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Any Mark Knopfler fans out there?

I have been a Dire Straits fan since they first started. Had most of their music when I was in college and enjoyed it on my roommates hi-fi system. (Never cared too much for Brothers in Arms).Those old tapes and LPs are long gone but since getting into hi-fi recently I am replacing them with CDs and really falling in love with them again.

Really didn't know anything about Knopfler's very prolific solo career until I got Tracker. Very different from Dire Straits but a really great album musically and sonically (with great DR!). I subsequently listened to some of his other solo stuff and it left me a little cold. Sailing to Philadelphia is okay to me, Privateering seems closer to Tracker in style and content. I ordered it on CD but it has not arrived yet.

His new album comes out later this month. Not sure what to expect. Some of the same band members will be on it. It is described as slow and folksy which is what most of his solo stuff has been. Hope it is not too much 'slower' than Tracker.

Any thoughts on Knopfler's solo career or this upcoming new album?
n80
glupson
7,842 posts
 
Mark Knopfler’s solo albums seem very different to me. Shangri-La is, to me, one of the best well-rounded albums ever (I somehow amassed a CD, SACD, DVD-Audio, and a record and am missing a cassette, if it has ever been produced).

Going back to Dire Straits, a few weeks ago I finally bought what had been (the lack of it) irritating me since Dire Straits (first album) came out. Sultans Of Swing single. It had been scratching in my ear every time I heard it ever since then as I was accustomed to the single version. Accustomed for a year or two and unaccustomed for another 35+, I guess. It is different, in fact it was recorded on different days in different studios, I think. I am not aware of it being on any compilation CD, but cannot be sure about that. The single itself came in a few different ways so not every Sultans Of Swing single is the same version. There must be stories on the Internet about it and probably a youtube upload. Anyway, if you remember Dire Straits from their early days and early radio plays, the single version is probably what you liked then. "good night, thank you, now it’s time to go home". Or is it "thank you, good night"? That "thank you" had been missing for decades.

Try this one...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ktPj6g77Yc
n80 OP
2,133 posts
 
The only difference I ever noticed was that some radio stations played a shortened version with the guitar solo at the end edited down to nothing. That used to tick me off so much! Interesting about other versions of the single. I bet there are people who own them all.
glupson
7,842 posts
 
n80,

You were quick to respond. I just added a link for one of the versions. Check it out. It is not the studio album version and not only because of the shortened ending.

Here it is again...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ktPj6g77Yc

There is a little more about different recordings here...https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sultans_of_Swing
n80 OP
2,133 posts
 
Excellent. Thanks.
dodgealum's avatar
dodgealum
1,409 posts
 
Knopfler has a unique guitar style and sound. I love the first few Dire Straits LPs. Favorite cut: "In the Gallery" off the debut record. The guitar work is incredible and I love the way he sings the crap out of the song.
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