(2) Ahead of the game

[Jules]

I don't remember if anybody commented about this...

The song starts different in the videoclip, with Ianto starting the song with some drumstick noises and then the band start playing, than in the streaming single, that the band starts directly playing.

I wonder if that videoclip start is like that in the record, or is only like that in the videoclip. It's not important really, but curious for me.

I hope they recorded some (all?) of the songs live, not only mime them. Hope Mark was able to pull it off somehow, but I have to admit, this hope is very little, almost non-existent. If that was recorded simply for a music video, count-in just looks cool and sells the "liveness" of it even more.

"Laughs And Jokes And Drinks And Smokes" retained count-in on the record, don't think it suits the single as much. Not every song needs to retain the count-in, although nearly every song needs one. Recently I found this video with a count-in for "All My Loving". 1, 2, 3, 4 — 1 (2) "Close your eyes and I'll kiss you"...

In the case of "Ahead of the game" the videoclip doesn't seems to be live further than the Ianto count-in, the rest sound exactly the same than the version on streaming services.

[Stanko]

Seems clear to me it’s not about MK but about a less successful singer songwriter.

Interestingly, I always suspect it's about Mark himself.

[Robson]

Produced by Mark Knopfler and Guy Fletcher
Recorded and mixed by Guy Fletcher at British Grove Studios, London
Assistant Recording Engineers: Rowan McIntosh, Eve Morris, Edie Delafield, Luie Stylianou and Tom Coath
Mix Assistant: Luie Stylianou
Drums by Ian Thomas
Percussion by Danny Cummings
Upright bass by Glenn Worf
Electric guitar by Richard Bennett
Acoustic guitar by Greg Leisz
Piano by Jim Cox
Synths by Guy Fletcher
Guitars and vocals by Mark Knopfler
Mastered by Bob Ludwig at Gateway Mastering Studios, Portland, Maine

Miscellaneous Credits:

Recorded at British Grove Studios, London, UK