I guess one really big turningpoint was the making of Making Movies. That’s when MK went solo IMO, the sound changed and he started hiring session musicians for records and tours.
this is a very interesting thought. The transformation of the Dire Straits band into a Mark Knopfler solo entourage happened much earlier than 1995. This is what David Knopfler underlined as reason for leaving. Mark needed a vehicle for his stuff, he was not ready to build together, like e.g. Queen.
I agree too. I saw this thread a while ago and have been thinking about it. Most of the turning points musically as you might expect are when people have either left or come on board. David leaving allowed flexibility, Pick leaving changed the dynamic to more traditional rock - Alan added breadth and the move to On Every Street was a massive change in sound; for me losing Terry from the tour was not positive but this is all personal taste.
I hold the personal and very unpopular view (as a Dire Straits fan more than a Mark Knopfler fan) that his music and songs were (for me) much better and broader in dimension that songs in his solo career - could that be because he has had a relatively static and stable line up since 96, and since then the dynamic has been much more clear cut and contractual with his musicians? This leads me to believe that other members of the band in Dire Straits had much more of a role in making the songs what they turned out to be than they get credit for; indeed other than Money for Nothing, no one else gets any writing credit.
Mark is certainly a great songwriter and guitarist of the highest order, but to me, not entirely to the extent that he now brands himself in respect of songwriting. He has got to where he has now (or at least to his solo career in 1996) not just because of his supreme musical gifts, but also in part as a result of the other people involved in steering the Dire Straits vehicle to that point in time. I don't think the latter is recognised enough.
All entirely my personal view and no disrespect intended to others!
