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Rating: "The voice and guitar of Dire Straits". The sticker on Mark Knopfler's compact disc at the time of publication carried this truthful statement, followed by another that was only half true, intended to highlight his solo debut. Let's say straight away that we cannot really speak of a debut, considering that "Local Hero", the very first soundtrack by the then-leader of Dire Straits, was released in 1983, shortly after the excellent "Love Over Gold". We can, however, speak of his first solo album, where you can hear Knopfler juggling his faithful six-string while singing into a microphone, the same role he played up until a few years earlier with the band that gave him the best chance to showcase his exceptional qualities as a composer-guitarist-producer (...perhaps singer was a bit much, no?).
The album in question, following the elegant "On Every Street", includes fourteen tracks that decently summarize all the influences absorbed and the seeds sown over approximately twenty years. A work where there is no lack of songs worthy of esteem, but it certainly won't thrill those fans most loyal to the successful rhythms of "Sultans Of Swing" or "Lady Writer", as well as those who felt more drawn to the taste of simplicity that pervaded the previously crafted soundtracks. They will find excellent inspiration to appreciate an artist always capable of coming up with high-quality musical combinations. The eclecticism of the ingenious guitarist comes out in full, as this is the first album that only bears his name on the cover, undoubtedly favoring a very intimate and personal compositional side, which had had the opportunity to express itself only when the concentration of his creative energies was solely directed at scoring films entrusted to him.
The soft sounds of a "whistle" and an "irish harp" (which wouldn't hurt as the opening theme of a documentary on Ireland) kick off "Darling Pretty", a pop song characterized by a smooth sound and a vocal delivery that glides naturally over the gentle notes of a Gibson Les Paul, skillfully plucked to decorate the intensely moving lyrics (Heal me with a smile, darling pretty/ Heal me with a smile and a heart of gold/ Carry me a while, my darling pretty/ Heal my aching heart and soul: Guariscimi sorridendomi, guariscimi con un sorriso e un cuore d'oro, Portami per un po' caro amore, Guarisci il mio cuore e la mia anima dolorante). The title-track presents itself as another piece that the warm voice of the narrator Knopfler leads through musical paths characterized by harmony and simplicity, where the sound of the guitar can still express itself in a very personal way. The electric blues "No Can Do" carefully raises the decibels and the rhythm changes embellish its sensual progression, just as "Don't You Get It" has the right qualities to spark that inner restlessness that our man cannot contain, performing a straightforward solo that dispels any doubt about his willful departure from those formidable rock 'n roll impulses that highlighted his egocentric creativity. A sincere tribute (I said tribute!!) to the most successful Straits are the biting "Imelda" (well, a few notes of "Money For Nothing" are palpable...) or the lively boogie of "Cannibals" (a more "family-friendly" "Walk Of Life"), while the never forgotten Scottish roots overflow from the touching "A Night In Summer Long Ago" (Then I lead you from the hall/ And we did ride upon the hill/ Away beyond the city wall/ And sure you are my lady still/ A night in summer long ago/ The stars were falling form the sky/ And still, my heart, I have to know/ Why do you love me, lady, why?/: Ti ho portata via dal salone/ E il cavallo ci ha portato sulla collina/ Lontano dalle mura della città/ E da allora sei ancora la mia signora/ Una notte d'estate tanto tempo fa/ Le stelle cadevano giù dal cielo/ ma devo ancora capire amore/ perché mi ami, signora, perché?). Most of the other songs confirm an intentional artistic journey aimed at a spontaneity of writing, which further highlights the most intimate aspect of sounds that in the past had been echoed with moderation.
It is unfair to make any comparison between this CD and what was produced with Dire Straits, although Golden Heart should be accepted as an album that is at the end of the day decent, where folk and Celtic traditions converge along with country and cajun, while fluid poetry and gentle melodies are handled by Knopfler with tried-and-tested cordiality, also synonymous with a newfound inner and family serenity to which his attractive partner Kitty Aldridge (noted British actress) strongly contributed, so much so that she deserves a very romantic dedication on the first page of the booklet accompanying the album.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Darling Pretty (04:31)
It's time to come away, darling pretty
It's time to come away on the changing tide
Time to come away, darling pretty
I need you darling, by my side
Heal me with a smile, darling pretty
Heal me with a smile and a heart of gold
Carry me awhile, darling pretty
Heal my aching heart and soul
Just like a castaway
Lost upon an endless sea
I saw you far away
Come to rescue me
Cast away the chains, darling pretty
Cast away the chains away behind
Take away my pain, darling pretty
And the chains that once were yours and mine
There will come a day, darling pretty
There will come a day when hearts can fly
Love will find a way, my darling pretty
Find a Heaven for you and I
Love will find a way, my darling pretty
Find a Heaven for you and I
02 Imelda (05:26)
She's going shopping, shopping for shoes
She wants them in magentaand caribbean blue
Platinum and buttercup, lilac and black
They fill a bucket up and laugh behind her back
Imelda baby what to do?
All the poor people saying that they got to quit paying for you
In New York and Paris on the Champs Elysee
They see her coming from a long long way
They clap their hands together when they ger her in the store
She's gonna want to get more and more and more
Imelda baby what to do?
All the poor people saying that they got to quit paying for you
Everyone's gone Jackie O.
She was a regular here
We thought Madame would like to know
We've got the blood red rouge right here
Now we've got all Madames requistes and all in Madame's size
Madame's taste is truly exquisite, she must accessorize
The belts are alligator, the bags are kangaroo
Enchante may I say the jade was made for you
Imelda baby what to do?
All the poor people saying that they got to quit paying for you
Imelda baby what to do
All the poor people saying that they got to quit paying for you
05 Vic and Ray (04:36)
A dirty motor with London plates
Sitting in the gutter outside your silent gates
Vic and Ray, vic and Ray
Vic and Ray, Vic and Ray
Come to daddy baby, what is it worth
Come to daddy, the scum of the crying earth
Vic and Ray, Vic and Ray
Vic and Ray, Vic and Ray
Laughing at each other's pain
They run the heater in the morning rain
This'll pay the rent around the world
Wanna buy a picture of a girl
Christmas morning, there they are
Two rent boys wishing on a shining star
Vic and Ray, Vic and Ray
Vic and Ray, Vic and Ray
08 Cannibals (03:41)
Well he's daddy's little boy he plays with his toys
He holds on to his daddy's hand
His daddy says sonny you're a big strong boy
You're gonna be a big strong man
And they go play catch they go play ball
They go take a walk along the sand
Big strong daddy and a big strong boy
Living in a big strong land
Daddy is he a goodie or a baddie
Daddy can I have a dinosaur
Once upon a time there were cannibals
Now there are no cannibals anymore
Down in Louisiana there's a hurricane coming
The little boy climbs the stairs
And all along the levee all the people come running
And the little boy's saying his prayers
And a sleepy little laddie smiles up at his daddy
And he's asking for his G.I. Joe
And daddy tucks him in with a kiss upon the chin
And says my little one I love you so
Daddy is he a goodie or a baddie
Leave a light outside the door
Once upon a time there were cannibals
Now there are no cannibals anymore
Lay down your head now don't get out of bed
Don't you let the bedbugs bite
It's time to go to sleep now not another peep
And I'll see you in the morning light
And the radio was playing and the weatherman was saying
The hurricane had blown away
And daddy's little boy was jumping up for joy
And he was singing at the break of the day
Daddy is he a goodie or a baddie
Daddy can I be a warrior
Once upon a time there were cannibals
Now there are now cannibals anymore
Yeah daddy is he a goodie or a baddie
Daddy why do people go to war
Once upon a time there were cannibals
Now there are no cannibals anymore
09 I'm the Fool (04:28)
I never thought I'd be the one
To be the raging bull
There'd always be a smoking gun
Who'd up and lose his cool
I never thought I'd have to say
I'm sorry, my love, because
I'm the fool I never, Fool I never thought I was
I left my dreams with broken strings
It's time I learnt to talk
Stop falling over things
Teach myself to walk
I'm not a superman
Or Mr. Wonderful because
I'm the fool I never, Fool I never thought I was
I'm the know-it-all
Trying to mend his broken heart
But I don't know who to call
And I don't know where to start
Now if you should lose your faith in me
I don't know where I'd run
I hope you'll always let me be
Your only one
Am I your one true love?
Or am I too late for your applause?
I'm the fool I never, Fool I never thought I was
Darling, I'm the fool I never, Fool I never thought I was
10 Je suis désolé (05:14)
We are leaving, leaving
Leaving on the tide
Come and stand beside me love
The water is so wide
You can hear the sailors calling
At the dawning of the day
Yesterday is falling, love
And je suis desole, je suis desole
Je suis désolé, mais je n'ai pas le choix
Je suis désolé, mais la vie me demande ça
I am turning, turning
From a land that I loved well
Look ahead my darling one
across the rolling swell
And you can hear the seagulls crying
As we're slipping out of the bay
Yesterday is dying, love
And je suis desole, je suis desole
Je suis désolé, mais je n'ai pas le choix
Je suis désolé, mais la vie me demande ça
We are sailing, sailing
For a land that's proud and free
I had no more endurance
For what had become of me
And I will do that which I must do, love
And now we're under way
All that I can say to you
is je suis desole
Je suis désolé, mais je n'ai pas le choix
Je suis désolé, mais la vie me demande ça
Je suis désolé, mais je n'ai pas le choix
Je suis désolé, mais la vie me demande ça
11 Rüdiger (06:03)
Rüdiger stands in the rain and the snow
Collector of autographs
Names upon photographs
Faces of people who everyone knows
Rüdiger lives in a place on his own
Briefcase and spectacles
Strange and respectable
He knows the meaning of being alone
Rüdiger works as a clerk in the town
Music or politics
Rüdiger gets his kicks
He gets information then he comes around
Rüdiger waits at the hall in Berlin
He waits there all night
Security's tight
They know who he is but they don't let him in
Rüdiger waits in the dark by the stair
His fingers are shaking
His feet they are aching
But your name's in the paper so Rüdiger's there
12 Nobody's Got the Gun (05:25)
Nobody's got the gun
Nobody's trying to get the drop on anyone
Nobody's standing out on main street
With the sun blazing down
Saying "There's only room for one of us
In this here town"
Nobody's got to be the number one
Nobody's got the gun
She may not understand
And she may want you eating from her hand
If she's got you in a corner
And you can smell the smoke and flame
You reach for your revolver
To do the same
You'll blow your love away forever, number one
Nobody's got the gun
You may think love is hard enough
You may never get to rehearse
And you can do without this stuff
Making everything worse
She's just the same as you
She needs your love just like you want her to
You can't go playing poker
With a pistol in your sleeve
You can't make somebody love you
By threatening to leave
If you want a love forever, number one
Nobody's got the gun
14 Are We in Trouble Now (05:54)
It wasn't just the music
It wasn't just the wine
Some other kind of magic
Was sending shivers up my spine
Then I was falling
And I fell for you, and how
Darling, are we in trouble now
They say we're grown up
But we've been searching all this time
I wouldn't own up
Never would admit to flying blind
But in the Darkness
We found each other anyhow
Darling, are we in trouble now
When we'd talk it over
Love was a cry from a distant shore
Then we found each other
And all that we'd been searching for
And I'm done denying
I guess by now you know
I'm through with trying
Can't bring myself to let you go
And of all these feelings
We said we never would allow
Darling, are we in trouble now
Darling, are we in trouble now
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By alan clark
The Fender guitar in this song, a guitar back in Mark's hands after years of not using it (finally!), moves me deeply every time.
This is really a good 'collage' of singer-songwriter songs, with peaks that border on genius.
