No Sultans of Swing!!

[2manyguitars]

Not convinced Waterline would have launched the band. It took long enough for Sultans to become a hit!

We can argue about the merits of each song. Maybe DTTW is a better song, in fact I'd go as far as to say that I probably prefer it. Its far more concise and tells a more relatable story, its a blistering piece of music, but ask yourself this. Why neatly 50 years on does one track still feature disproportionately on AOR radio VS the other? Sultans, as I initially said, has that something that lifts it into musical history stratosphere....

[qjamesfloyd]

Yes, this all backs up my initial thoughts, Sultans of Swing had to happen for Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler's career to get started, would Mark have had success with Bob Dylan without it too?

So, let's assume the song didn't exist, and they needed another song for the 1st album, what would you choose? I would choose What's The Matter Baby, which might have been a great lead single too.

[dustyvalentino]

would Mark have had success with Bob Dylan without it too?

No

So, let's assume the song didn't exist, and they needed another song for the 1st album, what would you choose? I would choose What's The Matter Baby, which might have been a great lead single too.

They didn't even think this song was good to enough to record, so unlikely.

[Dutchessy]

I think Sacred Loving would have been the hit and David would have been the singer from that day on

[rmarques821]

I think Sacred Loving would have been the hit and David would have been the singer from that day on

In a parallel universe, he would go on to write Romeo & Juliet based on his failed romance with Dolly Ruth Vincent. Or Public Investigations.

[jbaent]

I think Sacred Loving would have been the hit and David would have been the singer from that day on

In a parallel universe, he would go on to write Romeo & Juliet based on his failed romance with Dolly Ruth Vincent. Or Public Investigations.

I guess you both are trying to be funny. Being trying the key word in the sentence.

I don't even get from where this joke comes from but, I'm not trying to understand it either.

[dustyvalentino]

I think Sacred Loving would have been the hit and David would have been the singer from that day on

In a parallel universe, he would go on to write Romeo & Juliet based on his failed romance with Dolly Ruth Vincent. Or Public Investigations.

I guess you both are trying to be funny. Being trying the key word in the sentence.

I don't even get from where this joke comes from but, I'm not trying to understand it either.

Grumpy!

[rmarques821]

I think Sacred Loving would have been the hit and David would have been the singer from that day on

In a parallel universe, he would go on to write Romeo & Juliet based on his failed romance with Dolly Ruth Vincent. Or Public Investigations.

I guess you both are trying to be funny. Being trying the key word in the sentence.

I don't even get from where this joke comes from but, I'm not trying to understand it either.

Man, what a party pooper.

[Dutchessy]

I think Sacred Loving would have been the hit and David would have been the singer from that day on

In a parallel universe, he would go on to write Romeo & Juliet based on his failed romance with Dolly Ruth Vincent. Or Public Investigations.

I guess you both are trying to be funny. Being trying the key word in the sentence.

I don't even get from where this joke comes from but, I'm not trying to understand it either.

Because you are the only one on here who has the rights to be funny? Come on man 

[Eddie Fox]

Sultans of Swing is a guitar masterpiece. It’s so full of nuances and dynamics that every now and then I notice something new even after hearing it I don’t know how many times over my entire life. There are so many innovative things Mark put into that song in terms of guitar playing that it would need a thesis to be explained.

[jbaent]

I think Sacred Loving would have been the hit and David would have been the singer from that day on

In a parallel universe, he would go on to write Romeo & Juliet based on his failed romance with Dolly Ruth Vincent. Or Public Investigations.

I guess you both are trying to be funny. Being trying the key word in the sentence.

I don't even get from where this joke comes from but, I'm not trying to understand it either.

Man, what a party pooper.

In Spain we say water parties

 

[jbaent]

I think Sacred Loving would have been the hit and David would have been the singer from that day on

In a parallel universe, he would go on to write Romeo & Juliet based on his failed romance with Dolly Ruth Vincent. Or Public Investigations.

I guess you both are trying to be funny. Being trying the key word in the sentence.

I don't even get from where this joke comes from but, I'm not trying to understand it either.

Because you are the only one on here who has the rights to be funny? Come on man 

I wasn't funny neither.

Those jokes work with Alan Clark. Poor David never claimed anything, so there is no fun in that joke.

[Dutchessy]

It wasnt ment to be negative against David at all. I like Sacred Loving and DK

[Brunno Nunes]

I believe that the absence of Sultans Of Swing would change the result of the equation, without a doubt, this song is the key to the final result of the immediate success with the band's debut, it is a song that contains elements that brought back the flavor of the old school, a song that talks about musicians and music, styles, environments where bands are playing, terms used by musicians... Anyway, it's a metalinguistic song, made by musicians and for musicians, it brings with it elements in the guitars and drums that are so finely tuned and elegant, and as a bonus, it's sung in Bob Dylan narrative style, this was something that would fill a space and meet a demand that no doubt weren't too into punk, new wave or disco, proving that old school it still made sense in 1977, I don't see The Police (their contemporary) bringing elements with roots in Country, Blues, Rock and Roll, the American sound like Dire Straits had, many people thought it was an American band , because their songs vibrated in such a way. Sultans Of Swing is a daring song in many ways, it took a while to happen in its homeland, but it was an immediate success in Germany, Holland, Australia and the United States, but, one thing that calls my attention is that Dire Straits is a band of musicians that fundamentally attracts musicians, most musicians I know will have something in the Dire Straits catalog that caught their attention, whether it's Mark's guitar guitar, Your Latest Trick's saxophone, or the synthesizers on Walk Of Life and why not quote the Sultans Of Swing drums studio or Alchemy? The songs have so many subtleties that it's always a study when we want to play these songs in character.

But, looking at this video, I really believe that they would get the world's attention with their songs, a song like Down to The Waterline (present in the 1977 demo) has so many interesting things, lyrics and melody attractive, atmospheric, guitar sound, rhythmic and solo are very elegant, in short, it contains signatures in its guitar that will appear in many other songs such as Lady Writer, Tunnel Of Love, Telegraph Road, Calling Elvis.

That's my point of view.

[Brunno Nunes]

And Dire Straits is a band that contains a guitar hero, Mark Knopfler is not a guitar hero just because of Sultans Of Swing, it's for the body of work, what to say about the solo of songs like Tunnel Of Love, Telegraph Road, Brothers in Arms, and why not quote solos from Lady Writer, Single Handed Sailor, Down to The Waterline.

On The Night is a Dire Straits release that does not contain Sultans Of Swing and it was successful, there is also no Tunnel Of Love, Telegraph Road, hehehe, it's ironic, but it sold millions and is much loved by many fans of the band.