I wonder if thare are frienship or opinions between them, songs, etc, when he was in Dire Straits or by himself, any press opinion?

Million thanks
Carlos
Tenerife

The only thing I know of appears on a mid '80s radio interview with Keith where he picked 10 songs he likes/ is influenced by. (Some kind person posted it on here a while back - can't find the link, sorry). One of his choices was Money for Nothing and I think he spoke briefly about how good he thought Mark Knopfler was. Wonder if he'd still think that today?

Keith has worked with Knopfler's solo band, The '96ers several times in the last decade or so. I would suspect Keith thinks he's a fine player, although Knopfler abandoned trying to reach the rock market years ago and took himself out of the competition (something Keith probably would like to do himself from time to time). Clapton has long been a vocal supporter of Knopfler's playing ability and Keith and Clapton are mutual admirers so its certainly not impossible to think the appreciation extends to Knopfler.

He could have replaced Taylor,or at least Ron Wood.

How can this possibly be OT?

Whilst I can take or leave Dire Straits, Knopfler is a talented musician and his guitar on Sultans Of Swing still amazes.

Oh, I wouldn't claim Keith was a fan of his songwriting, I suspect it would be playing if anything. They share a number of the same influences. Keith rarely discusses the abilities of other guitarists. You won't find much mention of Dave Davies of the Kinks, for instance and he's another one that falls into the category of similar influences to the Stones.

in my opinion knopfler is ahead of all of them : keith , wood m taylor clapton,
what do you think ?

Knopfler to me has more in common with Randy Newman: droll, very literary, musically inventive.

If by that you mean lyrically, I'd agree. Musically, he's focused on folk, country, and blues since hanging up his rock star ambitions more than fifteen years ago. He still plays some blistering solos live, but his playing is minimalist in the studio. His most commercial songs in recent years were for his long-gestating collaborative effort with Emmylou Harris. The albums he's made on his own are largely low-key affairs with sharply observed character studies set against a backdrop of traditional music forms.

I'm hoping for another Knopler - Harris collaboration. I love the CD-DVD they put out. A great band on that.

he's maybe the finest guitar player alive today. of course, i have no idea what keith actually THINKS, but i can't imagine any musician not appreciating the genius of mark.

If he was good enough to play with Chet Atkins, he's good enough for me.

"Down To The Waterline" is a personal favorite.

same here Elmo. you play, right? do you guys play 'Waterline'? its great to play, if you have someone who can play Knopfler style or close to it!

Hey Duke, the band for the Emmylou collaboration and tour is The '96ers. They've been Knopfler's back-up band since he disbanded Dire Straits and they've seen a more stable line-up since their formation (in 1994 oddly enough, but nothing saw the light of day until 1996 - hence the name) than Dire Straits did in their 15 years of existence.

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Amsterdamned
He could have replaced Taylor,or at least Ron Wood.

i never thought of this before but you might be on to something no matter how sacreligious it sounds .good taste !!!

thanks Rocky! their work is familiar, Richard Bennett is on lots of my favorite albums, and Stuart Duncan with the Nashville Bluegrass Band..also Glenn Worf is the bassist, right? I can't think of the drummer's name at the moment but he is a great pocket player.

You can take Knopfler or leave him..that as all music is a personal choice....however, I do not see how you cannot appreciate what an absolute unbelievable musician he is. I am a huge fan yes...and having seen Mark live since the early Straits days...I am always astounded at his playing and his tone. And he always has a top notch band. His latest solo tour...was one of my favorites.

Isn't it strange that Knopfler created tension between himself and Mick Taylor
at the Infindels sessions with Bob Dylan in the 80's. Knopfler didn't want Taylor included, he wanted the ZZ Top Guitarist - Bob put him in his place by
telling Knopfler: Taylor is one of the best anf he's my choice!!!

Funny how about this time Knopfler turned to Les Paul's instead of his original
Fenders... Wonder if Taylor's Vibrato showed him something??

MLC

Duke, The '96ers original drummer was Chad Cromwell. More recently late-period Dire Straits percussionist Danny Cummings has taken over the drum riser.

MLC, I've heard Knopfler comment several times about wanting Billy Gibbons instead of Mick Taylor. I would note that Knopfler has apparently not tried particularly hard to work with Billy Gibbons since that time. I don't know what his issue with Taylor. I would guess it was nervousness being around someone with Taylor's ability, but that certainly didn't prevent him from beginning a longstanding tradition of playing live with Clapton during the LOVE OVER GOLD tour just before the INFIDELS sessions. I've also heard an INFIDELS bootleg where Dylan, Knopfler, and Josh Abbey discuss what a tremendous player Taylor is and how he should never have left the Stones, is self-destructive, etc. I suppose we'll never know the truth.

As to Knopfler's playing with other musicians, its no secret he's a perfectionist and has been described as very difficult to work with by several former Dire Straits members. I thought he did his best work with his brother, David (a talented singer/songwriter, musician and poet in his own right and a helluvva nice guy, I'd add). I enjoyed Hal Lindes' playing, but his personality and Knopfler appear not to have clicked. Jack Sonni was a good player, but the Little Steven image seems a mistake in retrospect. Phil Palmer is an excellent guitarist (its in his genes, being Dave Davies' nephew), but again seems to have had personality conflicts with Knopfler. He seems to have mellowed a bit with age since ending Dire Straits and I agree his pairing with Richard Bennett shows them both in a good light. Their studio work is what I would expect, but I'm always shocked at how well Bennett handles Dire Straits riffs live. Not what I would have expected from Bennett at all.

Techniaclly Knopfler is ahead but its not all about technically played guitar when it comes to any of the Stines work.

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slew
Techniaclly Knopfler is ahead but its not all about technically played guitar when it comes to any of the Stines work.

But the man's got taste and style too.

I've always considered he's a bit underrated among the rock purists, wich amazes me since he's always been rooted in blues, country, folk and classic 70's rock.

And not only as a guitar player.

As songwriter and lyricist, in my opinion he's or has been there with the greatest ones.

"Tunnel of Love" and "Telegraph Road" could have been written by Springsteen or Dylan any time.

I'm glad some people in this forum also appreciate his work.

That being said, Knopfler replacing Taylor or Woody? Dont think he fits there very much, but a collaboration sure would be interesting...

I personally think Mark Knopfler is a genius, and (along with Buddy Guy) the most talented guitarist my ears have ever had the pleasure to listen to.

He also seems extremely humble. No rockstar bullshit.

Drew

He is one of the best guitarists around. Maybe some of his work is undermined by his languid singing style, so for example Tunnel of Love - which I agree is an excellent song - may have stood up better with a more charismatic singer at the mic.

Anyway, Knopfler's work with Chet Atkins is clear proof that as a player he is among the very best. Also try and get a listen to the Notting Hillbillies if you haven't already. You'll know that Keith would like that stuff.

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milio77

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slew
Techniaclly Knopfler is ahead but its not all about technically played guitar when it comes to any of the Stines work.

"Tunnel of Love" and "Telegraph Road" could have been written by Springsteen or Dylan any time.

Guess who plays piano on Tunnel if Love? (BTW, Making Movies is one of my favorite all time records)

Money for Nothing and Honky Tonk Women are like cousins.
absolutely understandable, Keith liked that one.

I still want to know what type of pick Knopfler uses (lol).

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milio77


That being said, Knopfler replacing Taylor or Woody? Dont think he fits there very much, but a collaboration sure would be interesting...

The collaboration Wood -Rolling Stones is not the most inspiring one (talking about music!),
so there was nothing to loose since the Rolling Stones are about music in the first place.

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BluzDude

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milio77

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slew
Techniaclly Knopfler is ahead but its not all about technically played guitar when it comes to any of the Stines work.

"Tunnel of Love" and "Telegraph Road" could have been written by Springsteen or Dylan any time.

Guess who plays piano on Tunnel if Love? (BTW, Making Movies is one of my favorite all time records)

Of course, no other than Professor Roy Bittan. Great piano parts in that song. One of my favourite albums too.

Agreed and no disrespect to Guy Fletcher, who has been Knopfler's choice of collaborator for the past 25 years, but for my money, Alan Clark was the best keyboard player Knopfler ever found starting with the MAKING MOVIES ON LOCATION tour.