Most underrated DS/MK songs

[stratmad]

Sailor was on my list, too! :-)

[Knopflerfan]

Les Boys.  Great melody and lyrics.  So many either misinterpret it or don't take it seriously because of the subject matter, but it's a really good song IMHO.  He just doesn't bother with melodies like this now.

LB - Not for me thankyou! I think MK was desperate for two album fillers what with 'Solid Rock' too. Melody wise, MK has produced far better than LB...

[ds1984]

How can be 'Solid Rock' a filler as it was already performed live before the album was recorded and remained on the setlist up to their last tour ?

[Love Expresso]

The way the album version was recorded indeed sounds like a filler. Live and also as demo version it sounded and was worked out much better. Solid Rock Live was always great but the album version was and still is  a skipper for me. Same as Les Boys by the way because of the cliché overkill in the lyrics...

LE

[Robson]

Making Movies is full of contrasts. How is this possible? It starts with an earthquake and ends with a song from a completely different world.

[stratmad]

Making Movies is full of contrasts. How is this possible? It starts with an earthquake and ends with a song from a completely different world.

Yes, it is full of contrasts, but that's somehow the case with almost every DS/MK album, I think. The most consistent ones are maybe DS, LOG, and later STP and KTGC.
Les Boys doesn't fit in with the whole record, both the music and the topic are very different. I guess he's always been experimenting with very different styles, going from one phase to the next, whether it's a waltz, a twist or a polka.

[Robson]

I think Communique is also coherent.

[stratmad]

Yes, that's true. My bad. I forgot that album because I hardly ever listen to it. 

[privinvest]

Maybe we should define "underrated" first:

not known enough? by public at large? by the critics/media? radios? spotify?
not appreciated enough? not talked about enough? by hardcore fans?  by the critics? fellow musicians?
and finally by MK himself by not playing in concerts, not including in compilations, not mentioning in interviews etc

[Peter1981]

Hand in hand, no doubt. Never played live, but it’s a killer tune!

[Knopflerfan]

How can be 'Solid Rock' a filler as it was already performed live before the album was recorded and remained on the setlist up to their last tour ?

Cos the album version of Solid Rock is a skipper for me - it sounds a jumbled mess, live versions however are pretty good.

[JF]

I was thinking about this yesterday! How underrated It never rains and hand in hand are. I love them both and in the case of hand in hand I've always thought that it was eclipsed by Romeo and Juliet. Also single handed sailor may be considered as underrated? One of my favorites especially the outro solo is pure gold but the song was dropped early on the communique tour.

Sailor was played until the end of the communqiue tour (Oslo 21th november 79) and played in1980 too

[JF]

I love the solid rock studio version, because :
- in the chorus, Mark sings "solid rock" higher, and I like it better than on live versions imho
- blended guitars parts all played by Mark sounds really nice to my ears
- guitar solo has  a better melody than live versions imho

[dustyvalentino]

The way the album version was recorded indeed sounds like a filler. Live and also as demo version it sounded and was worked out much better. Solid Rock Live was always great but the album version was and still is  a skipper for me. Same as Les Boys by the way because of the cliché overkill in the lyrics...

LE

Which lyrics do you think are cliches in LB?

Now Hand in Hand, that's a cliche ridden cheesefest from the very start!

[Love Expresso]

Business Men in their Mercedes Benz, the dream of Jean Genet line..

It's not a homophobic song as such, but from a German point of view that whole Nazi stuff is not THAT amusing, thinking of Brits like Frankie Goes To Hollywood or Prince Harry turning up in SS uniforms as well. I get what he was trying  to imply ("it's all in fun now") but I always thought that was a little too easy a cheap laugh. Also music wise it's more old Vienna than Munich. (The Third Man anyone?)

LE