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David Knopfler

Some personal remarks


Sultans of Scam

Why David Knopfler, founder member of Dire Straits, would like you to boycott his record.

DK-JayPee



This is an exception.
David Knopfler will be the only musician I offer some comments on because he really deserves it.
He is grossly underrated. Discover an old friend of yours!


Always be

In the early morn
when you hear the bird song
I will always be
I will always be

Though the night be long
I will always comfort
I will always be
I will always be

And though the night be dark
Inside your frightened heart
I will always be
I will always be

In my son's smile
Though the winds be wild
I will always be
I will always be

In any star that shine
In every friend of mine
I will always be
I will always be

Though I must leave
If you believe
I will always be
I will always be

On a brand new dawn
Or in the wind's song
Or when the roses come

Copyright © by David Knopfler 1991


Most of you may not have heard of David Knopfler while many may know his brother Mark, who is with Dire Straits when he is not on his own.

David initially founded Dire Straits and played with the band on their first two albums. Afterwards he left the band to walk his own path of music. A journalist summed up this period of David's career as follows:

    David Knopfler (born 1952) is a guitar player who graced the first two Dire Straits albums. Unfortunately, it was his brother Mark who wrote the songs, sang them, and got to play all the lead guitar. Which maybe explains why Dave graced only those two Dire Straits' albums

His brother must have observed him quite a bit because it's David who comes up with the marvellous ideas which Dire Straits adopted in their work later. Commenting on David's latest CD "small mercies", a journalist wrote: this is the music Mark Knopfler would have liked to come up with. Well, he may be right but that doesn't bother David much these days, I guess.

By the way, he wrote an immensely enlightening short book on the record industry called "Bluff your way in the rock business" and it's available on his web-site, the address of which is given below.

The outcome of David's travels through his musical mind is documented on 7 CDs so far, all of which are highly recommended for two reasons at least

  • David is an excellent singer-songwriter who produces music with a rich texture and exquisite flavor.
  • David's development as a musician is amazing, his songs and his voice have matured and he has acquired a quality of personal development aiming at fully realizing his artistic and human potential simultaneously.

The first 5 CDs of David's opus (published on his own label Paris Records) are available on his web-site to which you are referred below. Their titles are (check the sequence of titles and you'll get an idea of the story-teller DK):

  • Release (1983)
    • This album is reviewed as follows:
      This early solo album from David Knopfler has a strong Dire Straits flavor, particularly "Madonna's Daughter," where Mark Knopfler contributes his unmistakable rhythm guitar. However, David Knopfler's strong, sandpaper vocals and the gentle orchestral feel of some of the tracks make this album distinctly his own: "Sideshow" has a rocky, dance-almost-disco rhythm, there's some interestingly-dirty sax work on "Come to Me," and the recording closes with a memorable, late-night love song "The Great Divide." ~ Ali Sinclair, All-Music Guide

  • Behind the lines (1985)
  • Cut the wire (1986)
  • Lips against the steel (1988)
  • Lifelines (1991)

The latest CDs "The Giver" (1993) and "small mercies" (1994) are both available on his web-site or with CDnow and other well assorted record shops.

Besides his music, David has become a prolific writer of comments on the music industry, the Internet and electronic communication (check his web-site). I understand he still loves his Apple (sigh!). And he is frequently mentioned in one of the most exciting web-sites I've come across.


I appreciate his work very much
because it is the expression of a complex human mind and soul -
what more can we ask for in a world
becoming increasingly narrow-minded and cold-hearted?
Thank you so much, David!


Eberhard Wenzel, 6 June 1997
Hi Alan, in case you drop by.


Link to David Knopfler's WebSite


CDNow


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Copyright © by Eberhard Wenzel, 1997-2001