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Fun Stuff => BAND => Topic started by: Jackie Blue on 02 Apr 2008, 14:43
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Best late-70s/early-80s pure rock band ever?
Why yes. Yes, I think so.
I just got Communique again after having not had it for quite a while and it is just amazing to this day. I have almost always had a copy of Making Movies lying around, but I am beginning to think that my previous thought that MM was their best album is not quite accurate; Communique is just solid as hell.
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I really need to get a new copy of the Alchemy live album. Technically I like already own half a copy seeing as how I bought it with my brother when I was a kid, but needless to say it's now in his possession.
Anyway, sometimes you just want to listen to some good, honest stadium rock. This is where bands like Dire Straits come in.
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I actually haven't had Alchemy since, God, probably 1990 because I never got around to buying a CD version and lost the tapes.
I don't actually remember it being all that superior to the album versions, but I could be wrong. I know it had that extended intro to "Tunnel of Love".
What I like best about the band is that even once they started selling stadium-level numbers of albums, they still sounded like an understated smoky pub band. Well, until Brothers in Arms, anyway.
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I don't actually remember it being all that superior to the album versions, but I could be wrong. I know it had that extended intro to "Tunnel of Love".
It also has like a fucking billion years long version of the solo at the end. And 'Tunnel of Love''s solo is one of the best ever.
That, and 15-minute 'Sultans.'
I even liked Brothers in Arms. God, I could write an essay on Dire Straits right here but suffice to say... I was brought up on a steady diet of 'em and never stopped loving 'em.
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I wasn't brought up on them, but they are the first "good" band I liked. By '87 I had all their albums. Brothers in Arms isn't bad at all - it has a few of my favourite songs of theirs, like "The Man's Too Big" - I just don't listen to it much because the tone is pretty different. It's the Out of Time of Dire Straits albums.
I don't really remember On Every Street at all except that I thought it was quite boring.
Never got into Knopfler's solo stuff either, though I hear good things about that recent one he did with Emmylou Harris.
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Dire Straits were a huge part of my childhood.
They are actually the only band who can end half the songs with an extended guitar solo and still be awesome. Probably because Knopfler is actually more interested in making pretty sounds with his guitar than showing off
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^Same here. I remember being extremely dissapointed when I read the lyrics to Money for Nothing on the Money for Nothing greatest hits CD, and realised they'd cut a whole verse about a "faggot with the earring and the makeup" from the album. I'd never heard it at the time. On that subject, who were they talking about? I remember reading it somewhere, but have forgotten.
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Well my dad met Mark Knopfler, so err yeah suck on that internets! Knopfler was a good friend of some of my parents friends and confided in them several times how he disliked some of the side effects of fame.
I will receive some scorn for it (not that I care) but I still think Money for Nothing is a great song, it has one of the most catchy guitar riffs ever. Once I hear it I have it my head for the rest of the day.
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I only have their self-titled, but it's got Sultans on it. I grew up listening to Sultans and Setting Me Up and hooooooly fuck that made my life so much better than it could've been.
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I remember listening to some live Dire Straits a few years back quite alot. The girl I had a crush on loved Brothers in Arms, so.
But in general I really liked the atmosphere of the songs and its a shame I haven't listened to Dire Straits much afterwards, maybe should get around again.
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get Making Movies you fuck
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Am I the only one here who finds them incredibly boring?
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Am I the only one here who finds them incredibly boring?
yes get out
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They are a good band for driving at night.
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This is what I think of Mark Knopfler's guitar playing:
(http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/4206/hellyeahmotherfuckervw9.jpg)
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This is what I think of Mark Knopfler's guitar playing:
(http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/4206/hellyeahmotherfuckervw9.jpg)
right-click save.
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I've been meaning to get into them, but so far all I have is a greatest-hits comp (http://www.discogs.com/release/796262) that I found in the dollar bin of a junk store.
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Early Dire Straits was completely awesome. Later Dire Straits was somewhat less awesome, because the ratio of sweet upbeat tunes ("Lady Writer", "Sultans of Swing", "Tunnel of Love") to brooding introspective tunes (everything else) plummeted. Knopfler's solo stuff is almost all the dark, quiet stuff. Yes, it's very good, but there's only so much of it I can take. I have to have an upbeat song here and there to break it up or I just want to kill myself.
I remember being extremely dissapointed when I read the lyrics to Money for Nothing on the Money for Nothing greatest hits CD, and realised they'd cut a whole verse about a "faggot with the earring and the makeup" from the album. I'd never heard it at the time. On that subject, who were they talking about? I remember reading it somewhere, but have forgotten.
The story goes: Mark Knopfler was in a store one time, and the TVs were all tuned to MTV. This was the 80's, back when MTV still played music videos, and their slogan was "I want my MTV". Two delivery guys had stopped to watch MTV for a few, and he found their conversation interesting. One of them used an expression he'd never heard before and thought was kinda cool, "That's the way you do it!" So the whole song is the comments these guys were making while watching videos on MTV. They have to move microwave ovens, refrigerators, etc., while some faggot with an earring and makeup playing guitar on MTV is a millionaire with his own jet.
That second verse is practically the crux of the social comment, but it was deemed offensive and was cut from the "short version" of the song.
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Yeah before anyone goes thinking Mark Knopfler was homophobic or something, let's remember that years before he wrote "Les Boys" which is a non-judgemental song about the gay leather scene in Europe.
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Seriously. The "fagot" line is pretty obviously tongue-in-cheek...he uses it sarcastically, being all "yeah, that little fagot, he's a millionaire." As in, you can think what you want about him, but he's still more successful than you'll ever be.
Dire Straits fucking rule. Some guy at my school is allegedly related to their old bassist or something, I've got to look into that.
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I really wish "faggot" didn't have that pesky anti-homosexual thing going on, because seriously, that would be such a great all-encompassing swear word.
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Patrick, that is twice in this thread now that you have thought exactly what I was saying.
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Huh. In the past I could never bring myself to listen to Dire Straits, because if I ever got curious enough to want to try them, I'd think of "Money for Nothing," look up a picture of them, have a good giggle and then forget what I was doing.
So I guess I'll go listen to Dire Straits now. Starting point?
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The best of titled 'Sultans of Swing' is a rather good collection (better than that Money for Nothing one, slightly). Then get the albums with your favourite tunes on. :)
The CD with Telegraph Road at the start is a must though. "Love over Gold." That song is epic
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get Making Movies you fuck
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Making Movies You Fuck
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Thanks for the link, Tommy. I did find it interesting, for a while.
Then the process of clicking Next and waiting for the next page and all of its damned advertisements to load, all to read a single paragraph summary, became too tedious and I bailed. The dude should've just put it all on the same page. When ads and other bullshit overshadow actual content by 10 to 1 or more, you're doing it wrong.
But seriously, thanks. I know you tried. :mrgreen:
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mmmmmmmmm. Dire Straights.
*goes all reminiscy and smiles* :lol:
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Dire Straights
I have never heard of this band.
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Dire Straights
I have never heard of this band.
o.O
grrrr...
OK so I spelled it wrong.
*sticks out tongue*
anyway.
as penance, I'll post good links
Money for Nothing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ehl_VQuKRTc)
Brothers in Arms (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5JkHBC5lDs)
So Far Away (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcnP5CjOy1Y)
Your Latest Trick (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho0d-FNbNE4)
Sailing to Philedelphia (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4khLRDBXhsM)
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My only contribution to this thread:
I am not a Dire Straits fan, but based on what I've heard my brother listening to, I agree with his assertion that most people who think Dire Straits are shit have heard 'Sultans Of Swing' and 'Money For Nothing' and fuck all else.
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Am I the only one here who finds them incredibly boring?
Not at all, I do too! And I was raised on them. I don't think it's bad music or anything, it's just not good, at all.
However, I do agree with Khar that it's good night driving music.
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Yeah, I agree on that part. I haven't listened to anything that wasn't on the radio, so I don't know much about them, but what I have heard, I liked.
Someone should make a thread on what qualities make good driving music. Can't be too slow, or you fall asleep when driving at night, but if you put on bonded by blood, or something similar, you do 100 in the 65 without realizing it.
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There is only one album that I use when going spontaneous-midwest-road-trolloping. I take all other cds out of my car, and the only thing we listen to is a warped tape of Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska. Over. and over.
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as penance, I'll post good links
Money for Nothing (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ehl_VQuKRTc)
Brothers in Arms (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5JkHBC5lDs)
So Far Away (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcnP5CjOy1Y)
Your Latest Trick (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho0d-FNbNE4)
Sailing to Philedelphia (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4khLRDBXhsM)
You just posted five of the worst Dire Straits songs ever. :?
Their first three albums blow their later material out of the water SO HARD.
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If those are the good links, why is Romeo and Juliet (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vTmCs9k_rZY) not included?
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I heard "Skateaway" on a gas station's radio station the other day.
It was followed up by the Cure's "Lovesong".
It was very confusing, considering where I live (redneck is putting it mildly) and "Skateaway" wasn't even ever a US single, was it?
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Well *I* happen to *Like* those songs.. I like the Brothers in Arms album.
Sorry I didn't post Romeo & Juliet, it slipped my mind and I just posted the first ones I could think of. But yes, Romeo & Juliet is a *great* song also.
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I like those songs too, I just think that Brothers in Arms barely even sounds like the same band that did the albums before it.
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I heard "Skateaway" on a gas station's radio station the other day.
It was followed up by the Cure's "Lovesong".
It was very confusing, considering where I live (redneck is putting it mildly) and "Skateaway" wasn't even ever a US single, was it?
Yeah, it was. It had a bad video to go with it and everything.
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I am not a Dire Straits fan, but based on what I've heard my brother listening to, I agree with his assertion that most people who think Dire Straits are shit have heard 'Sultans Of Swing' and 'Money For Nothing' and fuck all else.
"Sultans of Swing" is one of my all-time favourites. I don't understand how anybody could hate it. And Mark Knopfler is a goddamn virtuoso, both in skills and musical sense (suck my dick, Yngwie Malmsteen).
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Yeah. Anyone who hears the solo in Sultans of Swing and doesn't like it (or at least appreciate it) obviously doesn't like rock music.
Fuck Eric Clapton. Knopfler wins.
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Fuck Eric Clapton.
I certainly agree there. And Paul Weller too.
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My parents saw Mark Knopfler live the other day.
Let's just say that I was very, very jealous.
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Unless he had a headband on it didn't count.
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There is only one album that I use when going spontaneous-midwest-road-trolloping. I take all other cds out of my car, and the only thing we listen to is a warped tape of Bruce Springsteen's Nebraska. Over. and over.
Getting pulled over while listening to State Trooper would be hilarious and at the same time possibly problematic.
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Back to the line about the "faggot" in Money for Nothing, I don't think it's so much as tongue in cheek as that he is singing in character throughout the entire song. The story about the delivery guys makes sense what with the video being exactly that. Two workin' class dudes lookin' at the guy on TV with the cushy life gettin' all the babes despite lookin' all gay.
My parents had a couple of Dire Straits albums, would listen to them every so often. They were ok!
Oh, and when I was in primary school (about year 2 or something?) one of my classmates wrote that he "liked the Dire Straits song Money for nothing and chicks for free" but the teacher didn't know what the fuck he was talking about, so she "translated" it to become that he liked Dire Straits and also free chicken.
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Dire Straits are made of pure awesome.
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free chicken is awesome
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Free food at all is awesome. Unless it's broccoli, then it's not so awesome because I shitfountain for weeks. And I really don't like eggplant.
Despite Mark Knopfler being unparalleled in his playing, I'd like it to be known that what I've heard out of Nels Cline (Wilco's Sky Blue Sky) is the only thing that even seems to come within shooting distance.
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Brothers in Arms is one of my favourite albums, containing two of my favourite songs (Man's too Strong and Brothers in Arms) and their other albums are really good. Brothers in Arms still sends chills up my spine after all these years.
I've seen them in concert (Ottawa in 1992) and Mark Knopfler solo (Ottawa again, in 2006) and the music is amazing. the only thing is don't go to Mark's concerts expecting a stage show - the man has zero stage presence, but with his ability to make his guitar do what it does I can forgive him.
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I'd like it to be known that what I've heard out of Nels Cline (Wilco's Sky Blue Sky) is the only thing that even seems to come within shooting distance.
You seriously need to get some other Nels Cline. Even the Wilco live album.
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Just saw Mark Knopfler at the Mann Music center in Philadelphia in early August. Great show. It's nice to see he can still amaze a huge audience. Telegraph Road was an unbelievable closer...
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Brothers in Arms is one of my favourite albums, containing two of my favourite songs (Man's too Strong and Brothers in Arms) and their other albums are really good. Brothers in Arms still sends chills up my spine after all these years.
*glomps on to kindred soul*
see!!! yay, I'm not the only one who loves this album!
*listens to Your Latest Trick interspersed with We Decide It*
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the only thing is don't go to Mark's concerts expecting a stage show - the man has zero stage presence, but with his ability to make his guitar do what it does I can forgive him.
I've never seen Mark or Dire Staits, but I've heard that too about their shows. They're all about playing the tunes and putting everything into it, not about running around and jumping up and down. I'm okay with that. Some bands are for a rowdy good time, others are really more for listening.
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my dad recently went to a Mark Knopfler concert and said that now, he was ready to die. if thats not props i have no idea what is.
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I know it's supposed to be high praise, but I always found that particular expression a bit weird, and depressing. Maybe because when I was little, I didn't understand it, and thought it pretty much meant the opposite. "I saw Mark Knopfler; now I want to die".
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haha yeah me too
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This thread just made me put on Brother's in Arms; I listened to that album a ton when I was a kid. I always equate Ride Across the River to driving around in South Dakota at night with my family.
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Whenever I listen to Dire Straits I feel like Patrick Bateman would approve of it.
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Bah, he can't even get reservations at Dorsia's, what does he know?
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"Sultans of Swing" was the first song I listened to after I lost a regional spelling bee. Now every time I listen to that song I feel a crushing sense of inadequacy.
I mean I missed the word "divine" for fuck's sake.
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I missed parentage because the stuck up prick that insisted on saying the words because only someone from his school could be trusted to enunciate correctly didn't pronounce the P and barely pronounced the n, so it sounded like heritage.
Still somewhat annoyed, though I got over thinking that he did it because it was me and a student from his school left.
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Listening to Dire Straits makes me go all weird and wobbly, in the best possible ways. Every so often I start craving music by Knopfler and end up listening to both DS and his solo stuff almost non-stop for a couple of weeks.
Knopfler is without doubt my favourite guitarist of all time, and perhaps also my single favourite musician. Tunnel of Love, Sultans of Swing, and Walk of Life are some of my favourite tunes of all time.
And this thread is like my favourite QC thread of all time!
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Now every time I listen to that song I feel a crushing sense of inadequacy.
Yeah, but don't you feel that way all the time?
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Only around women.
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For a time, I thought that a dire strait was the Panama Canal.
I guess I'll fetch my headphones.