Chords for Countdown (Australia)- Molly Meldrum Interviews The Knack- August 19, 1979

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [G] Four weeks ago, Australia had never heard of the Knack, but in their homeland America,
the Knack were rocketing towards a chart-busting record for their debut album, Get the Knack.
In just seven weeks, [D] this album sold one million copies, placing them firmly in the number
one position across America, and judging from this week's [C] chart reaction here, the [G] same
thing's going to happen in Australia.
Doug Feger's [Bb] got a quote, if you don't know what diddy what diddy means, don't mess [C] with it.
Prescott Miles, [Eb] Burton O'Bear, Bruce Gary [G] and Doug Feger know what it means, and they're
in Australia to prove it.
So here's Molly with the Knack.
_ Well, _ _ hold on, it is not often that we can introduce the number one group in America.
I have them on the stage, hold on.
_ _ Prescott, will you take up and stand up and take a bow?
This is Prescott.
_ And Burton.
Bruce.
_ And Doug.
_ Well, now that we've got all that over and done with, and being serious for a moment,
one could say that you're an overnight success, and with all [D] this scribe here, like, I mean
[D] that's one week, one week of press and etc, etc, and [G] this one here, Get the Knack, number
one album, and I've got a number one single with Menoah Serona.
That's right.
Well, then people could say it's an overnight success.
They could, [D] but I would_
But, looking back, and knowing that you've written songs for what, about five, six, seven
[G] years now, is it?
Probably longer. Probably longer.
Together, me and Burton have written songs for about five years.
_ And people sort of, I know you get upset about it, people say, well, you know, they must
be cashing in on this thing, wrote the songs in a day, etc, etc, but in fact, some of the
songs on the album were written back around about five years ago.
Yeah, Good Girls Don't, was written about six years ago.
That's What Little Girls Do is about four and a half years old.
My Serona, when did you write that?
After I met Serona.
Yeah?
I see, right, well I won't go into that.
Me and Burton wrote that one.
He actually had the [Dm] rhythm for a long time, and [B] we didn't know what to do with it, and
then I met this girl.
Now listen, going into the album itself, _ _ and Mike Chapman has had amazing success, [D] I believe
you recorded the album in two weeks, flat.
Well, [G] a little less than that, actually.
Nine days recording, two days mixing.
Yeah?
A couple days screwing up.
Two days with the mics.
But I sort of gather the fact of like, with the Eagles, and like Fleetwood Mac spending
like months and months in the studios, how come only two weeks?
Well, rock and roll, if you're a rock and roll band and you play live, [D] you should do the best.
We don't have Stevie Nicks.
[G] Really?
We'd probably stretch it out a bit.
Alright, [G] alright.
That would distract us, yes.
Now listen, going into the fact that it is the number one album, I mean, does it worry
you now, the pressure that's put on you?
Nah.
Nah?
Nah.
There's no pressure.
It's just rock and roll, it's only rock and roll.
I like it!
Now listen, you made a very interesting remark yesterday about music itself, about how critics
tend to put labels on music, which you hate, I believe, and you're talking about music
as sort of like the Bassity Rollers, and can you just sort of explain that again, because
it was very interesting to hear you say this.
Well, it was, the comments were, some people say that there's an audience _ hierarchy, you
know, and it's sort of absurd, sort of like the Bassity Rollers audience is a lower audience
than say an Elvis Costello audience, and that's absurd, it's all rock and roll, and we want
to get everybody.
We want everybody to get the map.
But you're more or less saying also that as a songwriter, and as the success you've got
at the moment, that you'll listen to anyone, and you can enjoy music for what it is.
As long as it's good, as long as the people that are doing it believe in it.
Well, I've got to say it, without any hype whatsoever, even though with all the scribe
and hype, that you are one of the precious fans, on this record alone, I think it's a sensational record.
Yeah, it's pretty precious.
Now [E] I notice that you two write most of the songs, but you also [G] have got what I gather
now is a tribute, Heartbeat, which is the Buddy Holly performance of the Norman Petty song.
You're going to do one on each album, I believe, a tribute to certain people.
Well, sometimes if we feel like it, you know.
Strongly.
Strongly.
It fits us, primarily.
I don't think it's going to be a hit, you know.
You're version of that is pretty good.
[D] I shouldn't say it, because I think it will be though.
Awesome.
We'd rather not.
It's one that we wrote.
Everybody knows it's_
Actually, I saw you perform [Bb] last night, and you look, [Em] I mean, not only do you look as
if you're having a ball on stage, but_
No, that was after the show.
No, you look [G] as if you're having a ball on stage as well.
You obviously sort of really do enjoy the music that you're doing, right?
Yeah, we wouldn't do it if we didn't take it.
It's not worth doing.
Anybody who's ever [G] gotten on a stage and played rock and roll for people knows it's really fun.
I can't believe people who do it don't like it.
Now, just briefly, again, I was talking to Roger before about images.
Your image is sort of very, sort of, back to sort of the basics of things.
No sort of color lights, just, you know, black and white.
The whole back of the album cover is the same.
Right.
It's the feeling of the music.
It's very simple.
It's real.
It's [B] basic.
It's rock and roll.
[G] All right, well, listen, I'm going to talk about the album, and I hope that you're going
to sort of get over to your set in one piece.
So, listen, while I rave about this album, over you go.
All right, now, listen, this album itself has been doing enormous business.
I don't have to go into the whole scriber, because I think that you've heard my Sharona.
It is heading for number one in this country, no doubt at all. _
And within the album, as I [D] said before, there are some great tracks.
There's also a [Dm] track called Lysinda, and you should have a listen to [G] this.
We've actually had this, got this on tape.
We've been working overtime today, boys.
Stop it.
And let's have a look at Lysinda.
[Dm] Great track.
Jolly good.
Jolly good.
_ [E] She _ _
[Eb] _ knows [Ab] how to [Eb] get away.
[G] _
Let [Ab] her do your [C] part.
One, one, two, [F] ooh.
[Eb] _ [Bb] _ _
Lysinda's [Eb] gonna cut you [Bb] down. _ _ _
Lysinda's gonna make you cry.
[Eb] _ _
Girl, don't [Dm] ask me why.
[G] She's [F] gonna hurt you.
She's gonna hurt you.
[Dm] It's a great track, and [D] as I say, like, there's many great tracks on this particular album.
Heartbeat, which is the old Buddy Holly [G] song, is sensational.
It goes over so well on stage.
I'm talking about the Knack being on stage tonight [D] in Sydney.
They're gonna perform at the Horton Pavilion, so you must not miss out on that.
Tuesday night at the Manly Fix in Sydney.
On the 15th, Wednesday, the Stage Door [G] Tavern in Sydney.
The Thursday, the Ambassador Club Newcastle.
[D] Mm, Newcastle.
How about [G] that?
And Friday, back in Melbourne for their final [D] performance at the Bombay.
So if you've got a chance to go and see the Knack, then I suggest you sort of buzz along,
[G] because they're a group really worth seeing, and last night, as I say, we just went off our minds.
Meanwhile, back in the studios, live on stage for the first time in Australia,
we've got the Knack with the number one single in America, with the number one album in America,
heading for number one here,