New DS Live Box Set, 3rd November 2023!

[Matchstickman]

Hi guys, long time no write! Amazing to see Chris Whitten (!) writing here. I don't know how many times I watched On the Night as a teenager, but I absolutely loved it and watched it over and over. In my view, the live version of Calling Elvis is one of the band's greatest achievements - what an opener! That is still one of my go-to songs.

Chris, if you like, would you please tell us how Calling Elvis developed into the gigantic live spectacle it became? On the album, it is rather laid back and nothing much happens in the second half.

All the best!

[Knopflerfan]

Hi guys, long time no write! Amazing to see Chris Whitten (!) writing here. I don't know how many times I watched On the Night as a teenager, but I absolutely loved it and watched it over and over. In my view, the live version of Calling Elvis is one of the band's greatest achievements - what an opener! That is still one of my go-to songs.

Chris, if you like, would you please tell us how Calling Elvis developed into the gigantic live spectacle it became? On the album, it is rather laid back and nothing much happens in the second half.

All the best!

Chris' excellent video is here..

https://youtu.be/DpXNN1HT9wE?feature=shared

[Brunno Nunes]

Sixblade knife of the rainbow is slower and almost 2 minutes longer than the bbc version. (I see now its because of the talking haha)

Many songs during this period of the band were much more open to Jam, such as Six Blade Knife, In The Gallery, Wild West End have a longer introduction, as does Down to the Waterline.

yes indeed,

but the longest version of six blade knife I know is from 17th february 79 (the day after Rockpalast)

lot of improvisation during the solo which is by far the longest

https://www.mk-guitar.com/2009/01/19/two-interesting-live-clips-of-dire-straits-six-blade-knife/

Yes, but this show for WDR radio the day after Rockpalast 79 was an exception, we can appreciate some interesting things like this extended solo of Six Blade Knife, note that it is long just like the 1977 demo version, it is the same pattern, this is very interesting. Additionally, we have a slightly different introduction to Whats The Matter Baby, Pick does on drums, Eastbound Train with a longer introduction, but as important as Six Blade Knife's exclusive solo in this show is that it contains the latest version of Southbound Again with an extra verse, the only 1979 version that they played like this, basically all of the 1978 versions have this extra verse in Southbound Again, without a doubt, my favorite version of this song.

[Matchstickman]

Hi guys, long time no write! Amazing to see Chris Whitten (!) writing here. I don't know how many times I watched On the Night as a teenager, but I absolutely loved it and watched it over and over. In my view, the live version of Calling Elvis is one of the band's greatest achievements - what an opener! That is still one of my go-to songs.

Chris, if you like, would you please tell us how Calling Elvis developed into the gigantic live spectacle it became? On the album, it is rather laid back and nothing much happens in the second half.

All the best!

Chris' excellent video is here..

https://youtu.be/DpXNN1HT9wE?feature=shared

Thanks, I have seen that and it is very interesting indeed, showing some of the intricacies of the song.

[cannibals]

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/dire-straits-reunion-mark-knopfler-ilsley-b2441539.html

https://www.google.nl/amp/s/www.radiorock.com.br/2023/11/04/dire-straits-ex-empresario-recebe-constantes-ofertas-para-retorno-da-banda/amp/

[JF]

I thought that during this tour, amps and cabinets were behind the stage ?

Amp tops and FX were backstage, but cabinets and monitors were back and front. So Mark and John were immersed in very loud music during the show.

Thanks for the precisions.

at first, I thought that cabinets were backstage and only monitors on stage. it seems I was wrong 

[Jules]

I think nobody mentioned something discovered to me by Bruno Nunes.

After "Lions" in the new "Live at the BBC" there is something new that wasn't in the original release, the BBC Radio Dj introducing the band and when he mentions David Knopfler he says "on guitar and keyboards, David Knopfler".

Keyboards!

[Pottel]

but the classic DS songs, most of them played during different eras by Pick Withers and Terry Williams, seems to be that you felt quite or uncomfortable or less confident than with the rest. Am I right with this impression?

The other thing people forget that just prior to the On Every Street tour I had worked with Paul McCartney for three years, including a highly acclaimed world tour. His music spanned a far longer period than Dire Straits. We played 50's Rock n Roll in the show, a bunch of Beatles songs and the post Beatles repertoire from early 70's Wings to his latest album (1989). Many of The Beatles songs had never been played live before, and I really wanted to be true to Ringo if I could. Paul, by the way, gave me free reign to do as I wish.
So I would never be unsure or unconfident playing a major show.
We rehearsed with Mark for 3 months? Everything we played was worked out in detail, with Mark, Guy and Allan all acting as musical directors.
As I've said before, when we set up on the stage the first time, Mark said he couldn't feel the energy from my drums, so he had me play louder and louder and when I was pretty much at max volume he asked me to play at that intensity from then on.
Slamming the drums didn't really lend itself to the more sensitive Pick performances. Terry was a louder rock drummer, but in a later interview John said I was the loudest drummer they had ever played with - which was not MY choice.

tripping the live fantastic was a steady favourite of mine for years! love you and Robbie on that. and yes you are right, your career has been a lot more than DS alone, people on here tend to forget that (and who could blame them, being on here, lol)

[jf9081]

I think nobody mentioned something discovered to me by Bruno Nunes.

After "Lions" in the new "Live at the BBC" there is something new that wasn't in the original release, the BBC Radio Dj introducing the band and when he mentions David Knopfler he says "on guitar and keyboards, David Knopfler".

Keyboards!

Yes very cute. Curiously, as on BBC they added the presentation of the band, however, on Alchemy it was cut. absurd.

[onceupon84]

This is what I asked Guy yesterday:

Hi Guy,
Something very strange happened to me tonight. Just as I told you in messages back, the sound of the Alchemy was crystal clear compared to all the versions I've had before. But… today when I played OUATITW I felt something strange… it turns out that I compared it to my other old CDs and it sounded the same… I started to think that I had made a mistake in my assessment the other day but… No it could be. I was listening to TOL several times yesterday in my car, and it sounded better than ever. I have started to review all the clues… and…. Oh surprise. All tracks from TYL (excludes TBTP and PB, as these are new mixes) until the end of the concert sound much cleaner than any of their copies in other old formats. It is a feeling of much greater separation of instruments, of clarity in absolutely everything. MK's voice is much cleaner, and a certain feeling of spaciousness. What happened here? Why don't the rest of the tracks sound like that? I think I'm not wrong, it's not a subjective perception. I am very interested in getting the answer to this question, it is my favourite album of all time. In my head there are already too many versions of Alchemy depending on the mix: the original from 1984, TR remixed in 1988, the Blu-ray version from 2010, and finally the other Wolfgang's Vault remix (I have never known where this mix came from, I understand that it is official, maybe intended for radio? It only contains 7 songs). I consider that this second half of the 2023 alchemy remastering is not just another mix, but the pleasant sensation it transmits is such that now I am left wanting to be able to listen to the first part of the concert with that crystalline sound.

[Love Expresso]

Hi, there. Long time no see. I once was a member here. I lost interest in MK after 2018 because of different reasons but Dire Straits is musical history and this new Live box was dreamed of and wanted by many fans for decades, so I think it is really something special. I bought it and want to share my thoughts about it. Greetings to all!

LE

[Silvertown]

Hi, there. Long time no see. I once was a member here. I lost interest in MK after 2018 because of different reasons but Dire Straits is musical history and this new Live box was dreamed of and wanted by many fans for decades, so I think it is really something special. I bought it and want to share my thoughts about it. Greetings to all!

LE

Well, well..welcome! Always happy to hear your opinions!

[superval99]

Welcome back, LE!   

[rmarques821]

Hi, there. Long time no see. I once was a member here. I lost interest in MK after 2018 because of different reasons but Dire Straits is musical history and this new Live box was dreamed of and wanted by many fans for decades, so I think it is really something special. I bought it and want to share my thoughts about it. Greetings to all!

LE

Welcome back LE, stick around!

[benducret]

TOL as an OTN bonus is surprisingly good, I didn't expect it to be so good.
The only thing that ruins it for me is the backing vocals on the chorus, "tunnel of loooo-ooooo-oooo-ve".

They started singing it like that on the BIA tour if I'm not mistaken, and I really don't like it.
It really takes me out of the song which I prefer more rock oriented and raw, like on MM and on Alchemy which remains my favorite version by far.

Tunnel of Love is much more powerful when sung by MK alone imo.

Does any void need to be filled with more and more layers of sustained notes, be they be played by a sax, a pedal Steel or even backing vocals ? It softens an already very laid back music.

Clearly I do not share MK's tastes as far as arrangements and production are concerned.
It just doesn't sound good to my ears.

The final solo is great though, the drums and the whole band are great too on this OTN version. Too bad for the backing vocals.

I keep thinking there were way too many musicians on stage on that tour...