Mark knofler (of dire straits) is severely overlooked as a guitar player.

I dug up their live alchemy album (use to play it out when i was playing guitar myself) and god damn, all guitar players may hate marks guitar playing in studio, but live he is something else. Check out "Sultans of swing", its so much better then the studio version.


No overdubs on the live album folks, Mark really can play live like that on "sultans of swing", awesome. And with no plectrum


In music mags, tv countdowns etc..., i never see mark on list of guitar anything, are critics deaf? Mark playing shit like that guitar solo live is freakin' amazing. Makes me wanna pick up a guitar again.


Guitar lovers need to check out that live album.
[Edited 1/3/06 19:51pm]
[Edited 1/9/06 2:53am]

Knopfler kills!

Mark is one of my faver guitar players, he is ABSOLUTELY smooth; some people say that he was the first guitar player after hendrix who came up with a totally new approach regarding playing technique. Can't say if that might be right or wrong, but he is stunningly great.

Though my favourite albums remain their first two ones. Alchemy is there best live album; after the years I got tired of Money For Nothing type stuff, so I am glad it was recorded two years before Brothers in Arms was released.

Btw, any plans to release Alchemy on DVD. i have the VHS, but no player. And the tape is getting very old...

The radio edit of Sultans is lame. The extended studio version is great, as is the live version.
[Edited 1/3/06 19:58pm]

Stax said:

do u have that album?


I dug up some other albums i have. Knofler sure knew how to produce a good sounding record. And sure does rip off Bob dylans vocal mannerisms too.


Hehe, i even like walk of life. So poppy, but its a decent cut.

"telegraph road" live he kills it too. Love that song. Never bothered with it much as an early teen, but its great now.

Iam back into straits at the mo'.

Still cant believe he does not use a plectrum

I recommend this CD...



[Edited 1/3/06 20:02pm]

thesexofit said:

I used to have Alchemy on cassette. The video for Walk of Life was great, but its not my favorite Dire Straits song. Brothers in Arms is a great song.

Stax said:

my dad still listens to his solo stuff. Its too country for me personally. Dont like "on every street" either. Title track is smooth though.


Brothers in arms may be too commerical for some, but its a very consistant listen. I love twistin' by the pool (remix) aswell. Mark letting loose on some upbeat pop. U heard the b side "If i had u"? Its supurb, damn it i gotta dig that up too.

Anyway, i got alchemy on vinyl, and like their other albums, it sounds amazing (rock snobs might say all of dire straits albums sound too polished), gotta put it onto cdr. Gotta love tunnel of love, supurb song. One of his best.

Funny how i like dire straits. They mix rock with pop, and definately jumped the shark u could say with brothers in arms. Compare that to their first album and its a huge difference.


Anyone got "love over gold"? I loved "industrial disease" as a kid, it sounded like mark was almost rapping. Clever song. Cool beat

Hm, I recommend especially the very rough recording "Live At The BBC"... a live recording from 1977, that features "tunnel of love" from 1981. This music has power!

Stax said:

i saw the video to "walk of life" today. Dire straits were totally aiming the video at MTV, with the various clips of USA sporting style goofs going on.

"brothers in arms" bytheway had a cool video. Very moving song and video.

thesexofit said:

Yeah, I guess this is the darkest DS album - with the exception of "Industrial Disease"... I listen to it occasionally.

Since you mentionend "If I had you", might I ask you if you have the complete Twisting By the pool EP? That could be of some interest to... ahem... someone...

SenseOfDoubt said:

u mean the 45 vinyl? Yeah i got that and the 12" vinyl with "posters, badges, stickers and t-shirts" somewhere too. When i was just starting guitar at around 13, i got pretty much everything on dire straits. Is it hard to find on ebay or amazon?


Good to know u people like the group. Did u know david knofler did an album? I bought it really cheap for a laugh. Very poppy. I think david is credited on their first album. I dont reccomend it. I might bother to dig that up too.

Never knew knofler wrote tina turners "private dancer"? But when i found out, i immediately thought it coulda fitted on making movies, with maybe some lyrical changes

I love industrial disease, but can see why u dont. Need to really dig up everything of theirs.

thesexofit said:

on all counts.

Stax said:

of course, in usa, money for nothing video was the bees knees no doubt. My dad remembers when brothers in arms dropped (my dad had their first 2 albums, then sold them, i re-bought them all dirt cheap, and he loves his solo stuff too aswell now) and said how people were saying how it was the first really good sounding cd. My dad did not buy it though, but did hear the difference between hearing his mates piss poor bruce springstein "born in the usa" cd (early sony cd's often sound nasty he says- early digital)....and then brothers in arms. My dad was floored he said.

...but bruce on vinyl sounded just as bad sound wise he added. So born in the usa album will always sound shit.

thesexofit said:

Yeah, I have the EP almost complete (with the exception of the studio version of "Two Young Lovers"), and I really have the feel that there might be the need of a "B-Side" Collection or something, containing that EP.

Oh, I do like "Love Over Gold"! I meant that "Industrial Disease" is the brightest song on the album, since Telgraph road and Private Investigations are very blue and (sometimes) depressing to me!

In late 1997 I had discovered them, and I listened to their music in 1998 over and over again! In fact, I listened to Dire Straits only for nearly a year, collecting all of their cds and stuff. And, what can I say? I do love them, though in the last years I did not visit them to often; but that will come back. I have so many positive and nice memories when listening to them - it is incredible. There is no other artist/band that defines the sound of my later youth (from the age of 15 onwards) that much like the sound of MK.

I have heard of David making solo albums(?), but I never dared to give them a try. He played on the first two albums, and then he departured. I think he was a little sick of seeing Mark as being hailed as the "god" or something.

Love Over Gold should have been a 2disc release, but unforunately those plans were removed! Private Dancer was part of that session. See, there would be enough for a litte box-set... instead of a new compilation... grr, I really hope there some plans. Sometimes I believe the public interest has disceased.

BTW, i was even wearing a headband that time (strichtly at home!!!)... crazy, uh. I used to wear it in bed, during listening-sessions, and having a Dire Straits bio (by Petra Zentz, i think), beside me while asleep.

SenseOfDoubt said:

cool. Interesting about love over gold. Never liked "private investigations"
much. I remember two young lovers sounding better on alchemy, but thats preferance. I even like the instrumental off "amchemy" between "two young lovers" and "tunnel of love" Seriously, "if i had u", is such a nice song for me. One of my all time favs of theirs.

U guys really have made me re-dig up their stuff (all on vinyl minis money for nothing-greatest hits, and brothers in arms)

I'll do that tommorrow. Thanx guys.


Oh, shout out to "communique"- "angel of mercy" is awesome, again, the poppiest cut off that album proberly (that and "lady writer"). I use to sing that song at school. People found it funny. As i mentioned, my dad had their first 2 albums, then lost them or sold them or something when we moved from USA to UK . I had a crusty old cassette with that song left over when we moved back to UK, and i use to sing the chorus at school, and my mates loved it I was about 10. So bizarrely, dire straits are nostalgic to me too. Onece when i was very young, then as a early teen, and maybe now.

Ur right, i too keep eventually coming back round to them.
[Edited 1/3/06 20:42pm]

SenseOfDoubt said:

I need to pick up that bio. Listening to "tunnel of love" right now.

Dire Straits is like almost my favorite band. I really trip on the mellow stuff, the guitar... Love Communique and Love Over Gold. Except I really don't like "Industrial Disease". I like the similar sardonic approach in "Money For Nothing" though. But it's really that mellow guitar that I LOVE. I need to check out Alchemy. Never heard it.

Are there any other albums that bring out the mellow guitar, not the more poppy stuff? Every time I listen to Love Over Gold tracks like "Private Investigation" I want more, more, more!!! I just can't be satiated.

By the way, my dad is a big fan too. He's the one who got me into them since he plays guitar as well.

heartbeatocean said:

oh, thats a BIG gap in your education - I think it's one of the greatest live albums every released; the xxl-version of sultans of swing is just incredible - i never heard MK freakin' out like that... it is also available on VHS, and I really hope it will be on DVD soon...

SenseOfDoubt said:

Cool! I really love the quiet, pulsating parts like in Love Over Gold and then when he rips a chord through it like a bomb going off in the night. The way they use silence/quiet and then blast...much more powerful than just a lot of riffs on top of each other. If I'm making any sense...