John Illsley - "Live in London"

[Jarle]

Hi!

John Illsley has just released a new live album called Live in London. It is available on Spotify (in Norway, at least)...



1. Toe the Line
2. Walk of Life
3. Once Apon a Time in the West
4. Private Investigations
5. Young Girl
6. Sultans of Swing
7. First we Take Manhattan
8. Another Brick in the Wall
9. Streets of Heaven
10. I Thought I Saw it Coming
11. Romeo and Juliet
12. When God Made Time
13. Is it Real
14. Brothers in Arms
15. Money for Nothing

[Marijo58]

Thanks Jarle, it's available on Spotify France as well, got the mail today!! I'm going to listen to it tomorrow!!!

[sweetsurrender]

Cool Album cover.  . So many DS songs. I love to listen to it.

[Maxx]

I had a short listen, and to me it doesn't sound as good as his earlier live album with Cunla. His solo songs sounds great, but the covers doesn't quite live up (except fron R&J maybe).

[trundler]

I had a listen and to me he should have stuck to his own solo songs. His new studio album is quite good and fun to jam with but the DS songs are so well known and brilliant any kind of live version without MK is going to be sadly a lesser version. IMHO

[dmg]

I had a listen and to me he should have stuck to his own solo songs. His new studio album is quite good and fun to jam with but the DS songs are so well known and brilliant any kind of live version without MK is going to be sadly a lesser version. IMHO

I haven't heard this but I have watched videos on YT before and it would have been a good idea for him to cover some of the lesser known DS songs.  I recall him doing Two Young Lovers (from a few years back) rather well but things like SOS, MFN and BIA are just no-go areas without Mark in the team as you say.

I notice the obligatory "of Dire Straits" label!

[Jules]

When he plays ds songs i like how they sound with his voice. Musically is difficult even you have McIntosh on guitar.

[pete_w]

I'm sorry to say, but John should really stick to being a sideman. The reasons he gets some attention and is able to hire musicians of that caliber are because of his Dire Straits connection, because he has the money to finance his albums and pay the musicians decently and because he is a nice guy. As an artist and musician he is mediocre at best. And that's disregarding his compositional and songwriting abilities.

[holaknopfler]

Hmm I don't like the DS versions, but I do like his own work.

[Vesper]

Hmm I don't like the DS versions, but I do like his own work.

I agree with you, his voice sounds nice, but it's just not DS. His own songs sound much better than the 'covers'

[Marijo58]

Hmm I don't like the DS versions, but I do like his own work.

I bought JI's Live and received it yesterday!! Enjoyed it very much both his own songs and DS's stuff but of course it's not the same than with MK specially Down the waterline which sounded really wonderful back then. You can't compare of course!! I find also his version of First we take Manhattan from Leonard Cohen really awesome!!

[the visitor]

not heard the cd but his performance of DS songs at the Jazz Cafe last year was more powerful than even MK playing them these days.  So it is right to say that the songs don't sound the same without MK, but they don't also sound the same with MK.  Time has moved on.

[herlock]

I've just bought the album on iTunes.
Sorry if I sound like an heretic, but my take on it is:
1/I like his cover of DS songs a lot. A new, refreshing take on them. Maybe not the best ever, but  quite pleasant. I'm listening to Private Investigations now and I love it ! a bit minimalistic, quiet, but nice.
2/He is fully entitled to play DS songs, he was a (great) part of DS... this low profile man has always lived in the shadows. Why could't he take a bit of light now ??

Only strange thing to me is: why 4 songs from his first modern solo album and only one from the most recent one ??

[herlock]

I also loved his different versions from the live at beaux
De Provence with Cunia and Greg Pearle. Feel sad that Greg is now persona non grata at BG, not sure what happened... He had a great voice on WDYTYG !!