The song where the Sultans of Swing riff came from?

[Ingo]

Does anyone remember the name of the song where the Sultans of Swing chorus-like riff came from (the part after "way on downsouth, London town")?
There was a discussion about it on the old Telegraph Road mailing list.
All I remember is the title was something with "million" (or only "Million")
The artist I think was John something, maybe John Marshal or similar
Year: 1975 (+/- one year)
...
It seems million + John + Marshal are the the worst-case keywords for a successful google search

[Dutchessy]

Robert Marshall? See other topic

 

[Ingo]

No, that's the guy who claimed he wrote some of the lyrics (sounds ridiculous to me...)

I even listened to that song from 1975, indeed the riff was coming from it, but do not find it or at least the name anymore

[tunnel85]

"Million" by Paul Kantner.
There's something but nothing as obvious as Bird of paradise/BIA. 

[Dear Old Thing]

Thanks, tunnel85, both are right, and it is very astonishing! Never heard about those tracks and the certain part is really identical..

DOT

[foma]

WOW! It's even in the same key!

Well, 'Good artists copy, great artists steal'

[JF]

ah yes ,indeed,we can hear the similarity between the 2 riffs.

never heard it before

[koobaa]

How about the Amazing Rhythm Aces, "The End Is Not In Sight" (1976). Surely sounds like a great inspiration for MK.



I can hear Down To The Waterline and even some Sultans riffs in there! It could be coincidence but the infamous book by Myles Palmer quotes Dave Pask who claims that Mark was listening a lot of this stuff at that time. This and J.J. Cale.

[Fletch]

Any help with a link to the Katner song? YouTube not helping me.

Fascinating subject. An early guitar magazine described Knopfler as a guitar god who came out of nowhere fully formed.. the truth is always more interesting.
I'd love to have heard Knop playing his style over London cover bands during the mid 70s, must've been quite something if anyone appreciated what they were hearing.
Even Mr David Knopfler says they knew ,"Marks facility on guitar was (paraphrased here) special..."

[superval99]

How about the Amazing Rhythm Aces, "The End Is Not In Sight" (1976). Surely sounds like a great inspiration for MK.



I can hear Down To The Waterline and even some Sultans riffs in there! It could be coincidence but the infamous book by Myles Palmer quotes Dave Pask who claims that Mark was listening a lot of this stuff at that time. This and J.J. Cale.

I can certainly detect a lot of MK in there, but what struck me most was the similarity to J. J. Cale, especially "City Girls".

[superval99]

Any help with a link to the Katner song? YouTube not helping me.

Only this, but I don't hear anything like an SOS riff, except maybe at the very beginning:

[vgonis]

Val you are spot on about City girls! I had the same thought! But I guess the opening lines also reminded me of Down to the waterline. I will have to listen to it repeatedly to make up my mind.

[rosco]

What song do you think MK was inspired to write after hearing this one   

 

[vgonis]

Roy Bittan played on Tunnel of Love, and that is why the intro sounds similar/familiar. Jimmy Iovine was the common producer and that might explain the sound as well.  But every other compositional similarities are in the intro and that wasn't MK or BS. It was from Carousel by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. Nice catch though! To me it reminded me more of an older song BS has composed, "Sandy". 

[superval99]

R & J, but as vgonis has said, Roy Bittan from The E-Street Band played keyboards on MM and obviously added his own style to the riff.