The Straits sullying dIRE sTRIATS legacy?

[superval99]

Many thanks twm!    Just to clear up one point (2) - I didn't intend to infer that you were enthusiastic about The Straits, merely asking if you would be as enthusiastic about a Dylan tribute-type band with Dylan ex-band members as you are about Bob and his current band!  

[ds1984]

In my view, tribute acts are inherently self-limiting and this is true of THE STRAITS. How will they develop, I wonder?

I remember reading here that Alan on his site wrote that the Straits will record their own material.

[Love Expresso]

Yeah, read that, too.

I suggest this album title :"Strai(gh)t into the bin"

LE

[twm]

My question was, in a sense, rhetorical.  These are professional musicians. Incidentally, I suspect that most Dylan tribute acts are not professional (in the sense that they play music as a living) but may be semi-professional, doing the Dylan tribute bit in their spare time and largely for fun. Anyway, THE STRAITS is made up of professional musicians. There is a difference between what they were doing in their DS days [backing MK who, as I said before, was pivotal in DS]  and going out as a band in their own right [playing MK's songs and emulating the DS style].

Maybe Clark does see THE STRAITS as a vehicle for promoting his own songs. I guess his success or otherwise will depend on the quality of the songs and the style of the music.  It would certainly be a risky strategem. On balance, I suspect that, even if he is able to make a career of that, he would have to build a following in his own right, because the number of DS fans attending would decline.

I'm not sure just how relevant this is but  I met at least one person attending a show by THE STRAITS (not my good lady, incidentally) who was there to see Chris White. 

[Love Expresso]

Must have been our very own Slavi, then! 

LE

[Fletch]

I guess the distaste comes from the perceived "dismissal" of the significance of Marks (incredible) songwriting, his (unique/tasteful/mindblowing) guitar playing and his (sublime/subtle) vocals.

It's distasteful that Alan should suggest he should champion this era of Marks genius and there is even a hint of belittling what Mark achieved. Of course it's also frustrating that Mark tends to ignore the whole DS era too, as though the songs aren't worthy of revisiting or reinventing occasionally.
I'm finding it hard to articulate what I mean - but - the Bob Dylan example is a good one.

What annoys me the most, is i think there will be subliminal effect whereby Mark/Guy will be even less inclined to perform the older songs, and that's a shame.

[twm]

Gosh, how these things come round! Since my last post, this has come to my attention:

http://www.jambands.com/news/2012/04/11/rolling-thunder-revival

It looks like it's a tribute to one phase of Dylan's career (1975-76 and maybe up to early 1978, the years when Stoner played the Tony Garnier role) and it involves just the one member of Dylan band - Stoner himself.

Incidentally, when Stoner left, in roughly mid-1978, his place was taken by Jerry Scheff, formerly of Elvis presley's touring band

[Love Expresso]

Finally, perhaps the title of this thread should be corrected.

I just saw you meant that in the literally way! Or is dIRE sTRIATS another cover band I never heard of? 

LE

[xxFordiexx]

hi again... name me another tribute act that would actually get air time on a radio show performing an acoustic track of someone else's song, other than The Straits?

He's performing it as if he wrote the damn thing... It's mental.



I'm sure these guys think they are more than a tribute.

[Best Brown Baggies]

hi again... name me another tribute act that would actually get air time on a radio show performing an acoustic track of someone else's song, other than The Straits?

He's performing it as if he wrote the damn thing... It's mental.



I'm sure these guys think they are more than a tribute.

Got to admit, he did seem a tad self obsessed, & a little over confident!

Cheers. BBB

[PixelPerfect]

I just saw you meant that in the literally way! Or is dIRE sTRIATS another cover band I never heard of? 
LE

I actually think it is! I believe I saw a tribute band on Youtube calling themselves that.

[Love Expresso]

hi again... name me another tribute act that would actually get air time on a radio show performing an acoustic track of someone else's song, other than The Straits?

He's performing it as if he wrote the damn thing... It's mental.



I'm sure these guys think they are more than a tribute.

If any, this guy (he sure can sing and has a great voice, that's out of question) sounds more like David K. than MK to me. I cannot say anything bad about him, apart from the whole thing with the Straits annoys me from day one. If they should start recording new songs, they should NOT call themselves The Straits anymore.

LE

[Pottel]

Corrected to what you propose? Also, what do you think of my band proposal? 

[twm]

I really cannot accept that there is anything in the way the guy sings or plays that suggests he wrote the song. I fear you are projecting your own thoughts on to what seems, on the surface, a perfectly straightforward rendition of the song.

If I wished to be philosophical about it, I would say that I look for a singer to seem as if he or she owns the song that they are singing. That is not the same as seeming to have written it. 

In my field of interest, it is well-known that, while Dylan wrote "All Along The Warchtower", Jimi Hendrix did a version that became more well-known. I can remember, in 1981, being in Mannheim for a Dylan concert. The venue had changed from an outside stadium to the Eisstadion. I went with a German friend, who stood on one side of me,  with two young Americans, soldiers on leave, on the other. When Dylan played "Watchtower", one said to the other, "Hey, he's playing a Hendrix song". He probably  added "Far out!" or something similar. When I pointed out that Dylan had written the song, the one nearer to me asked, "Really?".  On being told that this was so, he said "Wow!" and told his friend.  Dylan had adopted and adapted the Hendrix version for his own live shows. Dylan may have written the song but Hendrix "owned" and Dylan had responded to that.

The guy in that video sang it competently but there is no way that he "owned" the song.

[shangri la 1]

Let's remember everyone, DS is nowhere near the same without Mark Knopfler or John Illsley. I hope these guys are happy pretending to be something they are not.

+1
So true in fact, that during the record run of concerts in Sydney during 1986, John actually said words to that effect himself. The TV reporter asked him about where the band would be if Mark wasn't part of it. And John's reply was along the lines of 'what do you mean if Mark wasn't in it - There wouldn't be a band without Mark' - or similar. But that is exactly what he meant.

This whole saga was part of the motivation for starting AMIT TV, and releasing the material in a chronological order as we have proposed to do. People in any doubt about where the drive/life/success of the band, came from over time, can see it evolve, as we all did back in the day.