I love WWE
as for the "chinatown" music, yes it's played on piano on album, 80 and 85 versions
In 78-79 this little melody was played by Mark on guitar
some thoughts about different versions of this song :
1) in the Oldfield book, it's said that on one of first DS gigs in deptford, Mark played the song "on the national".
So I wonder, did he play the song without soloing during the first months of the band ?
Indeed, on the london-roundhouse show, he's playing the rhyhtm part ; on the leeds gig no WWE, and the next show is after the album recording (chester I believe).
BUT, on the demo version there are 3 guitars, and a lead one, like on the album version, so the idea of lead licks is from july 77...
2) The versions from late 80 (specially Emerald city) are among my fav ones.
Mark is taking the time to put the ambience at the start of the song, he doesn't sart to sing at the beginning, the guitar introduction is longer, I like that
3) the BIA version...well...
I love the ambient keyboards, the sax intro (from autumn 85 I guess), the background vocals
BUT jack's solo...oh boy ! it ruined the song IHMO
I had a french itw where Jack said that Mark let him play sometimes for 80 bars... (did he count the bars ?
)
Mark used to sit down on the side of the stage and listened to Jack's imprvosation. And after the gig, he always said to jack what he had thought of the solo (according to jack's itw) I wonder what he said to him ?....
I understand that thing to let a musician in the front of the stage, having his "glory moment" (like with John and Glenn on Marbletown now), but I never understood why Mark let Jack playing this awful solo.
Imagine if it was Mark who played the solo on the sunburst schecter strat, with a tone ala Tunnel of love... subtil etheral aerian solo, that would have been a gem I think...
David's version is good, I Like it, but not as much as DS'ones
and last but not least, there's Ingo's version
:
http://www.mk-guitar.com/2010/04/10/dire-straits-wild-west-end-cover-by-ingo-raven/ nice one
