SOD: Mark Knopfler "Remembrance Day"

I've always been an avid fan of Mark Knopfler and Dire Straits. He's played on so many albums that I'd say it's impossible you haven't heard him at some point. He even did a stint with Bob Dylan where he played guitar and produced the album Infidels (Jokerman is one of my all time favorite songs) Coincidentally, my sister just saw Knopfler and Dylan play together last night! She promised me a write-up, so I'm looking forward to that.

In addition to Knopfler's incredible accomplishments as a solo artist and with Dire Straits, he has also done a lot of movie soundtrack work. One of the more notable ones is Princess Bride, but he's also worked on Last Exit To Brooklyn, Wag The Dog, and Metroland among others.

The man is as talented a guitarist as they come. He is a renowned fingerstyle guitarist, and he's created one of the most recognizable sounds that I've ever heard. He is so incredibly smooth, he makes some of the most complicated runs and licks sound utterly effortless. I remember when I was just a kid, under ten years old, and Mark Knopfler was by far my favorite guitarist. I had never heard anything like it, his guitar had a voice. I would sing along with his guitar parts when I played my parents Dire Straits vinyl, forget the words! To this day, I still hold him in the highest of esteem.

This particular song is off his 2009 solo album entitled Get Lucky. Overall, I find it to be a strong effort, with a wide breadth of songs. It's a quieter album than anything he did with Dire Straits, and it's subtleties (especially in guitar) are what really make it continually interesting. There's still some rocking tunes like the swampy "Cleaning My Gun." A lot of similarities can be drawn between his solo work and his work with Dire Straits. After all, he was the frontman and lead guitarist, so that's to be expected. But I find his solo work to take on a calmer and less intense sound. It's closer to songs like "Romeo and Juliet" and "Brother In Arms" than it is to "Sultans Of Swing," "Heavy Fuel," or "Money For Nothing." Those harder, more in-your-face rock songs are left to the groups catalog, while Knopfler the solo artists takes a less aggressive approach.

Knopfler released his seventh solo effort Privateering, in September of this year. I have not heard it yet (I know, quite the fan...) but intend on hearing it before the year is through. If anyone has listened to it please, let me know what you think.