ALBUMS: Brothers in Arms (1985); Making Movies (1980); Dire Straits (1978)
MVC Ratings: Brothers, 4.5/$$$; Making Movies, 4.0/$$$; Dire Straits, 4.0/$$$
I was hesitant about doing Dire Straits. They have become so big that it is almost cool to hate them. Like the Eagles; people love to hate them. That hate campaign was generated I believe by the classic character ‘The Dude’ played by Jeff Bridges in The Big Lebowski.
But I think it’s unfair. Both to the Eagles and Dire Straits.
Just because you have heard Hotel California 343,000 times doesn’t make it a bad song. Just because the “Walk of Life” sits in your head ready to come to life at anything resembling the Hammond B3 organ intro to the song, doesn’t mean it’s terrible. Annoying, maybe.
But Dire Straits and the Eagles are very good, yes, great bands. I’ll deal with the Eagles later in my blog, soon actually when I get to the ‘E’s’.
It’s the phenomenon of the cliche’ — a word or phrase overused to the extent it becomes dull. But how did it get to be a cliche’ to begin with? People used it, liked it. It was, at the end of the day, a way to put a bottom line on it. Moving forward, if you know what I mean.
Do the walk of life to that one hotel that’ll let you check in but never check out. But of course that’s so 1970s.
I especially like Dire Straits because of a concert I saw at the Agora Ballroom in Atlanta in my formative years. It was Nov. 8, 1980. They were just out, touring America off Making Movies, their third album, and were relatively unknown or at least unknown enough to be playing the US in these smaller venues.. The now-defunct Agora was large for a nightclub but still a small venue for a concert. It was previously called Alex Cooley’s Electric Ballroom. It burned down in 1983 (some stupid with a flair gun…no, wait that’s another tune, sorry.)
As I remember the Agora was across the street from another great venue, The Fox Theater.
We sat cross-legged on the floor in front of the stage. I still vividly remember the now emblematic guitar solo from Sultans of Swing and watching his hands move through the chords and his finger-picking as it increased speed.
Knopfler is one of a few electric guitarists who doesn’t use a pick. With a pick, I’d imagine he would sound a lot like Eric Clapton. But the finger picking takes a little sting out. It is distinctive and slightly muted.
That doesn’t mean he can’t crush some chords as he does in the very popular “Money for Nothing,’ arguably one of the top recognizable riffs after Deep Purple’s ‘Smoke on the Water,’ or the Stones’ Satisfaction (or ‘Honky Tonk Woman.’)
It was Nov. 8, the day before my 21st birthday , and I was taking it all in. I was sipping Toohey’s out of an Australian oil can. (It would be several years before they upped the drinking/nightclubbing age from 18 to 21.)
The small venue, the front row seats and the friends (including Catherine, my soon-to-be wife, made for one of my most memorable concert experiences ever. Dire Straits went on to sell an astronomical 100 million albums over their career. (The Eagles have sold even more, 150 million).
That’s not to say that I think Dire Straits was the greatest band ever.
Although, Knopfler sings a bit like Dylan, he certainly was no match for Bob in the songwriting department. See what I just did before I say, his lyrics sometimes wandered into cliche’.
That’s all from this department although stay tuned for my piece on the Eagles and related: Mark Knopfler’s soundtrack album, Local Hero. Great movie, great soundtrack.
If you have any doubts about whether this man can play, watch the Sultan’s video to the end. And to think I saw that about six feet away.