A Mark In Time
Mark Knopfler Discussion => Mark Knopfler Discussion Forum => Topic started by: boriszhukov on March 23, 2018, 10:34:42 AM
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I've been listening a lot to OES the last few days.
Given that How Long and Long highway have certain similarities I just thought how Long Highway would have worked as final song on OES.
Personally I think it would have been a much stronger finisher for the album and actually it could have been another DS semi classic if they had done this and added it as a permentant fixture on the OES setlists...
Another interesting thought would be if Kingdom Come had been chosen over The Bug or My Parties for instance. I admit the lyrics are quite corny on Kingdom Come, but that can be said for My Parties and The Bug and Heavy Fuel too.
Personally I think these two changes would have improved the album quite a bit. Any thoughts on this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D387eGnYpUs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJAD6Sclom8
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As "Long Highway" is an absolute masterpiece, it would have been a perfect closing song on every abum in general. Can't absolutely not see any similarities with How Long though apart from the "long". As the OES lyrics generally are quite cynical, How Long with it's direct heart warming appeal fits very well with it's conciliatory note. Long Highway would have made a perfect closer for STP in my opinion, but One More Matinee is great competitor, as it is a masterpiece.
I always hated Kingdom Come and a b-side is absolutely what it is. Also the recording sounds not too well crafted in my opinion. Crap lyrics, badly sung. Dimensions far away from The Bug or My Parties which is another masterpiece. Those were the times when MK produced masterpieces in a row.
LE
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I do agree that Long Highway, as it was played live, it would had been a wonderful end for the record, but then... where do you put How Long in the record?
There is always an ending song in each album, and that's one of the weirdest things in "Tracker", there are two ending songs... "Silver Eagle" has that ending mood that would had made it perfect but, as there was also "Wherever I Go" also with that ending mood, the sax and Ruth Moody, MK had to be Beryl between them to made them fit...
The bonus tracks from OES, Millionaire Blues and Kingdom Come, I agree, Kingdom doesn't fit, it has a kind of funny lyrics, in the "Skydiver" or "Pyroman" kind of character. As bonus track is ok. Millionaire blues, i like it and would had been a good pair with "My Parties" as the character of the song is quite the similar.
"Think I Love you too much", it would had been terrific in the record!
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Long Highway should have been a permanent fixture in the OES setlist. Very strange that it was rejected by MK
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The song that disturbs the album flow the most for me is Ticket To Heaven. Never liked it really although I guess it is a good song. But those strings are too much for me.
LE
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Long Highway should have been a permanent fixture in the OES setlist. Very strange that it was rejected by MK
I read many times that when they were working in "On the night", MK wanted to add something new to the record, so I guess he intended to include "I Think I love you too much" or "Long highway", the only unreleased DS songs that were played on that tour, but the record company didn't want that, theu want a kind of souvenir record, and that's what we got...
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Long Highway and I Think I Love You too Much are incredible songs, it's a shame they didn't make the cut. I agree with LE on Ticket to Heaven, that one could've been dropped in order to make room for one of those two. How to fit the other one in? Well, I'll probably be outvoted here but I wouldn't mind discarding Calling Elvis.
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The song that disturbs the album flow the most for me is Ticket To Heaven. Never liked it really although I guess it is a good song. But those strings are too much for me.
LE
It is funny how we like different songs for different reasons. In my view Ticket to Heaven is one of the most beautiful songs Mark has written, and the strings are gorgeous, conducted and arranged by a certain George Martin.
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The song that disturbs the album flow the most for me is Ticket To Heaven. Never liked it really although I guess it is a good song. But those strings are too much for me.
LE
It is funny how we like different songs for different reasons. In my view Ticket to Heaven is one of the most beautiful songs Mark has written, and the strings are gorgeous, conducted and arranged by a certain George Martin.
I agree it's beautiful. I just don't think it suits the album as a whole and Long Highway or I Think I Love You too Much would be a better fit.
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I guess that is true, it would have suited Golden Heart better, as that is more a love album, and for me On Every Street is more a blues album.
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the strings are gorgeous, conducted and arranged by a certain George Martin.
...and a certain Alan Clark ;)
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The Long Highway is such a fantastic song that it would make a lot of albums better imho. Too bad the STP studio version didn't capture it as well as could be done. When included on OES it would ideally replace the worst song on the album (and one I always skip) which is Heavy Fuel. Must admit I could live without the pair Ticket To Heaven and My Parties as well, although straighforward non-original simple blues tunes such as I Think I Love You Too Much and Milionaire Blues are not up to album standard as well. Kingdom Come would not even make it as b-side material considering MK quality standard if you ask me.
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When I put recently all my DS/MK CDs on my Sony audio player, I sorted all files with B-isdes per album
Therefore, when I listen to an album, I have all songs + B-sides in a row, so OES has got Millionaire blues and Kingdom Come, and STP has got long highway (and Camerado and let's see you, and extended WII and extended STP)
So the question to know if these songs should have replaced other songs is irrelevant to me for now
of course at the time of their release, when I had to listen to the CD, and then put the maxi on the player, etc...I would have prefered songs in places for others, but now that I have all of them avalaible at the same time in the same "album-folder" so to say, I don't even ask myself what song would be better or not.
For many years, I was into the "album" way to listen to music with a start and an end. But nowadays, as far as I am concerned, the way to listen to music is most of the time on bike or in the car, and I see it more as as a catalog of songs, altough sorted by "album-folders", and when in the morning I choose to listen to Get lucky for example, I already know that I will be listen to early bird and Time in the sun, just after pulling down the ride, homeboy and good as gold, right after Piper to the end, so no mater if they were "bonus tracks" at the time, they are part of the album in my head now, as much as "regular" tracks
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I simply love Millionaire blues, Kingdom Come and I Think I Love You too Much. Corny lyrics or not. I would say the first too are meant more ironic than corny ;)
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In my opinion, I think OES would be far better with I think I love you too much instead of Heavy Fuel and Long Highway instead of Ticket to Heaven, I would love to throw Millionaire blues in there too! How long is probably my favourite song on the album, so simple but so effective,
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In my opinion, I think OES would be far better with I think I love you too much instead of Heavy Fuel and Long Highway instead of Ticket to Heaven, I would love to throw Millionaire blues in there too! How long is probably my favourite song on the album, so simple but so effective,
I second that!
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different taste here. I find that songs like how long, fade to black, iron hand and ticket to heaven would have fit on the NHB album, but it doesn"t sound DS to me, too much country
OES would have sounded more DS to me with only :
Calling Elvis
On very street
When it comes to you
the bug
you and your friend
Heavy fuel
My parties
Planet of new Orleans
and:
I think I love you too much
Millionaire blues
Kingdome come
I speak musically wise because my english is not enough elaborated to hear if lyrics "sounds" more a style or another, even if I understand the whole idea of a song
just my opinion of course :)
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I think longer term members here know my opinion of Long Highway and while it's not the worst song he's written (I usually just wind some people up) it cannot replace anything on the album; How Long is a great song and thoroughly deserves its place.
I've always enjoyed Millionaire Blues and it has the same humour Heavy Fuel has so that could be replaced, thus avoiding the obvious comparisons with MFN.
Ticket to Heaven has better lyrics than I Think I Love You Too Much I think, although ITILYTM is more in-keeping with the tone of other songs in the album. However, TTH does always seem somewhat out of place when it come on. Maybe swap them?
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Another song that was floating around at that time that could've worked well on OES would be "Your Own Sweet Way" from the NHB album,
I could see that song slotting in instead of something like You and Your friend?
Great tune!
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Calling Elvis
When It comes to You
Millionaire Blues
On every Street
The Bug
You and Your Friend
Think I love You Too Much
Heavy Fuel
Planet Of New Orleans
My Parties
How Long
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Another song that was floating around at that time that could've worked well on OES would be "Your Own Sweet Way" from the NHB album,
I could see that song slotting in instead of something like You and Your friend?
Great tune!
on the opposite, I see more "fade to black" fitting very well on the NHB album, rather than "Your own sweet way" on OES