The Mark Knopfler Songbook — Featured on MK's official YouTube channel

[Robson]

Yes, I like this song from the first moment but Mark would sing better

[quizzaciously]

Yes, I like this song from the first moment but Mark would sing better

I'll try to look up how I can make AI sing this song instead of Damian Humbley. It's possible to extract the voice, and potentially just replace it with Mark's, but the downside is you won't get his "touch" voice-wise, which is a bummer, and why I most likely won't be doing this.

[quizzaciously]

It sounds amazing...

The Local Hero musical has some wonderful jewels hidden to most of the fans that didn't attend the Edinburgh or Chichester representations, as there is not any official release of this, further than two audience recordings, one from each run.

Thank you! Yes, my favourite song is "Numbers", but I haven't figured out how I can use it on my channel. YET

[Robson]

quizzaciously
You really have talent and you feel the guitar. Respect and congratulations 

[jbaent]

It sounds amazing...

The Local Hero musical has some wonderful jewels hidden to most of the fans that didn't attend the Edinburgh or Chichester representations, as there is not any official release of this, further than two audience recordings, one from each run.

Thank you! Yes, my favourite song is "Numbers", but I haven't figured out how I can use it on my channel. YET

Which version of Numbers, the one from Edinburgh or Chichester? I guess you mean the one from Chichester which is the one that has more MK guitar things...

I would say that the better songs for your channel from the musical would be "A barrel of oil" from Chichester, that have many and varied guitar things, "Houston we have a problem" and "What a life" which are the typical MK ballads, which I consider as very very beautiful and part of my favorite songs of MK ever.

About how you can use it in your channel, maybe a post about the Local Hero Musical in general in which you talk about a selection of songs, explaining the scenes (I can help with that if you need) and play the chords and licks from that songs. Could be nice to explain this new side of MK as composer, less known to the public in general.

[jbaent]

Yes, I like this song from the first moment but Mark would sing better

Not really, this song needs a voice with a perfect modulation, something that a high profile singer with a perfect voice.

I think that MK would sing very well "What a life" probably, maybe "Houston, we have a problem", but not the rest.

[Robson]

Yes, I like this song from the first moment but Mark would sing better

Not really, this song needs a voice with a perfect modulation, something that a high profile singer with a perfect voice.

I think that MK would sing very well "What a life" probably, maybe "Houston, we have a problem", but not the rest.

You are certainly right. I haven't seen the musical. I was only thinking about Only Rocks And Water. I have a little problem with the singing actors:)

[quizzaciously]

Tears - Chet Atkins & Mark Knopfler - Pavel Fomenkov & AI Cover

Time for another big project — recreating “Tears” by Chet Atkins and Mark Knopfler. In the past couple of weeks, I learned, transcribed and recorded both parts of this instrumental composition written by Django Reinhardt and Stéphane Grappelli, and recorded by Mark and Chet in 1990, to the best of my current abilities. Also, helping me is no other than Mark O'Connor, or to be precise his brilliant fiddle playing that I extracted through AI from the original record. The bass is also original, but both guitars are recorded from scratch. Lessons, tablatures, interactive play-along videos, everything is incoming in the next few days or weeks. It’s going to be great! P.S. Feels good to release a new video when Mark’s new album was announced.

[jbaent]

I really discovered Django and Stephane with the metroland score and became a fan immediately...

Bireli Lagrene did a great record called Djangology which I totally recommend.

Great performance Pavel, as usual, I bet you enjoyed it a lot.

[quizzaciously]

I really discovered Django and Stephane with the metroland score and became a fan immediately...

Bireli Lagrene did a great record called Djangology which I totally recommend.

Great performance Pavel, as usual, I bet you enjoyed it a lot.

Yeah, I know it's a cliché, but Neck And Neck is such an underrated album. From all I played on my channel, the stuff Mark did with Chet was always the most challenging. I'll See You In My Dreams, Imagine, and Tears combined required something like 100 takes to get at least into the "uploadable" category. Unbelievable chops. Mark can say how much he wants about him ending up recording an album with Chet almost by chance, all I know is — "he played before". And indeed it's enjoyable to play all this stuff, despite all the challenges.

Bireli, as I like to put it, inspires me to stop playing guitar. How anyone can become so great at the instrument? It's insane!

[Love Expresso]

Funny enough, I listen very much to that album during the last weeks and although I have no clue about guitar playing and not the right vocabulary, I can fully understand what you say. The whole album is just pure joy, a lovely record (and the vinyl very good sounding, I know I go on everyones nerves with vinyl bla bla, but it is the reason MK made a big comeback in my life.) I had this record lying around and cleaned it properly, it was hardly never spun before and it sounds phantastic.

I would however not agree with Neck & Neck being underrated. It got lots of prices, didn't it? The collection of songs is so nice, and even if the recording process itself was achieved in a  rather uncool and not very "anaolog" and "live" way, the result is nearly a perfect record. Blimey, I think I will spin it now once more.

LE

[quizzaciously]

Funny enough, I listen very much to that album during the last weeks and although I have no clue about guitar playing and not the right vocabulary, I can fully understand what you say. The whole album is just pure joy, a lovely record (and the vinyl very good sounding, I know I go on everyones nerves with vinyl bla bla, but it is the reason MK made a big comeback in my life.) I had this record lying around and cleaned it properly, it was hardly never spun before and it sounds phantastic.

I would however not agree with Neck & Neck being underrated. It got lots of prices, didn't it? The collection of songs is so nice, and even if the recording process itself was achieved in a  rather uncool and not very "anaolog" and "live" way, the result is nearly a perfect record. Blimey, I think I will spin it now once more.

LE

Of all Chet Atkins collaboration albums I heard, and I heard a lot, Neck and Neck is certainly the best one. I'm sure he loved it too. When you combine Chet's knowledge, virtuosity, humour, and connections with Mark's taste, perfectionism (not regarding album covers, apparently), unique style, and personality, it's a match made in heaven. And of course, the album was famous for its simple production and low budget.

Later in the same decade, Chet recorded an album with Tommy Emmanuel and you immediately can see it's not up to Neck and Neck standards. Funny, once Mark recorded with Tommy, the latter was also put under Mark's charms and produced a fine recording of a simple song in very limited circumstances. It's a crime they never did more recordings, though Mark said numerous times he would want to do more with Chet until he died in 2001. What a "slow learner" he is.

[quizzaciously]

I apologise for re-uploading the video, it had a critical editing mistake I somehow missed, so had to redo everything. I make a lot of mistakes all the time, and there are mistakes I can skip, but it wasn’t one of them. Pavel.

[JF]

I had the great pleasure to interview Bireli two years ago for his album "solo suites" :
https://www.francetvinfo.fr/culture/musique/jazz/bireli-lagrene-seul-avec-sa-guitare-sur-son-nouvel-album-solo-suites_5119942.html

and saw him live with JL Ponty and K Eastwood : https://www.francetvinfo.fr/culture/musique/jazz/le-trio-ponty-lagrene-eastwood-a-vienne-une-virtuosite-aerienne_3290599.html


an amazing musician, and a very nice person

[JF]

oh and BTW, great work Pavel, as always 

what a bunch of tricky chords !