A hypothetical: If DS continued, and was a democracy...

[dmg]

To put the premise more simply, with a concrete example: In 2001, David Knopfler released Wishbones and in 2002 MK released Ragpickers Dream. If instead we got a 2002 Dire Straits album with all members bringing songs to the table, I think King Of Ashes, Means Of Survival and If God Could Make The Angels from DK have every chance of making the album instead of Quality Shoe, Daddy's Gone To Knoxville and Old Pigweed - particularly with the added influence of MK.

I personally think Mark has released many weak, silly, over-sentimental or self-indulgent songs during his solo career that Ed would rightly have told him to shelve during the earlier days. 

[superval99]

"I wonder if there are people who dislike Mark's music and love David's?

It is impossible:)

No, it's not impossible.   I attended a DK concert a few years ago and the people behind me were die-hard DK fans.  I could hear them comparing  MK with DK unfavourably and I really had to restrain myself not to wade in and defend Mark!   

[quizzaciously]

"I wonder if there are people who dislike Mark's music and love David's?

It is impossible:)

No, it's not impossible.   I attended a DK concert a few years ago and the people behind me were die-hard DK fans.  I could hear them comparing  MK with DK unfavourably and I really had to restrain myself not to wade in and defend Mark!   

That's unexpected So it's safe to say there are even DK fans who are not even aware that MK exists. Though I don't know the planet they are coming from...

[Robson]

"I wonder if there are people who dislike Mark's music and love David's?

It is impossible:)

No, it's not impossible.   I attended a DK concert a few years ago and the people behind me were die-hard DK fans.  I could hear them comparing  MK with DK unfavourably and I really had to restrain myself not to wade in and defend Mark!   

That's unexpected So it's safe to say there are even DK fans who are not even aware that MK exists. Though I don't know the planet they are coming from...

This is a very good comment:)

[dmg]

"I wonder if there are people who dislike Mark's music and love David's?

It is impossible:)

No, it's not impossible.   I attended a DK concert a few years ago and the people behind me were die-hard DK fans.  I could hear them comparing  MK with DK unfavourably and I really had to restrain myself not to wade in and defend Mark!   

They were probably DS fans from the beginning and blame Mark for the split, burned the DS records when the split happened and moved to follow DK! 😂

[superval99]

"I wonder if there are people who dislike Mark's music and love David's?

It is impossible:)

No, it's not impossible.   I attended a DK concert a few years ago and the people behind me were die-hard DK fans.  I could hear them comparing  MK with DK unfavourably and I really had to restrain myself not to wade in and defend Mark!   

They were probably DS fans from the beginning and blame Mark for the split, burned the DS records when the split happened and moved to follow DK! 😂

You could be right! 

[Brunno Nunes]

Here we can an interesting video about David Knopfler's solo career. For me, it is clear that there are songs by David Knopfler and John Illsley that could be contained in a Dire Straits album and that could be a hit, after all, it would be the sum of all the elements of the band and would generate a result, a song like Easy Street from DK's Ship Of Dreams album could perfectly be on a Dire Straits album like OES, or one of the first two, Soul Kissing, Madonna's Daughter has everything to have been in Making Movies. Toe the Line by JI is a typical Dire Straits song, I can see Mark playing and singing these songs, it would have been amazing with Dire Straits sauce.

[dustyvalentino]

I personally think Mark has released many weak, silly, over-sentimental or self-indulgent songs during his solo career that Ed would rightly have told him to shelve during the earlier days.

Where was Ed when My Parties made the cut?!

[Pottel]

I personally think Mark has released many weak, silly, over-sentimental or self-indulgent songs during his solo career that Ed would rightly have told him to shelve during the earlier days.

Where was Ed when My Parties made the cut?!

bro, i love my parties!!

[Pottel]

Here we can an interesting video about David Knopfler's solo career. For me, it is clear that there are songs by David Knopfler and John Illsley that could be contained in a Dire Straits album and that could be a hit, after all, it would be the sum of all the elements of the band and would generate a result, a song like Easy Street from DK's Ship Of Dreams album could perfectly be on a Dire Straits album like OES, or one of the first two, Soul Kissing, Madonna's Daughter has everything to have been in Making Movies. Toe the Line by JI is a typical Dire Straits song, I can see Mark playing and singing these songs, it would have been amazing with Dire Straits sauce.

sorry Brunno but i do not agree.none of their combined works reaches the level of the weakest MK song

[dmg]

I personally think Mark has released many weak, silly, over-sentimental or self-indulgent songs during his solo career that Ed would rightly have told him to shelve during the earlier days.

Where was Ed when My Parties made the cut?!

lol.

[JF]

Jerry Wexler on the left ?

[Stiglar]

To me it became apparent even on the first album that when you listen to DS , you do so because you subscribe to MK's style of writing (which is 1 of a kind)

Sure some some songs are weaker than others but to me the reason for listening to DS or MK solo albums is to see what MK is creating at that point in time like a photograph. sometimes that's more guitar solos and  sometimes it's lyrics about Quality Shoes etc.

I think MK wanted to do things his way, he wanted the freedom of creating what he wants to create. The DK and JI songs would never fit on an DS album in my opinion, even with Mark singing them , playing guitar on them , it elevates them but it's not what MK is creating at that particular time so it will never fit. Case and point to me is "What's the matter" a good song yes, and great guitar playing from mark on the live versions but no way does that come close to any of the songs on the first album, it's a different vibe completely.

[rmarques821]

I personally think Mark has released many weak, silly, over-sentimental or self-indulgent songs during his solo career that Ed would rightly have told him to shelve during the earlier days.

Where was Ed when My Parties made the cut?!

I was kind of hoping that song would make it to the 2019 setlists.

"Boooyy, this punch is a trip, it's ok in my book.
Here, take a sip. Maybe a little heavy on the fruit?"

[quizzaciously]

To me it became apparent even on the first album that when you listen to DS , you do so because you subscribe to MK's style of writing (which is 1 of a kind)

Sure some some songs are weaker than others but to me the reason for listening to DS or MK solo albums is to see what MK is creating at that point in time like a photograph. sometimes that's more guitar solos and  sometimes it's lyrics about Quality Shoes etc.

I think MK wanted to do things his way, he wanted the freedom of creating what he wants to create. The DK and JI songs would never fit on an DS album in my opinion, even with Mark singing them , playing guitar on them , it elevates them but it's not what MK is creating at that particular time so it will never fit. Case and point to me is "What's the matter" a good song yes, and great guitar playing from mark on the live versions but no way does that come close to any of the songs on the first album, it's a different vibe completely.

Yup. MK has "something else" when it comes to songwriting. Even his own brother, who looks like him (kinda), had the same parents and upbringing, listens to the same stuff, and yet doesn't come close to his own brother. That's, I think, a definition of talent. Same with Tommy and Phil Emmanuel — both are amazing guitarists, but Tommy has that extra something to be recognized as the world's best guitar player by many.