What are your Mark Knopfler favorites?

Since today is Mark Knopfler's birthday, this morning I started a playlist containing all his work from Dire Straits onward. (Currently on Live Aid version of "Sultans Of Swing".) So what are your favorites from Mark?

1. Vote for your favorite Dire Straits and solo studio albums in the poll. Vote for as many as you wish.

2. What are your favorite songs from these albums? A top five or top ten? Whatever you please.

3. What are your favorites among Mark's "side projects" - soundtracks, live albums, EPs, collaborations, productions, etc.?

4. Have you ever seen Mark play live? Any favorite memories?

 

The only thing I ever liked that he did was "Why Worry", the song he wrote for The Everly Brothers.

 

I love all of these studio albums. Lately, I've really been into Communiqué - such an underrated album, start to finish. Tracker is his best album since Shangri-La - it keeps getting spins from me.

Favorite Dire Straits songs:
"Sultans Of Swing"
"Once Upon A Time In The West"
"Where Do You Think You're Going?"
"Follow Me Home"
"Romeo & Juliet"
"Skateaway"
"Telegraph Road"
"Industrial Disease"
"Why Worry"
"Brothers In Arms"
"You And Your Friend"
"Planet Of New Orleans"

Favorite solo tracks:
"Done With Bonaparte"
"What It Is"
"Sailing To Philadelphia"
"Devil Baby"
"5:15 A.M."
"Song For Sonny Liston"
"Punish The Monkey"
"The Fish And The Bird"
"Get Lucky"
"Miss You Blues"
"Long Cool Girl"
"Lights Of Taormina"


Mark has done so much great work on "side projects". Producing - Infidels. Writing - "Private Dancer". Accompanying - "Blind Willie McTell". So many favorites - "Slow Train" for Dylan, "Time Out Of Mind" for Steely Dan, "It's Money That Matters" for Randy Newman.

I've seen Mark play live four times. The first time was with Eric Clapton on his Crossroads tour. Very cool to have the two dueling on "Layla". Also got to see him open for Dylan and join Bob for several songs like "Things Have Changed". Mark's been touring with a great band. They just work up some great arrangements from Mark's career. Some highlights have been "Telegraph Road", "Coyote", "Marbletown", "Your Latest Trick", and "Romeo & Juliet" is alway great.

 

I decided to opt for one album apiece from Dire Straits (Making Movies) and solo (Shangri-La). Of these, Tunnel of Love and Boom, Like That would be my favourite tracks on each.

 

Folks, one of the greatest moments was playing Skateaway very loudly in the engineering spaces of a destroyer. The power of that song came through.

 

Love Over Gold is a masterpiece of subtly and expression.

 

Dire Straits were fine, but now I find myself listening more to a couple of outstanding albums:

The Ragpicker"s Dream
Privateering

 

I limited my picks to two, but my favorite Knopfler song isn't on either of those albums.

"They say it's mostly vanity that writes the plays we act..."

 

While all DS records are my beloved ones I have a soft spot for Golden Heart album and Darling Pretty song. I saw Mark in concert promoting this album in May 1996 in Royal Albert Hall. I think he played there 3 nights that later appeared on DVD. This was unforgettable night and he opened with Darling Pretty. Really love this track - the melody and thick Gibson Les Paul lead on it really make this thing.

 

I enjoy his soundtrack work. "Local Hero" and "Comfort and Joy" are both excellent, even if the latter is still only available as a vinyl EP.

 

It's all excellent...he is a truly consistent writer, player and producer. Regardless of genre, Knopfler brings his sensibility and professionalism to the table.

 

Voted shangrila

Heard it first time last year after a recommendation while talking about Kurt Vile

Love the chill atmosphere

 

For Dire Straits my vote goes to "Communique." It's often dismissed an easy repeat of the success of their debut, but the part where the songwriting and especially the singing improve twice over is often left out. Weirdly, my two favorite Dire Straits discs are probably the most frequently written off: this and "On Every Street," which feels very much like a bridge between DS's proggy Americana and his rootsier solo stuff. All their other albums have good songs on them but these two really play through well for me.

Solo-wise it's a toss-up between "The Ragpicker's Dream" and "Kill to Get Crimson," though I'd probably take the former for sentimental reasons. Both are masterpieces of narrative- and character-driven songwriting, and among my favorite albums of the 2000's.

Listening to his "One Take Radio Sessions" EP as I type -- a hidden treasure from the "Shangri-La" era.

 

Top ten, at this moment:

Wild West End
Once Upon a Time in the West
How Long
What It Is
Old Pigweed
Quality Shoe
Ragpicker's Dream
In the Sky
Secondary Waltz
Basil

 

Local Hero soundtrack is right up there.

 

Dire Straits
Communiqué
Brothers In Arms

My favorites are:

Sultans of Swing
Lady Writer
Money for Nothing
Walk of Life
So Far Away

Don't know his side projects and have never seen him live, but I do love this video from You Tube.

Dire Straits - Lady Writer.

 

Communiqué is a perfect summer album for me, and I agree that it is even stronger than the debut. On Every Street is a perfect late-summer/early-autumn album for me. I played the heck out of it in that autumn of 1991, and revisit it often. It's every bit a good as any of their other albums.

 

Your words are my words.

Solo albums:

Golden Heart
Sailing To Philadelphia
Ragpicker's Dream
Shangri-La

 

I would have voted for several of his motion picture scores, too. I'm particularly fond of Cal, Last Exit To Brooklyn, Shot At Glory, and Princess Bride. I also rate his work with Chet Atkins and with The Nothing Hillbillies quite highly.

I do wish he would cut down on the waltzes, though. Too many on his last few releases, I've kind of gone off him as a result. But I do love the majority of his body of work.

So many favorite songs, but Hill Farmer's Blues live on the tour when he opened for His Bobness was a real standout.

 

Dire Straits - Making Movies
Solo - Shangri-La
colab - All the Roadrunning

 

Not keen on Mark Knoffler's solo stuff.
Give me Dire Straits anyday.
I'd get out of bed to see them live (original 80's band), not many Artists I'd do that for nowadays, Peter Gabriel are you listening?

 

Good shout out to Mark, OP. I voted the first 5 and suggest Alchemy Live should be included because it is unique enough compared to the studio albums. Love Dire Straits, one of my favorite bands and he is one of the great guitar players and song writers. I have tried but have not yet been deep into his solo career. Like a few songs on Shangri-La and Philadelphia but a lot of it sounds too much the same.

 

Shangri la is my favorite of all his. Tracker is his best in a long time though. There are some great tracks on Get Lucky as well. On Every Street is my favorite Dire Straits album and Wag the Dog is his best soundtrack album.

Too many great songs to list. Favorites are:

Terminal of Tribute To (my current favorite, should have been on the album proper)
Basil
Get Lucky
You and your friend
How long
Rudiger
Shangri La
Trawlerman Song
So far from the Clyde
Monteleone

 

DS LOVE OVER GOLD
Solo SAILING

 

To each his own, but I am shocked by the results so far. Telegraph Road is one of my favorite songs of any band but I couldnt put that album above self titled or Making Movies or even Communique. Down to the Waterline and Sultans are an incredible one-two punch on their debut and Tunnel of Love, Romeo and Juliet, and Skateaway is one of the best album sides of all time. Expresso Love is strong too. I know people dislike Les Boys but that was a different time, less PC in 1980.