MARK KNOPFLER - NEW ALBUM PRIVATEERING 'SPOILER' itunes

[qjamesfloyd]

I think the fact Mark is about to release his first double album of original songs is amazing, and a real insight to how good a song writer he has become, plus it highlights the fact that Dire Straits became something that was holding back his songwriting,  by that I mean, I remember when he was doing press for the release of his first solo album Golden Heart, he said "These are just some songs that I needed to record" and when you hear the songs on Golden Heart, you realise(even more after all these years since 1996) that those songs are not DS songs, and couldn't have fitted into that form. There is a definite difference between DS and solo MK albums, the solo stuff more getting back to Mark's roots, not that DS wasn't, things like Wild West End, Tunnel of Love is about Mark's history, like a lot of his songs, but the solo albums takes that even further. So, the fact that Mark is bringing out his first double album in 2012 is incredible, and shows he is a very mature song writer, when his contemperies  seem to be lagging behind, like Paul McCartney(who i love) only having 2 original songs on his latest album, and mostly only singing.
I have always felt there is something extra special being a fan of MK, not only is he an amazing guitar player, song writer, producer, but he is a great man, we are very lucky.

[superval99]

I have always felt there is something extra special being a fan of MK, not only is he an amazing guitar player, song writer, producer, but he is a great man, we are very lucky.

I couldn't agree more - and his voice is pretty good these days too!   

[Best Brown Baggies]

His guitar has always been second to none, but his voice in
recent years has become so much better, especially in respect
to the sorts of songs he is writing these days.
I noticed this change more so than ever during his collaboration
with Emmylou Harris on their duet album.

Cheers. BBB

[qjamesfloyd]

Your right there val, that cannot be underestimated either. His voice is so much better in the years after giving up smoking. And although at times he can still be accused of mumbling when live, his voice is amazing on record, however compared to Bob Dylans singing live on the last tour, Mark's voice live is great

[Love Expresso]

Just this morning I was listening to the COMPLETE 2010 Locarno show again - and although I acknowledge his real good singing on Piper To The End on the album for example, I like much more the way he sang it live - his raspy, sonorous voice is full of character and is something that belongs to him!

I remember when Get Lucky came out I talked to my sister about that album and she was wondering too about his vocal "adventures" on Time In The Sun, and Piper, and I said to her, "well, MK wants to   s i n g    these days" which made her burst out laughing... 

He has a much better voice now, but please Mark, do not take TOO high challenges, I like it a lot as it always was!

LE

[superval99]

I like most of what he performs live,  much more than the album version, which is more than can be said for a lot of artists.   

[dmg]

Sorry guys but I cannot let this go!  In some songs his vocal sounds better but in most of them he sounds weary now and was better sounding during the DS days.  Take BIA for example;  so weary now but sung so well during the BIA tour.  Sultans is another where it makes the song sound like it lacks even more energy than it does, but listen to the versions from 1978 and there's so much expression it sounds like he really puts some effort into it.

TR is now being sung better than ever though but that may be dude to the fact he doesn't have to compete with so many instruments playing so loud.

It's true that he sounds better than he did in the late 90s/early 2000s but he has sounded much better in his time.

His songwriting too is - for the most part - more simple than it was during DS days where you had to go and search for the meaning but now it is mostly plainly evident and they had better, more memorable melodies too.

[superval99]

Sorry dmg, but you keep harking back to 30-odd years ago, when MK was in his late-twenties and thirties!   He is now approaching 63!    You keep going on about his lack of energy, but will you be the same as you are now when you are 63?   Unfortunately, I doubt if I'll still be around to know!   

[qjamesfloyd]

I agree with you Val, he has nothing to prove anymore now, 30 years ago he had more energy, just watch the Alchemy Blue-ray for evidence of that, but as a song writer/performer you have to mature over the years, and I maintain Mark has matured in many ways, and far better than a lot of other people of his like.

[dmg]

Sorry dmg, but you keep harking back to 30-odd years ago, when MK was in his late-twenties and thirties!   He is now approaching 63!    You keep going on about his lack of energy, but will you be the same as you are now when you are 63?   Unfortunately, I doubt if I'll still be around to know!   

Sorry to argue my case but I never raised the point that he sung better than ever.  I still feel that even at his age (which isn't actually that old) he could still manage to give a little more sweat!

[Love Expresso]

Interesting discussion here... It seems that I in the minority, too, when I say that I think his singing on "What A Wonderful World" for example could be better - he sounds VERY lax and almost powerless... Guy announced a totally phantastic vocal experience, and I read from many forumers how much they like it... I don't. I like his singing on the Get Lucky album though, expecially on Border Reiver, Before Gas & TV (!) and Monteleone, whereas this "half-arsed" singing is present on You Can't Beat The House and on Cleaning My Gun...  But those songs are great, too, so who cares! We will have 20 new songs to judge, soon, a fact that I am very keen of! 

LE

[holaknopfler]

He once said to Clive James: 'I'm not a singer, I just stagger from one crisis to the next'.

[dmg]

He once said to Clive James: 'I'm not a singer, I just stagger from one crisis to the next'.

I somehow remember that!  Quite funny as I always enjoyed his vocal even though he wasn't a "singer" in the true or traditional sense of the word.  However it was the very fact he sounded different that was what I liked and the guitar and melody carried the tune anyway without the need for a powerful or traditional vocal.  The main thing one needs a vocal for anyway is to convey the lyrics to the listener!

[Jules]

did anyone pre-ordered the record?

I was about to do it, but decided to wait for news about "the box".

[superval99]

Sorry dmg, but you keep harking back to 30-odd years ago, when MK was in his late-twenties and thirties!   He is now approaching 63!    You keep going on about his lack of energy, but will you be the same as you are now when you are 63?   Unfortunately, I doubt if I'll still be around to know!  

Sorry to argue my case but I never raised the point that he sung better than ever.  I still feel that even at his age (which isn't actually that old) he could still manage to give a little more sweat!

dmg - I didn't mention his voice in my reply to you, only that you seem to think he can be the same now, energy-wise, as he was 30 years ago.   Of course, he isn't as energetic as, say, when he did Alchemy, and I know 63 isn't very old, but I still think he does pretty well, considering all the travelling involved to 90+ venues, a different hotel every night and then having to perform.   I'm sure that would be pretty tiring in itself for most of us on this forum, whatever our age may be!