Sailing to Philladelphia as a Dire Straits album

[JF]

I still wonder why Alan was not able to pursue a successful career after DS being disbanded.

same goes for Tony Banks. he is the one who wrotes almost 90% of genesis stuff, he is the Genesis sound, but he is the one in the band who had the less sucess in his solo career

[Masiakasaurus]

Herlock, I tink the question was about the album not the song....

Yes, I meant the albums but I enjoyed the answer nonetheless  !

dmg, yes that probebly has something to do with it. I also really like the "dark" tone on many songs from OES, and the amount of country is just right IMHO. I guess Mark didn't feel too good or enjoyed himself during that period which probably explains why he doesn't seem to like that album, but he did write good stuff!

[ds1984]

Mark later told in an interview that he did not like how cynical his writing was for the OES album.

[nababo]

Mark later told in an interview that he did not like how cynical his writing was for the OES album.

Where can I find this interview? I recall many post-DS interviews in which he expressed his dislike of the whole album and tour package. Nevertheless, OES is superb, despite some - IMO - weak points.

[boriszhukov]

He has said on many occasions that it had just become too big. I can easily understand it. 99% of the pressure was on him having to live up with expectations from all sides. Writing hit songs, playing perfect solos, being a part of pop culture etc. etc.  Most of it didn't seem to have to do with songwriting and to thing he values so high today. So he made the right descision.  We can slam him for not playing all the songs we would like and all this but in the end I'd rather see him as he is to day - being more balanced and seemingly loving every second of it all. (Expect the promo tours where he always seems to be a annoyed playing at tv shows and waiting all day for 5-10 minutes of air time )

[herlock]

Mark later told in an interview that he did not like how cynical his writing was for the OES album.

Where can I find this interview? I recall many post-DS interviews in which he expressed his dislike of the whole album and tour package. Nevertheless, OES is superb, despite some - IMO - weak points.

I read some review saying that OES was crap as an album because it featured both superb songs (OES, PONO, IH, YAYF) and stupid commercial rockers (HF, The Bug).
My take is quite simple: An album with 4 masterpiece song is a masterpiece album with a few skippers. If you don't like the skippers, just skip them !

[nababo]

He has said on many occasions that it had just become too big. I can easily understand it. 99% of the pressure was on him having to live up with expectations from all sides. Writing hit songs, playing perfect solos, being a part of pop culture etc. etc.  Most of it didn't seem to have to do with songwriting and to thing he values so high today. So he made the right descision.  We can slam him for not playing all the songs we would like and all this but in the end I'd rather see him as he is to day - being more balanced and seemingly loving every second of it all. (Expect the promo tours where he always seems to be a annoyed playing at tv shows and waiting all day for 5-10 minutes of air time )

Thanks, Boris, for the input. I'm aware of all his trouble on carrying on with DS at that point. I was just trying to find the exact interview in which he may have said that he wrote the songs with a "cynical" approach. Thnaks indeed

[nababo]

Mark later told in an interview that he did not like how cynical his writing was for the OES album.

Where can I find this interview? I recall many post-DS interviews in which he expressed his dislike of the whole album and tour package. Nevertheless, OES is superb, despite some - IMO - weak points.

I read some review saying that OES was crap as an album because it featured both superb songs (OES, PONO, IH, YAYF) and stupid commercial rockers (HF, The Bug).
My take is quite simple: An album with 4 masterpiece song is a masterpiece album with a few skippers. If you don't like the skippers, just skip them !

Actually I enjoy even more songs from OES. My skippers would be CE (sacrilege, i know  ), FtB, MyP...

[ds1984]

Mark later told in an interview that he did not like how cynical his writing was for the OES album.

Where can I find this interview? I recall many post-DS interviews in which he expressed his dislike of the whole album and tour package. Nevertheless, OES is superb, despite some - IMO - weak points.

I don't have the reference available otherwise I would have put it.
What I am sure of is it was something written - but where?

[JF]

Mark later told in an interview that he did not like how cynical his writing was for the OES album.

I guess he also told that he later found the sound too "perfect" too much "cold", too  much "digital" (he alos said that about BIA) and since british groove he is obssessed with Guy to go back to analog and to a more "organic" sound approcah

[JF]

My take is quite simple: An album with 4 masterpiece song is a masterpiece album with a few skippers. If you don't like the skippers, just skip them !

disagree. An album is a masterpiece if all songs are great. If there are skippers, it can't be a matserpice imho.
it's like if you said a movie is a matserpiece, but some sequences are boring, or a book is a matserpiece, but I skip some chapters !

to me an album is a whole piece of art and is a matserpiece as a whole. If not, then you can range songs as masterpieces, but it's another story

what's why I prefer BIA : I Like all the songs, yes even WOL
OES has some great songs, but also some fillers imho

[nababo]

My take is quite simple: An album with 4 masterpiece song is a masterpiece album with a few skippers. If you don't like the skippers, just skip them !

disagree. An album is a masterpiece if all songs are great. If there are skippers, it can't be a matserpice imho.
it's like if you said a movie is a matserpiece, but some sequences are boring, or a book is a matserpiece, but I skip some chapters !

to me an album is a whole piece of art and is a matserpiece as a whole. If not, then you can range songs as masterpieces, but it's another story

what's why I prefer BIA : I Like all the songs, yes even WOL
OES has some great songs, but also some fillers imho

I think you are right. A masterpiece means no weak elements. That's why I prefer MK over Bruce Springsteen, Chris Rea, Pink Floyd. They and other have great works, maybe greater than MK in some aspects, butthere's no single album which I myself consider perfect from begining to end. As for MK, the first 5 studio albums are perfect.

[dmg]

The proper definition of "masterpiece" in this case would be his greatest piece of work i.e. his best album.  Not just any of his albums considered great, very good, excellent or any other adjective you care to use. 

[Masiakasaurus]

If a true masterpiece album has to have nothing but masterpiece songs, I don't think a masterpiece album exists (from any band or artist). Just my opinion of course 

[dmg]

If a true masterpiece album has to have nothing but masterpiece songs, I don't think a masterpiece album exists (from any band or artist). Just my opinion of course 

A "masterpiece" is the best (master) item (piece) to be produced by it's artist.  So just like the Mona Lisa is recognised to be Leonardo da Vinci's "master piece," some will consider Making Movies to be Mark Knopfler's masterpiece.  It's simply a person's greatest piece of work by definition.