There was complete madness in the British charts of the late 1970s: punk was replaced by post-punk, which appeared, despite the prefix “post”, before punk, heavy metal manes howled terribly, synthetic poppers writhed in romantic ecstasy. Lemmy, a mustachioed heterosexual, and Freddy, a mustachioed sodomite, occasionally broke the air. But no one expected to see a band with the modest name Dire Straits on the chart, playing clearly proletarian pub rock with intelligent lyrics and musical roots, fueled by country, folk and jazz.
The song “Sultans Of Swing” contains an elastic rhythmic base, lyrics about a group of jazz musicians from the 1950s and a chain of magnificent guitar passages, where each fragment deserves a separate song. Although the words evoked some allusions to Bob Dylan’s work, and the instrumental evoked the playing of the unforgettable Django Reinhardt, the composition itself was unlike anything that had previously existed. Even the critics, who like to make themselves look like pompous fools, jumped with delight with boiling water filling their pants.
Mark Froider Knopfler was born in Glasgow on August 12, 1949, to an English mother and a Jewish father who left Hungary in anticipation of the Holocaust. It is possible that Scottish and Northern English peers teased little Mark with the nickname Marik-Half-Iddy, but no documentary evidence of this has been found. But it is known for certain that by the age of 12, Mark had already begged father for an unscrupulously expensive Hofner guitar (50 pounds!!!), and by the age of majority he had hitchhiked all over the UK and accessible parts of Europe, interrupting journalistic earnings on the go.
Growing up, his favorite singers were Elvis and other legendary rockabilly gang, and among the guitarists were Chet Atkins, Scotty Moore, James Burton and, of course, Django Reinhardt. Even in 1968, Knopfler drifted to Leeds, where he found a job at a local newspaper and had a fateful meeting with Steve Phillips, whose collection of guitars and vinyl completely curtailed the Mark’s perception. The basics of journalism will manifest themselves in the lyrics of future songs, but the artifacts discovered by Phillips will definitively confirm the formation of Mark Knopfler as a musician.
He will be called a virtuoso quite deservedly after the first album, commercial success will follow, concerts will turn into stadium shows, and it is this exorbitant burden that will crush a small English rock band. Having recorded their best work “On Every Street”, vulgarly barked by reviewers with a shrinking brain, Dire Straits left the stage at the peak of their career, completely exhausted physically and mentally. In 1995, the termination of the creative path of the legendary band was announced. Mark, however, wasted no time traveling around Louisiana and Ireland all that year, accumulating material, impressions, and musicians. On March 25, 1996, Mark Knopfler’s first fully solo album, titled Golden Heart, was released. That’s what we’ll discuss tonight.
Darling Pretty is a soulful Celtic rock based on the Steps of Giants, permeated with the smell of four-leaf clover. The arrangement, created with the help of magnificent Irish musicians with their authentic instruments, seems to send the listener flying over the emerald hills of the Green Island.
Imelda is somewhat reminiscent of the best action films of the Dire Straits era, but the Louisiana “swampiness” has been noticeably added to the sound.
Golden Heart is a piercing and very cinematic folk-rock ballad, after listening to which there remains a sweet aftertaste, as if from a good wine and an equally good movie.
No Can Do is another swamp rocker, more assertive and aggressive. In the backwaters of the muddy Mississippi River, you can walk over the heads of alligators in boots made from their skins.
Vic And Ray has a completely otherworldly sound. An acoustic bass adds a special mystique, sighing about the times before the arrival of the erectus. In the text, there are regular life observations. About the London blockheads, this time.
Don’t You Get It is an alarmingly aggressive country rock. The last argument before picking up a baseball bat or a shotgun.
A Night In Summer Long Ago is definitively Celtic, stripped of its modern sound, insinuating and piercing at the same time, devilishly touching, but devoid of even a hint of mawkishness. It has the ability to drag the listener into a serene fairy tale for a few minutes.
Cannibals is an absolutely restless song that makes your feet dance on their own. It begins with the rolling drums of Chad Cromwell, joined by Steve Nathan’s hammond and the accordion of one of the kings of zydeco, Jo-El Saunier. According to the optional opinion of some, it is very reminiscent of the “Walk Of Life” of the unforgettable Dire Straits.
I’m The Fool is a sumptuous lyrical composition that is easy to imagine in Roy Orbison’s repertoire.
Je Suis Désolé is the pure Cajun style. Sonny Landreth is masterfully in charge of the resonator guitar, Michael Doucet supports him on the violin, and Steve Conn tears the harmony bellows. The soul unfolds and folds back twice per beat.
Rudiger should be studied in music schools. A more precise and refined arrangement is difficult to find, and even more difficult to imagine. All the more amusing is the fact that the name Rudiger belongs to a certain junkman, about whom this song of unimaginable beauty is composed.
Nobody’s Got The Gun is simply gorgeous, and Danny Cummings’ xylophone adds a special charm to it.
Done With Bonaparte is told from the perspective of a Napoleonic soldier who miraculously survived all the adventures of the “little corporal”. “The Cossacks tore us apart…” Liam O’Flynn on the Irish bagpipes and Sean Keen on the violin, a member of the great The Chieftains, add special insight. As is also known from Walter Scott’s novel “Quentin Dorward”, the Celts of Scotland often came to serve the French sovereigns in order to annoy the damned Englishmen.
Are We In Trouble Now – excellent lyrics with country star Vince Gill on backup and Paul Franklin on steel guitar.
Perhaps the album “Golden Heart” is the most powerful and integral, with all the stylistic diversity, the work of Mark Knopfler, who managed to record eleven (!) solo records after the end of Dire Straits. Fortunately, he does not intend to stop, the most recent recording to date, “One Deep River”, was released in 2024. That means we’ll have something to talk about next night, Moon Dawgs!
