Mark Knopfler connects with his audience with his story telling, incredible stratocaster, and slightly gravely voice in a way he could never do as part of Dire Straits. I do miss the unbelievable guitar riffs in his recent stuff ( like you heard in the Sultans of Swing), but his current music is so much more personal and honest than what he did with the group. You can hear the years of experience and maturity that add to the depth and flavor of the music. This album was a stepping stone to Ragpicker's Dream, my favorite so far. I'm looking forward to more MK.

This is one of the greatest rock songs ever. So much fire and passion.

MrSpaz wrote:

Shimmer wrote:

Oh man, another banana-split with cherries and hot fudge. This one's the same as all the other great banana splits I've had in the last 10 years.

pink wrote:
Same thing happened to me. RP could perhaps play more from The Ragpicker's Dream?

Another generic Mark Knopfler song. How is this different from any other song he's written in the past 10 years?

Corpus_Juris wrote:

Ohhh Yes!

Johray63 wrote:

I hated Dire Straits, but I like some of MK's solo work. Go figure!

Absolutely not inferior to- or very different from most of what he did with Dire Straits. Proofs that band was in fact the Mark Knopfler band.

Sailing to Philadelphia is great from start to finish...how about playing something else from the disc?

Corpus_Juris wrote:
I had a ticket for his concert here in May 2003 but two or three weeks before he had a motorcycle accident. Cancelled the tour
I am looking forward to his next tour, haven't seen him before

know i didn't have to share that glowing thought...but i have to show respect to M.K.

what an idjit...on an earlier song i said his voice reminded me of someone else but just couldn't think of it....racking my pea brain i was thinking along the lines of that song money for nothing....HELLO MCFLY....same guy!!!!! zoinkies!!! #-o

Great! An excellent track from one of world's greatest guitarists.

I've heard that he's working on new material and hopefully he'll do a tour again soon. I was upset when he cancelled his Ragpicker's Dream-tour. :verymad:

After having seen the STP tour, I was definately looking foward to that.

Cheers
Peter

This is the FIRST Mark Knopfler song I have ever heard that I like. Definitely this one is pretty darned good! (pimp)

Mark backed Clapton up on his Crossroads tour back in the late 80s. One of the best shows I've ever seen (Mark was usually happy to sit in the background, but when they decided to duel....)

I didn't like Dire Straits either.

It's incredible to listen to this song, and to Knopfler in general. Sometimes I almost forget he's playing a guitar; it sounds like the guitar is singing by itself.

Now you mention it, I remember Clapton doing a version of Knopfler's Setting Me Up.

Ever since "Sultans" I've been hooked by it, too. Can't stop buying anything he puts out!

To more precisely answer this q. than I did in a previous reply: Dick Swiveller and Little Nell are both characters in Dickens's novel *The Old Curiosity Shop*.

Imagine Mark Knopfler and Eric Clapton together....wait! A web search shows they did play together. Any CDs?

I bought this album on a whim a year or so ago when it first came out, after hearing a cut on here. It's one of my favorite albums to sit and relax to. Good stuff

My husband and I were listening to this on a road trip this weekend, and we were amazed all over again by the lushness of this man's guitar playing. This is music you can sink your teeth into!

Quote from MK "This song has got a Stratocaster on it which makes people think of the Straits but its a Scottish style of a lick. I was just coming into...Edinburgh rather late one night, Saturday night. Edinburgh is...a magic city, beautiful, and I always make a point of going there whenever I'm in Scotland. ...And its so steeped in history that...even though I don't necessarily believe in ghosts as such, I'm always conscious of the presence of the past there. Its all presided over by this castle with a garrison and the sounds of Scotland, and these huge old buildings and this ancient old town park. Its another road song in the sense that...you're on your own and you're missing home..."

http://www.mark-knopfler.info/eng/albums_2000_stp_mk_int.htm

I'm always a sucker for Knopfler's guitar

Dickens I suppose is the source. All I know is they're now the names of pubs in London. No coincidence, I'm sure. I'll have to go back soon to find out just how many pubs are named for Dickens characters! :D

Indeed, they are illusions to Dickens, just as the CD's title alludes to Pynchon's Mason & Dixon, the amazing novel which is said to have inspired the whole album.

rj

i have to agree.

the music i get in my area is all top 40 with little exposure to music that is not dumbed down to the lowest common denominator, this song makes you glad there is still great music to be heard