November | 2018 | redeyegin

if your lasting memory of mark knopfler is that guy with the headband and sleeveless shirt playing in the mtv video of ‘money for nothing’, then you may have been unaware of his solo career since 1996. this album marks his ninth solo album (not counting soundtracks and side projects with other artists). mark knopfler is the kind of artist i like to keep track of. since my early introduction to dire straits in college, i have managed to buy just about everything he has recorded. yes, i love me some early straits, but i am also smitten with his solo work, especially his last 3 or 4. his new one came out a couple of weeks back, and it helps further establish his talent. yes, he is an incredibly able guitarist who can play nearly every kind of guitar and many different styles. and yes, he is a master in the studio and is also well known for producing other artists’ work. but he is also a damn good storyteller, and crafts some beautiful arrangements. the production is as usual top notch, and was recorded at knopfler’s legendary british grove studio.

his new one almost feels like two different approaches. there are some more upbeat offerings with backup singers and horns and infectious rhythms, and then there are a handful of more intimate songs that almost have a jazz night club approach. as such it doesn’t have a good flow to it, but that is more of an observation and not a criticism. if you are new to his solo work, i might recommend 2015’s ‘tracker first, or 2012’s ‘privateering’, but this is a worthy listen as well.

this is the 28th installment of the dave’s picks series, and it is a contender for one of the best of the year. on this particular evening they were only two weeks into their return to the road after a self imposed 18 month hiatus. they were emotionally and financially exhausted from their ambitious 1974 ‘wall of sound’ tour, and had decided to take some time off to regroup and restructure the organization. the 1976 version of the band found them newly energized, welcoming back drummer mickey hart and featuring new material from 1975’s ‘blues for allah’ album. they had also chosen to come back in smaller theaters, as opposed to the stadiums they had used in 1974. everyone is in fine form, and it is gorgeously recorded by betty cantor-jackson. the ten minute ‘let it grow’ in the second set is tight and energetic, maybe one of the best i have ever heard. ‘cassidy’ in the first set has a unique ending that they only tried a few times.

this release capped off another fine year for the series, with only one mediocre show, in my opinion. the 1983 show from boise, idaho that was released as volume 27 was just not up to speed from what i expect from dave. but i signed up for another year of course, especially knowing that he has already selected the next volume – swing auditorium from february 26, 1977. this was the first concert they played that year, which would eventually go down as one of the best overall years of their career. they opened the show with ‘terrapin station’, which wouldn’t be released on the album of the same name for another four months. i have had this show in my collection for awhile, but this is another example of the newly recovered ‘betty boards’, and so i expect that the new version will be superior to what i have. below we have dead archivist david lemieux discussing the latest release, and looking around for bears. enjoy.

i am tossing around doing an ‘honorable mention’ post in the near future. there is a ton of music i listened to this year that, for whatever reason, i didn’t get around to posting about. hopefully i will get that done thanksgiving weekend in time for your holiday shopping season.