Dire Straits.

Rocker

There has been quite a lot of criticism of Dire Straits and   Mark Knopfler in this thread.  I think it is time to look at DS and MK in context.  And to applaud their contribution to music and guitar playing.

I first heard of a band called Dire Straits in an article in International Musician sometime in the mid 1970s.  And they had recorded and released an album.  I ordered the album, through the local music shop, and have been a fan of DS and MK since then.  It is relevant to point out that that happened nearly fifty years ago.  I quickly saw that DS had their own sound, that MK had a 'different' way of playing guitar and that he was a very good song writer.  He was a story teller that happened to tell his stories through music, augmented by his superb guitar playing.  The other band members had an easy ride as it appears that MK wrote the songs, arranged them and sang them.  Playing sideman in DS really amounts to getting 'Money for Nothing'.

Every band has it's natural life span, Dire Straits lasted longer than most.  AC/DC and The Rolling Stones and a few others survived since bursting on the scene in the 1960s but Dire Straits can be proud of the duration of their innings.  After DS, Mark had a number of guest appearances on records: Willie deVille, Phil Lynott, the music score for the film Cal etc. etc.  But he never lost his ability to write a good song.  His later songs do not sound like Dire Straits but they are more that able to stand on their own feet.

Someone here criticized Dire Straits for not employing warm up bands.  The last concert I went to was to see/hear John Fogerty play the O2 arena in Dublin.  On the bill were two warm up bands, one was Mary Coughlan.  But I, and most everyone else, went to see John Fogerty and we stayed in the lounge/bar area until he was scheduled to appear.  People who went to see Dire Straits, only go to see that band and are usually not interested in the warm up acts.

My parting shot is to remember that Dire Straits were formed almost fifty years ago.  Mark Knopfler is a superb guitarists/songwriter and he is still strutting his stuff.  It may not be as exciting as it was in DS days but it is unrealistic to expect this after such a long time playing music.

Jalapeno

Our band in the late 1970s was called Desperate Straights, arrival of Dire Straits kind of torpedoed that as a concept !

Parker

I have never seen them live and perhaps they are a ‘live’ band. But excitement and Dire Straits does sound a bit of an oxymoron when I hear their recorded music and read John’s memoirs! Queen are the sort of band synonymous with excitement - live and off stage. They had a guy who laid in a plate of raw meats and giggled when people came near….that’s how you party! Dire Straits would probably rip up the stage at the British Standard’s Annual Health and Safety Ball I reckon, but I struggle to see how they’d fair on todays music scene. 

HAL9000

Jalapeno said:

Our band in the late 1970s was called Desperate Straights, arrival of Dire Straits kind of torpedoed that as a concept !

Ah yes. I seem to recall three London bands around that time called Dire Straits, Desperate Straights, plus one other with a similar name which won’t come to me right now - I suspect Dire something or other. Did you have a bass player called Phil by any chance?

breakstuff

Well worth a watch for those who haven't already seen it. He comes across as a really genuine, decent guy.

randella

This is a lovely little interlude - two Geordies up at the Spanish City having a look around. Apparently one of them wrote a song about it

Jalapeno

HAL9000 said:

Jalapeno said:

Our band in the late 1970s was called Desperate Straights, arrival of Dire Straits kind of torpedoed that as a concept !

Ah yes. I seem to recall three London bands around that time called Dire Straits, Desperate Straights, plus one other with a similar name which won’t come to me right now - I suspect Dire something or other. Did you have a bass player called Phil by any chance?

No, we were the Herts based Desperate Straights

crunchman

pigface said:

I was doing my basic training in the army when I first heard 'Sultans of Swing'. I really thought it was Dylan with a hot guitarist.

Knopfler did play on Dylan's Slow Train Coming album.

Pjon

Rocker said:

Someone here criticized Dire Straits for not employing warm up bands.  The last concert I went to was to see/hear John Fogerty play the O2 arena in Dublin.  On the bill were two warm up bands, one was Mary Coughlan.  But I, and most everyone else, went to see John Fogerty and we stayed in the lounge/bar area until he was scheduled to appear.  People who went to see Dire Straits, only go to see that band and are usually not interested in the warm up acts.

Slightly the other way around but this sort of reinforces your point..

I saw David Bowie in what is now the Motorpoint Arena in the mid 90s. It was that point in his career where nobody cared what he did, and the arena was quite empty.

It was even emptier after the support act - someone called Morrisey, don't know what happened to him - had finished, because half the crowd disappeared. They had no interest in staying for Bowie having seen their hero. 

Litterick

Rocker said:

The other band members had an easy ride as it appears that MK wrote the songs, arranged them and sang them.  Playing sideman in DS really amounts to getting 'Money for Nothing'.

Like those slackers in The Who.

thomasross20

Hahaha I get it lol

strumjoughlamps

ICBM said:

Or just get Alchemy.

Best version of Sultans of Swing, made even better by watching the performance.

DLM

thomasross20 said:

Hahaha I get it lol