A Mark In Time
Mark Knopfler Discussion => Mark Knopfler Discussion Forum => Topic started by: Neville Sherman on August 15, 2025, 10:53:09 AM
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With Mark having a birthday this week, (they do come around regularly do they not?) I was wondering that the historical pattern (covid not withstanding) has been August - holidays and then back to the studio to get the 96'ers and guest players to put together some new music. It has now been some 16 months or so since ODR and all the promotional extras in terms of the guitar auction and the 'Going Home' release. I cannot imagine Mark after nearly 50 years in the business just sitting around twiddling his thumbs and not compose. Add to that the whole essence of British Grove at his beck and call and it is hard to believe that no new music is in the ether in some shape or form. However, who knows what is in Mark's head and it may just be that the future just holds Atmos releases of his previous work and some music from live shows. Nice as that is, there is NOTHING like a new MK tune. I remain hopeful as I just believe the whole process is in MK's DNA. What do others think?
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I think he has done enough work in his lifetime and better give him a break. He is 76! When Dire Straits "officially" dispanded in around 1988 or 1989 or so, I thought it was all over and I had to choose another favourite band. Never in my wildest dreams I would have imagined to follow him through a massive solo career which was longer than DS existed. Plus One Deep River is an excellent last album.
LE
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He confirmed in May that he will make another album.
While I could imagine him never playing live again, I can't imagine him not writing new songs ever again. But it might take him longer now that he's 76 and said he wants to spend more time with his family.
So I think in 2026 we will have some news about it.
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Well I think that Mr. Knopfler cannot stop writing, and from following him and the band(s) since the 80´ies, I think he would want to record those songs and put them on an album, and for sure take his time to do so.
I think that the reason we see the ATMOS and previously un-released tracks), is because MK has decided to give the people (fans) something else now that touring and live concerts are over and done. I dont think it is a complete coincidence that these releases pops out now.
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I think that the reason we see the ATMOS and previously un-released tracks), is because MK has decided to give the people (fans) something else now that touring and live concerts are over and done. I dont think it is a complete coincidence that these releases pops out now.
Maybe also because Guy Fletcher now has more time to be able to go through the old material without working on new albums for Mark?
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Guy replied on a question about a new MK album/going back to the studio about 2 weeks ago on his forum.
-We have nothing currently planned but I’ll let you know as soon as we do.-
In the past he always did let us know from early stages on they were going back in the studio.
Perhaps some form of Live album and the Henrik Hansen documentary this year and 2026 going back in the studio for a new album??
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I think that the reason we see the ATMOS and previously un-released tracks), is because MK has decided to give the people (fans) something else now that touring and live concerts are over and done. I dont think it is a complete coincidence that these releases pops out now.
Maybe also because Guy Fletcher now has more time to be able to go through the old material without working on new albums for Mark?
It's a shame they didn't consider STP live. But we discussed that in another thread.
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yes we might
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I believe what Mark said after retiring from touring, he plans to record another album.
He did not say when, so let just wait for it.
Guy will tell us when allowed to.
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They'll soon be the 96ers because that's their age! I think that might be it on the music front from Mark and the gang. The last album took so long to record and still has an annoying notable mistake on it. I can't believe Guy allowed that to pass on what is likely to be his epilogue.
Put it this way: would he have sold all these guitars if he intended to record again?
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David Gilmour also sold his guitars and is working on his second solo album since...
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They'll soon be the 96ers because that's their age! I think that might be it on the music front from Mark and the gang. The last album took so long to record and still has an annoying notable mistake on it. I can't believe Guy allowed that to pass on what is likely to be his epilogue.
Put it this way: would he have sold all these guitars if he intended to record again?
The guitars he sold, did he ever use them for recording? Nope.
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They'll soon be the 96ers because that's their age! I think that might be it on the music front from Mark and the gang. The last album took so long to record and still has an annoying notable mistake on it. I can't believe Guy allowed that to pass on what is likely to be his epilogue.
Put it this way: would he have sold all these guitars if he intended to record again?
The guitars he sold, did he ever use them for recording? Nope.
There were certainly a number of guitars he had used for recording, but most of them were instruments he either hadn’t used for quite some time, had rarely (if ever) played publicly or were back-ups for guitars of which he has other examples which remain in his inventory. I think he still has 50 or so, which is plenty to be going on with! And he did say at the time that he would go on recording with the remaining guitars.
As for new material, I think 2026 might be too soon. But I would not be surprised at all if he starts work on a new album next year. He will no doubt have songs that he’ll want to get recorded. It’s a case of just waiting to see what happens. I certainly hope there are still one or two albums left in the tank.
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They'll soon be the 96ers because that's their age! I think that might be it on the music front from Mark and the gang. The last album took so long to record and still has an annoying notable mistake on it. I can't believe Guy allowed that to pass on what is likely to be his epilogue.
Put it this way: would he have sold all these guitars if he intended to record again?
The guitars he sold, did he ever use them for recording? Nope.
Yes actually.
https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6465708?ldp_breadcrumb=back
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The important thing is not the guitars he sold but the remaining ones. And there are manies.
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I would like that finally Guy get a call to start recording demos, which would mean there would be plans to do another record, but reading between lines in Guy's answers, I wouldn't hold my breath.
If I have to bet, I would do it for ODR and The Boy being his swan song.
And considering that MK doesn't want to dig in the archives, we are not getting unreleased songs to substitute the lack of new ones.
Nah, I don't think we are getting new music next year, the next years, or ever.
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They'll soon be the 96ers because that's their age! I think that might be it on the music front from Mark and the gang. The last album took so long to record and still has an annoying notable mistake on it. I can't believe Guy allowed that to pass on what is likely to be his epilogue.
Put it this way: would he have sold all these guitars if he intended to record again?
The guitars he sold, did he ever use them for recording? Nope.
Yes actually.
https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6465708?ldp_breadcrumb=back
Ok, but only very few of them. The vast majority were just gathering dust in some warehouse
I do think him selling the guitars is a way of recognizing the end is near, but not that he will stop making albums now.
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I can’t get my head around why people on here are so determined that Mark is completely retired and won’t record again, when he has said himself on multiple occasions that he will. OK, if no new recordings eventuate then fair enough. But let’s just wait and see.
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I can’t get my head around why people on here are so determined that Mark is completely retired and won’t record again, when he has said himself on multiple occasions that he will. OK, if no new recordings eventuate then fair enough. But let’s just wait and see.
It baffles me too. As if MK has kind of become a nuisance, so it's just better to have him finished and dusted.
I think some of them aren't really MK fans at all. They seem to be very nostalgic for the DS period and sound and have a kind of grievance that MK chose a completely different path and sound when he went solo. You see them commenting a lot on DS related topics but they seldom appear on MK solo career topics. They just have no interest, so MK being fully retired or not is the same.
Which is ok, I suppose, but also a bit sad at the same time.
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I can’t get my head around why people on here are so determined that Mark is completely retired and won’t record again, when he has said himself on multiple occasions that he will. OK, if no new recordings eventuate then fair enough. But let’s just wait and see.
Because he says what he thinks people want to listen, he said he stopped touring because he wanted to write more instead of saying that he can't keep touring. He says he would keep recording while his closest collaborators doesn't know anything about recording, while usually there was a schedule, even having a free year or two in the middle. There is no schedule so he's saying what we want people to believe in, while Guy is simply don't feeding us with false expectations.
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I can’t get my head around why people on here are so determined that Mark is completely retired and won’t record again, when he has said himself on multiple occasions that he will. OK, if no new recordings eventuate then fair enough. But let’s just wait and see.
Because he says what he thinks people want to listen, he said he stopped touring because he wanted to write more instead of saying that he can't keep touring.
This is absolutely not true. Didn't he say in the 2019 concerts: "no more travelling for old grandad"?
In almost all of the 2024 interviews he did for ODR promotion, he mentioned the old age and he just couldn't do it physically. He said things like "I feel like I'm increasingly reaching my physical limits" and "I don't want to die on some European highway"
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When Mark is ready for a new album he will do it!
Until then we have to wait and enjoy all of the great music he has given us. And that is not the worst part of it, isn't it? ;)
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When Mark is ready for a new album he will do it!
Until then we have to wait and enjoy all of the great music he has given us. And that is not the worst part of it, isn't it? ;)
Of course! I agree.
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I don’t see the guitar auction as being a sign that he’s not writing or recording in future, just him not wanting to leave a big puzzle for someone else to have to figure out. It looked to me like it was a thoughtful act to auction those guitars so that somebody else would not have to try and do all that in future. It’s a considerate thing, to think ahead like that. Also, he alone knew the history of the guitars better than anyone for the documenting of the catalogue so at least the history is definitive now for those guitars. One of them was supposedly borrowed, as we saw recently with the Baldwin double six, so it sounds like he did a good job of tying up any loose ends to avoid any misunderstandings in the future.
Maybe Mark is working on a different timescale now and he’ll just record songs when he’s up to it, in his own time and at his own pace. It’ll take longer maybe. Rather than recording an album in one long go or whatever. Maybe he’ll get the bands tracks down and then overdub his guitar parts and vocals when he’s on his good days. He’s got his own studio so he can work at his own pace.
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If you think it from a positive point of view, not knowing what is really happening is a blessing for most of the fans and their hopes.
Keep the faith is a good exercise in the meantime.
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I see it 50/50
ODR - last album and he only tells the reporters he will record another album to calm us down and don't speculate further
OR:
He his really fighting back and trains to play the guitar again as he lost abilities after his COVID infections.
But is he really that tough?
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I see it 50/50
ODR - last album and he only tells the reporters he will record another album to calm us down and don't speculate further
OR:
He his really fighting back and trains to play the guitar again as he lost abilities after his COVID infections.
But is he really that tough?
I'm no doc but does anyone else just not buy into this Covid bollocks? I mean he was quitting in 2019 (pre Covid) and there was clearly something not right then.
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I see it 50/50
ODR - last album and he only tells the reporters he will record another album to calm us down and don't speculate further
OR:
He his really fighting back and trains to play the guitar again as he lost abilities after his COVID infections.
But is he really that tough?
I'm no doc but does anyone else just not buy into this Covid bollocks? I mean he was quitting in 2019 (pre Covid) and there was clearly something not right then.
Yep.
I am with you on this.
It is frustrating to do something that you could not do anymore. So I think that he put this covid story to cover that he is not ok.
The jam with Santana shows Mark's immense effort to play.
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But why shouldn't I believe that Mark had, and perhaps still has, health problems because of Covid? Our guesses or his words. I choose the latter.
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I'm no doc but does anyone else just not buy into this Covid bollocks? I mean he was quitting in 2019 (pre Covid) and there was clearly something not right then.
Both can be true. It's undeniable that there were issues that made the 2019 tour more difficult, but it could also be true that COVID has made it worse. I think the difference between 2015 and 2019 was huge, and based on his 2024 appearances, that trend has continued, and it definitely hasn't gotten better.
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But why shouldn't I believe that Mark had, and perhaps still has, health problems because of Covid? Our guesses or his words. I choose the latter.
COVID is not the cause of anything, he recorded ODR with all the bonus tracks and The Boy after COVID.
His problems to play come from 2019 and it didn't went better with time. Obviously COVID didn't helped, but it wasn't going to improve anyway.
COVID is just something he's using to cover his lack of activity, same he used the "need of more time to write" excuse to stop touring.
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But why shouldn't I believe that Mark had, and perhaps still has, health problems because of Covid? Our guesses or his words. I choose the latter.
COVID is not the cause of anything, he recorded ODR with all the bonus tracks and The Boy after COVID.
His problems to play come from 2019 and it didn't went better with time. Obviously COVID didn't helped, but it wasn't going to improve anyway.
COVID is just something he's using to cover his lack of activity, same he used the "need of more time to write" excuse to stop touring.
He's said he had it three times so maybe he had a bad bout after the recording sessions.
Right from the start we knew that the people who were most at risk from covid were the elderly (tick) and those with underlying health conditions (no idea but plenty of speculation).
Both can be true. It's undeniable that there were issues that made the 2019 tour more difficult, but it could also be true that COVID has made it worse. I think the difference between 2015 and 2019 was huge, and based on his 2024 appearances, that trend has continued, and it definitely hasn't gotten better.
I think this is most likely.
You also have to remember that making a record is likely a loss making exercise for MK these days.
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I think it all depends on Mark’s health, as simple as that.
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I think it all depends on Mark’s health, as simple as that.
Yep. Simples as that.
However, I agree about the silent retirement as well.
And there is nothing wrong with that.
He lives a full life and he gave too much to all of us.
If he silently stops. Good
Another record? Also good
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I think it all depends on Mark’s health, as simple as that.
Yep. Simples as that.
However, I agree about the silent retirement as well.
And there is nothing wrong with that.
He lives a full life and he gave too much to all of us.
If he silently stops. Good
Another record? Also good
Totally agree.
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Exactly, he’s said countless times he absolutely loves getting the gang back together to record new stuff. If he doesn’t do it again that’s because he can’t.
As a fan I can say I owe Mark an awful lot - and he owes me nothing.
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I don't see Mark keep saying he will do another another album if he knows it won't happen.
I stand on my opinion that another one is on its way for his 80's regardless of Mark weakening.
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For those who know Mark and have been following him for decades know that Mark will stop the moment he is physically or mentally not able. He has said multiple times that he will go on till the end (when he falls over).
Making music is his biggest passion. He will keep on making music as long as he can. He is in the possession of an endless well of drive and inspiration. The songs keep on pushing from within him. And remember B.B. King was still performing at 88. Paul McCartney is still performing at 83. Mick Jagger at 81....
Mark is aware of his mortality and touring becomes physical challenging at at certain age. For Mark it ecspecially becomes very difficult to play the very technically guitar parts of his songs. His guitarplaying has been of a different level during his career than the most famous musicians out there. Only few can match him. Like the Jeff Becks, David Gilmours and all of this world.
So I think he decided to spend more time with his family, spend more time in his candystore of musical equipment at British Grove, spend more time on writing songs, but sacrificing Touring for it, cause he isn't able anymore to put out the quality he wants for his live peformances. Remember he is kinda perfectionist with a clear vision.
So people don't worry, new material will come. Just have a little patience. The release of One Deep River and The Boy was just last year. Knowing Mark there will be a new album in 2025. Mark works in cycles and works with the seasons. He does his album recording usually in the fall and winter. When it's grey, wet and cold outside. Use probably the spring and summer now for family trips, his other hobbies (race cars) and writing the songs.
It wouldn't even suprise me he would reinvent himself a bit. Doing a few gigs in London next year. Let the fans come to him instead of him goig to the fans and completely swap to slide guitarplaying. Since that will be easier to pull off. (Wishful thinking ;D)