Since SOOOO many people here seem to really like the Dire Straits, what is your favorite track?

Mine is probably "So Far Away from Me". "Six Blade Kinfe" also sounds darn good with that upright acoustic bass...some of Knopffler's (sp) best guitar work too, IMO.

"Why Worry" and "So Far Away" off Brothers in Arms!! :yes:

Telegraph Road
Brothers In Arms

Ooooo tough choice, I'll just have to go listen again! :yes:

:guitar: :guitar: :guitar:

:D

I just saw that Mark Knopfler is coming to ATL this summer! I know he was the guitarist but did he sing also? Dave was his brother but I guess they have a solo think going now. Any chance Mark will play some old Straits stuff there and not just his new solo album? I hope so

ditto on Six Blade Knife, but really that whole album is superb... :thmbsp:

I would say 1. Private Investigations
2. Sultans Of Swing

I just saw that Mark Knopfler is coming to ATL this summer! I know he was the guitarist but did he sing also? Dave was his brother but I guess they have a solo think going now. Any chance Mark will play some old Straits stuff there and not just his new solo album? I hope so

Mark was the lead singer for DS

oops...So what the hell did his brother do? Drums? Bass?

guitar and/or bass I think. Mark was also on the guitar

for me its between Why Worry and Sultans of Swing.

Brothers In Arms
Why Worry
Private Investigations
Industrial Disease

For me it's Communique, Once upon a time in the West, and The Mans too Strong.

i like "Twistin' by the Pool"

Walk Of Life

My list of favorite Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler songs is a long one, but you gotta give a nod for releasing a song making fun of MTV and music videos in general when they did - I loved it! :yes:

Money for Nothing

-dave

I think my faves are (in this order):

Water of Love
So Far Away from Me
Down to the Waterline (what a great way to start an album... and a career)
Walk of Life
Money for Nothing (particularly the beginning, and despite the overexposure of the song)
Wild West End

I've heard "Sultans of Swing" too many times to have much patience for it anymore :-(

I do like the song "Industrial Disease", too.

Two young lovers-Telegraph Road-Once Upon A Time in the West

Anything off of "Love Over Gold". Their best album IMO.

One more vote for Telegraph Road. And Six Blade Knife, One World...

Telegraph Road

Private Investigations is a close second. Love Over Gold is a superb album.

Also really like The Man's Too Strong and Heavy Fuel and Sultans Of Swing.

MONEY FOR NOTHING

My all time favorite! Love the video for it also! Playing guitar with your fingers folk style and getting that sound and riff is pleasure to my ears. Could listen to it over and over! I prefer the long version with the 'I want My MTV' intro.
Love Sting's High squeals near the ending.

I'd have to say "Brothers In Arms"

A third vote for Telegraph Road at #1 and Private Investigations at #2. Many others already mentioned are also brilliant, and definitely deserve top 10 status:

Brothers In Arms (Maybe in a tie for #2 IMO.)
The Man's Too Strong
Sultans of Swing
Once Upon a Time in the West
Down to the Waterline
Money for Nothing
Wild West End
Industrial Disease

(But not necessarily in that order.)

I can't recall a DS song I actually dislike.

I also agree with Love Over Gold as best album. Very profound, brilliantly composed, well engineered. And a lot of that usual unmatched finess of finger style playing on steel guitar.

There was a time when I was also sick of Sultans of Swing, but I don't hear it as much anymore, and it's such a timeless classic when it's not overplayed. Just recently, I was riding with a female friend in my truck when Sultans came on, and she remarked "hey, y'know that sounds just like something Clapton would do!"

Of course, then I had to fill her in on the brilliance of Knopfler and DS, beyond Sultans and Money for Nothing.

Having grown up on an orchard farm that used to be on a dirt road, completely surrounded by other orchard property, and then slowly watching everything around it get cut down, plowed under and turn into suburbs (My father has to this day stubbornly refused to sell out - but I'm waiting for the inevitable), you can see how Telegraph Road takes on more of a personal meaning. I remember walking in the middle of that dirt road barefoot with my older siblings when I was probably about 3 yrs old. It's now a paved, busy thoroughfare.

"then came the trains and the trucks with their loads
and the dirty old track was the telegraph road. . .

telegraph sang a song about the world outside
telegraph road got so deep and so wide
like a rolling river. . . "

I would guess several others here have similar stories. I think that's part of what makes this song so popular among DS fans. It's very profound, but it also gets personal.

- jw

My favorite is Sultans of Swing with Money for Nothing close behind.

Telegraph Road

"Down to the waterline" Great intro, SQ and playing couldn't ask for more out of a tune. BTW, It wasn't played into the ground down here by FM radio back then.

Sultans Of Swing... classic song so early in their group's life, first alblum I think.

DS is/was my favorite band. As someone already stated it's hard to think of a DS track I dislike. Mark's solo ablums have been mixed for me, loved sailing to Philly and Heart of Gold, while his latest release left me pretty cold...

Lefty

John W, speaking of Clapton I went to see his 25th anniversary tour in Portland............only because Mark Knopfler was playing with him. Don't get me wrong, Clapton is a very good player but he doesn't have the soul that Knopfler puts into his playing. When they did Money for Nothing, the place came alive. The people jumped up out of their seats and went nuts. Not me of course, I'm too old for that............yeah right :D

My current fave DS tracks are Sultans and the track MK opens his shows with - Calling Elvis. I have an HDCD "Best of" CD that includes a UK MK concert. Nice set. I still gravitate to the later DS albums if only for the better sound.

I enjoyed MK's Goldenheart and Shangri-la but Philly just didn't hook me.

If anybody is into Bittorrent, check out Easytree.org and do a search for MK. There are a few shows from the Clapton/MK tour that you might want to snag.

Industrial Disease
Heavy Fuel

Private investigations. Man, that's a perfect track to show off a sound system! It has everything, great music, well recorded, wide dynamic range, piano, guitar, drums...
Second place would be Brothers in Arms for the lyrics and music and the excellent lead guitar playing. Man, can Knopfler play!

the excellent lead guitar playing. Man, can Knopfler play!

Yeah, he definitely has a unique style. A lot of double stops and very fast playing...almost like a banjo at times. I've tried playing along with telegraph road and others where his solos last about 6 minutes and my fingers nearly fall off. Its great stuff to play on guitar because its long and very articulate so it really gets you into what I call "the mode" :yes: Or something like that :lmao:

Mike, I agree about Clapton not putting as much emotion into it. He's argueably the most technically brilliant guy out there, but I think I favor Knopfler myself, now that I think about it, for the same reason. I've always favored David Gilmore for the same reason, even though technically, Gilmore isn't nearly as good as either of them.

I'm glad the Brothers in Arms title track finally got a little more mention.

That's another one that earily, (though accidentally) describes my life, being a Michigan farm boy transplant to Denver...

"These mist covered mountains
Are a home now for me
But my home is the lowlands
And always will be
Some day you'll return to
Your valleys and your farms
And you'll no longer burn
To be brothers in arms..."

It's easy to overlook, since most of it is so low-key, but the deft, agile and (as previously described) articulate playing and otherwise profound lyrics in that one put it up there in one of the top spots, IMO.

Favorite Dire Straits tunes!.......well ...thats a tuffy!....

I think I have two or three in 1st place...

And three or four in 2nd place.....

I agree with 'Private Investegations'....very good tune for showin' off the qualities of a good system...and very dynamic...then 'Skataway'..and 'Tunnel-o-Love'....

And the whole first LP too....cant listen to one song without playin' the whole thing............just cant do it!!.....Isnt that how LPs in general used to be????.... :scratch2:


I didnt care too much for 'Brothers in Arms'...it sounded too comercial for me....which the previous Lps didn't have ...

I think I'm going to throw on the first LP ......now that I mention it!!!!! :banana:

Favorite songs:
Tunnel of Love
It Never Rains

Favorite album's a tough call -- can't decide between Making Movies or Love Over Gold

Rick

RTR, you listened to the wrong side of Brothers in Arms. The rock on side one is good but the historical fiction work on side two is where the real talent lies. Try Knopfler's solo CD Golden Heart unless you only listen to all out rock.

Another vote for "Telegraph Road" and "Walk of Life

john

[QUOTE=john_w]Mike, I agree about Clapton not putting as much emotion into it. He's argueably the most technically brilliant guy out there, but I think I favor Knopfler myself, now that I think about it, for the same reason.

I think Knopfler is just as good a technical guitarist as Clapton or anyone else, for that matter. Listen to the CD "Neck and Neck" he made with Chet Atkins. Wow, talk about some brilliant playing! It's very hard to tell which guy is playing which lead, as they switch off. An amazing album, and you don't have to be a Country music lover (I'm not) to appreciate it. Favorite track: There'll be Some Changes Made.

I love everything they ever did, but if I had to pick my favorite toon, it would be, unquestionably, Calling Elvis.
I see only Gonzo has mentioned this toon, only giving it a half point tho...

Dr, In my opinion Mark is the best guitarist around bar none. I used to have that Mark & Chet tape and lost it several years ago. If you guys can stand older music go looking for the London pressing of Les Paul Now. Since he is the father of most of what you hear today electrically. Read the liner notes and you'll have a whole new respect for Les Paul.

I would have to say that Making Movies and Dire Straits are their best albums. My favorite song would be the epic Tunnel of Love.
Another guitarist that plays in a similar style, and is awesome, is Richard Thompson. He is up there with the best.

1. Brothers In Arms
2. Romeo and Juliet
3. Sultans of Swing

The Alchemy version of Tunnel of Love and Telegraph Road

Skateaway and Heavy Fuel. I love the way Skate starts off. Genius, I say!

_Sultans Of Swing.
_Two Young Lovers.
_Going Home (Theme from Local Hero).

clint.

Private Investigations is my favorite two channel track, however, the whole Brothers In Arms DVD-A in 5.1 Surround Sound is utterly incredible. Highly recommended. :thmbsp:

Industrial Disease and Skateaway, then about everything else :) If you like the sound of Knopfler's guitar work then check out his newest CD Shangri-La. It's not as heavy duty R-N-R as Dire Straits but it's a keeper for sure.

Id have to say Skateaway and Down by the Waterline.I think one reason I like Making Movies best has to do with Roy Bittan's atmospheric keyboard work.
Jimmy

Walk of Life
For now, the album that I listen to the most is "On Every Street".
Great band that has produced many excellent songs.

Tunnel of Love.

Loved Sultans of Swing, but this is the song that really hooked me on the band.

Telegraph Road (and for me the live version carries it over the studio one). I always wondered if there was a specific town Knopfler was referring to in this song. I've driven through St. Louis often enough and seen an actual Telegraph Road there, but figure that couldn't be it...probably every metropolitan area in the English speaking world has a Telegraph Road. By the way, when the brakes on my car are applied and the car comes to a complete stop, the sound made always sounds like the beginning note of this song.

I have just about every Dire Straits / Knoffler album made and my picks

Best song : Private Investigation
Best Album : Communique
Bst Non Dire straits Album : Sailing to Phillidephia particularly the track with Van Morrison.

They are all brilliantly recorded albums.

Dave

While I never had a chance to see DS live, I've seen MK twice and both times I was blown away. Telegraph Road and Sultans of Swing live left me speechless (and that was in the cheap seats in Chicago this summer).

There are a bunch of audience tapes (video and audio) floating around the net of the "current" tour. Check them out if you can. I wish he'd release an official live album. Roger Waters of Pink Floyd released a live double DVD/album a few years ago and it was great to hear/see the old Floyd tunes "In The Flesh". On the Night just isn't enough for me and the sound wasn't up to his usual standards IMHO.

Six Blade Knife...Yeah Baby!

Rich P

Going Home is a huge fave as is Sultans. What I need to know is what album and what cut was Douglas Adams referring to in the Hitchhikers series (So Long and Thanks For All The Fish chapter 22) that Arthur Dent and Fenchurch made love to?
Mark Knopfler has an exraordinary ability to make a Schecter Custom Stratocaster hoot and sing like angels on a Saturday night, exhausted from being good all week and needing a stiff drink---Which is not relevant at this point since the record hasn't yet got to that bit, but there will be too much going on when it does, and furthermore,the chronicler does not intend to sit herewith a track list and a stopwatch, so it seems best to mention it now while things are still moving slowly......She moved forward, put her arms around him and kissed him, because the record had got to that bit which, if you knew the record, you would know made it impossible not to do this.

Seriously, NOBODY on this board has any idea what Adams was writing about????????? Somebody here HAS to know!

Adams knows. But he ain't sayin'. ;)