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.
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?
Showing 14 responses by n80
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. |
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. |
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. |
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. |
@tomcarr I think I mention the production quality back in the original post, but yes he and DS have a number of songs that are great for experiencing how good your system sounds. You and Your Friends is a great one for that. @dpop He does seem to keep the DR up all the way from DS through his solo stuff. That alone gives me great admiration and appreciation for him. Throw in the talent, the creativity the drive and the prolific making and releasing of songs and he’s the real deal. In "Let It All Go" he says: These are not my decisions, flaming visions I heard in an interview that this is how he actually is. He says there is a constant flow of music and songs in his head that he is driven to write and perform (or something to that extent anyway). He described it as an obsession. Also, saw an interesting video about him with Brian Johnson (from AC/DC) and he was visiting The Spanish City amusement park and saw for the first time that they had painted his lyrics from Tunnel of Love there. |