Notting Hillbillies

[ChrisGlastonbury]

I’ve never listened to the NH - is it worth investigating?

[quizzaciously]

If you mean Mark's band, The Notting Hillbillies, of course! They had only 1 album, so there's not much to investigate, but every second is worth it.

[Banjo99uk]

Look for the live stuff, so much better than the studio album

[JF]

if it can help and encourage you for a listen, here is my chronicle about the Noting Hillbillies :

https://textes-blog-rock-n-roll.fr/lalbum-des-notting-hillbillies-a-30-ans/

it's in french, but many people on this forum read my articles using Deepl 

[KnopfleRick]

Absolutely! TNH are great. If you like country blues/country rock this band is just perfect to listen to. If not, just give it a try. You wont be disappointed. There is Mark with his unmistakable guitar playing and everyone in the band is as brilliant as it gets. I mostly listen to the live stuff. Just amazing!

[superval99]

I agree, live is best.   The shows from Ronnie Scott's, both Birmingham and London are great.

[dustyvalentino]

Look for the live stuff, so much better than the studio album

Yes! Although the album is nice too in its own way.

[ds1984]

It was a great experience to witness the NHBs at Ronnie Scott's.

[Banjo99uk]

It was a great experience to witness the NHBs at Ronnie Scott's.

1997 at the Shepherds Bush Empire, still my favourite live MK experience. I saw him with DS twice and over 20 times solo. Nothing beats seeing him with NHB for me.

[Klaus74]

To ChrisGlastonbury.
Yes of course. It is a very fantastic "side-project" to Dire Straits and MK-Solo-career.
The NHB released one album on CD, LP and Tape called The Notting Hillbillies - Missing, Presumed... Having a good time and three single-releases on CD-Maxi, Vinyl-Maxi and Vinyl-Single: Your own sweet way, That´s where i belong and Feel like going home.
Line Up: Mark Knopfler, Steve Philipps, Brendan Crocker, Guy Fletcher, Marcus Cliffe and on drums, former DS-manager Ed Bicknell himself. There are some cool live-recordings around, like the mentioned Ronny-Scott-Club-gig.

It is a different type of music, like the DS-stuff, but very worth to listen too. That are old American Blues, Railroad-Worksongs in the old tradition of Americana, together with some self-penned songs in that type of music. They did a very good job with that recording.
Just grab the album for your collection.

It is the same thing with Marks duet-album with country-guitarist Chet Atkins. I mean the Neck and Neck Album. That is also "bad ass" stuff, musically spoken.

[2manyguitars]

My taker on the Hillbillies is as follows.

The album itself is a really good advert for the Synclavier. People will say that those sounds are dated but I love what they did with the atmospherics on things like Railroad worksong and Your own sweet way among others. Another good example of this tonality would be Mark and Guys work on Randy Newmans Land of dreams.

Both albums with a 'Sound' or 'Air' that is almost indescribable.

Still love those sounds to this day.... 

[Robson]

I always wanted Your Own Sweet Way to be on every street. For example, next to Fade To Black.

[JF]

I always wanted Your Own Sweet Way to be on every street. For example, next to Fade To Black.

ha ah, exactly the contrary for me : I always thought that several tracks on OES (including fade to black, ticket to heaven, iron hand and How long) would have far better fit on the NHB album in term of musical atmopshere

[Robson]

I always wanted Your Own Sweet Way to be on every street. For example, next to Fade To Black.

ha ah, exactly the contrary for me : I always thought that several tracks on OES (including fade to black, ticket to heaven, iron hand and How long) would have far better fit on the NHB album in term of musical atmopshere

I can agree Maybe except Iron Hand

[Rolo]

ha ah, exactly the contrary for me : I always thought that several tracks on OES (including fade to black, ticket to heaven, iron hand and How long) would have far better fit on the NHB album in term of musical atmopshere

I always believed that When It Comes To You was a NHB song.
So i believe that Calling Elvis too (the early arrangement), How Long, Ticket To Heaven and Fabe To Black (original arrangement) would be, all of them, at the NHB album.

But NHB was a cover band so, those songs has migrated to the OES album.