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Mark Knopfler opened a door to the song-writing Olympus with Sultans of Swing. This 1978 song was the presentation card for Dire Straits as an innovative band with strong roots in the traditions that developed into Rock Music.
The rhythmic guitar part is easy and I must say humbly that I can play it on guitar. Another thing is the soloist part. The last solo arpeggios are archetypical and many guitar heroes wannabe play this part in their bedrooms. How nice. Another strong point of Mark Knopfler.
Many lyrics from Dire Straits tell stories about musicians in the road that takes them from fame (quite the contrary to the Knopfler’s band last outcome). Remember Johnny from the Walk of Life? In Sultans of Swing, a band plays his music following no trends. As Wikipedia cites, some of the lyrics may be co-written with Bill Wilson.
The rhythmic guitar part is easy and I must say humbly that I can play it on guitar. Another thing is the soloist part. The last solo arpeggios are archetypical and many guitar heroes wannabe play this part in their bedrooms. How nice. Another strong point of Mark Knopfler.
Many lyrics from Dire Straits tell stories about musicians in the road that takes them from fame (quite the contrary to the Knopfler’s band last outcome). Remember Johnny from the Walk of Life? In Sultans of Swing, a band plays his music following no trends. As Wikipedia cites, some of the lyrics may be co-written with Bill Wilson.
Dire Straits was a quartet back in 1977 with the Knopfler brothers (Mark and David) at the guitar parts, John Illsey playing bass and drummer Pick Withers. To me, this band approach to rock was the correct. Rock music is a conservative music (no experiments needed) and they play music that can be heard while you enjoy a conversation with your friends. You can dance Dire Straits music, but you don’t need to. You can hear them in a Stadium (well, not now, of course) but you can also hear them in a pub. That was their strong point.
Years will come and the band’s music and lineup would change, but that’s another story.
The original video is not to be embedded but can be listen here. And another great version, with Eric Clapton and a solo to be noticed.
Dire Straits plays Sultans of Swing at Live Aid, 1985.
[via Granada28]
You get a shiver in the dark
It's raining in the park but meantime
South of the river you stop and you hold everything
A band is blowin' Dixie double four time
You feel alright when you hear that music ring
And now you step inside but you don't see too many faces
Comin' in out of the rain you hear the jazz go down
Competition in other places
Oh but the horns they blowin' that sound
Way on down south, way on down south London town
You check out Guitar George, he knows all the chords
Mind he's strictly rhythm he doesn't wanna make it cry or sing
Yes and an old guitar is all he can afford
When he gets up under the lights to play his thing
And Harry doesn't mind if he doesn't make the scene
He's got a daytime job, he's doin' alright
He can play the honky tonk like anything
Savin' it up for Friday night
With the Sultans... with the Sultans of Swing
And a crowd of young boys they're fooling around in the corner
Drunk and dressed in their best brown baggies and their platform soles
They don't give a damn about any trumpet playing band
It ain't what they call rock and roll
And the Sultans... yeah the Sultans play Creole
And then the man he steps right up to the microphone
And says at last just as the time bell rings
'Goodnight, now it's time to go home'
And he makes it fast with one more thing
'We are the Sultans... We are the Sultans of Swing'
[via Sing365]
Years will come and the band’s music and lineup would change, but that’s another story.
The original video is not to be embedded but can be listen here. And another great version, with Eric Clapton and a solo to be noticed.
Dire Straits plays Sultans of Swing at Live Aid, 1985.
[via Granada28]
You get a shiver in the dark
It's raining in the park but meantime
South of the river you stop and you hold everything
A band is blowin' Dixie double four time
You feel alright when you hear that music ring
And now you step inside but you don't see too many faces
Comin' in out of the rain you hear the jazz go down
Competition in other places
Oh but the horns they blowin' that sound
Way on down south, way on down south London town
You check out Guitar George, he knows all the chords
Mind he's strictly rhythm he doesn't wanna make it cry or sing
Yes and an old guitar is all he can afford
When he gets up under the lights to play his thing
And Harry doesn't mind if he doesn't make the scene
He's got a daytime job, he's doin' alright
He can play the honky tonk like anything
Savin' it up for Friday night
With the Sultans... with the Sultans of Swing
And a crowd of young boys they're fooling around in the corner
Drunk and dressed in their best brown baggies and their platform soles
They don't give a damn about any trumpet playing band
It ain't what they call rock and roll
And the Sultans... yeah the Sultans play Creole
And then the man he steps right up to the microphone
And says at last just as the time bell rings
'Goodnight, now it's time to go home'
And he makes it fast with one more thing
'We are the Sultans... We are the Sultans of Swing'
[via Sing365]
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5 comments:
Hola!
Amo a los Dire´s Straits, lamento no haberlos podido ver en vivo admito a Mark!!
Abrazo y gracias por tenerme en tus links, yo haré lo mismo en mi blog!
Gus
Grandiosos los Dire Straits. Soy otro de los fervientes admiradores de su música.
¡Vaya, no esperaba comentarios en esta entrada! Suelo tener poca suerte con los comentarios de música, pero, claro, son los Dire Straits.
Me alegro mucho que me escribáis los dos y que seáis fans. Yo, ya sabéis, suelo tender más al Metal y a otros tipos de música menos "convencionales" (si es que este grupo es de ese tipo, que no lo creo), pero cuando suena la guitarra de Knopfler, hay que escuchar con atención. Hoy, cuando he llegado a casa, mi mujer tenía el Brothers in Arms para amenizar la tarde a mi muchachote. Es curioso lo que influyó en nuestras vidas este grupo.
Por cierto, Gus, muchas gracias. Ha sido una suerte que esté conectado a Volviendo a lo de Ayer (lo siento, Urko, pero no he tenido tiempo de visitaros antes y os he comentado hoy). Está siendo una suerte esa historia de los "Seguidores". Gracias a la nueva función de Google estoy conociendo a mucha gente interesante (¡Hola, Fauve!) y descubriendo muchos blogs. Lo que pasa es que va demasiado rápido para mi. Tu blog Gus me ha interesado especialmente, porque llevo algún tiempo planeando alguna entrada sobre la tele del pasado. Con tiempo, me leeré tus entradas (al menos las últimas) y te seguiré con interés.
Un saludo a los dos.
Supongo que las entradas en inglés debería comentarlas en inglés pero no me veo con fuerzas...
Dire Straits era uno de mis grupos favoritos. Digo "era" porque entiendo que ya no están en activo y Mark Knopfler en solitario me resulta un pelín cansino... Los estuve viendo en Las Ventas hace ya años, en las gradas. ¡Jamás he pasado tanto frío! En cuanto la gente se animaba un poco aprovechaba para levantarme porque no había quien aguantara sentado. Aun así me gustaron mucho y "Sultans of Swing" es de mis preferidas.
Bueno, lo de comentar en inglés, como ves no es algo que haga nadie. A mí me da el punto de hacerlo en inglés, por eso de practicar y porque lo que comento está en inglés (un cómic, la música o un libro) así que no importa el idioma de los comentarios. Yo seguiré escribiendo a dos bandas porque le veo la gracia. Sé que hay traductores buenos en internet, pero me gusta hacerlo yo. Al principio pensé hacer las entradas en dos idiomas (es decir dos entradas por cada cosa que escribía), pero me harté pronto. Menos mal. Tenéis que disculpad que me guste hacerlo así y me parece chulo, porque estoy mejorando mucho mi escritura en un idioma que no es el mío propio (y lo intentaría en francés o italiano si supiese más). En fin, manías que tiene uno.
Me gusta mucho ver que os habéis animado a comentar mis entradas de música, porque antes tenía la sensación que no las leía ni el tato, pero los Dire Straits, como decía un amigo mío, son los Dire Straits (lo decía de los Rolling, pero creo que este axioma vale para cualquier grupo). Lo de Las Ventas es de coña. Pensar que en Madrid no suelen parar las grandes bandas por no tener un buen sitio para tocar (aún recuerdo escuchar a Metallica desde casa - estaba muy malito y no pude ir - porque tocaban en La Peineta y vivo a más de dos kilómetros de distancia). En las ventas tocaron los Beatles (en un festival rocambolesco, como los que se hacían entonces). Pensar que sólo AC/DC, de los artistas de fuera, lo tenga como algo chulo da pruebas del calado que supone para el caché de un grupo actuar allí. Por eso no vuelven.
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