If the Knack had had better songs and a frontman who wasn't a jerk, they might have been as good as the Beat, the band Paul Collins put together after power-pop pioneers the Nerves split up. Their 1979 debut album is thirty-five minutes of power-pop bliss, with irresistible hooks, no-nonsense lyrics, abundant energy, taut guitar work, and a tight, tireless rhythm section, and it's anyone's guess why "Rock N Roll Girl" and "Don't Wait Up For Me Tonight" weren't hit singles. - Mark Deming