Dire Straits

[Marco]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XVVZPefbR4

[Freypower]

WHOAH Marco you don't know what you've started. :blush:

That was wonderful. That black suit & white shirt.... :inlove:

Not the best vocal performance of it he's ever done, I must say.

Now those of you from England may enjoy this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqeQRuIZYOA&mode=related&search=

I think we have another Keith Urban topic here, folks. But this one is for me. :twisted:

NEW ALBUM is called Kill To Get Crimson and is out next month.

See Marco - I told you you'd regret it. :D

[tbs fanatic]

Oh FP that was fun :D Mark is looking his age a bit, I thought. Nice to see Bill Oddie. Thanks. :D

[EasyFeeling]

WHOAH Marco you don't know what you've started. :blush:

I think we have another Keith Urban topic here, folks. But this one is for me. :twisted:

See Marco - I told you you'd regret it. :D

http://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/smilie/froehlich/g020.gif http://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/smilie/froehlich/g020.gif http://www.cheesebuerger.de/images/smilie/froehlich/g020.gif
I've expected your reaction, FP. :wink: Very cool video.

[Freypower]

I don't want to go overboard here, but now the topic exists....

I don't know why Brothers In Arms is such a great song. I suppose the 'anti-war' message could be regarded as cliched. But from the beginning when he talks about the soldiers' lives in the 'mist covered mountains' but remembering the lowlands, it just enthrals me from start to finish. This is one of MK's guitar performances which can make me cry (the other is the ultimate, Romeo & Juliet).

Um. :blush:

[Marco]

I also love Your latest Trick, Love Over Gold.

Money For Nothing, Walk of Life, Tunnel Of Love, Sultan Of Swing & Telegraph Road are more rock

[glenneaglesfan]

Dang, that was amazing. Superb guitar playing from Mr Knopfler and an awesome song.

I'm probably repeating myself, but this was the song of our year in Hong Kong, being our first ever cd purchased. 20 years ago, sigh!

[Freypower]

I'm looking forward to the new album in a couple of weeks.

There is a great deal I could write about here but I would just repeat myself.

[glenneaglesfan]

You may have already seen this, Julie, an article from Total Guitar, Oct 2004. My scanner isn't great, but if you save it to my pictures, then zoom in, it is legible.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c96/Glenneaglesfan/scan0008.jpg

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c96/Glenneaglesfan/scan0007-1.jpg

[Freypower]

Awww, thanks Kate, it's nice to know 'I am not alone'. I love it when he plays that Gibson Sunburst which is the same as Glenn's. As for the National (sigh)....

Re the 'grumpy old man' thing - I read similar stuff about Henley from time to time. I've never heard anything about MK other than that he's a really nice person.

[glenneaglesfan]

You're welcome, Julie.

I liked that interview, and I agree with you, he comes over as a great person.

[Freypower]

Amazon has let me know that my copy of K2GC (Kill To Get Crimson) is on its way so I've got something to think about before LROOE.

On MK's tour of Europe next year he is playing Sofia, Bulgaria! This made someone from the MK forum who lives there very happy, as you can imagine.

[EasyFeeling]

This might be interesting for you, FP. Tomorrow on 9 pm our local radio station will air a special concert which was recorded this year on September 10 in Berlin. You can listen to it online. If I don' forget I will record it.

http://www.ndr2.de/pages_std_lib/0,3325,OID4358034_REF6962,00.html

Live stream:

http://www1.ndr2.de/pages_special_lib/0,,SPM7454_CONndr2,00.html

[Freypower]

I knew about that Berlin show. Sad to say I'm disappointed with the new album.

[EasyFeeling]

Oooh... sorry FP.

[Marco]

I bring You something

http://it.youtube.com/watch?v=GkrWqpymXLY

[Freypower]

Welcome back Marco!

I've seen that many times. Great performance.

[Freypower]

I am reviving this ancient topic because I just got the shock of my life.

I was on Amazon and noted that John Fogerty's new album (which features Don and Tim doing backup vocals on Garden Party) is released this week. So I can order that.

Then something else appeared when I clicked 'new releases'.

Mark Knopfler - Get Lucky. It's new. I had no idea. This is the track listing:

1. Border Reiver 2. Hard Shoulder 3. You Can't Beat The House 4. Before Gas & TV 5. Monteleone 6. Cleaning My Gun 7. The Car Was The One 8. Remembrance Day 9. Get Lucky 10. So Far From The Clyde

I just feel embarrassed that I didn't know. I wasn't that impressed with the last album Kill To Get Crimson. Let's see! :guitar:

[sodascouts]

I bet a lot of people don't know when their favorite classic acts make new albums. It's a shame! Hope you like this one.

[Freypower]

The thing is I should have remembered that MK dutifully puts out an album every two years, unlike some people I can think of. It didn't occur to me that it had been two years since K2GC. I also hope there might be a tour in the offing because he hasn't been down here since the release of Shangri-La back in 2005.

I suppose he is a 'classic act' in that his solo career hasn't been as massive as Dire Straits but he's always been busy.

[EasyFeeling]

Julie, I just saw that MK is doing a live concert tonight in Germany with only 200 people at a radio station. It will be streamed via internet, just klick on the little speaker in the upper right corner to select mp3 or whatever.

It starts at 9 pm our time...guess it's in the middle of the night for you, but I thought you should know :)

http://www.wdr.de/radio/wdr2/

[Freypower]

Thanks for the link, EF. It was too late for me but I listened to the interrview. I should have the album in a few weeks.

[Freypower]

This is funny:

http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/culture/neilmccormick/100008357/mark-knopfler-solves-bonos-back-problems/

At first I thought 'I don't want Knopfler going anywhere near Bono' before I read it.

So much for 'we're not ready for the rocking chair'. As well as Sultans of Sitting and Brothers In Armchairs other relevant titles might be:

On Every Seat
Down To The Sofa Line
Sitting In Philadelphia
Twisting By The Stool
Heavy Stool etc, etc.

[Freypower]

I linked to a story in my last post that MK now has to sit down when he plays. Some photos of him in Amsterdam the other night came up. They are very nice but I will restrict myself to one:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v242/ozeagle/Wallpaper/Miscellaneous/MKAmsterdam.jpg

Try as I might I can't imagine Money For Nothing or Sultans of Swing being performed from a chair.

[Prettymaid]

I'm confused - does he have to sit or does he choose to sit? :headscratch:

[Freypower]

Reading the story again I think it's choice:


'Sixty year old Mark Knopfler, currently in the middle of a series of dates at the Albert Hall, has been performing from the comfort of an ergonomically-enhanced swivel chair. The former Dire Straits frontman explained to audiences that he had been having treatment for a trapped nerve in the back, and acquired the chair to aid his recovery. His doctor has apparently given him a clean bill of health, but Knopfler likes the chair and he’s decided to stick with it'.

[Prettymaid]

Well, good for him. But I agree with you FP, I can't imaging seeing him perform in a chair all night. I mean, talk about stoic!

[sodascouts]

Y'know, rock has never been PC... sheesh.

Canada bans Dire Straits classic song (http://www.undercover.fm/news/13357-canada-bans-dire-straits-classic)

[Prettymaid]

Boooooooo!!! :thumbsdown:

[Brooke]

That's ridiculous!

[TimothyBFan]

I just saw this on Facebook. A Canadian friend of mine just posted Money For Nothing on there and made the comment about it no longer being on the airwaves up there. Are you kidding me? After almost 30 years? Ridiculous!! I absolutely HATE censorship!!!!

[Prettymaid]

There is such a thing as being too politically correct. People need to learn to Get Over It!

*searching for smiley giving "one of these" * ;-)

[TimothyBFan]

You got that right!!! I was trying to find a smiley giving something else but then realized that wouldn't be politically correct! :D

BTW--Cathy-I am LOVING the new sig!!! :heybaby:

[Prettymaid]

Why thank you, thank you very much! And to think I changed to it before I read about the two Joe mentions in the 50 Greatest Rock Riffs!

I'm psychic like that. :D

[Freypower]

For God's sake. The song is a SEND UP. Just like Short People is a send up. I mean it only came out in 1985... what took them so long!!!

'Banging on the bongos like a chimpanzee' means literally what it says. It is not 'racist'. As for 'chicks for free' being sexist good grief.

'Look at them yo-yos' indeed. I will stop now or I will start getting annoyed. :tonguewag::enraged::cuss:


(Having said that it's nice to see this topic revived, not that I have anything to say in it, although I could....) :-)

[sodascouts]

On Wednesday the CBSC issued a ruling saying that airing the song breaches the human rights clauses of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters' Code of Ethics and Equitable Portrayal Code, as it “refers to sexual orientation in a derogatory way”.Bet they still air songs calling women sluts, b*tches, and hos though...

[Freypower]

We just downloaded a programme called Mark Knopfler - A Life In Songs. I'm a happy person. I just thought I'd mention it, even before I see it! :shy:

[tequila girl]

That was on BBC4 here in the UK last night FB.....Very Good! there was a whole evening of Mr Knopfler

[tequila girl]

Just had a look at Next Friday's scehdule :rockon:

21:00–22:30

Peter Green: Man of the World (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00k92x1)
After battling mental illness, ex-Fleetwood Mac frontman Peter Green is recording again. (R)

22:30–23:30

Fleetwood Mac: Don't Stop (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00nq7q9)
The story of one of the biggest-selling bands of all time, told in their own words. (R)

23:30–00:30

Eric Clapton and Steve Winwood Live at Madison Square Garden (http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00k9cbz)

[Annabel]

That was on BBC4 here in the UK last night FB.....Very Good! there was a whole evening of Mr Knopfler

I watched some of the first programme and recorded the rest to watch in the week. I also recorded the 3 programmes about the guitar on after Mr K. :hmm: Now to find time to watch them all. ;-)

[Annabel]

My DD2 tried to watch Vampire Diaries on Friday night via the American site and was gutted to find it was ' not available to your location' She went on that well known site and found it uploaded in 4 parts so watched it that way. She couldn't wait until it airs here next Tuesday. :laugh:

[Freypower]

In order of preference the Dire Straits albums are:

Making Movies (contains Romeo & Juliet)
Brothers In Arms (contains Money For Nothing, Walk Of Life)
Dire Straits (contains Sultans Of Swing)
Communique (contains Lady Writer)
On Every Street (contains Calling Elvis)
Love Over Gold (contains Telegraph Road)

In order of release the solo albums are:

Golden Heart
Sailing To Philadelphia
The Ragpicker's Dream
Shangri-La
Kill To Get Crimson
Get Lucky

My favourite of those is Shangri-La closely followed by Sailing To Philadelphia. There is also the album All The Roadrunning which consists of duets with Emmylou Harris & a compilation of film music called Screenplaying (contains the theme from Local Hero)

The show was wonderful. It went right through his life & showed us how he wrote some of those memorable guitar riffs. It was so good I might even do some screen shots of it & create a collage.

All I can say if you want to hear genius guitar playing & songwriting this man fits the bill (his voice is not for everyone but I love the way he sings).:guitar: Don't ask me to start quoting lyrics or I will be here all day.

[AzEaglesFan]

The only Dire Straits song I had ever heard was Walk of Life and the only reason I heard it was, it was part of a CD that Mark Knopfler made with Chet Atkins. Loved the song so I did buy a Dire Straits CD. I think Mark K is a great guitarist and I acutally liked his voice.

[Prettymaid]

Wow, I thoughteveryone had heard Money for Nothing! I've always liked the hits. I don't think I've ever bought an album. I can certainly see that if someone likes Dylan's voice they would probably like MK's.

[sodascouts]

"Sultans of Swing" was one of the first rock songs I have a memory of. My older sister had a record called 70s Gold that she got when I was about 5, and it had that song on it. I think the reason I remember the title so well was that I was learning to read and we had a Star Wars read-along record. Right next to it were the music records, and I tried to "read" them too by looking at the titles. I could easily read titles like "We Are Family" and "Gold", but I had to ask about "sultans." Once I got an explanation for "sultan," I tried to picture sultans on swings on the playground, and didn't understand. I asked it I could listen to the song even though it was my sister's LP. My mom, presumably trying to encourage me in my efforts to read, said yes... only to discover while listening to it with me that it had a cuss word in it. Horrified, she got rid of the album. When she told my sister that her LP was gone forever... well, it was an ugly scene, almost as ugly as when my little sister accidentally ruined my older sister's Leif Garrett 8-track when attempting to play it without supervision. Yes, I remember it well. :lol:

[Freypower]

"Sultans of Swing" was one of the first rock songs I have a memory of. My older sister had a record called 70s Gold that she got when I was about 5, and it had that song on it. I think the reason I remember the title so well was that I was learning to read and we had a Star Wars read-along record. Right next to it were the music records, and I tried to "read" them too by looking at the titles. I could easily read titles like "We Are Family" and "Gold", but I had to ask about "sultans." Once I got an explanation for "sultan," I tried to picture sultans on swings on the playground, and didn't understand. I asked it I could listen to the song even though it was my sister's LP. My mom, presumably trying to encourage me in my efforts to read, said yes... only to discover while listening to it with me that it had a cuss word in it. Horrified, she got rid of the album. When she told my sister that her LP was gone forever... well, it was an ugly scene, almost as ugly as when my little sister accidentally ruined my older sister's Leif Garrett 8-track when attempting to play it without supervision. Yes, I remember it well. :lol:

I actually had to look up the lyrics. Of course it's 'they don't give a damn/about any trumpet playing band'.

If people like the hit songs they remember they would be better to buy a compilation & then try the albums.

[WalshFan88]

Mark Knopfler is great. Unique guitar player in the way he picks the guitar with his right hand. He has an almost country thing going where he uses his fingers, sometimes pick and fingers together (hybrid), to get a popping sound. Just listen to 'Walk of Life'. After the main synth intro, you hear his guitar come in playing a little "boogie"/shuffle style riff in the key of A Major. Very complex stuff Knopfler did. His right hand technique was almost more important than the left hand. Can't say that about too many players. Stevie Ray Vaughan is another, he had that fast shuffle thing, but completely different than Knopfler's style but its just an example of a player who's picking/strumming hand technique is somewhat more important/complex than the fretting hand technique. Mark is underrated in my opinion. Cool dude.

[Freypower]

Thank you Austin! I knew I could rely on you for some technical analysis of why MK is so great. Interestingly in the documentary he talks about how in the famous Money For Nothing riff he is blocking out a lot of notes and only using two strings.

I can't describe his playing on a technical level but I love how he makes the guitar 'talk' and 'comment' on the lyrics; examples being Sultans, Brothers In Arms & What It Is.

[Freypower]

I said I wouldn't start doing this.... but here's the red Strat...

http://www.markknopfler.com/images/gallery/GetLucky_Guitar_05_bg.jpg

[WalshFan88]

I said I wouldn't start doing this.... but here's the red Strat...

http://www.markknopfler.com/images/gallery/GetLucky_Guitar_05_bg.jpg

That Red Strat is his "main" guitar. He plays a Tele (made by the same company that makes Strats, but sounds twangier) on "Walk of Life". Here recently he's been playing a Les Paul Standard in Sunburst (made by Gibson) on songs like "Brothers in Arms". My personal favorite Knopfler/DS song is "Sultans Of Swing". It's a classic "Strat" sound. The lyrics are my favorite as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKovMuzox3Y&feature=related

[Annabel]

I managed to watch Later with Mark Knopfler last night that I recorded last Friday from BBC4. Great show. Even my DH watched some of it. Couldn't recognise the songs from the intros but never mind. :laugh:

[WalshFan88]

It's just my nature to share information and give details. I can't help being knowledgeable on certain things. :nahnah:

[Freypower]

I managed to watch Later with Mark Knopfler last night that I recorded last Friday from BBC4. Great show. Even my DH watched some of it. Couldn't recognise the songs from the intros but never mind. :laugh:

That show eventually became the video/DVD A Night In London. The track listing is as follows:

Darling Pretty
Walk Of Life
Imelda
Father & Son
Golden Heart
Rudiger
Cannibals
Je Suis Desole
Last Exit To Brooklyn
Romeo & Juliet
Done With Bonaparte
A Night In Summer Long Ago
Brothers In Arms
Going Home
Are We In Trouble Now

Much of this is from the first solo album, Golden Heart.

[Annabel]

:thumbsup: Thanks for that.

[Freypower]

I'm only doing this because other members have posted photos of their other favourite musicians & also because although the avatar has been nice it will be gone in two days.

Dire Straits era (now you know why I got excited when I saw the photo of Joe in the same shirt):

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v242/ozeagle/Wallpaper/Miscellaneous/MK14.jpg

'Right Now' (er... before he had to sit down to perform)!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v242/ozeagle/Wallpaper/Miscellaneous/MK5.jpg

I just like this one a lot:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v242/ozeagle/Wallpaper/Miscellaneous/MK9.jpg

Songs I am really enjoying at the moment: Silvertown Blues, Marbletown, So Far From The Clyde, Hill Farmers Blues, Why Worry (as always).

[sodascouts]

Well, I have to say I'll be happy to once again see Glenn's face next to your posts. Mark Knopfler is not exactly a looker (although very talented, of course).

[Freypower]

Well, I have to say I'll be happy to once again see Glenn's face next to your posts. Mark Knopfler is not exactly a looker (although very talented, of course).

Well, it was only one week and only because both Troubadour & Prettymaid had other people as avs & I thought 'why shouldn't I'? As to 'not exactly a looker' I guess not in the conventional sense but that doesn't bother me. :neutral:

[sodascouts]

No need to defend your choice, FP. I wasn't trying to chastise you and I'm sorry you took it that way. You can have whoever you want as your avatar, of course, for however long you like.

Still, I can't be blamed for preferring to look at Glenn, can I? Ah well, perhaps such things are better left unsaid. ;)

Let me do penance by posting a video for my favorite Dire Straits song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZxVC0GB838

[Freypower]

No need to defend your choice, FP. I wasn't trying to chastise you and I'm sorry you took it that way. You can have whoever you want as your avatar, of course, for however long you like.

Still, I can't be blamed for preferring to look at Glenn, can I? Ah well, perhaps such things are better left unsaid. ;)

Let me do penance by posting a video for my favorite Dire Straits song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZxVC0GB838

Of course not; most of the time I prefer to look at Glenn too; but I wanted a minor variation for a week.

Walk of Life- great video!!!

[Freypower]

I found this photo yesterday but it's copyright so I will take it down soon, of Mark with a guitar made by a man called John Monteleone who works in the tradition of the great Italan violin makers.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v242/ozeagle/Miscellaneous/Monteleone.jpg

There is a song on Get Lucky called Monteleone which is about these guitars (Monteleone means 'Lion Mountain'.

Off the top of my head at the moment my top 20 Dire Straits songs are as follows:

1. Romeo & Juliet
2. Brothers In Arms
3. Tunnel Of Love
4. Sultans Of Swing
5. Skateaway
6. Why Worry
7. Industrial Disease
8. Wild West End
9. Ride Across The River
10. Money For Nothing
11. Solid Rock
12. Theme From Local Hero (Going Home)
13. Expresso Love
14. The Man's Too Strong
15. Your Latest Trick
16. Walk Of Life
17. On Every Street
18. In The Gallery
19. So Far Away
20. Water Of Love

Most of those are either from Making Movies or Brothers In Arms.

Now for solo songs. I've never done this or even thought about it much.

1. Why Aye Man
2. Sailing To Philadelphia
3. What It Is
4. Silvertown Blues
5. The Trawlerman's Song
6. 5.15 A.M.
7. Song For Sonny Liston
8. Prairie Wedding
9. Done With Bonaparte
10. In The Sky
11. Boom, Like That
12. Donegan's Gone
13. Raglan Road (this is not an official release)
14. So Far From The Clyde
15. Fare Thee Well Northumberland
16. Marbletown
17. El Macho
18.The Last Laugh
19. Heart Full Of Holes
20. Postcards From Paraguay

Those are mostly from Sailing To Philadelphia & Shangri-La.

I stumbled across Raglan Road having already been familiar with Van Morrison's version, but this is just gorgeous (if you love MK that is).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zftcuVQDcNM

[Koala]

WOW, those photo looks great!

Your favorites Dire Straits list, for the moment, is very similar to my.

[EaglesKiwi]

Wow, that's a cool photo.

Thanks for posting your list of faves. I'm going to hunt some of those down to see what I've been missing :thumbsup:

[TimothyBFan]

Thanks for the list FP--it will help me track down the stuff I want to listen to on the albums. Gotta tell you, LOVING Brothers In Arms!!!!

[Troubadour]

That's a great photo, FP.

Here's a song I love that didn't make your list. (Funnily enough, my Mum calls me Belle. The nickname started as Lulabelle, then I guess she got lazy. :lol:)

Willie - I'm sure you will continue to enjoy delving into the Dire Straits catalogue!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pOCikp4GG18

[Freypower]

I have been worrying since yesterday that I didn't include any songs from Communique in the list. Portobello Belle is a favourite as you can imagine, because it's about London; if you look at both lists you will see a heavy sprinkling of songs about England.

[Freypower]

Mark is going to tour with Bob Dylan. I suppose that means opening for him. :eyebrow:

http://www.markknopfler.com/blogs/news/archive/2011/07/14/35490.aspx

This is not a move that I can endorse. I saw Dylan in April and to put it mildly he has lost a great deal that made him what he was as a performer. Mark on the other hand is still at the top of his game. I'm pleased for the people in Europe but I want him back here!

It also says he has recorded one of Dylan's songs for a 70th birthday tribute album. Now that I can deal with.

[Freypower]

Sanity prevails. I was in Canada last week. They must have known. :hilarious: :partytime:

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/canada-lifts-ban-on-dire-straits-money-for-nothing-20110901

[TimothyBFan]

:hilarious: Pretty ironic that it happened while you were there. Did you have a secret meeting with someone there?

Seriously happy to hear this! That was one of the dumbest things I had ever seen when they did that, especially considering it was a 30 year old song! :brickwall:

[sodascouts]

Exactly! I'm just glad they came to their senses.

Otherwise, it would be one more example of well-intentioned government censorship backfiring.

[EaglesKiwi]

I have just bought Brothers In Arms from itunes, sitting here listening to it play through. Loving it all so far, in particular "Your Latest Trick" which I haven't heard so much (compared to Money For Nothing and Walk of Life which were EVERYWHERE at one time).

[Freypower]

Tell me more, EK. Tell me more..... :partytime:

Have those prehistoric garbage trucks got the city to themselves? (Heh, heh).

The message of the title track still resonates at the time of September 11, in my opinion.

[EaglesKiwi]

It's absolutely timeless, isn't it.

As I'm listening to the album, the standouts for me are Brothers In Arms, Ride Across The River, Your Latest Trick and Why Worry.

[Freypower]

I could do this all day but Why Worry is one of the most beautiful & uplifting songs ever written. If I'm not feeling so good it always lifts my spirits.

[EaglesKiwi]

Indeed.

Thanks for the info on the flute in RATR.

Have just bought/downloaded Making Movies. I'll give it a few days though before I post any thoughts :)

[Freypower]

I won't pre-empt you by writing an entire screed about Making Movies then, which is probably one of my top 5 favourite albums.

[EaglesKiwi]

Haven't had a lot of chance to listen to Making Movies yet, but am liking Expresso Love.

And of course I can't listen to the album without getting all melty at "all I do is kiss you through the bars of a rhyme". Sigh. :smitten:

[Freypower]

Nice to see this, allthough some analysis of the solo work would have been good. I can tell the Guardian that I don't need to 'learn to love Mark Knopfler'. I also don't care if Dire Straits were 'uncool'.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/theguardian/2011/oct/09/mark-knopfler

[Freypower]

Here is Mark singing Forever Young with Bob:

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/videos/bob-dylan-and-mark-knopfler-duet-on-forever-young-20111122

It's better than I expected & Mark got most of the applause anyway. The man is all class. Now the tour is over he can resume his own career. I love Bob, don't get me wrong, but I thought this tour was wrong.

[Freypower]

I didn't want Mark to tour with Bob again. However....

http://www.noise11.com/news/bob-dylan-announces-north-american-dates-with-mark-knopfler-20120617

http://www.markknopfler.com/news/news_items.aspx?PostID=38842

All I can say is that having three new albums from three of my heroes this year has made it all worthwhile. He also got the Ivor Novello Lifetime Achievement award!

The album consists of 20 NEW TRACKS!

http://www.play.com/Music/CD/4-/32240600/0/Privateering/ListingDetails.html

http://www.markknopfler.com/news/news_items.aspx?PostID=38704

I am gobsmacked; I just didn't know. I've been preoccupied elsewhere so I haven't been keeping up with this.

Bear with me because this is the first time I've ever seen what his wife Kitty looks like.

http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0cOR5nZ8KH9cR/220x.jpg

[EaglesKiwi]

Have you heard Mark Knopfler's new album yet, FP?

[Freypower]

I'm still waiting for it to arrive.

[Glennsallnighter]

I hope it arrives soon! Enjoy it when it does FP! Its been a good year for you musically, and with the Eagles DVD promised, its not over yet!!

[Jonny Come Lately]

I am a big fan of Dire Straits - Mark Knopfler is one of my favourite guitarists and the band has many great songs, often defined by clearly defined storytelling with recognisable characters and situations.

The first song I heard was Sultans Of Swing, which I heard many years ago when my Dad (who owns the Money For Nothing compilation album) played it on our home hi-fi system. I immediately loved the song and I would play it over and over again, only discovering later that they had many other great songs. Sultans definitely remains a favourite though, I never get tired of the classic outro solo. :guitar:

I think the Dire Straits albums can be split into two distinct eras - these being 1978-80, when they were making predominantly tight-knit guitar-led music with R&B influences and released an album every year, with the debut being followed in relatively quick succession by Communique and Making Movies, and the later 1981-91 era when they released the same number of albums over a decade, with the sound expanding significantly to include more keyboards and synthesisers, although Knopfler's guitar remained the nominal lead instrument.

My ranking of the six albums is as follows:
1) Love Over Gold
2) Dire Straits
3) Making Movies
4) Communique
5) Brothers In Arms
6) On Every Street

The top three albums are my favourites and with one exception (Les Boys from Making Movies) I like all of the songs from these records. Love Over Gold is my favourite Dire Straits album, I thoroughly enjoy all five of the tracks but above all it contains Telegraph Road, which is my overall favourite track. I love the atmosphere, the lyrics and all of the guitar solos. Private Investigations is also stunning, Industrial Disease provides energy while also being clever and funny, the title track is beautiful and It Never Rains builds, with increasing bitterness, to what I think is a great guitar solo.

It is quite close between numbers 2 and 3 on my list and part of me wants to put Making Movies above the debut. However, I do love the laid-back and organic sound of the debut album and I think there's much more to the album than Sultans - Down To The Waterline, Six Blade Knife and In The Gallery all stand out as great songs to me, and I often listen to it from start to finish. Nonetheless, side one of Making Movies is one of the best album sides ever I think, Tunnel Of Love, Romeo & Juliet and Skateaway being an exceptional sequence of songs, and side two is strong as well. Roy Bittan's piano playing adds a lot to the album I think, as does the cinematic style of writing.

I like Brothers In Arms but it only ranks fifth on my list. This might be somewhat surprising but out of the three major hits the only one I regard as being a Dire Straits classic is Money For Nothing - So Far Away is very pleasant but not one of my absolute favourites while Walk of Life gets old fairly quickly for me. I prefer side two of the record as I really like the war-themed songs, with the seminal title track standing as my favourite, In any case, I've always rather liked Communique, which unusually was actually the first album I got for myself - Lady Writer came on the radio and having enjoyed that song I decided to check out the album it originated from. I love Once Upon A Time In The West and Where Do You Think You're Going but my favourite has to be Singled Handed Sailor, which is among my very favourites in no small part due to Knopfler's terrific outro solo.

I must admit I am not all that familiar just yet with On Every Street, having only added it to my collection fairly recently. On the whole I think it's a pleasant album if not their absolute best. The title track is a highlight to me, the first half is beautiful and the guitar in the latter part is excellent.

I also own the Live At The BBC album, consisting of six tracks from the debut album with the non-album track What's The Matter Baby and a later performance of Tunnel Of Love. It's a very good live set I think, with my favourite performance probably being Six Blade Knife which prominently showcases the song's excellent bass line.

The only solo Mark Knopfler album I own is Sailing To Philadelphia, although I think it is an excellent album in its own right - I particularly love What It Is, Silvertown Blues, Speedway At Nazareth and the titular duet with James Taylor as well as One More Matinee (I don't think this is on the international edition, shame as it's a fine closer).

For newcomers I would say Making Movies is probably the best album to start with - it's more focussed than the first two albums or On Every Street and has several of their very best songs. Brothers In Arms is probably the most obvious choice, but the hits on it are not representative of most of the rest of that album, or indeed their sound in general in the case of Money For Nothing. As highly as I rate Love Over Gold, I think it just isn't a sensible place to start unless you a progressive rock fan as all of the songs are quite long and feature lengthy instrumental sections.

[Freypower]

Thank you JCL. Did you read my rankings of the DS albums & songs on page 5 of this thread & the MK solo songs on page 6?

Love Over Gold is my least favourite album but even as I say that, the wonderful Industrial Disease assails my ears. I like Private Investigations, especially when it gets to the guitar explosion, and as for Telegraph Road I love it if I'm in the mood for it.

Making Movies is the masterpiece. Everyone should hear it. Romeo & Juliet is the most extraordinary piece of songwriting as is Tunnel Of Love. Solid Rock is my personal anthem. If I feel down I listen to it.

I'm not that good with musical analysis. I can do lyrics if I really take some time. I am with you on Side 2 of Brothers In Arms although One World isn't quite up to the standards of those other songs. The title track is absolute perfection.

My favourite songs on the first two albums tend to be the quirkier ones, apart from Sultans which is in a class of its own. They would be Down To The Waterline, In The Gallery, Lions, Communique, Once Upon A Time In The West & News.

On Every Street, apart from the superb title track & How Long, doesn't have all that much going for it. I expected a great deal more of Planet Of New Orleans than that wonderful title delivers. Heavy Fuel is fun (the video is a classic). Iron Hand is about the miners' strike.

You made the right choice with STP but I suggest you also go for Shangri-La & Get Lucky. I would say my least favourite solo album is Kill To Get Crimson, but each album has some great tracks. I will list my favourites & perhaps you might want to check them out.

Golden Heart - Done With Bonaparte
STP - Silvertown Blues but the title track is utter perfection
The Ragpicker's Dream - Why Aye Man (Geordie anthem)
Shangri-La - The Trawlerman's Song
Kill To Get Crimson - In The Sky
Get Lucky - So Far From The Clyde (I love his 'seafaring' songs)
Privateering - title track

The new album, Tracker, will be out this year.

You might also want to check out All The Roadrunning, the album of duets with Emmylou Harris. It is far superior to the much vaunted Raising Sand by Plant/Krauss, most of which is not even duets.

You don't mention ever seeing DS or MK live. I saw DS twice, on the BIA & OES tours. I saw Mark on the Shangri-La tour in 2005. It's criminal that he hasn't come back here.

[Jonny Come Lately]

I have read your rankings FP - nice lists, your top four songs are all very high up my list too. My top ten would definitely include Romeo & Juliet, Brothers In Arms, Tunnel Of Love and Sultans Of Swing. I would also include Telegraph Road and Single Handed Sailor in this group of clear favourites. I'd probably find it easier to rank some of the albums first than give an overall ranking though, so here goes (with a few of my thoughts where I have something additional to say):

Dire Straits
1) Sultans Of Swing
2) In The Gallery (great song - I love the lyrics especially the 'then you get an artist who says he doesn't want to paint at all' verse. It's funny but with a message)
3) Down To The Waterline
4) Six Blade Knife
5) Water Of Love
6) Wild West End (really like the bit where Mark starts laughing while singing - listen to the part after 'I think I wanna marry you' line. I also like the 'Conductor on the number 19' verse)
7) Lions
8 ) Setting Me Up (not the best lyrically, but a decent guitar workout so I like it)
9) Southbound Again

Communique
1) Single Handed Sailor
2) Once Upon A Time In The West (I love the extended Alchemy version too)
3) Where Do You Think You're Going
4) Lady Writer
5) Angel Of Mercy (As much as I like Lady Writer, this would have been my choice of single from the second album)
6) Portobello Belle
7) News (underrated - I like the guitars on this one and I like the story)
8 ) Follow Me Home
9) Communique (not bad but find it gets a bit dull towards the end)

Making Movies
1) Tunnel Of Love
2) Romeo & Juliet
3) Expresso Love (one of their best riffs I think)
4) Skateaway
5) Solid Rock (I agree it's an uplifting song, I like the lyrics as well)
6) Hand In Hand
7) Les Boys

Brothers In Arms
1) Brothers In Arms
2) Money For Nothing (love it, only complaint is the overly long 'I want my MTV' part at the beginning - the brilliant guitar intro makes it worthwhile though)
3) Man's Too Strong
4) So Far Away
5) Ride Across The River
6) One World (I like this one quite a bit - in a way it's a bit like Setting Me Up in being a guitar workout, though the lyrics aren't bad to me either)
7) Why Worry?
8 ) Walk Of Life (I like it every once a while but gets old quickly compared to most Dire Straits songs I think)
9) Your Latest Trick (like the lyrics but musically isn't my favourite, just doesn't grab me I guess. I don't think it's bad or anything though)

Ranking Love Over Gold is difficult for me as Telegraph Road would definitely be my number one but the others move around and I find it hard to place any of them last. This closely mirrors my feelings about Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here album (another absolute favourite of my mine) where I know I love Shine On You Crazy Diamond the most but can't really rank the other three as I love them all too. On Every Street is too new to me for to be able to rank it definitively just yet.

I also noticed that you had the Theme From Local Hero (Going Home) in your top twenty, I love it as well although on my iPod I actually downloaded the soundtrack version so I tend to think of it as a Mark Knopfler song rather than a Dire Straits one. Although it is typically associated with Newcastle United, I go to a few Tranmere Rovers FC games every season and hear it being played at the end of matches there too.

I can't really analyse music properly, I just try to describe what I hear I guess - I'm not able to rank guitar solos technically, for instance, so a great solo to me is one that really stands out to me, rather than necessarily the most complex.

Thanks for listing your favourites from his solo career, I'll be quite busy over the coming week or so but I'll definitely check those songs out. I had no idea he had a new album coming out, haven't seen any mentions in the press or anything lately.

I never had a chance of going to see Dire Straits live as I believe their final concert was in October 1992, about two years short of my date of birth. I've never seen Mark live either although I would certainly like to.

One last thing - I noticed your comments on Mark touring with Bob Dylan and thought you might be interested to hear that I know one guy from another forum who is a big Dire Straits/Mark Knopfler fan and went to see this show and said that while Mark was excellent, the Dylan show was one of the worst things he'd ever seen.

[Freypower]

I have read your rankings FP - nice lists, your top four songs are all very high up my list too. My top ten would definitely include Romeo & Juliet, Brothers In Arms, Tunnel Of Love and Sultans Of Swing. I would also include Telegraph Road and Single Handed Sailor in this group of clear favourites. I'd probably find it easier to rank some of the albums first than give an overall ranking though, so here goes (with a few of my thoughts where I have something additional to say):

Dire Straits
1) Sultans Of Swing
2) In The Gallery (great song - I love the lyrics especially the 'then you get an artist who says he doesn't want to paint at all' verse. It's funny but with a message)
3) Down To The Waterline
4) Six Blade Knife
5) Water Of Love
6) Wild West End (really like the bit where Mark starts laughing while singing - listen to the part after 'I think I wanna marry you' line. I also like the 'Conductor on the number 19' verse)
7) Lions
8 ) Setting Me Up (not the best lyrically, but a decent guitar workout so I like it)
9) Southbound Again

Communique
1) Single Handed Sailor
2) Once Upon A Time In The West (I love the extended Alchemy version too)
3) Where Do You Think You're Going
4) Lady Writer
5) Angel Of Mercy (As much as I like Lady Writer, this would have been my choice of single from the second album)
6) Portobello Belle
7) News (underrated - I like the guitars on this one and I like the story)
8 ) Follow Me Home
9) Communique (not bad but find it gets a bit dull towards the end)

Making Movies
1) Tunnel Of Love
2) Romeo & Juliet
3) Expresso Love (one of their best riffs I think)
4) Skateaway
5) Solid Rock (I agree it's an uplifting song, I like the lyrics as well)
6) Hand In Hand
7) Les Boys

Brothers In Arms
1) Brothers In Arms
2) Money For Nothing (love it, only complaint is the overly long 'I want my MTV' part at the beginning - the brilliant guitar intro makes it worthwhile though)
3) Man's Too Strong
4) So Far Away
5) Ride Across The River
6) One World (I like this one quite a bit - in a way it's a bit like Setting Me Up in being a guitar workout, though the lyrics aren't bad to me either)
7) Why Worry?
8 ) Walk Of Life (I like it every once a while but gets old quickly compared to most Dire Straits songs I think)
9) Your Latest Trick (like the lyrics but musically isn't my favourite, just doesn't grab me I guess. I don't think it's bad or anything though)

Ranking Love Over Gold is difficult for me as Telegraph Road would definitely be my number one but the others move around and I find it hard to place any of them last. This closely mirrors my feelings about Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here album (another absolute favourite of my mine) where I know I love Shine On You Crazy Diamond the most but can't really rank the other three as I love them all too. On Every Street is too new to me for to be able to rank it definitively just yet.

I also noticed that you had the Theme From Local Hero (Going Home) in your top twenty, I love it as well although on my iPod I actually downloaded the soundtrack version so I tend to think of it as a Mark Knopfler song rather than a Dire Straits one. Although it is typically associated with Newcastle United, I go to a few Tranmere Rovers FC games every season and hear it being played at the end of matches there too.

I can't really analyse music properly, I just try to describe what I hear I guess - I'm not able to rank guitar solos technically, for instance, so a great solo to me is one that really stands out to me, rather than necessarily the most complex.

Thanks for listing your favourites from his solo career, I'll be quite busy over the coming week or so but I'll definitely check those songs out. I had no idea he had a new album coming out, haven't seen any mentions in the press or anything lately.

I never had a chance of going to see Dire Straits live as I believe their final concert was in October 1992, about two years short of my date of birth. I've never seen Mark live either although I would certainly like to.

One last thing - I noticed your comments on Mark touring with Bob Dylan and thought you might be interested to hear that I know one guy from another forum who is a big Dire Straits/Mark Knopfler fan and went to see this show and said that while Mark was excellent, the Dylan show was one of the worst things he'd ever seen.

1. Yes to both. I would love to know who or what events inspired the story of Harry in In The Gallery. He comes to a sad end, much as his namesake does in New York Minute! Wild West End along with Baker Street is one of the best songs written about London, which is my favourite city (Hence why I also love Sultans & Silvertown Blues so much).

2. I see Going Home is both a group & solo effort because it appeared on Alchemy & the On The Night DVD, although it first appeared as a solo track on the Local Hero soundtrack. I love it with a passion; it's one of the most uplifting things I've ever heard.

One complaint which could be made about both Money For Nothing & So Far Away is they both go on too long. I suppose he had to make sure his fellow Geordie Sting featured promninently. Not Brothers In Arms though... it could go as long as Telegraph Road & it wouldn't be long enough.

For a straightforward rock song with no trimmings, just sheer excitement, my favourite is Expresso Love ('all fired up on it! HA! Expresso Love's alright)!

(Wish You Were Here is my favourite Pink Floyd album but I am nowhere near as big a fan of them as I am of DS).

[Jonny Come Lately]

I think I might be able to help with In The Gallery, according to this web page Harry refers to Harry Phillips, a sculptor from Leeds who died in 1976, two years prior to the release of the debut Dire Straits album:

http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=10824

I must admit I've sometimes thought that In The Gallery could serve as a metaphor for the rise of punk, with the modern art representing a perception of artless punk music made with little care or attention with Harry's excellent sculptures representing the finer, old-school Dire Straits approach. However, I think this is unlikely to have actually come into Mark's thinking when writing the song, especially as it was the band's first album and they were making their own name rather than making a stand for the old order.

I'm not sure how well Mark Knopfler knew Harry but he certainly knew his son well - Steve Phillips, who I believe first knew Mark when he was a journalist in Leeds before later joining Mark in the Notting Hillbillies in the 1990s:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Phillips_(musician)

One interesting little story I noticed on Steve's Wikipedia page was that he apparently sold Mark Knopfler the famous National Steel guitar featured on the Brothers In Arms album cover. This reminds me a little of the story about Joe Walsh selling Jimmy Page his iconic sunburst Gibson Les Paul guitar.

Fair point about Going Home, it could be seen as being either a solo or band song, or indeed both. I agree about Expresso Love, if I want to listen to a Dire Straits song that rocks that's often the one I'll go for, especially if I want to hear the classic Stratocaster sound rather than the Les Paul of Money For Nothing.

[Freypower]

Thank you so much for that - hence the line 'in London, yes & in Leeds'.

Newsflash:

The first song to be released from Tracker is called 'Beryl'. It's hardly 'Juliet'?! That was my great aunt's name. :shrug: The album comes out on March 16.

http://www.vevo.com/watch/mark-knopfler/Beryl/GBUV71500028?syndicationid=bb8a16ab-1279-4f17-969b-1dba5eb60eda&shortlink=kGl9u0&country=AU&referralurl=http:%2F%2Fl.facebook.com%2Fl.php%3Fu% 3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fvevo.ly%252FkGl9u0%26h%3DxAQF xGHVG%26s%3D1

You can hear the Shadows influence; I think he might be playing the Strat on this one.

Here's the track listing. There's a track called 'Basil' which calls to mind Prunella Scales hissing at John Cleese!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Tracker-Mark-Knopfler/dp/B00S1M7KXO/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1421445132&sr=1-1&keywords=mark+knopfler+tracker

[Freypower]

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/premieres/hear-mark-knopfler-tracker-new-album-20150313

It is high time RS gave Mark a cover.

[Funk 50]

It's not one of my favourite Knopfler songs but Henley obviously connected with A Night in Summer Long Ago. He included it one or two of his Inside Job shows back in 2000.

http://www.setlist.fm/stats/don-henley-13d6dd89.html?tour=Inside+Job+Tour

He has sang some David Gray non hits, in the past, too. (Shine and Disappearing World)

[Freypower]

It's not one of my favourite Knopfler songs but Henley obviously connected with A Night in Summer Long Ago. He included it one or two of his Inside Job shows back in 2000.

http://www.setlist.fm/stats/don-henley-13d6dd89.html?tour=Inside+Job+Tour

He has sang some David Gray non hits, in the past, too. (Shine and Disappearing World)

I didn't know that. I have a version of Don singing I'm The Fool (both these songs are from MK's first solo album Golden Heart).

[Freypower]

AG, for your information this is what became the 'official' video for Walk Of Life.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd9TlGDZGkI (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd9TlGDZGkI)

[AlreadyGone95]

AG, for your information this is what became the 'official' video for Walk Of Life.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd9TlGDZGkI (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd9TlGDZGkI)

I've never seen that version before. Like I said, the one I posted is the one I've seen on tv channels, like VH1 classic. (My uncle actually recorded that version and he's played alot over the past few years).