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Rating:
When this album appeared in the windows of record shops, it was already a victory for me and the first thing I thought - like it or not - was that Mark Knopfler's band had made it to the '90s, having (so to speak, of course) crossed three decades. Mark Knopfler arrives at this album having made the most of the success after "Brothers In Arms": more than 230 concerts in a year, through two excellent soundtracks like "Princess Bride" and "Last Exit To Brooklyn," arriving at the impromptu adventure under the name Notting Hillbillies.
"Calling Elvis" takes on the role of opener and does it brilliantly, revealing a rock 'n' roll appeal first in a very subdued manner, then assertively where a scorching guitar break (try turning up the volume for those five seconds!) acts as a connecting bridge. The moving quotation "There's gotta be a record of you somewhere, you gotta be on somebody's book"
- which demonstrates an extremely high level of poetic flair - guides us to the title track, which unfolds with a calm and touching vocal interpretation, culminating in a clear sequence of chords that proves even more captivating in the end.
One of the most challenging tasks of an album - in my very humble opinion - is to succeed in making the listener's mind wander through their own thoughts, memories (and why not?!) even dreams, affirming the role of personal soundtrack, a task in which the twelve compositions of this CD fully succeed. This is also due to the diversity of atmospheres that unfold during the listening, indeed it is not difficult to imagine enjoying a pleasant double whiskey at the counter of a saloon to the notes of "When It Comes To You", or sitting in an elegant jazz club listening to the graceful "Fade To Black" or fantasizing about crossing the glorious streets of Broadway at the end of the '50s magically transported by the loving "Ticket To Heaven". It must be acknowledged that Dire Straits are no longer the band where Mark Knopfler creates songs that are played only by his trusted companions, solely tasked with preparing the field for his interminable and (allow me!!) immortal solos, but with "On Every Street" the "big boss" surrounds himself with exceptional session men like Phil Palmer on guitar, Paul Franklin who contrasts with the pedal steel guitar, Chris White (an old acquaintance) on sax, Manu Katche and Jeff Porcaro (R.i.p.) on drums, besides having commissioned a complete range of brass for "My Parties", which starts (I know it is very cacophonic!!) in an unpretentious manner and where the extra-Straits experiences of the leader are channeled into a song with innovative tones.
M.K.'s determination not to make "On Every Street" a carbon copy of "Brothers In Arms" certainly finds confirmation in listening to the album, where the rhythmic "The Bug" can speak a language close to that of "Walk Of Life", while the strong "Heavy Fuel" can find the plausible connection to "Money For Nothing" without being accused of plagiarism. Certainly, sophisticated masterpieces like "Planet Of New Orleans" - which I could have seen well interpreted by Sade - or "You And Your Friend" (although composed about ten years earlier) could never have found a place on any of the previous releases, just as without the "training" of the mentioned Notting Hillbillies and the apprenticeship published under the name "Chet&Mark," perhaps we wouldn't have been able to delight our ears with rare gems like "Iron Hand" and "How Long" (perfect conclusion), maybe discovering them a few years later in an anthology box set made of b-sides and outtakes of not excellent quality. Purchase and listening recommended to those who love Dire Straits and polished atmospheres.
The true rating this album deserves is 4.5, not because 5 is too much, but 4 made me consider it a distinguished album.
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
01 Calling Elvis (06:27)
Calling Elvis - is anybody home
Calling Elvis - I'm here all alone
Did he leave the building
Or can he come to the phone
Calling Elvis - I'm here all alone
Well tell him I was calling just to wish him well
Let me leave my number - heartbreak hotel
Oh love me tender - baby don't be cruel
Return to sender - treat me like a fool
Calling Elvis - is anybody home
Calling Elvis - I'm here all alone
Did he leave the building
Or can he come to the phone
Calling Elvis - I'm here all alone
Why don't you go get him - I'm his biggest fan
You gotta tell him - he's still the man
Long distance baby - so far from home
Don't you think maybe you could put him on
Well tell him I was calling just to wish him well
Let me leave my number - heartbreak hotel
Oh love me tender - baby don't be cruel
Return to sender - treat me like a fool
Calling Elvis - is anybody home
Calling Elvis - I'm here all alone
Did he leave the building
Or can he come to the phone
Calling Elvis - I'm here all alone
02 On Every Street (05:04)
There's gotta be a record of you someplace
You gotta be on somebody's books
The lowdown - a picture of your face
Your injured looks
The sacred and profane
The pleasure and the pain
Somewhere your fingerprints remain concrete
And it's your face I'm looking for on every street
A ladykiller - regulation tattoo
Silver spurs on his heels
Says - what can I tell you, as I'm standing next to you
She threw herself under my wheels
Oh it's a dangerous road
And a hazardous load
And the fireworks over liberty explode in the heat
And it's your face I'm looking for on every street
A three-chord symphony crashes into space
The moon is hanging upside down
I don't know why it is I'm still on the case
It's a ravenous town
And you still refuse to be traced
Seems to me such a waste
And every victory has a taste that's bittersweet
And it's your face I'm looking for on every street
04 Fade to Black (03:51)
I wonder where you are tonight
You're probably on the rampage somewhere
You have been known to take delight
In gettin' in somebody's hair
And you always had the knack
Fade to black
I bet you already made a pass
I see a darkened room somewhere
You run your finger round the rim of his glass
Run your fingers through his hair
They scratch across his back
Fade to black
Well maybe it's all for the best
But I wish I'd never been lassooed
Maybe it's some kind of test
But I wish I'd never been tattooed
Or been to hell and back
Fade to black
05 The Bug (04:17)
Well it's a strange old game - you learn it slow
One step forward and it's back to go
You're standing on the throttle
You're standing on the breaks
In the groove 'til you make a mistake
Sometimes you're the windshield
Sometimes you're the bug
Sometimes it all comes together baby
Sometimes you're a fool in love
Sometimes you're the louisville slugger
Sometimes you're the ball
Sometimes it all comes together baby
Sometimes you're going to lose it all
You gotta know happy - you gotta know glad
Because you're gonna know lonely
And you're gonna know bad
When you're rippin' and a ridin'
And you're coming on strong
You start slippin' and slidin'
And it all goes wrong because
Sometimes you're the windshield
Sometimes you're the bug
Sometimes it all comes together baby
Sometimes you're a fool in love
Sometimes you're the louisville slugger baby
Sometimes you're the ball
Sometimes it all comes together baby
Sometimes you're going to lose it all
One day you got the glory
One day you got none
One day you're a diamond
And then you're a stone
Everything can change
In the blink of an eye
So let the good times roll
Before we say goodbye, because
Sometimes you're the windshield
Sometimes you're the bug
Sometimes it all comes together baby
Sometimes you're a fool in love
Sometimes you're the louisville slugger baby
Sometimes you're the ball
Sometimes it all comes together baby
Sometimes you're going to lose it all
The best rockband ever
06 You and Your Friend (05:59)
Will you and your friend come around
Are you and your friend gonna get on down
Will you and your friend come around
Or are you and your friend gonna let me down
If you talk to one another
I'm a hungry man
Let me know one way or the other
So I can make my plans
Will you and your friend come around
Or are you and your friend gonna get on down
Will you and your friend come around
Or are you and your friend gonna get on down
I relive the situation
Still see it in my mind
You got my imagination
Working overtime
07 Heavy Fuel (04:56)
Last time I was sober, man I felt bad
Worst hangover that I ever had
It took six hamburgers and scotch all night
Nicotine for breakfast just to put me right
'cos if you wanna run cool
If you wanna run cool
If you wanna run cool, you got to run
On heavy, heavy fuel
My life makes perfect sense
Lust and food and violence
Sex and money are my major kicks
Get me in a fight I like dirty tricks
'cos if you wanna run cool
Yes if you wanna run cool, you got to run
On heavy, heavy fuel
My chick loves a man who's strong
The things she'll do to turn me on
I love the babes, don't get me wrong
Hey, that's why I wrote this song
I don't care if my liver is hanging by a thread
Don't care if my doctor says I ought to be dead
When my ugly big car won't climb this hill
I'll write a suicide note on a hundred dollar bill
'cos if you wanna run cool
If you wanna run cool
Yes if you wanna run cool, you got to run
On heavy, heavy fuel
09 Ticket to Heaven (04:26)
I can see what you're looking to find
In the smile on my face
In my peace of mind
In my state of grace
I send what I can
To the man from the ministry
He's a part of heaven's plan
And he talks to me
Now I send what I can to the man
With the diamond ring
He's a part of heaven's plan
And he sure can sing
Now it's all I can afford
But the lord has sent me eternity
It's to save the little children
In a poor country
I got my ticket to heaven
And everlasting life
I got a ride all the way to paradise
I got my ticket to heaven
And everlasting life
All the way to paradise
Now there's nothing left for luxuries
Nothing left to pay my heating bill
But the good lord will provide
I know he will
So send what you can
To the man with the diamond ring
They're tuning in across the land
To hear him sing
I got my ticket to heaven
And everlasting life
I got a ride all the way to paradise
I got my ticket to heaven
And everlasting life
All the way to paradise
10 My Parties (05:33)
Well this is my back yard - my back gate
I hate to start my parties late
Here's the party cart - ain't that great?
That ain't the best part baby - just wait
That a genuine weathervane - it moves with the breeze
Portable hammock baby - who needs trees
It's casual entertaining - we aim to please
At my parties
Check out the shingles - it's brand new
Excuse me while I mingle - hi, how are you
Hey everybody - let me give you a toast
This one's for me - the host with the most
It's getting a trifle colder - step inside my home
That's a brass toilet tissue holder with its own telephone
That's a musical doorbell - it don't ring, I ain't kiddin'
It plays america the beautiful and tie a yellow ribbon
Boy, this punch is a trip - it's o.k. in my book
Here, take a sip - maybe a little heavy on the fruit
Ah, here comes the dip - you may kiss the cook
Let me show you honey - it's easy - look
You take a fork and spike 'em - say, did you try these?
So glad you like 'em - the secret's in the cheese
It's casual entertaining - we aim to please
At my parties
Now don't talk to me about the polar bear
Don't talk to me about the ozone layer
Ain't much of anything these days, even the air
They're running out of rhinos - what do I care?
Let's hear it for the dolphin - let's hear it for the trees
Ain't running out of nothing in my deep freeze
It's casual entertaining - we aim to please
At my parties
11 Planet of New Orleans (07:48)
Standin' on the corner
Of Toulouse and Dauphine
Waitin' on Marie-Ondine
I'm tryin' to place a tune
Under a Louisiana moonbeam
On the planet of New Orleans
In a bar they call The Saturn
And in her eyes of green
And somethin' that she said in a dream
Inside of my suit I got my mojo root
And a true love figurine
For the planet of New Orleans
New Orleans - the other planet
With other life upon it
And everythin' that's shakin' in between
If you should ever land upon it
You better know what's on it
The planet of New Orleans
Now I'm tryin' to find my way
Through the rain and the steam
I'm lookin' straight ahead through the screen
And then I heard her say
Somethin' in the Limousine
'Bout takin' a ride across the planet of New Orleans
If she was an ace
And I was just a jack
And the cards were never seen
We could have been the king and queen
But she took me back to her courtyard
Where magnolia perfume screams
Behind the gates and the granite
Of the planet of New Orleans
12 How Long (03:49)
How long, how long baby
How long has it been
How long you gonna keep me wondering
How long before you see
Stallin' me was wrong - how long
How long, how long you gonna keep
Slappin' my hands away
How long you gonna keep my love at bay
How long before you're sure
My love is strong - how long
How long, how long you gonna keep
Tellin' me you like me fine
How long until I'm gonna make you mine
How long before you wake up
And find your good man gone - how long
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Other reviews
By AJM
The quality of the recordings is always excellent, but what’s missing are the indelible tracks, those that make you sigh with emotion.
"Calling Elvis" perfectly encapsulates the album’s soul, that is, "nice, but nothing exceptional."
By Knopfler76
The purity of the guitar compensates (almost everything).
The more it ages, the more it becomes lovable.
By Knopfler76
The purity of the guitar compensates for nearly everything.
Calling Elvis, like a good Barolo. The older it gets, the more it is loved.
By marcoliam
An album that never ages annually, renews itself, shows no signs of weariness, simple rock 'n' roll with undisputed class.
"My Parties" elevates Dire Straits to perhaps the best band on the planet, blending jazz blues with surreal yet brilliant lyrics.
