A Mark In Time
Mark Knopfler Discussion => Mark Knopfler Discussion Forum => Topic started by: ChrisGlastonbury on August 11, 2020, 10:39:10 PM
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Hi everyone,
I wandered onto this site because I have only recently started listening to MK's solo albums.
DS was the first band I ever saw, as a 14 yo, on the Brothers in Arms tour. It totally blew me away, but the (comparatively) long gap between that album and the next meant that I'd discovered heaps of other music in the meantime and I lost touch. I never stopped listening to the DS albums up to BIA, but that was where it ended. About 18 months ago I saw a copy of The Ragpicker's Dream in a charity shop for £1 and picked it up on a whim. I played it a few times and liked it, so then started getting other solo albums (so far STF, KTGC, GH and S-L) plus I finally got round to buying On Every Street and On The Night.
I'm still getting to know these albums (impressed so far with what I have heard) but was wondering what the consensus is regarding the later ones I don't have, and also how well thought of the solo stuff is compared to the DS albums. I remember reading reviews over the years and I think that reviewers have accused MK of settling for an inoffensive middle of the road career since DS split.
On another note I decided to go and see MK last year, but when the dates were announced they clashed with a holiday and my son's birthday so I missed the chance. Here's hoping I get another opportunity.
Thanks
Chris
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Welcome, Chris!
I belong to the portion of fans here who prefer MK's solo career to his DS period. His solo albums are full of gems. Regarding his later albums, Get Lucky seems to be a fan favourite, with Border Reiver, So Far From The Clyde, Piper To The End, etc. Privateering is one my personal favourites but it doesn't seem to be very consensual, with many of us criticizing for the excessive use of Blues. Tracker is a very good album with beautiful melodies and lyrics. This album could be best described with a quote I read here a few days ago by another member as "a granddad sitting comfortably in his couch and playing songs on his acoustic". On Down The Road Wherever, he expanded his sound and gave snippets of jazz and funky stuff with the addittion of trumpet and the like. I believe it was well received and many fans rate it quite high in their rankings.
Give them a listen and see for yourself. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
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Welcome Chris. :wave :thumbsup
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Hi everyone,
I wandered onto this site because I have only recently started listening to MK's solo albums.
DS was the first band I ever saw, as a 14 yo, on the Brothers in Arms tour. It totally blew me away, but the (comparatively) long gap between that album and the next meant that I'd discovered heaps of other music in the meantime and I lost touch. I never stopped listening to the DS albums up to BIA, but that was where it ended. About 18 months ago I saw a copy of The Ragpicker's Dream in a charity shop for £1 and picked it up on a whim. I played it a few times and liked it, so then started getting other solo albums (so far STF, KTGC, GH and S-L) plus I finally got round to buying On Every Street and On The Night.
I'm still getting to know these albums (impressed so far with what I have heard) but was wondering what the consensus is regarding the later ones I don't have, and also how well thought of the solo stuff is compared to the DS albums. I remember reading reviews over the years and I think that reviewers have accused MK of settling for an inoffensive middle of the road career since DS split.
On another note I decided to go and see MK last year, but when the dates were announced they clashed with a holiday and my son's birthday so I missed the chance. Here's hoping I get another opportunity.
Thanks
Chris
The funniest thing is that Dire Straits were less of a "band" than Mark's solo band he plays with nowadays because in the old days he had basically a benevolent dictatorship in the group and it was more "Mark Knopfler" than Mark Knopfler now with a lot of input from his band members, so my little theory is that it was his solo project all along and NOW it's a band, meaning that "inoffensive middle of the road career" probably was his ultimate goal.
With that said, and as Bob Dylan would say, Mark was a different person in DS times and wrote different music. I'll have you know that Dire Straits as a group only had 60 songs in its entire history, while Mark as a solo artist released triple the number of songs. Dire Straits discography was certainly about quality over quantity, especially considering the legendary 5-track Love Over Gold album, but it doesn't mean that now it's quantity over quality. Mark is, in my opinon, the most consistent songwriter who writes great music throughout his whole career. Everybody I can think of had their share of strange and uninspired records, but Mark... is always up to the mark.
As a guy who analysed Mark's music quite a lot, I can say that his solo stuff is far more elegant, more complex, deeper and more beautiful than his early music, but that's to be expected because the man is constantly in the process of perfecting his craft. It's just in DS times that were different times, Mark had songs that were catchy, with an accent on guitar playing because there were guitar heroes everywhere, and MK was no exception. He was in the top shape and young and created his most famous masterpieces back then. Think Brothers In Arms, Telegraph Road, Tunnel Of Love, etc.
But I mean I can't even pretend that I can compare the storytelling of Shangri-La to the lyrics from DS debut album, it's like night and day. The song like Wild West End leads to nowhere, whereas 5:15 am is a masterpiece with a story that's like watching a movie, and it's just one example. So you should definitely check out his solo music, for one thing, simply because it's far more songs to choose from, more variety, more input from other band members.
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Welcome, Chris!
I belong to the portion of fans here who prefer MK's solo career to his DS period. His solo albums are full of gems. Regarding his later albums, Get Lucky seems to be a fan favourite, with Border Reiver, So Far From The Clyde, Piper To The End, etc. Privateering is one my personal favourites but it doesn't seem to be very consensual, with many of us criticizing for the excessive use of Blues. Tracker is a very good album with beautiful melodies and lyrics. This album could be best described with a quote I read here a few days ago by another member as "a granddad sitting comfortably in his couch and playing songs on his acoustic". On Down The Road Wherever, he expanded his sound and gave snippets of jazz and funky stuff with the addittion of trumpet and the like. I believe it was well received and many fans rate it quite high in their rankings.
Give them a listen and see for yourself. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Thanks - I will grab these others over time. Keen not to get too much at the same time for fear of burnout. So far I think that KTGC seems like the weakest of the albums I have got, hence me wondering if his output had deteriorated. But I like the descriptions of the others.
Chris
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The funniest thing is that Dire Straits were less of a "band" than Mark's solo band he plays with nowadays because in the old days he had basically a benevolent dictatorship in the group and it was more "Mark Knopfler" than Mark Knopfler now with a lot of input from his band members, so my little theory is that it was his solo project all along and NOW it's a band, meaning that "inoffensive middle of the road career" probably was his ultimate goal.
With that said, and as Bob Dylan would say, Mark was a different person in DS times and wrote different music. I'll have you know that Dire Straits as a group only had 60 songs in its entire history, while Mark as a solo artist released triple the number of songs. Dire Straits discography was certainly about quality over quantity, especially considering the legendary 5-track Love Over Gold album, but it doesn't mean that now it's quantity over quality. Mark is, in my opinon, the most consistent songwriter who writes great music throughout his whole career. Everybody I can think of had their share of strange and uninspired records, but Mark... is always up to the mark.
As a guy who analysed Mark's music quite a lot, I can say that his solo stuff is far more elegant, more complex, deeper and more beautiful than his early music, but that's to be expected because the man is constantly in the process of perfecting his craft. It's just in DS times that were different times, Mark had songs that were catchy, with an accent on guitar playing because there were guitar heroes everywhere, and MK was no exception. He was in the top shape and young and created his most famous masterpieces back then. Think Brothers In Arms, Telegraph Road, Tunnel Of Love, etc.
But I mean I can't even pretend that I can compare the storytelling of Shangri-La to the lyrics from DS debut album, it's like night and day. The song like Wild West End leads to nowhere, whereas 5:15 am is a masterpiece with a story that's like watching a movie, and it's just one example. So you should definitely check out his solo music, for one thing, simply because it's far more songs to choose from, more variety, more input from other band members.
Thanks for the reply.
I read an interview with MK recently (can't recall when it was from) and he was saying that he found Telegraph Road to be plodding and dull! It's one of my favourite DS tracks, so I was a bit put off by that!
But it's interesting to think of DS as a solo project. It sounds like he's done everything he can to cut those ties (including not turning up to the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame induction, which seemed churlish). I am trying to listen to the solo albums without any baggage (like asking 'is this as good as a DS album?!?) but it's hard. And of course the other thing is that DS were my teenage band. In my 40s now I don't get so obsessed as I did back then, which is probably a good thing.
Chris
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Thanks for the reply.
I read an interview with MK recently (can't recall when it was from) and he was saying that he found Telegraph Road to be plodding and dull! It's one of my favourite DS tracks, so I was a bit put off by that!
But it's interesting to think of DS as a solo project. It sounds like he's done everything he can to cut those ties (including not turning up to the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame induction, which seemed churlish). I am trying to listen to the solo albums without any baggage (like asking 'is this as good as a DS album?!?) but it's hard. And of course the other thing is that DS were my teenage band. In my 40s now I don't get so obsessed as I did back then, which is probably a good thing.
Chris
In that interview Mark meant that they worked so hard on the studio version of Telegraph Road that it kind of sucked the life out of it (hence "dull"), he was comparing music from the 60s that was basically recorded live in one take versus tracks like his own Telegraph Road, that was painstakingly created in the studio with weeks and weeks of work that went into it. And after all this hard work, it sounds dull. That is, dull compared to, say, Beatles' debut album, which was recorded completely live in 12 hours or so. I know many people actually prefer the studio version of Telegraph Road, but I agree with Mark, that it sounds dull. The Alchemy version has more life in the song than ever. So he wasn't talking about the song itself, but about the production of it.
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Welcome, Chris!
I belong to the portion of fans here who prefer MK's solo career to his DS period. His solo albums are full of gems. Regarding his later albums, Get Lucky seems to be a fan favourite, with Border Reiver, So Far From The Clyde, Piper To The End, etc. Privateering is one my personal favourites but it doesn't seem to be very consensual, with many of us criticizing for the excessive use of Blues. Tracker is a very good album with beautiful melodies and lyrics. This album could be best described with a quote I read here a few days ago by another member as "a granddad sitting comfortably in his couch and playing songs on his acoustic". On Down The Road Wherever, he expanded his sound and gave snippets of jazz and funky stuff with the addittion of trumpet and the like. I believe it was well received and many fans rate it quite high in their rankings.
Give them a listen and see for yourself. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Thanks - I will grab these others over time. Keen not to get too much at the same time for fear of burnout. So far I think that KTGC seems like the weakest of the albums I have got, hence me wondering if his output had deteriorated. But I like the descriptions of the others.
Chris
welcome chris.
and yes, i would agree that KTGC is his weakest, ever. I for one NEVER play it, and i DO play all the rest.
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also, if you like the live stuff, head over to the "spanish city" site and register for MK unlimited, a whole new world will open up for you.
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Welcome, Chris!
I belong to the portion of fans here who prefer MK's solo career to his DS period. His solo albums are full of gems. Regarding his later albums, Get Lucky seems to be a fan favourite, with Border Reiver, So Far From The Clyde, Piper To The End, etc. Privateering is one my personal favourites but it doesn't seem to be very consensual, with many of us criticizing for the excessive use of Blues. Tracker is a very good album with beautiful melodies and lyrics. This album could be best described with a quote I read here a few days ago by another member as "a granddad sitting comfortably in his couch and playing songs on his acoustic". On Down The Road Wherever, he expanded his sound and gave snippets of jazz and funky stuff with the addittion of trumpet and the like. I believe it was well received and many fans rate it quite high in their rankings.
Give them a listen and see for yourself. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Thanks - I will grab these others over time. Keen not to get too much at the same time for fear of burnout. So far I think that KTGC seems like the weakest of the albums I have got, hence me wondering if his output had deteriorated. But I like the descriptions of the others.
Chris
welcome chris.
and yes, i would agree that KTGC is his weakest, ever. I for one NEVER play it, and i DO play all the rest.
What about Heart Full Of Holes? I remember this song made me cry and still do. "It's a wonder to me, I still don't understand, why I ever survived to be old with a heart full of holes?", I mean, wow! What about Madame Geneva's, an amazing ballad? In The Sky is an astonishingly beautiful waltz, flawlessly recorded and arranged. True Love Will Never Fade, an ultimate strumming song with a beautiful guitar solo, another waltz Scaffolder's Wife, melodic and catchy, The Fizzy And The Still is also a good number with a cool chorus. I get that it's your personal taste, but songs on that album are great. I guess it can be perceived as a weak album because it's the first album made completely in the new studio, so he went full experiment mode. To me, after Kill To Get Crimson all Mark's albums had this distinctive "British Grove Studios" sound, and he got it with this album.
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Welcome, Chris!
I belong to the portion of fans here who prefer MK's solo career to his DS period. His solo albums are full of gems. Regarding his later albums, Get Lucky seems to be a fan favourite, with Border Reiver, So Far From The Clyde, Piper To The End, etc. Privateering is one my personal favourites but it doesn't seem to be very consensual, with many of us criticizing for the excessive use of Blues. Tracker is a very good album with beautiful melodies and lyrics. This album could be best described with a quote I read here a few days ago by another member as "a granddad sitting comfortably in his couch and playing songs on his acoustic". On Down The Road Wherever, he expanded his sound and gave snippets of jazz and funky stuff with the addittion of trumpet and the like. I believe it was well received and many fans rate it quite high in their rankings.
Give them a listen and see for yourself. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Thanks - I will grab these others over time. Keen not to get too much at the same time for fear of burnout. So far I think that KTGC seems like the weakest of the albums I have got, hence me wondering if his output had deteriorated. But I like the descriptions of the others.
Chris
welcome chris.
and yes, i would agree that KTGC is his weakest, ever. I for one NEVER play it, and i DO play all the rest.
What about Heart Full Of Holes? I remember this song made me cry and still do. "It's a wonder to me, I still don't understand, why I ever survived to be old with a heart full of holes?", I mean, wow! What about Madame Geneva's, an amazing ballad? In The Sky is an astonishingly beautiful waltz, flawlessly recorded and arranged. True Love Will Never Fade, an ultimate strumming song with a beautiful guitar solo, another waltz Scaffolder's Wife, melodic and catchy, The Fizzy And The Still is also a good number with a cool chorus. I get that it's your personal taste, but songs on that album are great. I guess it can be perceived as a weak album because it's the first album made completely in the new studio, so he went full experiment mode. To me, after Kill To Get Crimson all Mark's albums had this distinctive "British Grove Studios" sound, and he got it with this album.
Heart Full Of Holes really is a standout from that album but it's the arguably the only one. In The Sky has potential but never really goes anywhere and the album as a whole just feels like it never develops, it keeps lingering. It has 1 or 2 very good songs but compared to Shangri-La or Get Lucky, it really is a weak album.
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I love all of MKs solo albums, but, obviously, some are better than others. My favourites have been "Tracker" and "Shangri-la" and "Ragpicker's Dream", but "Kill To Get Crimson" has been further down the list, not because I didn't like it - I did, but there were others I liked better - until quite recently when I gave it a few extra listens and now for some reason I absolutely love it! There are no songs on it that I skip and now it is up there amongst my favourites. Sometimes albums need time to sink in properly and I'm glad I gave this beautiful album the extra time it deserved. When listening to both Tracker and KTGC I feel I'm embarking on a journey.
@Quizzaciously - You mentioned "5.15am" being like watching a movie and I entirely agree, but I would add "The Scaffolder's Wife", because when listening to that song I can actually see this woman teetering along on her stilletto boots, going to have her roots done! MK is an expert at this kind of storytelling!
@ Chris - Welcome to AMIT and I hope you will love all of MK's solo albums as much as I do!
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If you're more of a DS fan you'll like GH and STP best, with an honourable mention to GL.
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If you want to go from DS to MK you can start with Sailing to Philadelphia and Down the road Wherever which are the two most DS like albums for me.
Sailing could have been a DS album except for maybe two songs in it. Down the road has sax, a DS vibe and it's a good album to embrace the MK spectrum, you could tear this album apart and dispatch all of its songs in each of MK's previous records.
I once thought about rearranging all of MK songs in totally new albums, the rock album, the folk album, the Irish one, etc... it's quite fun.
Some albums have more cohesion than others, Golden Heart is maybe the more diverse, and Shangri-la, despite its many genre, is the more coherent, meaning it's a collection of great songs working well together.
these are all my personal thoughts.
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Welcome, Chris!
I belong to the portion of fans here who prefer MK's solo career to his DS period. His solo albums are full of gems. Regarding his later albums, Get Lucky seems to be a fan favourite, with Border Reiver, So Far From The Clyde, Piper To The End, etc. Privateering is one my personal favourites but it doesn't seem to be very consensual, with many of us criticizing for the excessive use of Blues. Tracker is a very good album with beautiful melodies and lyrics. This album could be best described with a quote I read here a few days ago by another member as "a granddad sitting comfortably in his couch and playing songs on his acoustic". On Down The Road Wherever, he expanded his sound and gave snippets of jazz and funky stuff with the addittion of trumpet and the like. I believe it was well received and many fans rate it quite high in their rankings.
Give them a listen and see for yourself. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Thanks - I will grab these others over time. Keen not to get too much at the same time for fear of burnout. So far I think that KTGC seems like the weakest of the albums I have got, hence me wondering if his output had deteriorated. But I like the descriptions of the others.
Chris
welcome chris.
and yes, i would agree that KTGC is his weakest, ever. I for one NEVER play it, and i DO play all the rest.
What about Heart Full Of Holes? I remember this song made me cry and still do. "It's a wonder to me, I still don't understand, why I ever survived to be old with a heart full of holes?", I mean, wow! What about Madame Geneva's, an amazing ballad? In The Sky is an astonishingly beautiful waltz, flawlessly recorded and arranged. True Love Will Never Fade, an ultimate strumming song with a beautiful guitar solo, another waltz Scaffolder's Wife, melodic and catchy, The Fizzy And The Still is also a good number with a cool chorus. I get that it's your personal taste, but songs on that album are great. I guess it can be perceived as a weak album because it's the first album made completely in the new studio, so he went full experiment mode. To me, after Kill To Get Crimson all Mark's albums had this distinctive "British Grove Studios" sound, and he got it with this album.
I agree with you. KTGC it's a beautiful album.
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Welcome, Chris!
I belong to the portion of fans here who prefer MK's solo career to his DS period. His solo albums are full of gems. Regarding his later albums, Get Lucky seems to be a fan favourite, with Border Reiver, So Far From The Clyde, Piper To The End, etc. Privateering is one my personal favourites but it doesn't seem to be very consensual, with many of us criticizing for the excessive use of Blues. Tracker is a very good album with beautiful melodies and lyrics. This album could be best described with a quote I read here a few days ago by another member as "a granddad sitting comfortably in his couch and playing songs on his acoustic". On Down The Road Wherever, he expanded his sound and gave snippets of jazz and funky stuff with the addittion of trumpet and the like. I believe it was well received and many fans rate it quite high in their rankings.
Give them a listen and see for yourself. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Thanks - I will grab these others over time. Keen not to get too much at the same time for fear of burnout. So far I think that KTGC seems like the weakest of the albums I have got, hence me wondering if his output had deteriorated. But I like the descriptions of the others.
Chris
welcome chris.
and yes, i would agree that KTGC is his weakest, ever. I for one NEVER play it, and i DO play all the rest.
What about Heart Full Of Holes? I remember this song made me cry and still do. "It's a wonder to me, I still don't understand, why I ever survived to be old with a heart full of holes?", I mean, wow! What about Madame Geneva's, an amazing ballad? In The Sky is an astonishingly beautiful waltz, flawlessly recorded and arranged. True Love Will Never Fade, an ultimate strumming song with a beautiful guitar solo, another waltz Scaffolder's Wife, melodic and catchy, The Fizzy And The Still is also a good number with a cool chorus. I get that it's your personal taste, but songs on that album are great. I guess it can be perceived as a weak album because it's the first album made completely in the new studio, so he went full experiment mode. To me, after Kill To Get Crimson all Mark's albums had this distinctive "British Grove Studios" sound, and he got it with this album.
let's agree to disagree.
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I love all of MKs solo albums, but, obviously, some are better than others. My favourites have been "Tracker" and "Shangri-la" and "Ragpicker's Dream", but "Kill To Get Crimson" has been further down the list, not because I didn't like it - I did, but there were others I liked better - until quite recently when I gave it a few extra listens and now for some reason I absolutely love it! There are no songs on it that I skip and now it is up there amongst my favourites. Sometimes albums need time to sink in properly and I'm glad I gave this beautiful album the extra time it deserved. When listening to both Tracker and KTGC I feel I'm embarking on a journey.
@Quizzaciously - You mentioned "5.15am" being like watching a movie and I entirely agree, but I would add "The Scaffolder's Wife", because when listening to that song I can actually see this woman teetering along on her stilletto boots, going to have her roots done! MK is an expert at this kind of storytelling!
@ Chris - Welcome to AMIT and I hope you will love all of MK's solo albums as much as I do!
will give it another try.
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@Quizzaciously - You mentioned "5.15am" being like watching a movie and I entirely agree, but I would add "The Scaffolder's Wife", because when listening to that song I can actually see this woman teetering along on her stilletto boots, going to have her roots done! MK is an expert at this kind of storytelling!
Superval. Your last sentence sums it up perfectly.
If you liked DS for its rock bombast and aspiring musical virtuosity then you'll be a little disappointed with marks solo output. If however you loved DS for the songs, the stories, and the way MK and band entwined those stories with music then you'll find numerous gems on his solo albums.....
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To me MK solo albums are really about songs/songwriting while is his DS albums the songs sometimes are more like vehicles for outstanding guitar playing. In both cases Mark excells at what he is/was trying to do, but it’s just in a different direction.
Another thing, about KTGC, I think it’s one of his finest abums. It’s may not be spectacular or catchy on a casual listen but if you really dig into it you find sublime songwriting, beautiful melodies, perfect production/sound brought with an understated subtleness and immense class. It’s an album that is coherent, has many deeper layers and just never wears off or tires imho.
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To me MK solo albums are really about songs/songwriting while is his DS albums the songs sometimes are more like vehicles for outstanding guitar playing. In both cases Mark excells at what he is/was trying to do, but it’s just in a different direction.
Another thing, about KTGC, I think it’s one of his finest abums. It’s may not be spectacular or catchy on a casual listen but if you really dig into it you find sublime songwriting, beautiful melodies, perfect production/sound brought with an understated subtleness and immense class. It’s an album that is coherent, has many deeper layers and just never wears off or tires imho.
Yes, I'm surprised some people straight up said that Kill To Get Crimson album filled with bad songs. Because it's filled with great guitar playing (often with a pick!) and waltzes, which Mark mastered composing. Think songs like The Ragpicker's Dream, Kingdom Of Gold, that's all waltzes, and Kill To Get Crimson is filled with waltzes. In retrospective, though, the album holds up pretty well. Also, for me personally, it has a deep personal connection because I just went to college this album came out, it always brings me to the time when I was just 17. So Kill To Get Crimson and Get Lucky are very important albums for me, I love them with all my heart. Thank you, folks, you made me relisten to that album and made me love it even more :clap
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I love all of MKs solo albums, but, obviously, some are better than others. My favourites have been "Tracker" and "Shangri-la" and "Ragpicker's Dream", but "Kill To Get Crimson" has been further down the list, not because I didn't like it - I did, but there were others I liked better - until quite recently when I gave it a few extra listens and now for some reason I absolutely love it! There are no songs on it that I skip and now it is up there amongst my favourites. Sometimes albums need time to sink in properly and I'm glad I gave this beautiful album the extra time it deserved. When listening to both Tracker and KTGC I feel I'm embarking on a journey.
@Quizzaciously - You mentioned "5.15am" being like watching a movie and I entirely agree, but I would add "The Scaffolder's Wife", because when listening to that song I can actually see this woman teetering along on her stilletto boots, going to have her roots done! MK is an expert at this kind of storytelling!
@ Chris - Welcome to AMIT and I hope you will love all of MK's solo albums as much as I do!
will give it another try.
did so yesterday, and still underwhelmed. did like 3 or 4 songs, madame geneva being one of them.
then went on with the other albums, all of another quality imho..
now listening to tracker.great stuff!
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I love all of MKs solo albums, but, obviously, some are better than others. My favourites have been "Tracker" and "Shangri-la" and "Ragpicker's Dream", but "Kill To Get Crimson" has been further down the list, not because I didn't like it - I did, but there were others I liked better - until quite recently when I gave it a few extra listens and now for some reason I absolutely love it! There are no songs on it that I skip and now it is up there amongst my favourites. Sometimes albums need time to sink in properly and I'm glad I gave this beautiful album the extra time it deserved. When listening to both Tracker and KTGC I feel I'm embarking on a journey.
@Quizzaciously - You mentioned "5.15am" being like watching a movie and I entirely agree, but I would add "The Scaffolder's Wife", because when listening to that song I can actually see this woman teetering along on her stilletto boots, going to have her roots done! MK is an expert at this kind of storytelling!
@ Chris - Welcome to AMIT and I hope you will love all of MK's solo albums as much as I do!
will give it another try.
did so yesterday, and still underwhelmed. did like 3 or 4 songs, madame geneva being one of them.
then went on with the other albums, all of another quality imho..
now listening to tracker.great stuff!
I was reading some reviews of KTGC on Amazon UK recently and there were people who re-discovered the album after years of dismissing it and then found they loved it, so never give up.
Glad you like Tracker so much, Pottel - it is still at the top of my list and I listen to it straight through, including all of the bonus songs. :)
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Welcome Chris! :wave
I am glad you finally discovered MKs solo music, you won`t be disappointed!
There are albums or songs you will like immediately, others will need some time until you have discovered the treasures of his work, but believe me each and every single one is worth being studied.
I`ve been listening to Mark since the DS era and never get tired of his music. The man is a genius!
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hi and welcome Chris!
I'm sure you love every song! (you only have not realised that yet ;D)
I love each song differently because they are all unique.
If you find you don't like one perhaps you expected it to hit your yard? Give it another listen! (or write your own song that is going to root your patch of earth? ;D)
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you cannot seriously say you like EVERY song mk did right?
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you cannot seriously say you like EVERY song mk did right?
>any Knopfler, Floyd or Dylan will do....:)
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In one way, KTGC is my least favorite MK album because it's the least MK-like album. Know what I mean? On the other hand, it stands out as something different in his catalog. It IS pretty low-key, but it's a good album overall and really perfect for those moments when a good, low-key album is called for :)
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... I would add "The Scaffolder's Wife", because when listening to that song I can actually see this woman teetering along on her stilletto boots, going to have her roots done! MK is an expert at this kind of storytelling!
Listening to this very song right now. You're absolutely right. Gorgeous little tune, really. My favorite from the album I think is "Fizzy and the Still". Very sparse lyrics, and I'm still wondering what sat between them there on ice, chilled, with the fizzy and the still :)
The one song I can't abide, or think doesn't fit in musically, is Secondary Waltz. Same with All That Matters on Shangri-La.
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... I would add "The Scaffolder's Wife", because when listening to that song I can actually see this woman teetering along on her stilletto boots, going to have her roots done! MK is an expert at this kind of storytelling!
Listening to this very song right now. You're absolutely right. Gorgeous little tune, really. My favorite from the album I think is "Fizzy and the Still". Very sparse lyrics, and I'm still wondering what sat between them there on ice, chilled, with the fizzy and the still :)
The one song I can't abide, or think doesn't fit in musically, is Secondary Waltz. Same with All That Matters on Shangri-La.
I think it's the unopened bottle of champagne, waiting to be opened to toast the boy's success - except it wasn't really a success, Hollywood wasn't for him.
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... I would add "The Scaffolder's Wife", because when listening to that song I can actually see this woman teetering along on her stilletto boots, going to have her roots done! MK is an expert at this kind of storytelling!
Listening to this very song right now. You're absolutely right. Gorgeous little tune, really. My favorite from the album I think is "Fizzy and the Still". Very sparse lyrics, and I'm still wondering what sat between them there on ice, chilled, with the fizzy and the still :)
The one song I can't abide, or think doesn't fit in musically, is Secondary Waltz. Same with All That Matters on Shangri-La.
I think it's the unopened bottle of champagne, waiting to be opened to toast the boy's success - except it wasn't really a success, Hollywood wasn't for him.
I just can't connect the dots to what goes before:
"He says she asked too high a price / Neglecting to declare / What sits between them there on ice"
I guess it's the "neglecting to declare" bit that confuses me.
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you cannot seriously say you like EVERY song mk did right?
I do say.
Now it's obvious your statement is false.
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What I like about KTGC is that it's incomparable to his other solo work. Everything is played so precisely, and the recording is so clear, it doesn't have that 'one-take' feeling of later records, but it also lacks that polished feel of STP/ATTR. The titles alone are magical, he got out of his comfort zone with guitar sounds (and fingerpicking), and I like the use of percussions on this record (heavily overused on DTRW!). The lyrics are superb, and his singing on the 2008 tour was his best ever. STP will always be my favorite record, but lately I'm rediscovering ATTR and KTGC. Isn't that great about his catalog? There's always something to rediscover: an album, a song, a sound, a lyric you name it.
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Isn't that great about his catalog? There's always something to rediscover: an album, a song, a sound, a lyric you name it.
I do feel the same. No matter how many times you have listened to an album or a song suddenly it can happen you discover something you haven`t noticed before.
May it be the sound, the lyrics, his singing style what ever. This always amazes me and I would say that MKs music is music for a lifetime. A never ending musical journey, one could say. ;)
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Isn't that great about his catalog? There's always something to rediscover: an album, a song, a sound, a lyric you name it.
I do feel the same. No matter how many times you have listened to an album or a song suddenly it can happen you discover something you haven`t noticed before.
May it be the sound, the lyrics, his singing style what ever. This always amazes me and I would say that MKs music is music for a lifetime. A never ending musical journey, one could say. ;)
Absolutely. As my "job" requires me diving deep into Mark's music one song at a time, I often discover some gems that I was skipping before. I know that this is not fare, sort of a brute-force way of loving a song, but it works. When you know what to expect, where to look for, any song can amaze you. In reality, every song has a meaning and was written because of something, nobody writes music just out of thin air. So it is possible to learn how to love the song.
I only wish more of this would happen automatically, like with many other songs. But sometimes, some work is needed. Think of it as the latest film by Quentin Tarantino, "Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood". I know people who were like "I don't like this movie, because I don't understand it". But if you know what's this movie is about, you'll love it with all your heart.
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Absolutely. As my "job" requires me diving deep into Mark's music one song at a time, I often discover some gems that I was skipping before. I know that this is not fare, sort of a brute-force way of loving a song, but it works. When you know what to expect, where to look for, any song can amaze you. In reality, every song has a meaning and was written because of something, nobody writes music just out of thin air. So it is possible to learn how to love the song.
I only wish more of this would happen automatically, like with many other songs. But sometimes, some work is needed. Think of it as the latest film by Quentin Tarantino, "Once Upon A Time... In Hollywood". I know people who were like "I don't like this movie, because I don't understand it". But if you know what's this movie is about, you'll love it with all your heart.
[/quote]
:thumbsup
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you cannot seriously say you like EVERY song mk did right?
I do say.
Now it's obvious your statement is false.
wrong. but let's agree to disagree
p.s. OUTIH was an AWESOME movie.
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you cannot seriously say you like EVERY song mk did right?
I do say.
Now it's obvious your statement is false.
wrong. but let's agree to disagree
p.s. OUTIH was an AWESOME movie.
cowboy change your ways today or with us you will ride
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you cannot seriously say you like EVERY song mk did right?
I do say.
Now it's obvious your statement is false.
wrong. but let's agree to disagree
p.s. OUTIH was an AWESOME movie.
cowboy change your ways today or with us you will ride
Lol, jokes aside, but I think it's safe to say that even Mark himself is not someone who likes every MK song.
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you cannot seriously say you like EVERY song mk did right?
I do say.
Now it's obvious your statement is false.
wrong. but let's agree to disagree
p.s. OUTIH was an AWESOME movie.
cowboy change your ways today or with us you will ride
Lol, jokes aside, but I think it's safe to say that even Mark himself is not someone who likes every MK song.
Very true. In fact, does mark like any of his work ever? Lol...
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Very true. In fact, does mark like any of his work ever? Lol...
Yes he does!
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Very true. In fact, does mark like any of his work ever? Lol...
Yes he does!
Read that Mark have to say about The Bug, Wild West End, songs like that. The But probably got the worst treatment by Mark so far, I get a feeling he’s not satisfied with this song at all. Sometimes you’re the windshield, sometimes you’re the bug...
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Pretty naive to think that every artist likes everything that he does. The artist probably say that he likes everything to look cool if you ask him, but in reality sometimes artists really don't like their own work. Whether it was a painting he or she made just to earn some money or a song that leads to nowhere, that you don't want to finish or rewrite, or record it to fill the space on the album. If you'd love everything, there would be no blues, no inspiration, some kind of opposing force is needed to evolve. Every beginner hates their work when they're beginners, but it doesn't mean that if you become the absolute master, you love everything. Like the part of you that don't grow up, the inner critic should be there at all times, or else you are destined to fall.
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Pretty naive to think that every artist likes everything that he does. The artist probably say that he likes everything to look cool if you ask him, but in reality sometimes artists really don't like their own work. Whether it was a painting he or she made just to earn some money or a song that leads to nowhere, that you don't want to finish or rewrite, or record it to fill the space on the album. If you'd love everything, there would be no blues, no inspiration, some kind of opposing force is needed to evolve. Every beginner hates their work when they're beginners, but it doesn't mean that if you become the absolute master, you love everything. Like the part of you that don't grow up, the inner critic should be there at all times, or else you are destined to fall.
Speaking as a songwriter myself I think you almost have to have a kind of cognitive dissonance about your own output.
It's not really the role of the writer to offer up personal opinion on their own work, that's not to say you shouldn't have an opinion on what you write\record (the inner critic as you put it), rather an acceptance that once something is 'out there', your opinion natters the least.
If you see what I'm trying to get at...
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So what is your point folks? :smack
If you don't love your child, or you're not happy about him/her at some point, it doesn't mean someone else doesn't.
As an example, think of Young Two Lowers, "mama cried and poured the wine, papa just said God bless", but the Lover was who really loves her ;D
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I know songs are often talked about as the children of the songwriter, but really they are a snapshot of the songwriter himself at a certain point in time. As you grow and age, you often acquire new tastes and inclinations, you mature, and you view your younger self sometimes with a bit of pride, but often with quite a bit of embarrassment. You're just not that person anymore, and I think it's the same with songs.
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Very true. In fact, does mark like any of his work ever? Lol...
Yes he does!
Read that Mark have to say about The Bug, Wild West End, songs like that. The But probably got the worst treatment by Mark so far, I get a feeling he’s not satisfied with this song at all. Sometimes you’re the windshield, sometimes you’re the bug...
At least he played the Bug live a lot which cannot be said for all of his compositions, that must mean he is not so dissatisfied with it as to shelve it for good.
What about all the songs that are fan favourites but never seem to be considered for concerts?
MK certainly has his selection, I would really like to know how he perceives his song, how is it from the inside, from his side. I'm sure that some songs that are landmarks for us Mark has simply "forgotten".
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Very true. In fact, does mark like any of his work ever? Lol...
Yes he does!
Read that Mark have to say about The Bug, Wild West End, songs like that. The But probably got the worst treatment by Mark so far, I get a feeling he’s not satisfied with this song at all. Sometimes you’re the windshield, sometimes you’re the bug...
At least he played the Bug live a lot which cannot be said for all of his compositions, that must mean he is not so dissatisfied with it as to shelve it for good.
What about all the songs that are fan favourites but never seem to be considered for concerts?
MK certainly has his selection, I would really like to know how he perceives his song, how is it from the inside, from his side. I'm sure that some songs that are landmarks for us Mark has simply "forgotten".
Has he played The Bug after the OES tour?
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Yes it was a personal highlight from the Golden Heart tour.
Has he played The Bug after the OES tour?
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Yes it was a personal highlight from the Golden Heart tour.
Has he played The Bug after the OES tour?
Ah! Thank you.
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Yes it was a personal highlight from the Golden Heart tour.
Has he played The Bug after the OES tour?
Ah! Thank you.
don't hurry hunter :lol
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Yes it was a personal highlight from the Golden Heart tour.
Has he played The Bug after the OES tour?
He-he. I know many of you know a lot of the setlists from the various tours by heart. I don't, I'm afraid. (But it doesn't really bother me :) )
Ah! Thank you.
don't hurry hunter :lol
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I know songs are often talked about as the children of the songwriter, but really they are a snapshot of the songwriter himself at a certain point in time. As you grow and age, you often acquire new tastes and inclinations, you mature, and you view your younger self sometimes with a bit of pride, but often with quite a bit of embarrassment. You're just not that person anymore, and I think it's the same with songs.
I think it also depends on what the song means to the songwriter. There are different kinds of song. Some deep, full of meaning, some shallow and mundane. Some literally take 10 minutes to write, some years. Some "borow' from elsewhere, some seem completely melodically original until you realise they're not (gutting moment for a songwriter - especially if you're a Gallagher brother and have yet again managed to unknowingly rewrite all the young dudes for the 15th time!), and some seem to come from a completely unique place. It's only the writer who explicitly knows these origins, which is perhaps why they may show some distain/dislike for their creations.
The average listener won't hear true love will never fade or TOL and instantly hear Pachebel for example. They won't hear BIA and hear Snowy White, or R&J and think Springsteen Jungle land. They won't necessarily know that their most liked Knopfler song took 5 minutes to write whilst half asleep or that their most hated took 25 years to gestate.
Fascinating discussion....
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I like every song Mark has ever written, some more than others, but there is something good in every song, I don't skip any song either, why would I? It's Mark Knopfler!!! One of the many great things about Mark is how he has and still does develop as a song writer, he has said many times that he considers himself a song writer, not a guitar player, which I would agree with, in the same way, I think of Eric Clapton as a guitar player, not a song writer. It's no surprise that someone of his age is not into the song writing he did when starting out as a person in their 20's he is a master craftsman now, and has been for some time, he is extremely respected by people and artists in the music industry. I have read interviews with guitar players in metal bands who say how much they love his guitar playing, I have watched classical guitarists play versions of Mark's music. I remember in an interview from about 1992 with Mike Oldfield, he said "I feel, all the music I have made, and all the albums I have made, has not really taught me anything, It's taught me a lot of things to avoid" and I feel Mark could relate to that.
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It's interesting, whenever I see those questions on Facebook or Twitter which say things like 'name an album you never skip a track on' my immediate reaction is 'who skips tracks?'. Albums are albums, and clearly not all tracks are as good as each other, but skipping tracks has always made me uncomfortable. But it has happened a couple of times.
But, by coincidence, there is a MK-related angle to this.
When I bought Sailing to Philadelphia a few months back I listened a couple of times and generally enjoyed it, but on about the third listen the track 'Do America' was really annoying me. I often look up details about an album online as I'm listening, and stumbled across the track listing which showed only 13 tracks, not including Do America. So I looked a bit closer and found that was only an 'extra' track for the US market. So I, legitimately in my head, deleted it and listened to the rest of the album as originally released.
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Fascinating discussion....
Very true