A Mark In Time

Mark Knopfler Discussion => News Articles and Interview Transcripts => Topic started by: Shai on June 16, 2015, 10:27:23 PM

Title: Review of Dire Straits' COMMUNIQUE
Post by: Shai on June 16, 2015, 10:27:23 PM
Here, you will find a very nice review of.....Communique; it took this bloke a while until he gave it a real listen, but this is a nice article.

http://somethingelsereviews.com/2015/06/15/dire-straits-communique-mark-knopfler/


Enjoy!!

     Saul
Title: Re: Review of Dire Straits' COMMUNIQUE
Post by: Pottel on June 16, 2015, 10:29:49 PM
great review.
Title: Re: Review of Dire Straits' COMMUNIQUE
Post by: rudiger on June 16, 2015, 10:59:20 PM
"Communique is an understated gem "   :clap
Title: Re: Review of Dire Straits' COMMUNIQUE
Post by: Shai on June 17, 2015, 03:25:32 AM
Communique is worth its weight in gold. Literally! I own a Dire Straits Gold Album of Communique!! It is a fine piece of art with the Dire Straits red strat logo on the right side!!

Saul
Title: Re: Review of Dire Straits' COMMUNIQUE
Post by: IrisRose on June 17, 2015, 04:28:28 AM
When released, Communique was not treated well by the critics.  It has since shown its worth.  It is a marvelous set of music. 
Title: Re: Review of Dire Straits' COMMUNIQUE
Post by: JF on June 17, 2015, 09:34:23 AM
during my early years of DS fan (1988) Communique remained my fav album, and I far prefered it compared to the 1st album.
years later (around 1994-1995) my friend drummer made me rediscover the 1st album, and since, it's hard to choose the one I like the must.
well, apart from OES, I must admit I love ex-aequo all DS albums  :)
Title: Re: Review of Dire Straits' COMMUNIQUE
Post by: IrisRose on June 17, 2015, 03:39:04 PM
Communique remains my favorite DS recording, and Ragpicker's Dream my favorite MK recording.  While there are much loved tracks on all the others, these two are my go-to cds.    My favorite track of his whole body of work is on Golden Heart.   
Title: Re: Review of Dire Straits' COMMUNIQUE
Post by: 3Pints on June 21, 2015, 04:21:41 AM
When released, Communique was not treated well by the critics.  It has since shown its worth.  It is a marvelous set of music.

Agreed.  It was going to be tough to live up to expectations in following up the exquisite, self-titled debut and I think it was also hard for some listeners and fans - myself included - to really appreciate the second album (Communiqué) at first.   
After the group disbanded though (in other words, with the benefit of hindsight), I really did come to love and appreciate Communiqué as one of their finest albums.  ....and still do!   :thumbsup

Thanks Shai, for posting the link to that review. 

Cheers,
3Pints
Title: Re: Review of Dire Straits' COMMUNIQUE
Post by: dustyvalentino on June 21, 2015, 07:47:32 AM
I think it's easy to see why it wasn't appreciated when it came out. Sonically it's too similar to the first album and it lacks a hit single.
Title: Re: Review of Dire Straits' COMMUNIQUE
Post by: ds1984 on June 21, 2015, 05:24:36 PM
I think it's easy to see why it wasn't appreciated when it came out. Sonically it's too similar to the first album and it lacks a hit single.

Mark expressed his view about that, saying that doing Communiqué in the same vein as the first album was an error and that he learned from that by doing each following album different. Is this still true in 2015?

Title: Re: Review of Dire Straits' COMMUNIQUE
Post by: Justme on June 22, 2015, 12:45:57 AM
I think it's easy to see why it wasn't appreciated when it came out. Sonically it's too similar to the first album and it lacks a hit single.

Mark expressed his view about that, saying that doing Communiqué in the same vein as the first album was an error and that he learned from that by doing each following album different. Is this still true in 2015?

Very good quote. When I think about it, every album has its own unique feel - Tracker in 2015, too. so this could be true. Or maybe it is just my impression. Different times in life, growing older and so on. <scratching my looooong grey beard>  ;D  :wave
Title: Re: Review of Dire Straits' COMMUNIQUE
Post by: JF on June 22, 2015, 09:26:19 AM
I think it's easy to see why it wasn't appreciated when it came out. Sonically it's too similar to the first album and it lacks a hit single.

Mark expressed his view about that, saying that doing Communiqué in the same vein as the first album was an error and that he learned from that by doing each following album different. Is this still true in 2015?

well spoted, his solo work is more "uniform" than the DS stuff imho
Title: Re: Review of Dire Straits' COMMUNIQUE
Post by: dustyvalentino on June 22, 2015, 08:04:26 PM
Disagree.  A lot of random styles thrown around on the solo albums, albeit with a familiar folky theme running through.

Knoxville
You Don't Know Youre Born
Hard Shoulder
Paraguay etc
Title: Re: Review of Dire Straits' COMMUNIQUE
Post by: JF on June 24, 2015, 05:08:01 PM
Disagree.  A lot of random styles thrown around on the solo albums, albeit with a familiar folky theme running through.

Knoxville
You Don't Know Youre Born
Hard Shoulder
Paraguay etc

I see your point Dusty and indeed you are right in the fact he has going through different styles in his solo work, but in term of melodies or songs keys (almost all Tracker songs are in C) I find that his solo work has more the "same rengaine" feeling that the DS stuff. Maybe it's just an impression ?
the 2 firsts albums have the same guitar tone on all tracks, and are all in the same style, with pentatonic blues scales, BUT by listening I find them with far more variations than say KTGC or Tracker which feels to be more "static" more "linear", can't find the right word to express what I mean.
His solo stuff is more "pépère" like we say in french, more "safe zone", while on the DS stuff he seemed to take more risks.
I think it's hard to get some "surprises " on a recent Mk album, we know almost all type songs we will get before the release (celtic, ballads, H. Marvin stuff, maybe some classic blues and that's it) while I bet that fans who discovered MM or LOG were quite "surprised" in comparison to what they had heard before. I hear more musical "evolution" between communique and BIA for example, than between TRD and Tracker, but again it's just my opinion, and my hearing impression. Of course, I don't pretend to say the truth :)
Title: Re: Review of Dire Straits' COMMUNIQUE
Post by: Lis on December 30, 2015, 01:57:28 AM
Very nice review -- thanks for posting this, Shai!

And I am glad to know that I am not the only one who has to sit on some LPs (and books), before I am ready for a listen.
Title: Re: Review of Dire Straits' COMMUNIQUE
Post by: ds1984 on December 30, 2015, 03:22:48 PM
I bet that fans who discovered MM or LOG were quite "surprised" in comparison to what they had heard before. I hear more musical "evolution" between communique and BIA for example, than between TRD and Tracker, but again it's just my opinion, and my hearing impression. Of course, I don't pretend to say the truth :)

Same for me.
MM and LOG have a clearly defined identity, MM is the "rock" album, LOG is the "keyboard" album.
But from BIA onward I have difficulties to put a conceptual word to define them with the exception of both duet album and the NHB one.







Title: Re: Review of Dire Straits' COMMUNIQUE
Post by: JF on January 02, 2016, 11:37:47 PM
I bet that fans who discovered MM or LOG were quite "surprised" in comparison to what they had heard before. I hear more musical "evolution" between communique and BIA for example, than between TRD and Tracker, but again it's just my opinion, and my hearing impression. Of course, I don't pretend to say the truth :)

Same for me.
MM and LOG have a clearly defined identity, MM is the "rock" album, LOG is the "keyboard" album.
But from BIA onward I have difficulties to put a conceptual word to define them with the exception of both duet album and the NHB one.

agree. I would call LOG the "prog" album, compared to the "rock" MM

I think that concepts in solos albums are more defined by lyrics themes, rather by music.
for example, Guy said that many songs from KTGC take place during the 60ies, Mark said that many songs from tracker are about time in life, STP is mainly focused on America (not all songs though: WII, silvertown...), golden heart has many songs about kitty, etc... but I agree that it is less obvious than MM and LOG which have a "sound unity" so to say