You wanna hear a great rock & roll story?
Fresh off the release of Record Store Day’s sold-out 10″ and May’s Havin’ A Rave-Up! Live In Los Angeles, 1978, Omnivore Recordings and Zen Records go back even farther in time to tell the story of The Knack. Consisting of demo recordings made in 1973 and 1975, Rock & Roll Is Good For You: The Fieger/Averre Demos takes listeners to the genesis of Doug Fieger and Berton Averre’s songwriting and recording partnership—one that lasted nearly four decades until Fieger’s tragic passing in 2010.
All 16 tracks are previously unissued and feature versions of songs known (“Good Girls Don’t” and “That’s What The Little Girls Do,” eventually recorded and released on Get The Knack) and unknown. There are even songs Knack fans will recognize in different versions, reworked or rewritten for later projects. A riff here, a hook there—it’s a scavenger hunt for some and a blissful pop experience for others. Also available on clear vinyl for the initial run, the LP features 14 tracks.
This release is a fascinating look at how Doug’s partnership with Berton helped steer a course from a more progressive ’70s sound to the power-pop The Knack used to break disco’s hold on the airwaves with 1979’s “My Sharona.”
Complete with previously unseen photos, liner notes, and sourced from the original 1/4″ tapes, Rock & Roll Is Good For You: The Fieger/Averre Demos is a record power-pop fans have not only been waiting for, but will fully embrace.
Have A Heart Coporation Shuffle (Daddy Turns The Volume Down) Good Girls Don’t Little Lies Flower My Fate Weiss On Rye (Hold The Mavo) You’ll Never Know That’s What The Little Girls Do Get On The Plane (Here On This) Lonely Night Lazer Days The Other Side (Of The Line) Who’ll Set You Down Mama I Feel Your Sadness What You Gonna Do Now? Rock & Roll Is Good For You
Have A Heart Coporation Shuffle (Daddy Turns The Volume Down) Good Girls Don’t Little Lies Weiss On Rye (Hold The Mavo) You’ll Never Know That’s What The Little Girls Do
Get On The Plane (Here On This) Lonely Night Lazer Days Who’ll Set You Down Mama I Feel Your Sadness What You Gonna Do Now? Rock & Roll Is Good For You