(1) Two pairs of hands

[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
Bass guitar by Glenn Worf
Electric guitar by Richard Bennett
Lap steel by Greg Leisz
Electric 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

[dustyvalentino]

The good thing about this album is that it will be considerably shorter than his previous ones because it needs to fit on vinyl. I can appreciate "slow and low-key", in the right moment, but then the album mustn't drag. Shorter running time helps to avoid that.

So are you saying we're not getting guitar solos and extra songs due to the vinyl nerds on here? 

There were a lot of bad albums, or at least bad songs released, from the early 90s onwards as artists started feeling like they had to fill up an entire CD!

[richardmu]

nice song, at least it has a melody and the guitar lick is lovely. It sounds like could be from STP for me. It should be 30-45 seconds longer with some noodling on the guitar - restrained producing as usual.

[hunter v2.0]

It should be 30-45 seconds longer with some noodling on the guitar - terrible producing as usual.

Too much excitement. Can't have that, you know. "Guy, delete that. I need to sit down." 

[koobaa]

Great song and a nice opener of the album! Love every bit of it. JJ Cale is alive!

[richardmu]

I recorded a quick 1 min video on my kids guitar with its dead strings to show an example of what i meant by outro. Since this in everyone's favourite Em, it could have been very nasty.

[hunter v2.0]

I recorded a quick 1 min video on my kids guitar with its dead strings to show an example of what i meant by outro. Since this in everyone's favourite Em, it could have been very nasty.

Ah, you showoff!  Cool playing, but I don't think Mark's in shape for that kind of playing. HOWEVER, he and Greg Leisz could have traded some bars of nasty, slow distorted guitar solos. Distorted lap steel sounds glorious. Truly a missed opportunity.

[dmg]

The good thing about this album is that it will be considerably shorter than his previous ones because it needs to fit on vinyl. I can appreciate "slow and low-key", in the right moment, but then the album mustn't drag. Shorter running time helps to avoid that.

So are you saying we're not getting guitar solos and extra songs due to the vinyl nerds on here? 

There were a lot of bad albums, or at least bad songs released, from the early 90s onwards as artists started feeling like they had to fill up an entire CD!

But we always had the option to skip them from the comfort of our armchair!

[quizzaciously]

I recorded a quick 1 min video on my kids guitar with its dead strings to show an example of what i meant by outro. Since this in everyone's favourite Em, it could have been very nasty.

Ah, you showoff!  Cool playing, but I don't think Mark's in shape for that kind of playing. HOWEVER, he and Greg Leisz could have traded some bars of nasty, slow distorted guitar solos. Distorted lap steel sounds glorious. Truly a missed opportunity.

I think this "Mark Knopfler's solos if Mark Knopfler was still able to play" discipline will be really popular soon, as yes, these songs certainly call for solos, I won't be surprised by a stream of various takes on them. Yes, It's probably a missed opportunity to let other musicians shine.

[Knopflerfan]

On Two Pairs Of Hands, Knopfler captures the challenge and exhilaration of live performance.

Says Mark: “‘Two Pairs of Hands’ would just be a song trying to explain what it’s like coping with all of the info and trying to collate everything when you’re standing in the middle of the stage with a huge band. You’ve got a big audience around you and you’re just trying to process all of this stuff at the same time.”

[hunter v2.0]

The good thing about this album is that it will be considerably shorter than his previous ones because it needs to fit on vinyl. I can appreciate "slow and low-key", in the right moment, but then the album mustn't drag. Shorter running time helps to avoid that.

So are you saying we're not getting guitar solos and extra songs due to the vinyl nerds on here? 

There were a lot of bad albums, or at least bad songs released, from the early 90s onwards as artists started feeling like they had to fill up an entire CD!

But we always had the option to skip them from the comfort of our armchair!

Better to weed out the weak songs and have a stronger, shorter album, isn't it? Having to skip obvious fillers is such a killjoy.

[dustyvalentino]

The good thing about this album is that it will be considerably shorter than his previous ones because it needs to fit on vinyl. I can appreciate "slow and low-key", in the right moment, but then the album mustn't drag. Shorter running time helps to avoid that.

So are you saying we're not getting guitar solos and extra songs due to the vinyl nerds on here? 

There were a lot of bad albums, or at least bad songs released, from the early 90s onwards as artists started feeling like they had to fill up an entire CD!

But we always had the option to skip them from the comfort of our armchair!

For me, the optimum album length is 40 mins or under.

[kaleo74]

Something is missing in this song… a bridge   

[H97]

Not really doing it for me this time, it kind of sounds like how a MK mock-up song stitched together from multitracks of previous recordings would sound. Heard it all before, but will still listen to it again.

[KnopfleRick]

Just listened to this and loved it right away. A very good opener. The whole album seems to have a very laid back atmosphere which is great. Can't wait.......