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Rating: 1995 is the year when Mark Knopfler decides to call it quits, fortunately not in the literal sense but concerning the creation he shaped: the Dire Straits officially cease to exist. About fifteen years, six and a half studio albums, two and a half live albums, a compilation, millions of copies sold, a thousand concerts, hundreds of tennis wristbands changed, several more zeros on the bank account. After all this, PolyGram reminds an already solo-career-bound Mark Knopfler (soon "Golden Heart" will be released) that according to the agreements, one more album is still missing. Thus, a old concert from the early, very early Dire Straits recorded on July 22, 1978 is retrieved in which the London band essentially presents their first work, thus closing the discographic circle.
Listening through "Down To The Waterline," "Six Blade Knife," "Water Of Love," "Wild West End," "Sultans Of Swing," and "Lions," we rediscover someone we met as a kid, a long time ago, who has since grown up gaining experience and self-confidence, to the detriment of his own genuineness; it must have seemed strange to listen again in 1995 to what the Dire Straits initially were, here without piano, keyboards, saxophone, slide guitar, flutes, and the like, relying only on their original lineup oriented towards the stages of those small smoky clubs. The live performance of the pieces from the 1978 debut hardly differs from the version on the studio album, so the only real reason for interest in listening to this latest release becomes "What's the Matter Baby?", a song that was part of the setlists of the time but never appeared on official releases, and hearing it now, one wonders why: the song has a strong, energetic structure and would have fit well on the debut album or the subsequent "Communiqué," perhaps replacing some less convincing piece ("Angel Of Mercy" or "Follow Me Home"). This is not only the only instance where Mark and David Knopfler co-write a song but also the only case in the entire Dire Straits discography of a piece written by four hands ("Money For Nothing," although credited to Sting as well, is all Knopfler's doing).
In an attempt to enrich the value of this last effort (if it can be called that), a live performance of "Tunnel Of Love" dated January 31, 1981, is thrown into the mix at the end, which is insignificant as it is structurally identical to the version already present in "Alchemy" but qualitatively poorer from the recording point of view. A more appreciated choice would have been some other live take of songs from the early days that were never much considered during the career, such as "Lady Writer," "In The Gallery," or "Single Handed Sailor".
On the cover, Mark Knopfler looks awful, but from there on, the British guitarist's music will become more and more tranquil and quiet, in line with his advancing age. This remains to this day the last time the name Dire Straits came to market with something new to offer, and I have reason to believe it will remain so, with Knopfler himself having repeatedly refused billion-dollar offers to reform the band in these recent times when dogs and hogs are reuniting in search of money. May Mark Knopfler continue to make music as long as he breathes, it can only do good to the world, but the Dire Straits should stay right where they are. In 1995.
Tracklist and Lyrics
01 Down to the Waterline (04:09)
Sweet surrender on the quayside
You remember we used to run and hide
In the shadow of the cargoes I take you one time
And we're counting all the numbers down to the waterline
Near misses on the dogleap stairways
French kisses in the darkened doorways
A foghorn blowing out wild and cold
A policeman shines a light upon my shoulder
Up comes a coaster fast and silent in the night
Over my shoulder all you can see are the pilot lights
No money in our jackets and our jeans are torn
Your hands are cold but your lips are warm
She can see him on the jetty where they used to go
She can feel him in the places where the sailors go
When she's walking by the river and the railway line
She can still hear him whisper
Let's go down to the waterline
02 Six Blade Knife (03:47)
your six blade knife do anything for you
anything you want it to
one blade is for breaking my heart
one blade for tearing me apart
your six blade knife - do anything for you
you can take away my mind like you take away the top of a tin
when you come up from behind and lay it down cold on my skin
took a stone from my soul when i was lame
just so you could make me tame
you take away my mind like you take away the top of a tin
i wanna be free of that thing - i don't want it no more
i wanna be free of it now - you know i don't want it no more
everybody got a knife it can be just what they want it to be
a needle a wife or something that you just can't see
you know it keeps you strong
yes and it'll do me wrong
your six blade knife - do anything for you
05 Sultans of Swing (06:38)
You get a shiver in the dark
It's raining in the park, but meantime
South of the river you stop and you hold everything
A band is blowing dixie double four time
You feel alright when you hear that music ring
Well now you step inside but you don't see too many faces
Coming in out of the rain to hear the jazz go down
Competition in other places
Ah but the horns, they blowin' that sound
Way on down south
Way on down south, London town
Check out Guitar George, he knows all the chords
Mind he's strictly rhythm, he doesn't want to make it cry or sing
Yes and an old guitar is all he can afford
When he gets up under the lights to play his thing
And Harry doesn't mind if he doesn't make the scene
He's got a daytime job, he's doing alright
He can play the honky tonk like anything
Saving it up for Friday night
With the Sultans
We're the Sultans of Swing
Then a crowd of young boys, they're fooling around in the corner
Drunk and dressed in their best brown baggies and their platform soles
They don't give a damn about any trumpet playing band
It ain't what they call rock and roll
Then the Sultans
Yeah, the Sultans they played creole
Creole
And then the man, he steps right up to the microphone
And says at last just as the time bell rings
Goodnight, now it's time to go home
Then he makes it fast with one more thing
We are the Sultans
We are the Sultans of Swing
06 Lions (05:26)
Red sun go down way over dirty town
Starling are sweeping around crazy shoals
A girl is there high heeling across the square
Wind blows around in her hair and the flags upon the poles
Waiting in the crowd to cross at the light
She looks around to find a face she can like.
Church bell clinging on trying to get a crowd for Evensong
Nobody cares to depend upon the chime it plays
They're all in the station praying for trains
Cogregations late again
It's getting darker all the time these flagpole days
Drunk old soldier he gives her a fright
He's crazy lion howling for a fight.
Strap hanging gunshot sound
Doors slamming on the overground
Starlings are tough but the lions are made of stone
Her evening paper is horror torn
But there's hope later for Capricorns
Her lucky stars give her just enough to get home
Then she's reading about a swing to the right
But she's thinking about a stranger in the night
I'm thinking about the lions tonight
What happened to the lions.
08 Tunnel of Love (11:56)
getting crazy on the waltzers but it's the life that I choose
sing about the sixblade sing about the switchback and a torture tattoo
and I been riding on a ghost train where the cars they scream and slam
and I don't know where I'll be tonight but I'd always tell you where I am
in a screaming ring of faces I seen her standing in the light
she had a ticket for the races just like me she was a victim of the night
I put a hand upon the lever said let it rock and let it roll
I had the one arm bandit fever there was an arrow through my heart and my soul
and the big wheel keep on turning neon burning up above
and I'm just high on the world
come on and take a low ride with me girl
on the tunnel of love
it's just the danger when you're riding at your own risk
she said you are the perfect stranger she said baby let's keep it like this
it's just a cake walk twisting baby step right up and see
hey mister give me two give me two now cos any two can play
and the big wheel keep on turning neon burning up above
and I'm just high on the world
come on and take a low ride with me girl
on the tunnel of love
well it's been money for muscle another whirligig
money for muscle and another girl I dig
another hustle just to make it big
and walkaway walkaway
and girl it looks so pretty to me just like it always did
like the spanish city to me when we were kids
oh girl it looks so pretty to me just like it always did
like the spanish city to me when we were kids
she took off a silver locket she said remember me by this
she put her hand in my pocket I got a keepsake and a kiss
and in the roar of the dust and diesel I stood and watched her walk away
I could have caught up with her easy enough but something must have made me
stay
and the big wheel keep on turning neon burning up above
and I'm just high on the world
come on and take a low ride with me girl
on the tunnel of love
and now I'm searching through these carousels and the carnival arcades
searching everywhere from steeplechase to palisades
in any shooting gallery where promises are made
to walkaway walkaway
to walkaway walkaway from cullercoats and whitley bay out to walkaway
and girl it looks so pretty to me like it always did
like the spanish city to me when we were kids
girl it looks so pretty to me like it always did
like the spanish city to me when we were kids
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Other reviews
By claudio carpentieri
"The version of 'Sultans Of Swing' ... is one of the most beautiful live versions captured on CD."
"Making Music! Four craftsmen just doing their job."
