Mark Knopfler

[french frank]

For the reasons teamsaint mentions.

And I thought I'd shot down team's argument

I don't think about Dire Straits or its frontman from one year to the next. I find that music bland to the point of being completely ignorable if I ever encounter it. Life is too short for easy listening.

What a sad reflection. Are there not times when you just want a background music to wash over you rather than necessarily being mean and meaningful, or that you have to analyse. Maybe there’s the difference between a listener and a composer!

Here I do agree with Richard. My life is too short for easy listening as well. And for light reading. Fortunately, I don't find that at all sad. Much of life seems to me to be all about navigating so as to please everyone and annoy no one when it comes to everyone else's harmless pursuits. Dooooomed.

[RichardB]

What a sad reflection. Are there not times when you just want a background music to wash over you rather than necessarily being mean and meaningful, or that you have to analyse.

Those aren't the only two alternatives!

[cloughie]

Those aren't the only two alternatives!

No, but isn’t the range of music wonderful and the ‘one person’s trash is another person’s treasure’ prevails perpetually! Enjoy your music Richard and I will mine too!

[cloughie]

Here I do agree with Richard. My life is too short for easy listening as well. And for light reading. Fortunately, I don't find that at all sad. Much of life seems to me to be all about navigating so as to please everyone and annoy no one when it comes to everyone else's harmless pursuits. Dooooomed.

Not even to relax - not even with music of your choice? I guess music is not a very important part of your life, ff!

[RichardB]

No, but isn’t the range of music wonderful

That is true.

[ChandlersFord]

For the reasons teamsaint mentions.

I don't think about Dire Straits or its frontman from one year to the next. I find that music bland to the point of being completely ignorable if I ever encounter it. Life is too short for easy listening.

This is a view shared by many people, most of whom express amazement that Dire Straits achieved the massive success that they did.

I've always felt that Mark Knopfler was a very talented songwriter and a very good (if not actually great) guitarist. At at time when there seemed to be little new on offer in popular music that wasn't punk or new wave, Dire Straits gave people what they really wanted, without being retro, though their influences (Dylan/the pub rock movement) were obvious - hence, they became huge.

The massive success of the Police has always puzzled me, though, as I don't think Gordon Sumner (I'm not going to give him his silly stage name, which he should have left behind when he left school) is much cop as a songwriter (he relies too much on repetition). If I'd been in A&R, I would've told Summers and Copepland to go away and come back when they'd found a proper singer/bassist/songwriter. Just as well I'm not in A&R .....

[jayne lee wilson]

This is a view shared by many people, most of whom express amazement that Dire Straits achieved the massive success that they did.

I've always felt that Mark Knopfler was a very talented songwriter and a very good (if not actually great) guitarist. At at time when there seemed to be little new on offer in popular music that wasn't punk or new wave, Dire Straits gave people what they really wanted, without being retro, though their influences (Dylan/the pub rock movement) were obvious - hence, they became huge.

The massive success of the Police has always puzzled me, though, as I don't think Gordon Sumner (I'm not going to give him his silly stage name, which he should have left behind when he left school) is much cop as a songwriter (he relies too much on repetition). If I'd been in A&R, I would've told Summers and Copepland to go away and come back when they'd found a proper singer/bassist/songwriter. Just as well I'm not in A&R .....

Greatest Hits Album, across 5 years - not a bad catalogue is it?
Infectiousy catchy and musically often quite ingenious....they don't write the same song too often, compare Roxanne with Walking on the Moon or Tea in the Sahara... I really loved them at the time & still think of them fondly and admiringly... its just Great Pop (with great lyrics & a delightful Art/PostPunk element to it...like The Cars..).

1. "Roxanne" Outlandos d'Amour, 1978 3:13
2. "Can't Stand Losing You" Outlandos d'Amour 2:48
3. "So Lonely" Outlandos d'Amour 4:48
4. "Message in a Bottle" Reggatta de Blanc, 1979 4:49
5. "Walking on the Moon" Reggatta de Blanc 5:02
6. "The Bed's Too Big Without You" Reggatta de Blanc 4:24
7. "Don't Stand So Close to Me" Zenyatta Mondatta, 1980 4:02
8. "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" Zenyatta Mondatta 4:08
9. "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" Ghost in the Machine, 1981 4:20
10. "Invisible Sun" Ghost in the Machine 3:43
11. "Spirits in the Material World" Ghost in the Machine 2:58
12. "Synchronicity II" Synchronicity, 1983 5:00
13. "Every Breath You Take" Synchronicity 4:12
14. "King of Pain" Synchronicity 4:57
15. "Wrapped Around Your Finger" Synchronicity 5:14
16. "Tea in the Sahara"

[ChandlersFord]

Greatest Hits Album, across 5 years - not a bad catalogue is it?
Infectiousy catchy and musically often quite ingenious....they don't write the same song too often, compare Roxanne with Walking on the Moon or Tea in the Sahara... I really loved them at the time & still think of them fondly and admiringly... its just Great Pop (with great lyrics & a delightful Art/PostPunk element to it...like The Cars..).

1. "Roxanne" Outlandos d'Amour, 1978 3:13
2. "Can't Stand Losing You" Outlandos d'Amour 2:48
3. "So Lonely" Outlandos d'Amour 4:48
4. "Message in a Bottle" Reggatta de Blanc, 1979 4:49
5. "Walking on the Moon" Reggatta de Blanc 5:02
6. "The Bed's Too Big Without You" Reggatta de Blanc 4:24
7. "Don't Stand So Close to Me" Zenyatta Mondatta, 1980 4:02
8. "De Do Do Do, De Da Da Da" Zenyatta Mondatta 4:08
9. "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" Ghost in the Machine, 1981 4:20
10. "Invisible Sun" Ghost in the Machine 3:43
11. "Spirits in the Material World" Ghost in the Machine 2:58
12. "Synchronicity II" Synchronicity, 1983 5:00
13. "Every Breath You Take" Synchronicity 4:12
14. "King of Pain" Synchronicity 4:57
15. "Wrapped Around Your Finger" Synchronicity 5:14
16. "Tea in the Sahara"

I don't dislike them by any means, I just find their massive success....strange.


A couple of years ago, I bought their complete albums set (it was something like £6.99, so it would've been rude not to) and found their work very patchy. The catchiness can't be denied, and the 'white reggae' thing was innovative (plus, they were intelligent enough not to flog it to death), but all that repetition gets wearing (for me) after a while ....

Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) claims they were the last progressive rock band, and they may have been. Copeland, of course, was in Curved Air ...