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Rating: Although many of the die-hard supporters of Mark Knopfler would have preferred to see their idol engage more in releasing a few more albums with the band that allowed him to establish himself as a complete artist, one cannot help but acknowledge that when it comes to the founder of the Dire Straits, there is a clear sense of dealing with a musician with a confident and determined personality. An artist who stubbornly follows the instincts of his path, rarely yielding to the needs of marketing (as with the very rare "Live in U.S.A." of '79 and the "Money For Nothing" collection under the Dire Straits name, but let's also include the collaboration for "Gaucho" by Steely Dan in 1980), supporting and prioritizing that uncommon professional growth of which he has been the architect.
It is in this context that the collaboration between Knopfler, Brendan Crocker, Steve Phillips, and Guy Fletcher must be seen, four musicians united by a previous friendship and longstanding collaborations (The Duolian String Pickers, the duo formed by Knopfler and Phillips, dates back to the late '60s), but also by the desire to create an album of country music with penetrating capability even among an audience inclined to listen to rock music, under the homophonic name of The Notting Hillbillies.
The cover, where the four protagonists are portrayed in perfect order of height each accompanied by their own dobro, immediately makes clear what to expect from the album: country music or rather a true act of reverence towards those distinctive sounds of that American tradition rooted in rockabilly, roots, bluegrass, and rock 'n' roll.
Given the uniformity of the album, a track by track would be superfluous, as it would be unjust not to mention the validity of "That's Where I Belong" by Crocker, whose Mexican flavor of sound is diluted with the gentleness of country, while the engaging "Will You Miss Me" written and interpreted by Phillips, drags us into sounds less rural and closer to a pop inclination, thanks to a remarkably appealing vocal. The torment of "Blues Stay Away From Me" (already covered by Gene Vincent And the Blue Caps and The Everly Brothers) effectively spreads the sadness of disillusionment towards love following a sudden disappointment, while the tradition evoked with "Please Baby" displays the comfort in which the four hillbillies navigate the purest country-blues terrain. The only song composed by Knopfler is "Your Own Sweet Way" (chosen as the leading single of the album for obvious reasons) which allows the Dire Straits leader to engage in a sophisticated, smooth blues where voice and guitar are inseparable protagonists.
It is the first album that allows Mark Knopfler - present and recognizable in almost every track - to be in a band that is not the Dire Straits, where the equitable combination of new and appreciable songs and traditionals enables the listener to immerse themselves in this electro-acoustic ride, through those clichés that provoke a sense of intimate pleasure for those who do not disdain the blurred and fascinating settings of the far west, made also of sweat and toil.
"Missing...Presumed Having A Good Time": for genre lovers an album of substance, for everyone else an excellent tonic for the mind and heart in a world made of sumptuous banality, where, however, there is still room for the appreciation of genuine beauty that always suggests where to look.
Tracklist Lyrics and Samples
01 Railroad Worksong (05:30)
Working on a railroad for a dollar a day
Working on a railroad for a dollar a day
Working on a railroad good buddy for a dollar a day
Got to get my money gotta get my pay
Take this hammer take it to the captain
Take this hammer take it to the captain
Take this hammer good buddy take it to the captain
Tell him I’m gone tell him I’m gone
If he asks you was I running
If he asks you was I running
If he asks you good buddy was I running
Tell him I was flying tell him I was flying
If he asks you was I laughing
If he asks you was I laughing
If he asks you good buddy was I laughing
Tell him I was crying tell him I was crying
This old hammer rings like silver
This old hammer rings like silver
This old hammer good buddy rings like silver
Shine like gold buddy and it shine like gold
Working on a railroad for a dollar a day
Working on a railroad for a dollar a day
Working on a railroad good buddy for a dollar a day
Got to get my money gotta get my pay
Got to get my money gotta get my pay
Got to get my money gotta get my pay
03 Your Own Sweet Way (04:32)
There is nothing I can do
Nothing I can say
You'll do what you want to
You'll go your own sweet way
You'll go your own sweet
Your own sweet way
You'll go your own sweet
Your own sweet way
Now I can talk to you serious
I can talk to you nice
But when it comes to love
You won't take good advice
You'll go your own sweet
Your own sweet way
You'll go your own sweet
Your own sweet way
It doesn't matter what I say
What I do or what I think
You can lead a horse to water
You can't make him drink
You'll go your own sweet
Your own sweet way
You'll go your own sweet
Your own sweet way
05 One Way Gal (03:11)
One thing I like about that gal of mine
One thing I like about that gal of mine
One thing I like about that gal of mine
She treats me right and loves me all the time
She walked in the rain till her feet got soaking wet
She walked in the rain till her feet got soaking wet
She walked in the rain till her feet got soaking wet
And this she said to every man she met
Mister change a dollar – gimme a lousy dime
Mister change a dollar – gimme a lousy dime
Mister change a dollar – gimme a lousy dime
So I can fee that hungry man of mine
Sometimes I’m broke and blue as I can be
Sometimes I’m broke and blue as I can be
Sometimes I’m broke and blue as I can be
But still my baby she looks after me
That gal of mine she’s one way all the time
That gal of mine she’s one way all the time
That gal of mine she’s one way all the time
She takes the blues away and satisfies my mind
That gal of mine she’s one way all the time
That gal of mine she’s one way all the time
08 Please Baby (03:51)
TRADITIONAL
Please baby - please please baby
Won't you come back to your daddy one more time
Please baby - please please baby
When I get my money I will give you my last dime
When you left me babe, you left me feeling so blue
You know that I didn't love no-one but you
Please baby - please please baby
Won't you come back to your daddy one more time
I'm so blue baby, I'm, I'm so blue baby
I can't sleep at night
I can't hardly talk from crying
You know baby, you, you know baby
You always forever on my mind
Since you've been gone I can't sleep at night
Why don't you take my meals I can't eat a bite
Please baby, please please baby
Won't you come back to your daddy one more time
When you left me babe you left me feeling so blue
You know that I didn't love no-one but you
Please baby - please please baby
Won't you come back to your daddy one more time
11 Feel Like Going Home (04:53)
Lord I feel like going home
I tried and I failed and I’m tired and weary
Everything I ever done was wrong
And I feel like going home
Lord I tried to see it through
But it was too much for me
And now I’m coming home to you
And I feel like going home
Cloudy skies are rolling in
And not a friend around to help me
From all the places I have been
And I feel like going home
Lord I feel like going home
I tried and I failed and I’m tired and weary
Everything I ever done was wrong
And I feel like going home
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By iside
What remains in history is this unique record, like a loose cannon nonetheless, ultimately, a timeless album that... still is part of my personal playlist.
Without a harmonica, without frills, everything revolves around the guitars. Throughout the work, what echoes the most is perhaps the sense of freedom.
