What's The Matter Baby

[hunter]

If we consider the first DS album – which is difficult because we know it so well and the songs therefore seem to create such a natural unit – I think there are songs on there that are good, but not necessarily indispensable. Songs like Water of Love or Six Blade Knife for example. Of course now they are classics and we love them, but strictly speaking they are not so great that nothing else of equal caliber could have replaced them. I'm curious what would have happened if John, David and Pick had voted in favor of one or two of David's songs ...

[Jules]

If we consider the first DS album – which is difficult because we know it so well and the songs therefore seem to create such a natural unit – I think there are songs on there that are good, but not necessarily indispensable. Songs like Water of Love or Six Blade Knife for example. Of course now they are classics and we love them, but strictly speaking they are not so great that nothing else of equal caliber could have replaced them. I'm curious what would have happened if John, David and Pick had voted in favor of one or two of David's songs ...

I always think that when the band was broke and trying to get a contract, they had a very limited amount of money to record a demo, and they recorded a song by David (Sacred loving) in that demo.

Think about it.

[Rolo]

My problem with David's solo work is that to my ears in terms of chords, melody, harmony, its starting to sound like he's rewriting the same song over and over. Don't get me wrong, loved much of his work from the giver onwards, its just sounding all the same, which would be fine if you hadn't listened to anything previous. I don't yet get the same thing with Mark. There's been some self referencing and the occasional pinch from older work but he somehow manages to steer clear of such pitfalls. His character driven songs are transcendent, they exist in their own little universes, their own sonic space if you will.....

I agree with that.
Most of DK songs, in terms of chords and melody, are very limited.
The piano ones are very similar on each other.
Funny that, my dad always sas that DS songs are all the same, specially of the early period.

But is unfair to compare DK with MK.
Mark is a genius in songwriting, guitar playing and sound craft. A very sensitive guy who writes about everything. Because of that, Mark is surrounded by the finest musicians, producers, engeneers, movie makers...

David has good songs.

[hunter]

David really needs to be evaluated on his own terms, and not compared to Mark. And for sure not viewed as an inferior version of Mark. I feel David sounds more like artists such as Springsteen, Dylan, (late career) Cooder, John Hiatt, etc, i.e. artists with a less elaborate musical expression. Just now I'm listening to his Heartlands album. First of all it sounds great, much better than I remembered. And even though I'm not a fan of David's voice (it's growing on me), he sings with lots of emotion and presence. Something which I find sorely missing in Mark's recent music.


I am actually surprised by myself. I had never thought I'd come to enjoy David's music.

[JF]

Maybe if the cd would had appeared some years before with capacity of more that one hour of music, some of theirs could had find a place

even on vinyl, there was some free space still avalaible.
DS records don't fit all the space on vinyl.

Some other records from the seventies (Genesis comes to mind) are longer than DS' ones

[dustyvalentino]

How about Hand in Hand? Can a song get more sappy and cheesy? Even a song of John's could easily have replaced that one! 

Yes, Hand in Hand is very poor. Very weedy and the lyrics are just a pile of cliches.

But let's face facts, from day one, no songs from anyone else were going to get on a DS album.

[Robson]

I'm sorry but I have to defend Hand To Hand.

[dustyvalentino]

I'm sorry but I have to defend Hand To Hand.

Defend away! It's just opinions and as we know, opinions are like arseholes, everybody has one and most don't stand up to close scrutiny.

[dmg]

How about Hand in Hand? Can a song get more sappy and cheesy? Even a song of John's could easily have replaced that one! 

Yes, Hand in Hand is very poor. Very weedy and the lyrics are just a pile of cliches.

But let's face facts, from day one, no songs from anyone else were going to get on a DS album.

I'd agree about Hand in Hand; similar to Darling Pretty in the cliché department but the guitar rescues that song.  All That Matters is another, but that is just a repetition of the same couple of clichés!  Must have spent all of 5 minutes writing that classic. 

[dustyvalentino]

How about Hand in Hand? Can a song get more sappy and cheesy? Even a song of John's could easily have replaced that one! 

Yes, Hand in Hand is very poor. Very weedy and the lyrics are just a pile of cliches.

But let's face facts, from day one, no songs from anyone else were going to get on a DS album.

I'd agree about Hand in Hand; similar to Darling Pretty in the cliché department but the guitar rescues that song.  All That Matters is another, but that is just a repetition of the same couple of clichés!  Must have spent all of 5 minutes writing that classic. 

All That Matters particularly resonates as a parent. I remember singing it to my boy when he was born 16 years ago.

[hunter]

All That Matters particularly resonates as a parent.

True, it does, but it doesn't necessarily make it a great song, or release worthy. Not to mention how it sticks out like the proverbial sore thumb on the Shangri-La album   

[dustyvalentino]

Again, we'll just need to disagree, I loved it even before I was a parent!

Whoop De Doo is maybe my favourite MK song, I remember someone refused to believe that a while back, on here or facebook or whatever.

[Knopflerfan]

Again, we'll just need to disagree, I loved it even before I was a parent!

Whoop De Doo is maybe my favourite MK song, I remember someone refused to believe that a while back, on here or facebook or whatever.

Whoop de doo - now we are talking! An amazing MK Track!

[qjamesfloyd]

So, I guess we don't know who wrote what part of What's The Matter Baby?

[hunter]

So, I guess we don't know who wrote what part of What's The Matter Baby?

LOL, yeah, the discussion took a couple of left turns there.