Me! Want to be blown away? All the Roadrunning with Emmylou Harris. Really.
Any Mark Knopfler fans out there?
I have been a Dire Straits fan since they first started. Had most of their music when I was in college and enjoyed it on my roommates hi-fi system. (Never cared too much for Brothers in Arms).Those old tapes and LPs are long gone but since getting into hi-fi recently I am replacing them with CDs and really falling in love with them again.
Really didn't know anything about Knopfler's very prolific solo career until I got Tracker. Very different from Dire Straits but a really great album musically and sonically (with great DR!). I subsequently listened to some of his other solo stuff and it left me a little cold. Sailing to Philadelphia is okay to me, Privateering seems closer to Tracker in style and content. I ordered it on CD but it has not arrived yet.
His new album comes out later this month. Not sure what to expect. Some of the same band members will be on it. It is described as slow and folksy which is what most of his solo stuff has been. Hope it is not too much 'slower' than Tracker.
Any thoughts on Knopfler's solo career or this upcoming new album?
Really didn't know anything about Knopfler's very prolific solo career until I got Tracker. Very different from Dire Straits but a really great album musically and sonically (with great DR!). I subsequently listened to some of his other solo stuff and it left me a little cold. Sailing to Philadelphia is okay to me, Privateering seems closer to Tracker in style and content. I ordered it on CD but it has not arrived yet.
His new album comes out later this month. Not sure what to expect. Some of the same band members will be on it. It is described as slow and folksy which is what most of his solo stuff has been. Hope it is not too much 'slower' than Tracker.
Any thoughts on Knopfler's solo career or this upcoming new album?
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Mark Knopfler is not only a talented guitarist but a true creative original artist who tells stories and paints pictures with his music. He also happens to be a bit of a stickler for sound quality. He built the now famous British Grove Studios around a Neve 88R console and ATC speakers (Mark’s preferred choice of speaker). Tracker was produced there. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Grove_Studios |
There is a video interview about the Tracker album. It was shot in that studio. Knopfler relates that he enjoys the whole process: writing, playing, recording, producing and even touring. He considers himself lucky in that regard. He seems to be a genuinely nice and interesting person as well. Very thoughtful, open and intelligent. |
Yes, I am a long time fan since 1979. My favorites are Love Over Gold (especially all of side 2 and the title track) and Communique. Next would be Making Movies and the first album. Brothers In Arms, I agree with you, sort of watered-down Straits. On Every Street sort of redeemed the band a bit. Again, the title track from this one is the highlight. |
I'm also a fan going back to Dire Straits. I disliked a few of his solo albums on first listen (The Ragpicker's Dream comes to mind) but ended up liking every one of them later on. Just a couple of days ago I was listening to One Take Radio Sessions, which is so intimate .. very much a "musician in the room" experience. It was closely mic'd and the sound quality is just superb. Can't wait for his new release. |
geoff, the interviews I heard from Dylan ( a few years ago) were very evasive and non-committal. Very unlike Bono, for instance. Maybe Dylan has changed his tune, I don't know. For Van Morrison it seems like it was an intense but passing phase. Agree, nothing wrong with it but I lose some respect for fadists. |
wtf, his solo stuff seems to follow a fairly common theme and common style. Nothing wrong with that but I think to appreciate them all, it becomes about subtlety and nuance and may take more time to grow on me. A lot of it is understated and slow paced, again, not a criticism, but I really like Laughs and Jokes and Drinks and Smokes in that even though it is a traditional folk sounding song it becomes quite 'big' and rousing. I'm hoping for more like that. |
Dylan was deeply interested and involved in spiritual matters long before and after his three overtly Christian-themed albums. In the pics of his living room from the late 60’s, you can see a large Bible on one of those stands made for them. The 1968 John Wesley Harding album is full of Biblical references and themes, as had been previous albums dating back to the mid-60’s. His focus at the time may have been more on the Old Testament than the New, coming from a Jewish heritage and upbringing. The burning desire to share with others a spiritual awakening eventually subsides, and one returns to a "normal" spiritual life. Dylan was been to Jerusalem a few times, praying at the Wailing Wall. Just because Dylan isn’t public with his current spiritual life doesn’t mean he doesn’t have one. He was also not public with his marriage to one of his background singers, and their child together. Does that mean his marriage and child are/were fads?! How many know Bob has a brother? To think we know all about his personal life is rather presumptuous. |
No presumption here whatsoever. Never claimed to know anything about his religious life except what he said publicly when specifically asked about it. We can, of course, take that sort of thing into account. I also have no problem with a public figure being private in such matters and in fact generally prefer that they do. I cannot cite the interview but I will look for it. As mentioned, he was somewhat evasive and equivocal in his answers. If he had said 'its none of your business' I would have respected that. Maybe he was having a bad day. Maybe he didn't answer as well as he would have liked to. Maybe he made a mistake. But for me to assume that would indeed be presumptuous. I prefer to take a person's statements at face value. But, when it comes to a stance on religion I much prefer Bono's. |
Another long time huge fan. I remember well the first time I heard him with Dire Straits. I had come home from work after 11:30 PM and turned on my stereo/radio. Knopfler's voice struck me as very unique. I liked what I was hearing. Who's that I thought!?The rest is history. I recently bought a ticket to see him when he comes to my town next September. You have much to look forward to as you explore his many offerings. Check out his tour schedule. |
I'm definitely a Dire Straits / Mark Knopfler fan. Guess what the first disc was that I played when I recently upgraded to an Oppo UDP-205? It was the 2005 SACD release of Brothers In Arms that is nothing short of superb. Cranked up in 5.1 it's pure bliss. Ride Across the River has a few spots with sufficient bass to shake the entire seat and back of the sofa 15 feet away from the subwoofer. I'm using an Outlaw Audio Ultra X-13 which is THX Ultra certified and wicked powerful. Then a couple days later, I get the October/November 2018 issue of Sound and Vision magazine and the last page is devoted to discussing the multiple releases of Brothers In Arms. Pretty cool. |
Unfortunately or obsessively 90% of what I listen to is Knopfler. I find his guitar is a voice on his recordings. It is subtle and strong. I do find many tracks take some some time to appreciate but he cares about the recordings and they have things to discover if one takes the time. Visual art is the same. You have to bring something to the conversation when you are in front of an artists work. Sometimes it takes time. We Can Get Wild Behind With The RentFollow Me HomePlanet of New Orleans |
Mark Knopfler’s solo albums seem very different to me. Shangri-La is, to me, one of the best well-rounded albums ever (I somehow amassed a CD, SACD, DVD-Audio, and a record and am missing a cassette, if it has ever been produced). Going back to Dire Straits, a few weeks ago I finally bought what had been (the lack of it) irritating me since Dire Straits (first album) came out. Sultans Of Swing single. It had been scratching in my ear every time I heard it ever since then as I was accustomed to the single version. Accustomed for a year or two and unaccustomed for another 35+, I guess. It is different, in fact it was recorded on different days in different studios, I think. I am not aware of it being on any compilation CD, but cannot be sure about that. The single itself came in a few different ways so not every Sultans Of Swing single is the same version. There must be stories on the Internet about it and probably a youtube upload. Anyway, if you remember Dire Straits from their early days and early radio plays, the single version is probably what you liked then. "good night, thank you, now it’s time to go home". Or is it "thank you, good night"? That "thank you" had been missing for decades. Try this one... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ktPj6g77Yc |
n80, You were quick to respond. I just added a link for one of the versions. Check it out. It is not the studio album version and not only because of the shortened ending. Here it is again...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ktPj6g77Yc There is a little more about different recordings here...https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultans_of_Swing |
Regular CD is fine, but I have always wanted to try this version. I am not sure why I never did. It is out of stock here but may be available elsewhere, if you are interested in spending a little more. http://www.elusivedisc.com/Mark-Knopfler-and-Chet-Atkins-Neck-and-Neck-K2-HD-Import-CD/productinfo/S... |
I am also a huge MK fan, and, like Bremner1 above, spend a disproportional amount of my listening sessions engaged with his music. While his Dire Straits and solo work have been well documented here and are essential, his collaborative efforts with Emmylou Harris and Chet Atkins and The Knotting Hillbillies, along with producing and playing on Dylan's Infidels and Randy Newman's Land Of Dreams, are also most worthwhile. Equally as enjoyable are his movie scores. I have listened to Local Hero probably more times than any other album I've owned, and the scores from Cal, The Princess Bride, Last Exit To Brooklyn, Wag The Dog, Metroland, and Altamira are terrific as well. I also agree with WTF on One Take Radio Sessions - intimate straight forward production with great sound quality. |
I'm currently still luke warm on Privateering. Sailing to Philadelphia has not inspired me to buy it yet but I'll probably end up getting it at some point. Get Lucky has grabbed me and I purchased it today. The more I listen to Tracker the more I like it. Really getting to be one of my favorite albums and seems far out in front of his other stuff to me even though style and subject matter are similar. I feel like spending time with these other albums will elevate them for me too. I've listened to the Emmylou Harris/Knopfler album twice. I know it isn't cool to say so but I've never been a big fan of hers. I have a few of her songs. I have very mixed feelings about her voice. At times it seems sublime to me but at other times it grates on my ears. The album is well done and there are a few really good songs in which her voice gives me chills but then some others that I simply don't want to listen to. Looking forward to hearing Down the Road Wherever later this week. |
I've listened to Down the Road Wherever twice now and I'm a bit disappointed. The Celtic themes are pretty much gone. Not complaining about that, he's hung with them for years now. Maybe it was time for a change. But, not much to grab me on this new album. I'll give it another listen or two but don't see me buying this one. |
I will never forget the first time I heard "Dire Straits". At 11:45 pm I returned home from my hospital shift. I turned on the radio as I always did and I can't remember the song, but I remember the voice. Who's that I thought. The vocalist sounded a little like Bob Dylan. I loved what I was hearing and the radio dj solved the mystery. It was Mark K. and Dire Straits. The rest is history. I was a big fan of D S and later of Mark K. Been well over 40 years. |
@shadorne >>>He also happens to be a bit of a stickler for sound quality<<< Glad to hear that (no pun intended). Seriously though, maybe that's why the past Dire Straits albums had so much dynamic range, going all the way back to their first release. Maybe Mark didn't cave to the loudness wars (thank you Mark). He is an amazing musician and performer. |
