New DS Live Box Set, 3rd November 2023!

[superval99]

Jesus, Mary and Joseph 

Welcome back Hunter!   

[Matchstickman]

Guys, some seem to be taking this too personally. People are free to disagree after all.

14 months of touring is extreme, regardless of other bands. A marathon or a military tour in a foreign land is extremely demanding on body and mind regardless of how many other runners or military personnel there are.

The OES tour was the tour that BIA could have been but never quite was. They must always have been aware of the fact that they could have done a stadium tour in 1985. It would have been more logical.

[Matchstickman]

Mark was a multi-millionaire after BIA. That much is a fact. OES tour as primarily a money-grab does not seem logical. He did not need it, and could have released a BIA live album or whatever to make easy money.

Of course we do not know, but a combination of playing live (which he likes), status, money and an escape from personal trouble seems more likely.

[JF]

History is history, but I always felt it could be a better idea to leave DS after BiA and make On Every Street the first solo album, how cool is that?

  +1000

Yes I always felt the same, like I said in many of my chronicles.
The Mandela gig would habe been the perfect last show for DS to say farewell

And I am sure that DS would have a more "cult" status now in rock history

The "comeback" in 91 gave to the band a more "commercial" image imho

[Robson]

 "commercial" image ?

What do you mean?

[JF]

"commercial" image ?

What do you mean?

adds with Philips for OES album, articles in every magazine, CE on radio...

Yes I know it was already the case in 85-86, but teh OES era has a more "mainstream" feeling to me

when you talk about DS with other people, I feel that this comeback had a bad image, and this is why DS is not in the same category as other bands in rock history imho

[Robson]

For many, the album on every street is country music.

[Chris W]

He did thanked all the musicians and crew during the Zaragoza concert, there is an audience recording of it and you can hear how he thanks everyone but, yes, I agree that he should had made it more personally than that.

That is show biz. He really needed the personal touch - which was my point.

[Chris W]

Mark was a multi-millionaire after BIA. That much is a fact. OES tour as primarily a money-grab does not seem logical. He did not need it, and could have released a BIA live album or whatever to make easy money.

You weren't there.
People always want more money don't they. But IMO Mark thought he was doing something good for John, Alan and Guy and didn't forsee how miserable it was going to make him until it was too late and we had embarked on a 1.5 year journey.

[Chris W]

He never had a party after the BIA tour either.  You can even see him after the show running off stage, jumping into a Porsche and driving away during the broadcast. 

First they were having a party on stage overnight, instead of Mark looking depressed. Second, they were staying at a hotel about a 15 minute drive from the gig. It was a well known rock and roll, party hotel. So I am sure everyone had fun after the show back at the hotel. And Mark thanked everyone for all their efforts.
People seem to be focussing on the word 'party'. I could care less about a party. I'm saying that after a tortuous and very long tour, when the band and crew worked extremely hard, it was not right to walk off sage leaving the crew behind, then flying in silence back to a different city, and arriving back to a dark and deserted hotel. NONE of which happened after the last show on the BIA tour.

[Chris W]

It's no biggie....
I'm just saying on a very long tour where everyone went the extra mile to make it a success, largely rewarding Mark and John, it was notable that they never showed any appreciation for it, especially towards the end. It's just a point worth making.
It's easier to go the extra mile when everyone on stage is having a great time and your album is breaking records on the charts (Brothers In Arms).

[peterromer]

It's no biggie....
I'm just saying on a very long tour where everyone went the extra mile to make it a success, largely rewarding Mark and John, it was notable that they never showed any appreciation for it, especially towards the end. It's just a point worth making.
It's easier to go the extra mile when everyone on stage is having a great time and your album is breaking records on the charts (Brothers In Arms).

Chris, I think we all appreciate the insight you share. It provides a better picture of what is/was going on.
What was the most positive thing that you experienced during that period and tour as a DS member, that you could carry with you in future, either as a person or as a professionel drummer  ?.


   

[jbaent]

Mark was a multi-millionaire after BIA. That much is a fact. OES tour as primarily a money-grab does not seem logical. He did not need it, and could have released a BIA live album or whatever to make easy money.

Of course we do not know, but a combination of playing live (which he likes), status, money and an escape from personal trouble seems more likely.

It is said this tour was more for the rest of the band, to ensure his financial future, than to make money for Mark and John.

[Matchstickman]

Mark was a multi-millionaire after BIA. That much is a fact. OES tour as primarily a money-grab does not seem logical. He did not need it, and could have released a BIA live album or whatever to make easy money.

You weren't there.
People always want more money don't they. But IMO Mark thought he was doing something good for John, Alan and Guy and didn't forsee how miserable it was going to make him until it was too late and we had embarked on a 1.5 year journey.

Of course I was not there 🙂 Anyway, maybe Mark alluded to this in private, but I have never heard him say anything about touring for the sake of band members. Since Guy and Alan are included in the "Dire Straits are" lineup on OES, I would assume that they got a piece of the album pie (record sales). That note made a distinction between DS and the hired help, presumably for financial reasons and maybe because they had raised the issue after the BIA tour (Guy once mentioned on his forum how much Mark and John made then).

But, Mark being Mark, a new album entailed a new tour, and a new tour meant going bigger. I guess many things started to point in the same direction (tour, going bigger, stadiums).

[jbaent]

Mark was a multi-millionaire after BIA. That much is a fact. OES tour as primarily a money-grab does not seem logical. He did not need it, and could have released a BIA live album or whatever to make easy money.

You weren't there.
People always want more money don't they. But IMO Mark thought he was doing something good for John, Alan and Guy and didn't forsee how miserable it was going to make him until it was too late and we had embarked on a 1.5 year journey.

Of course I was not there 🙂 Anyway, maybe Mark alluded to this in private, but I have never heard him say anything about touring for the sake of band members. Since Guy and Alan are included in the "Dire Straits are" lineup on OES, I would assume that they got a piece of the album pie (record sales). That note made a distinction between DS and the hired help, presumably for financial reasons and maybe because they had raised the issue after the BIA tour (Guy once mentioned on his forum how much Mark and John made then).

But, Mark being Mark, a new album entailed a new tour, and a new tour meant going bigger. I guess many things started to point in the same direction (tour, going bigger, stadiums).

The funny thing is that the OES record claims that DS are MK, JI, AC and GF, while Dire Straits Overseas and the other DS company (I think it was DS limited but I'm not sure) they were just MK, JI and Ed Bicknell.

With the OES record statement maybe they got something from the record sales, maybe just for production credits, as probably anything around DS were run by the two companies in which only MK, JI and Bicknell were part.