The Mark Knopfler Songbook — Featured on MK's official YouTube channel

[quizzaciously]

It breaks my heart when one thinks that I'm trying to criticise Mark for his singing or playing abilities, I was never trying to say something like that. It's like when Mark says that for Bob Dylan music is just a "vehicle for his poetry" he doesn't mean his music is a complete garbage. Of course he doesn't think like that, it's just Bob Dylan's poetry is obviously superior than his music, which also got approved by his Noble Prize in 2016. I mean that for Mark his songwriting abilities it's like poetry for Bob with his guitar and especially the voice being a "vehicle for his songs" and that's it. I'm not the guy who you should listen to, because Mark himself said it many times about his playing and of course that "song is king".

[primabus]

"song is king"

[dmg]

"song is king"

If only the song ruled lengthy guitar passages with minimal use of pipes and whistles! 

I only heard Mark use that phrase when his live performances became less guitar orientated and the folkies took over.  Funny that.

[Jules]

I always thought that it was a cheap excuse.

Songs were also king in 1978, let's say. It looks that then kings were not as lazy like nowadays, lol.

[Eddie Fox]

I’ll tell you what, if song is king means no juicy guitar solos I’m on song is plebeian team.

[JF]

Yes I never understood this "song is king" thing

why "you do'nt know you're born"  would need a solo at the end, and not "hill farmer's blues" ?

why "sailing to philadelphia" should have a long outro and not "yon two crows" ?

is it due to lyrics ? theme, ? pace ? song duration ?.... of course not, it's just that Mark wants to play here and not there, that's all

Im tired with this excuse Mark. Just tell us that you didn't want to play more guitar on this song, but don't tell that you must suit the song rule. it's not the song who decides, it's you !

[quizzaciously]

Hey, hey, hey! Guys, if song wasn't king, there would be like 20 studio DS albums filled with crappy songs and 40 MK solo albums. It doesn't mean that the song doesn't need solos or something like that, just that the song really dictates MK's behaviour and if there's no solo, it's because the song demand it. And there's no song at all if it's not "the king" kind of song of course.

Pity that Mark decided his blues songs are "king" songs, because we know who's the king when it comes to the blues...

JF, you've listed all the songs I never listen the studio version of. Outro of the studio version of Sailing To Philadelphia is literally two notes.

[JF]

JF, you've listed all the songs I never listen the studio version of. Outro of the studio version of Sailing To Philadelphia is literally two notes.

I love studio versions for many songs, because of the general sound, the tones, the mix, because of the atmosphere, because of many guitar parts that can't be played live, etc...

I was listening to the STP album last week on bike, and there are really many many great "little" things I herad, that I miss on live versions.
And I LOVE What it is, Sailing to Philiadelphia and Baloney again studio versions

[quizzaciously]

I love studio versions for many songs, because of the general sound, the tones, the mix, because of the atmosphere, because of many guitar parts that can't be played live, etc...

I was listening to the STP album last week on bike, and there are really many many great "little" things I herad, that I miss on live versions.
And I LOVE What it is, Sailing to Philiadelphia and Baloney again studio versions

Well, you got me now... Yes, of course I love studio versions, too. You can't beat What It Is studio version, although live Philadelphia (09.09.09) I can't listen to the studio version anymore after this one, even with James Taylor's presence. And to me all the songs mentioned before is a testament to "Song is King" approach.

I know I'll upset many people, but I never looked at Mark as Guitar Hero (or Guitar King, please excuse the term), maybe when I just started on guitar. That's because on this project I'm focused on songs, rather than on solos. Solos comes next, first should come a great song.

And if I want to hear a great guitar player, I can go to so many places EXCEPT Mark's music, but he is phenomenal player for his songs.

You know you just can't take something one from Mark, you gotta take the whole package. Which is the song, the guitar and the voice.

[quizzaciously]

But wait, I contradict myself... Because there's examples when it's Mark's song and there's no his guitar or no his voice and it's still great.

Which is exactly the definition of this "song is king" motto.

[Jules]

But wait, I contradict myself... Because there's examples when it's Mark's song and there's no his guitar or no his voice and it's still great.

Which is exactly the definition of this "song is king" motto.

Sometimes songs have different kingdoms, or kings... Hill Farmer Blues as a king hadn't any guitar solo, but when its kingdome got to a live stage, the king demanded a killer guitar solo...

[JF]

But wait, I contradict myself... Because there's examples when it's Mark's song and there's no his guitar or no his voice and it's still great.

Which is exactly the definition of this "song is king" motto.

Sometimes songs have different kingdoms, or kings... Hill Farmer Blues as a king hadn't any guitar solo, but when its kingdome got to a live stage, the king demanded a killer guitar solo...

yes exactly, that's why I never understood thsi excuse
if Mark wants to play a guitar solo he plays it, that's all. There's no obscure force that command him to play it or not !

[quizzaciously]

Sometimes songs have different kingdoms, or kings... Hill Farmer Blues as a king hadn't any guitar solo, but when its kingdome got to a live stage, the king demanded a killer guitar solo...

yes exactly, that's why I never understood thsi excuse
if Mark wants to play a guitar solo he plays it, that's all. There's no obscure force that command him to play it or not !

Solo in Hill Farmer's Blues on the studio version is a complete joke. It just about to start (drums cue anyway) and then it suddenly fades out the moment it starts... My version it's because the song was meant to be played live anyway and now on stage you can play solos lol! Studio vs. Stage solos is quite a battle in Mark's case. Good thing is that almost always he plays live better than on the record. I wish A Place Where We Used To Live also had longer solo on the studio version.

[JF]

My version it's because the song was meant to be played live anyway and now on stage you can play solos lol! Studio vs. Stage solos is quite a battle in Mark's case. Good thing is that almost always he plays live better than on the record. I wish A Place Where We Used To Live also had longer solo on the studio version.

yes but with this kind of rule, telegraph road and tunnel of love should have been shorter in studio and the outro added for the live versions, and it wasn't the case

[Eddie Fox]

Hill Farmer’s Blues and Dream of the Drowned Submariner not having proper solos is beyond my understanding.