A Mark In Time
Mark Knopfler Discussion => Mark Knopfler Discussion Forum => Topic started by: Brunno Nunes on August 15, 2025, 10:07:17 PM
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Pure gold, my favorite song from the first album. I've been waiting decades to see this full video in this quality.
It seems like part of the end of the video was lost, apparently, but the audio is intact, and they did a good job of editing it, which worked well.
I have no words to describe how much this sound and this band represent me, especially its original lineup.
It's wonderful to have access to this video; it made my day.🎸🔥♥️🙌🏻
https://youtu.be/fXgfgEgDHP0?si=nqwXALk4f9oh3xuv (https://youtu.be/fXgfgEgDHP0?si=nqwXALk4f9oh3xuv)
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Do I remember correctly that Lions wasn't supposed to be on the first album?
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Do I remember correctly that Lions wasn't supposed to be on the first album?
Yes, it should, they were just written when they were recording the album in 1978, it came from a melody that David Knopfler had created, the band developed it, Mark wrote the lyrics and it materialized as we know it, it has the signature of the original formation, there is nothing like it.
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Luckily the first album has 9 songs :)
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Luckily the first album has 9 songs :)
I would have loved it if they had recorded the song Real Girl with that Muff Winwood production, it would have been incredible!
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I would prefer the studio version of Eastbound Train :)
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Probably best live version as most go on forever with no merit and plenty boredom.
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I would prefer the studio version of Eastbound Train :)
It would also be a good option
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Probably best live version as most go on forever with no merit and plenty boredom.
I disagree. I like the groove of the song that runs from beginning to end. He plays around with the harmonic range of A, and David is creating the rhythm that probably gave rise to the intro and outro of "Communiqué." I like to think so. I think playing guitar has always given me a more expansive perspective on the musical experience of listening to these songs. What might seem monotonous to some, for me can be a moment to appreciate many things happening. But, I repeat, there's a subjective aspect involved. Whether you like it or not is personal!
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Pure gold, my favorite song from the first album. I've been waiting decades to see this full video in this quality.
It seems like part of the end of the video was lost, apparently, but the audio is intact, and they did a good job of editing it, which worked well.
I have no words to describe how much this sound and this band represent me, especially its original lineup.
It's wonderful to have access to this video; it made my day.🎸🔥♥️🙌🏻
https://youtu.be/fXgfgEgDHP0?si=nqwXALk4f9oh3xuv (https://youtu.be/fXgfgEgDHP0?si=nqwXALk4f9oh3xuv)
Nice to see this, wasn't aware they played anything other than Sultans. Do you know if they played any other tunes during this session Brunno?
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I don't know ... I love the studio version of Lions. It's perfect.
As I'm getting older, I'm starting to feel that a lot of the old songs lost a lot when they were played live (which may be an ironic thing to say since the first album basically consists of songs DS had played live in pubs, and the tracking was pretty much live as well). The live versions are a lot rougher around the edges, and later, when they adapted the songs to larger (and much larger) stages, the elegant nuances got lost. Or drowned in keyboards, saxophones and loud, meaningless guitar solos (Jack Sonni and Wild West End comes to mind :smack ). Sultans became a rock anthem, which is so far away (no pun intended) from the original spirit of the song.
The two first albums, so simple, yet so mature and elegant. Pure works of art.
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yeah, I agree; pure works of art, those 2 first albums.
I'd say the only ones that really sound fresh & cool these days. There's a more timeless sound to it compared to later records, which tend to be a bit more dad-rock/synth-prog rock.
Dire Straits & Communique still sound current these days, it's got a certain no-nonsense/understated attitude and the (drum)grooves are so timelessly cool because the don't rock too hard. Much like some new indie records (Mac DeMarco for instance).
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I would have loved both : eastbound train and real girl !
11 songs would have fit for an album
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thanks for the link Brunno
did you notce that Marks uses middle pickup for intro and midlle solo ? first he switches wrongely on middle+neck and then immediately switches on middle
on chorus TV show he used bridge pickup for the solo. very rare !
on this video from old grey whistle test show, David's cable seems a lttle bit too short ! :lol ;D
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I would have loved both : eastbound train and real girl !
11 songs would have fit for an album
My opinion: those songs aren't as good as the others.
The first album is perfect.
MK never bettered it at any point.
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The first album is perfect.
Period!
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I would have loved both : eastbound train and real girl !
11 songs would have fit for an album
My opinion: those songs aren't as good as the others.
The first album is perfect.
MK never bettered it at any point.
I love the first album, it is great.
But the other albums are great too. Communiqué has some equally good songs: WDYTYG, News, OUATITW... Making Movies had increased complexity with TOL, even more so in LOG with TR... STP has a great "back to the roots" feel... I don't think we can say that MK has gone constantly downhill since the first DS album!
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The first album is THE album. The rest were evolving and very good but the pure and genuine DS were the ones in this record.
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thanks for the link Brunno
did you notce that Marks uses middle pickup for intro and midlle solo ? first he switches wrongely on middle+neck and then immediately switches on middle
on chorus TV show he used bridge pickup for the solo. very rare !
on this video from old grey whistle test show, David's cable seems a lttle bit too short ! :lol ;D
I'd noticed some interesting details, but if he starts the intro using the middle pickup, why would he switch back to middle for the first solo? Note that at no point does he show changing the pickup position before starting the first solo. This leads me to believe he uses bridge and middle in the intro and continues through to the first solo. He made a mistake by going middle and neck. As you noticed, after the first note, he immediately switches to the middle pickup and continues through to the end of the song using the middle pickup. That's how I noticed it: he starts with bridge and middle, and from the first solo onward, he uses middle.
Note that he wasn't even wearing wristbands yet. The coiled cables have a distinct vintage charm and were part of the band's sound until their second American tour in September 1979.
This song, in this context, is another great example of the importance of a rhythm guitar as firm and precise as the one David always mastered with such skill. It's so solid and efficient, little is said about it, but he had his own style and was perfect for the original quartet's sound. This sound is the sum of the four elements; the absence of one breaks this alchemy, as indeed happened when he left the band; everything sounded different. For me, this pure sound is unsurpassed. I admit I'm a purist, I don't deny it! 😅
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The four piece was great. But then Mark gave a new direction and the vehicle had to be upgraded...
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The four piece was great. But then Mark gave a new direction and the vehicle had to be upgraded...
Exactly! I think we all love the first album. The second one is similar, but for MK it was too much. He needed a change (DK's departure only accelerated this). He was looking for a new path, enriching the sound with keyboards, which remained until the end. Hypothetically - the direction of the first two albums could not last forever. But in 1980, I wouldn't be so sure about that. ;)
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I don't think we can say that MK has gone constantly downhill since the first DS album!
I don't think anyone is saying that. But I am saying, in my opinion, the first album was never bettered.
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The link changed, its is now only a trailer and it annonces a premiere in 3 days... :hmm
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That's how I noticed it: he starts with bridge and middle, and from the first solo onward, he uses middle.
cant' check because the whole video disapeared, but what I recall from seing the video is this :
- intro on middle
- first two verses middle+bridge
- solo on middle (with the mistake on middlle+neck at the start)
- last verse : middle +bridge again
- outro : not sure
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That's how I noticed it: he starts with bridge and middle, and from the first solo onward, he uses middle.
cant' check because the whole video disapeared, but what I recall from seing the video is this :
- intro on middle
- first two verses middle+bridge
- solo on middle (with the mistake on middlle+neck at the start)
- last verse : middle +bridge again
- outro : not sure
Thats the way I saw it as well I think.
That hotter Dimarzio pickup in the middle position almost used similar to how a clean boost (pedal) could be as well maybe?