Shine

The album is really good. The review, on the other hand, is cheesy and at times disjointed.

Excuse me, in which track does David Gilmour play?

Commenting two years after the release of the review. Recently, I revisited the entire discography of Dire Straits and Knopfler. In the albums with Dire Straits, Knopfler composed beautiful songs alongside tracks that, for me, felt uninspired. Specifically, the albums that struck me the most are Love over Gold and Brothers in Arms: this is due to the presence of songs with an epic verve that delved deeply. I’m particularly referring to songs like Telegraph Road, Private Investigations, Brothers in Arms, and Fade to Black. I really love a series of songs from that period that fall within the vast world of rock/pop and convey immense energy and vitality (Money for Nothing, Walk of Life, Sultans of Swing, Twisting By the Pool). In the studio, Knopfler expressed himself at his highest performance levels (vocally and especially on guitar, showcasing a wide range of riffs, arpeggios, phrases, and solos). Today, Knopfler has greatly streamlined the sound of his guitar and significantly narrowed the expressiveness of his voice. Perhaps this has been a reaction to a compositional and performance style that he possibly sees as "baroque" today. My impression, however, is that his albums lack the energy and vitality of past years and somehow sail in a calm musical sea, without major jolts, and with a slight haze that always surrounds the navigation (composition and execution). Lately, his albums seem to convey only a quiet desperation that leaves me with a bitter taste. Without invoking the most powerful songs of Dire Straits, where has the infinite sweetness of a soundtrack like Local Hero gone? In his solo albums, I notice few sparks, and ultimately what retains the listener is only his class and refinement.

Commentary two years after the review's release. Lately, I’ve revisited the entire discography of Dire Straits and Knopfler. In the albums with Dire Straits, Knopfler crafted beautiful songs interspersed with tracks that, for me, feel somewhat uninspired. In particular, the albums that struck me the most are Love over Gold and Brothers in Arms: this is due to the presence of songs with an epic verve that delved deeply. Specifically, I’m referring to songs like Telegraph Road, Private Investigations, Brothers in Arms, and Fade to Black. I absolutely love a series of songs from that period that fall within the vast realm of rock/pop and convey an enormous amount of energy and vitality (money for nothing, walk of life, Sultans of Swing, twisting by the pool). In the studio, Knopfler expressed himself at the peak of his performance levels (both vocally and especially on guitar, showcasing a great range of riffs, arpeggios, phrases, and solos). Today, Knopfler has greatly refined the sound of his guitar and significantly narrowed the expressiveness of his voice. Perhaps this was a reaction to a compositional and performance style that he likely considers "baroque" today. My impression, however, is that his albums lack the energy and vitality of the past and that in some way, they sail in a calm musical sea, without major shocks, and with a slight haze always surrounding the navigation (composition and execution). Recently, in his albums, he seems to express only a quiet desperation that leaves me with a bitter taste. Without bringing up the most powerful songs of Dire Straits, where has the infinite sweetness of a soundtrack like Local Hero gone? In his solo albums, I notice few sparks, and what ultimately retains the listener is only his class and refinement. The Ragpicker's Dream reflects this journey, with dry sounds, few musical flashes, good songs but also avoidable ones (quality Shoes), and a general difficulty in remembering the names of the tracks. What do you think?

Really beautiful review; the metaphor of the city to describe an album like this was a great insight. That said, in my opinion, the album alternates between fantastic songs (private investigation) and less successful ones, like Industrial disease (a strange mix of joy and coldness). I remember that one of Knopfler's happiest and most successful pieces, Twisting by the pool, came out of the sessions for this album, mysteriously released only as a single (and also present in the band's compilations) that also included Two Young Lovers and If I Had You. I prefer these three songs, along with private dancer, to Industrial disease and it never rains. Overall, therefore, I would give this album an honorable 4 stars. Additionally, many people will attack you for the fact that this review is a duplicate. Good luck...

The quote, with a variation at the end, from De André is splendid. Jarrett, despite all the diva antics, continues to astonish and move me.

This album really leaves me cold, despite the presence of David Gilmour (unrecognizable) in some tracks.

Since you're a fan of Myung, could you tell me why John hasn't written the lyrics for a song in four albums now? Yet his lyrics were full of charm (see Drifting shadows off a dream)...

If that's the case, even The Division Bell takes a different path from The Final Cut. My impression is that Gilmour's latest albums (both as a solo artist and as the band leader) share a structure that somewhat repeats itself: You find a majestic and dreamlike instrumental in About Face (let's get metaphysical), in A Momentary Lapse (Terminal Frost), in The Division Bell (Marooned). An atmospheric instrumental at the beginning of the album (Sign of Life, Cluster One, Castellorizon). A single song whose lyrics are entirely written by Gilmour (Sorrow, Coming Back to Life, Where We Start). The best songs are placed at the end of the album (Near the End, Where We Start, Sorrow, High Hopes, I Can't Breathe Anymore). Other similarities in the structures of Gilmour's albums can also be easily identified. The point is that it’s very repetitive (and A Momentary Lapse doesn’t escape this), but his way of singing and playing often enchants so much that the rest fades into the background.

In my opinion, the most banal song on the album is Dogs of War... Learning to Fly is a masterpiece in comparison! The Division Bell, while not very original, is a distillation of beauty. Cluster One and Marooned are much more beautiful than Sign of Life and Terminal Frost; as a single, I also prefer One Slip to Take It Back. Although beautiful, On the Turning Away is inferior to High Hopes; The Division Bell doesn't have two fillers like A New Machine Parts 1 and 2; A Great Day for Freedom, Wearing the Inside Out, Coming Back to Life, and Keep Talking are as beautiful as Yet Another Movie and Sorrow; What Do You Want from Me (despite its similarities with Have a Cigar) literally buries Dogs of War. Anyway, tastes are tastes!