from the thinnest bit of connective power-poppery, they bear no relation to the band of the same name that hit the charts (with a dull thud) more than a decade later with ‘My Sharona’.
This Knack was (as mentioned) a SoCal band that recorded four 45s for Capitol between 1966 and 1968.
They were, like many bands of the day – but moreso than many of their geographical contemporaries – soaked liberally in the sounds of the UK.
Featuring Dink Kaplan, Mike Chain, Larry Gould, Pug Baker (and after Kaplan’s departure Bobby Cochran), the Knack were originally called the InMates. The group played all of the big clubs on the Sunset Strip.
After they were signed to Capitol (and produced, at least for their first two 45s by Nick Venet) the Knack went out on the road, playing live all over the US and appearing on local TV shows around the country.
‘Time Waits For No One’ was the A-side of their debut 45 in January of 1966.
While it has all the jangle and pop goodness of the Strip, it also has (as does its flip side) a fairly large dose of Hollies-style sounds as well. In an era where countless bands settled for heavy handed, simplistic delivery, the Knack laid down a sophisticated and complex sound.
Unfortunately, despite their obvious musical talent, the Knack ended up lost in the tidal wave of quality music cresting at the time, eventually washed away by same.
Eventually Mike Chain ended up “becoming” Pinkiny Canandy for one excellent album on the UNI label (check past episodes of the Iron Leg Radio Show for some of their music).
Had Doug Feiger and his pals never reared their head in the late 70s, it’s possible that the original Knack might be much (or at least a little) better known than they are, instead of a confusing Google search result, which is how things kind of ended up.
I hope you dig the tune and I’ll see you all next week.
Peace
Larry
PS Head over to Funky16Corners for some soul.
3 Comments
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I’m diggin’ it Larry. It takes me back to those “Heady” days on the Strip. Have you ever come across an album by anLA band named Mobius? They had a song titled “Secret Cave” and then disappeared into the Ether. I’d love to see and hear them again. Thanks for all the fine work you do.
John Dawson of The Knight Riders
and if Google had existed in ’78 Feiger and company would have known the Knack was already taken (on Capitol no less!)
And now at last, the Cherry Red group in the UK have just released a CD on its “Now Sounds” imprint featuring the four ’60s LA Knack singles coupled with 5 unissued tracks and an alternate take, along with a 16 page booklet based on interviews with band members, memorabilia, etc.