Sorry if this pushes the boundaries of a true Prog forum, but I do see Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler mentioned here from time to time. I just spend the last 2 weeks listening to the entire Dire Straits catalog, including the mighty Alchemy Live set. I know Mark Knopfler has released quite a bit of solo material, including countless soundtracks. What would you recommend? Is this similar to Dire Straits music or a completely different style altogether?
I like Sailing To Philadelphia, and Shangri-La.
This one is pretty catchy.
If you want to go way back, there's the Local Hero soundtrack.
Last edited by Reid; 08-03-2015 at 11:19 PM.
I recommend starting with Golden Heart and just working your way through his solo catalog , they are all good in my opinion. As far as your question about whether it is similar to Dire Straits I would say that if you like them you wil also like his solo output.
A lot of crossover with Dire Straits, but I'd recommend any live sets you can find. They're mostly out of print, but you can check them out on youtube. I especially like 05/23/96 (Royal Albert Hall).
I only know two. I'd recommend Sailing to Philadelphia, which has a good balance of newness and Straits feel ("Speedway to Nazareth" has a kicking finale that's sort of like a less epic followup to "Telegraph Road" while not sounding like a retread). Golden Heart is nice but has a mix of solid tracks and filler to my ears.
Golden heart has some good tunes for sure. I'm a big fan of the Notting Hillbillies. The entire album is full of great songs. Sounds a little JJ Cale like with some strong singing.....
Two of my faves: "The Ragpicker's Dream" & "Kill To Get Crimson". Bought tickets to see Knopfler in October directly from his website, and received in addition to the tix, a CD copy of his latest "Tracker", and a download of a terrific live show from 2013. Guy really knows how to treat his fans.
Screenplaying includes Mark's music for the movies Cal, Last Exit To Brooklyn, The Princess Bride, and Local Hero.
Golden Heart is probably my favorite Knopfler solo album.
Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris - All The Roadrunning because she sings better than he does (I'm sure he would admit the same; I confess to being a fan of Harris).
I also own the aforementioned Sailing To Philadelphia, Notting Hillbillies, and Shangri-La. No complaints about those.
We're trying to build a monument to show that we were here
It won't be visible through the air
And there won't be any shade to cool the monument to prove that we were here. - Gene Parsons, 1973
From these five albums, here’s a list of songs to maybe start with. This might not be my optimal list for those albums because I made the list in 5-10 minutes:
from the “golden heart” album: darling pretty, golden heart, done with bonaparte, are we in trouble now
from the “sailing to philadelphia” album: what it is, sailing to philadelphia, prairie wedding, speedway at nazareth
from the “ragpicker’s dream” album: marbletown, ragpicker’s dream
from the “shangri-la” album: 5:15 am, boom like that, song for sonny liston [a great live version here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyOW8lQOG8Q ], stand up guy
from the “kill to get crimson” album: we can get wild, behind the rent
And here’s a rare song, I think it’s a b-side: What Have I Got To Do [ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gCctT4mIsc ]
And here’s a song whose repetition in the lyrics is not very interesting but the song earns special mention here for its great solo: Don’t You Get It
Also, if Dire Straits/Knopfler strikes a chord with you, check out Chris Rea, whose profile in the US seems eternally low, but he is well known here and worth investigating.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=abZlWqVeLzg
I only have "The Road To Hell" by Chris and it is excellent!Originally Posted by Jacob Holm-Lupo
I really like about half of Sailing to Philadelphia, but love all of The Ragpicker's Dream.
As some ancient Chinese philosopher once said "Just dig a hole that's deep enough, and everyone will want to jump into it."
Sailing to Philadelphia, The Ragpicker's Dream, Shangri-La and Get Lucky are my faves. For soundtracks, Cal is the one I almost always reach for.
I say this, stating openly that I am not an expert on Knopfler's solo works, but there are few more beautiful pieces of music than the first 1/2 of Going Home off the Local Hero Soundtrack. Great song from beginning to end, but the first 1/2 is inspiring.
https://youtu.be/FfDEwyl4uCM
I say this, stating openly that I am not an expert on Knopfler's solo works, but there are few more beautiful pieces of music than the first 1/2 of Going Home off the Local Hero Soundtrack. Great song from beginning to end, but the first 1/2 is inspiring.
https://youtu.be/FfDEwyl4uCM
Always loved this tune.
No Mark Knopfler in this song, but he is mentioned
"Des Vies", from the album Rouge by Fredericks Goodman and Jones.
Kill to Get Crimson
Interesting. The songwriting sounds more like Leonard Cohen, but I see what you mean.
Cobra handling and cocaine use are a bad mix.
Duncan Browne played in the same style as Knopfler in almost the same period, especially on Streets Of Fire:
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