Dire Straits quit in 1995, but Mark Knopfler released his 10th solo album last year. This concert was in 1983, so it predates Miami Vice. And Mark Knopfler is indeed know for his fingerpicking, he rarely uses a pick. And "Telegraph Road" from the same concert is maybe even better.
Mark Knophler is one of the best guitarists alive today. Dire Straits sold over 120 million albums worldwide and Mark has had a very successful solo career over 30 years and 4 times Grammy winner.
Quiet grandpas. Live shows still happen everywhere with talented bands. Your just stuck in the past and only hear the 1% of modern music that is top 40 garbage and judge all modern music on that.
@sixpakshaker88 Nah,your generation is musically challenged.. You're famous for it. Of course, there are a few talented people today,but there are no great bands today.. I do like Alabama Shakes.. They play music for grown up's.. Stick to Miley and Taylor that's your generation .. lol.
@sixpakshaker88 Rap and hip hop is 98% crap.. that hurt your generation musically.. Nobody can sing or play an instrument.. Song writing is terrible.. Anyone young with talent mostly does cover songs from the glory days of music.. There is very little music talent today.. I wish there was..
Mark was inspired to write this song after watching some band playing at a bar that no one was paying attention to.. at the end of their set, they closed out with saying they were the "Sultans of Swing".. So it's about a bar band.. guys with regular jobs that play on the weekend or whatever.
I don't think he ever learned flamenco. He taught himself initially from a chord book as a kid and later played folk music including with his friend Steve Phillips who sold him his iconic National Style O resonator guitar and was later a member of The Notting Hillbillies which Mark formed as a side project.
Ive seen a couple of reactors questioning his "colored girls" lyric, please remember that when lou reed wrote walk on the wild side that was the accepted way to refer to black women and the recording industry kept most black women either on motown label or as background singers unless they were tina turner or areatha franklin. He was shouting out to the backup singers who usually didnt even get listed on the albulm jackets.
Such a distinctive way of playing guitar. It's more like a duet between Mark and his guitar. Everyone in the band is an amazing, accomplished museum. When you're ready, check out "Brothers in Arms" - it's one of the most haunting, touching tributes to soldiers you will ever hear. There's a scene in Miami Vice that uses that song, and it's wild.
The song is not supposed to be swing. It's about a swing band playing in a club where most patrons don't really care about listening to a trumpet playing band and would rather be listening to rock and roll. Yes Mark gets credit for being an amazing guitar player.
Mark Knopfler was inspired to write the song after walking into a London pub and hearing the Sultans of Swing play. He was amused by the grandiose name the band had especially as they weren't even that good.
Mark Knopfler has such a distinct style to his play.... He sounds like no one else and no one sounds like him. After you have gotten familiar with him, you will hear his music somewhere and you will immediately recognize his guitar. I grew up on Dire Straits. On Friday nights, as a teen, my friends and I would cruise around our small town (in my Dad's car) and listen to Dire Straits. Now.. My Dad is passed, my friends are gone, but Mark Knopfler's guitar can take me right back there in an instant.
I was lucky enough to see these guys sixth row center on the floor and I can tell you there's not a pic being used whatsoever it's all his fingers and they are just flying it's amazing I couldn't believe it. The best concert I've ever attended for sure
I'm so happy you got to Dire Straits! 120,000,000 albums sold! They are the best at tempo changes because of Mark. My favorite Guitarist ever. This year was their best lineup IMHO (1983). But great music in the future also with so many great players. Please react to Telegraph Road.
The sweat bands were there for a purpose. Mark had problems sweat getting into his eyes. And he used the thumb and 2 fingers to play. He also wrote the music and is considered one of the greats with the guitar and is still writing and performing. And the rest were fantastic as well.
My favorite was finding out he was the writer and guitarist for all that beautiful music in "The Princess Bride". It was probably well-known to older people then, but I'm the same age as Fred Savage, so like the little boy in the bed, it was not something I found out until so many years later.
8:05 Nah not just the thumb either, he uses all his fingers in a very Spanish guitar way that is iconic to him 12:15 He is Mark Knopfler, and he is widely considered to be among the top 5 (closer to the top) guitar players of all time ❤
The magnificent, magical, musical genius Mark Knopfler and the extraordinary Dire Straits. Mark writes the lyrics, writes the music, composes the music, sings, and plays lead guitar. Terry Williams is a beast on the drums. All of the band members are masters at their craft. The entire album Alchemy is unreal !!! Telegraph Road is a MASTERPIECE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Blondie was a popular singer in the 80s, and there's a song where she raps in it. He's very well known as one of the greatest guitar players of all-time!!!
AAAHh Kriss. I wish you were watching the Alchemy Live version. You will regret not looking at that. Sound quality is much better also. Either way Im happy you are seeing an all time favourite!! 😎✌ P.S. Random fact. I cant remember why, but Knopfler wrote, and performed all the music soundtrack for 'The Princess Bride'!
Mark Knopfler is probably the GOAT in Electric Guitarists who are Fingerpluckers. Fingerpluckers usually play acoustic like you have in background, as they believe it gives them a better quality sound on the acoustic and more control. Most people who play electric use guitar picks to save their fingers as the steel or nickle strings cuts fingers easier.
Best concert video clip EVER What I love about this clip is how much fun they're having. Making a living like that wouldn't suck.🤑🤑🤑🤑 Shout out to the production crew. The filmography of this LIVE concert is incredible.🤩🤩🤩🤩
Yeah I was deep in snow(and other things) back in the late 70's, early 80's, then I got married.I love my wife and daughter (and her now husband), but I had to quit that (and many other things.) These days it's just beer and an occasional glass or two of scotch.
Sultans of swing were a band in the song, a jazz band playing somewhere in London and being largely ignored by the audience. Mark was an observer at the time and wrote a song about his experience
Mark Knopfler Lead guitar Hal Lindes Rhythm guitar John Illsey Bass guitar Terry Williams Drums Alan Clark Keys Additional guest keys, Tommy Mandel. The idea for the song comes from Mark Knopfler. He was out for a walk one evening South of the river in London Town, it came on to rain so he went into a pub(bar) where a mediocre band were playing a mixture of jazz/swing. At the end of the evening one of the band said, we are the Sultans of Swing.
Stunning! Knopfler also wrote songs for other artists like Private Dancer for Tina Turner. I absolutely love his style. He was from a working class city in England and many of his songs are portraits of working class life. Later in his career he did work with some country artists - which doesn't surprise me. His playing is so distinctive. Normally I don't like long guitar solos but his playing reminds me of the patterns in rap song Krizz so often talks about. All of that playing is plucking strings with his fingers which is VERY precise. You can't really "fake it" because every note is on display. I wish the sound had been better for you.
I think this is one of the greatest performances of all time. These guys are guitar Gods. Not sure which version you used but I watched the vivo version constantly, and it sounds just fine. You might want to watch it on your own if it's too blocky for your channel. This is the link I use th-cam.com/video/8Pa9x9fZBtY/w-d-xo.htmlsi=rbZivRtnbmYyFxp6
I must take issue with your statement about drug use in music. Yes alcohol and drugs are prevalent in sll genres of music. However many great artists and musicians contributed legendary songs completely sober!!! At 64 i have dabbled in everything except heroin and ecstasy over my lifetime, as an artist yourself,, you should understand you do a disservice to all the artists who created legendary music sober, creating masterpieces with creativity and talent alone!!!
A rock reporter asked Prince one day " how does it feel to be the best guitar player in the world "...Prince answer " I don't know , ask Mark Knoplfer "
The lyrics are about a jazz band he saw perform in London, the place was empty but someone in the band said to the bandmates to not care about it to encourage them, we are the sultans of swing, other members had other jobs and could not care less, true stories of struggling musicians, empty venues can be traumatic sometimes
If you want to truly understand how highly regarded lead guitarist, singer and songwriter Mark Knopfler is then check out Mark Knopfler's Guitar Heroes version of Going Home that was released last year, a track Mark composed for the movie Local Hero. Over 60 music legends, mostly guitar players, contributed and the proceeds went to teenage cancer charities. Also look up the vast number of songs Mark has played on for other artists and how many he's played with live. It's extraordinary. As for Dire Straits, they were the biggest band in the world in the mid-80s when they released the Brothers in Arms album which sold 30 million copies worldwide. Bob Geldof wanted them to headline Live Aid and was desperate to sign them up to attract other performers. The problem was they were in the middle of a huge tour and had a sold out gig over the road at Wembley Arena that evening. They weren't comfortable cancelling on their fans, so they agreed to play an afternoon slot instead and after their soundcheck they carried their instruments across the car park to Wembley Stadium where they performed the longest set of the day. 3 years later, while on hiatus, they were asked to headline the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute Concert at the same stadium and got back together especially. That concert was seen by over 600 million people worldwide, second only to Live Aid at the time, and played a key role in pressuring the South African government to release Mandela and bring an end to the abhorrent apartheid regime. The band was belatedly inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018. Mark Knopfler opted not to attend and there was therefore no performance as part of the ceremony.
"Sultan is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun sulṭah, meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who claimed almost full sovereignty (i.e., not having dependence on any higher ruler) without claiming the overall caliphate, or to refer to a powerful governor of a province within the caliphate."
I think it helps if you hear the studio version first. You get the whole story of the song, plus the ending solo this live version is built around. Then you will already love the song, and truly appreciate the fun and games that they have with it.
Mark Knopfler is one of the greatest guitarists of all time, no question. Certainly, his style is the most recognizable. From the same concert you should out "Telegraph Road", it's beautifully arranged, the piano work complements the guitars so well!
The original "Sultan of Swing" was Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees in the 1920s and 30s, whose homerun record wasn't broken, until 1974 by Hank Aaron (Oh, Henry!). I think it's a great name for a band that always hit it out of the park. Carol in Boston
Ok, Krizz, you know this band, they wrote , "I want my MTV" (actual Money for Nothing) a song about MTV, that catapulted MTV to big heights in early 80's.. that was on Brothers in Arms, actually towards the end of their Album releases. The intro to Money For Nothing is, well now multi-iconic ;) , historical and well just set the 80's off !! IMO
The Live Video is INCREDIBLE.. 80S LEGENDARY MUSICIANS .. LOVE EM EVERY TIME I HEAR A REACTION I ABSOLUTELY LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!! I'M A GEN X A TEEN IN THE 80S GRADUATED IN 84. PARTY'D IN THE 80'S DOWN IN THE SOUTH YA COULD STILL BUY LIQUOR AND GET IN CLUBS AT AGE 18 YEARS OLD !! CROWN AND COKE 75 CENTS .. I'D GO TO CLUB WITH 75 CENTS LEFT WITH A BUZZ SOLO WITH MY 75 CENTS BEST OF DAYS THE 80S KRIZZ
Damn dude! I thought you called yourself a musician. You didn't even let not Knopfler end the song and hear the last note, what planet are you on anyway? OUTRO INTERRUPTUS!
Lou Ree3d, Dire Straights both legendary. Sometimes you just had to be there, live in the 80s to understand this incredible music. Just like I don't get RAP people in the hood probably do. :-)
Knopfler went solo in 1996 and has had an amazing career on his own after Dire Straits. At 75 he is still playing but a hand condition has limited his abilities. You can find several videos of him live with other artists like Bonnie Raitt, Eric Clapton and notably his Road Running Live tour with Emmylou Harris. His guitar artistry places him in an elite class, but so does his writing. He has written most of the Dire Straits material and his own solo music. His voice and his playing have a distinct sound and he is a poet as well as a musician. Romeo and Juliet, Telegraph Road, Piper to the End. He is worth a deep dive - the deeper you go the more you are hooked
Mark Knopfler has always been strongly against drug use and says that the strongest drug he’s ever taken is English tea. He’s also credited with at least a half dozen movie scores, including for “Local Hero”, “The Princess Bride”, and “Wag the Dog”.
9 movie scores, his last being Altamira in 2016 that he did with world-renowned percussionist Evelyn Glennie (who happens to be deaf). Mark's Spanish acoustic guitar playing on the main theme is sublime. I saw an interview with him not so long ago when he said he wouldn't be doing any more film scores. I guess now he's 75 he's focusing on recording as many of his songs as he can while he can hence his latest album, with extra tracks on the deluxe edition, and an EP.
You can scoop all the reaction channels by looking into what I thought was their best song "Twisting By The Pool." More up tempo and so much fun. For some reason everyone forgot it, or just never found it. It was a hit in Canada.
DS were better live than in the studio and this concert was awesome. Make sure you check out “Telegraph Road” masterpiece and from “Wembley 85” “Tunnel of Love” the outro will blow you away, so good
'Mark Knopfler' is his name. Lead guitar lead vocalist He wrote ALL the songs. Usually something he just heard in general 'Money for Nothing' was written about a man watching MTV on tv in a appliance store, giving his opinion about the bands getting made too much money for what they do! 'Romeo and Juliet' was a personal song. IF you can ALL their songs should be listened LIVE
You should really listen to the studio cut first to fully enjoy the riffing they do from the original canvas of the song. As a second cut, I would suggest my favorite melody by them, "Skateaway". Have fun!
In regards to performers being high while on stage: in the early mid-seventies Eric Burden and War performed at the college I was attending. He was so stoned he sounded terrible. Fortunately for us, the band was fantastic and they did a good job of drowning his voice out and made the concert worthwhile.
Does Mark Knopfler get enough credit for his guitar credit? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I think the Vevo Alchemy Live version has better sound quality or something not working for some reason if it's the same one. th-cam.com/video/8Pa9x9fZBtY/w-d-xo.html
Mark Knopfler One of the greatest singer-songwriters & finger pickers of all time, let alone our era. Terry Williams on Drums, his father's first time seen him perform) Mark told Terry to "just go for it" Betty Davis eyes was by Kim Carnes
Mark Knopfler is his name. He's always on the list of top 10 guitar players of all time.
Yeah, he gets the credit bro. He is one of the goats
My all time #1 one. Talent + Cool Factor
Top 5 imo
Fun fact: he is also left-handed but plays right-handed.
@@harrikuusjarvi3795
Easily top 5 guitarists
The band is my #2 band , just behind ELO
Mark Knopfler is ranked as one of the best guitarists of all time. Not just that, but songwriter too. Virtuoso and genius.
Dire Straits quit in 1995, but Mark Knopfler released his 10th solo album last year. This concert was in 1983, so it predates Miami Vice. And Mark Knopfler is indeed know for his fingerpicking, he rarely uses a pick. And "Telegraph Road" from the same concert is maybe even better.
That and Private Investigations are my favorite. Such amazing music.
@@whome1299 Private Investigations from the 1993 "On the night"conert is the best live version"
Mark Knophler is one of the best guitarists alive today. Dire Straits sold over 120 million albums worldwide and Mark has had a very successful solo career over 30 years and 4 times Grammy winner.
My generation wanted to hear music live. Nowadays people want dancers to prerecorded music. "we are not the same."
They have no musical talent to speak of..
That's why all the old bands are still touring..
There isn't anything better.
Quiet grandpas. Live shows still happen everywhere with talented bands. Your just stuck in the past and only hear the 1% of modern music that is top 40 garbage and judge all modern music on that.
@sixpakshaker88
Nah,your generation is musically challenged.. You're famous for it.
Of course, there are a few talented people today,but there are no great bands today..
I do like Alabama Shakes.. They play music for grown up's..
Stick to Miley and Taylor that's your generation .. lol.
@@sixpakshaker88 70's was the best decade for music..
Case closed.. it's not even debatable..
@sixpakshaker88
Rap and hip hop is 98% crap.. that hurt your generation musically.. Nobody can sing or play an instrument.. Song writing is terrible..
Anyone young with talent mostly does cover songs from the glory days of music.. There is very little music talent today.. I wish there was..
Mark was inspired to write this song after watching some band playing at a bar that no one was paying attention to.. at the end of their set, they closed out with saying they were the "Sultans of Swing".. So it's about a bar band.. guys with regular jobs that play on the weekend or whatever.
And they play Jazz, swing , Dixieland and creole, which is why the hippie kids don't care about the music.
The drummer's dad was in the audience, watching his son play live, for the first time.
They gave it all they had.
Urban Legend, but Not true.
Knopfler was trained in flamenco style, so he doesn’t use a pick and makes that magic look easy. He’s one of the great masters 💯
I don't think he ever learned flamenco. He taught himself initially from a chord book as a kid and later played folk music including with his friend Steve Phillips who sold him his iconic National Style O resonator guitar and was later a member of The Notting Hillbillies which Mark formed as a side project.
You just witness one of the best guitar solos ever absolutely greatness..
Ive seen a couple of reactors questioning his "colored girls" lyric, please remember that when lou reed wrote walk on the wild side that was the accepted way to refer to black women and the recording industry kept most black women either on motown label or as background singers unless they were tina turner or areatha franklin. He was shouting out to the backup singers who usually didnt even get listed on the albulm jackets.
Mark is on pretty much everyone’s list of top 10 guitar players of all time, & quite often in the top 5. Amazing musician.
For sure man! We wanted a 10 minute jam. If you want it just like the record you might as well stay home and listen to it. 😊
Not a computer in sight! Each musician was pure excellence!
There are lots of computers used in this performance.
No overdubs on the entire concert. This was how they sounded live. They really were that good.
Such a distinctive way of playing guitar. It's more like a duet between Mark and his guitar. Everyone in the band is an amazing, accomplished museum. When you're ready, check out "Brothers in Arms" - it's one of the most haunting, touching tributes to soldiers you will ever hear. There's a scene in Miami Vice that uses that song, and it's wild.
He gets his flowers.everyone that understands guitar, knows knopfker is goated
I agree! There is literally no one else who plays like him. His guitar tone is to die for.
The song is not supposed to be swing.
It's about a swing band playing in a club where most patrons don't really care about listening to a trumpet playing band and would rather be listening to rock and roll.
Yes Mark gets credit for being an amazing guitar player.
Yes! He's telling a story.
Well explained my friend, you saved me from having to tell him, lol.
Mark Knopfler was inspired to write the song after walking into a London pub and hearing the Sultans of Swing play. He was amused by the grandiose name the band had especially as they weren't even that good.
This song is 47 years old, 1978. Brothers in arms is worth a listen, based on the Falkland war
Brothers in Arms tears me to shreds every time.
knopfler's casual delivery is peak cool for the time.
There will never be anybody cooler than Mark Knopfler. Besides the otherworldly guitar, that deep and lazy voice, OMG!!!
Mark Knopfler has such a distinct style to his play.... He sounds like no one else and no one sounds like him. After you have gotten familiar with him, you will hear his music somewhere and you will immediately recognize his guitar. I grew up on Dire Straits. On Friday nights, as a teen, my friends and I would cruise around our small town (in my Dad's car) and listen to Dire Straits. Now.. My Dad is passed, my friends are gone, but Mark Knopfler's guitar can take me right back there in an instant.
Telegraph Road from the same concert is one of the best. The entire alchemy Live album is one of the very best.
I grew up about a mile from Telegraph Road in the Detroit area
The drums really carry this version
These were great musicians! And I love the lyrics also. But mostly the music! ❤😊
I was lucky enough to see these guys sixth row center on the floor and I can tell you there's not a pic being used whatsoever it's all his fingers and they are just flying it's amazing I couldn't believe it. The best concert I've ever attended for sure
Back in the days the Musicians had to play by their own 😊❤
A Sultan is an Arab nobleman.
And his wife is a sultana
@@weederfish9254 ...... and always Raisin kids together😉
Sh*tchyeah we stuck around, to catch that one special performance.
My favorite guitar player
He is left handed but learned to play right
Mark Knoffler is still making music . Rag pickers dream is my favorite album
WHAT!?!?!
Good catch... yes, he only plays with his fingers. He is also left-handed, while playing the guitar right-handed.
I love Mark’s guitar style and sound. No one sounds like him.
I'm so happy you got to Dire Straits! 120,000,000 albums sold! They are the best at tempo changes because of Mark. My favorite Guitarist ever. This year was their best lineup IMHO (1983). But great music in the future also with so many great players. Please react to Telegraph Road.
The sweat bands were there for a purpose. Mark had problems sweat getting into his eyes. And he used the thumb and 2 fingers to play. He also wrote the music and is considered one of the greats with the guitar and is still writing and performing. And the rest were fantastic as well.
It took me 20 years to find out these guys are British. Mark Knopfler is such a G this song should've been called The Gangsters of Twang
Mark Knopfler is also known for writting music for movies. My favorite is Local Hero.
My favorite was finding out he was the writer and guitarist for all that beautiful music in "The Princess Bride". It was probably well-known to older people then, but I'm the same age as Fred Savage, so like the little boy in the bed, it was not something I found out until so many years later.
The studio version has better audio. But this version has such an epic outro, we forgive the audio.
But the best known movie he wrote the music for was "The princess bride"
@ Did not know that.
8:05 Nah not just the thumb either, he uses all his fingers in a very Spanish guitar way that is iconic to him
12:15 He is Mark Knopfler, and he is widely considered to be among the top 5 (closer to the top) guitar players of all time ❤
Top 10 for sure.
The magnificent, magical, musical genius Mark Knopfler and the extraordinary Dire Straits. Mark writes the lyrics, writes the music, composes the music, sings, and plays lead guitar. Terry Williams is a beast on the drums. All of the band members are masters at their craft. The entire album Alchemy is unreal !!! Telegraph Road is a MASTERPIECE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is the best live performance ever. 😊😊😊😊
Mark Knoffler definitely got his flowers. Renowned as one of the best to ever play the guitar.
The 2 best musical masterpieces of them is "Private investigations" and "Telegraph road" (from the live Alchemy tour)
Agree. Just incredible. 🔥
Blondie was a popular singer in the 80s, and there's a song where she raps in it.
He's very well known as one of the greatest guitar players of all-time!!!
The drum kit was taken off stage on a stretcher after performance in critical condition. ... thankfully it pulled thru. 😂❤
Mark is 75 now and a writer and producer,he also wrote the sound track to the film the princess bride,a sultan is a Arabian king
Literally one of my favorite songs, tripping on shrooms this song takes me on journeys
AAAHh Kriss. I wish you were watching the Alchemy Live version. You will regret not looking at that. Sound quality is much better also. Either way Im happy you are seeing an all time favourite!! 😎✌
P.S. Random fact. I cant remember why, but Knopfler wrote, and performed all the music soundtrack for 'The Princess Bride'!
This was the Alchemy Live version.
Mark Knopfler is probably the GOAT in Electric Guitarists who are Fingerpluckers. Fingerpluckers usually play acoustic like you have in background, as they believe it gives them a better quality sound on the acoustic and more control. Most people who play electric use guitar picks to save their fingers as the steel or nickle strings cuts fingers easier.
Best concert video clip EVER
What I love about this clip is how much fun they're having.
Making a living like that wouldn't suck.🤑🤑🤑🤑
Shout out to the production crew. The filmography of this LIVE concert is incredible.🤩🤩🤩🤩
They were always softer spoken then most low key guys!
Mark Knopfler. He is on my top guitar players list..with Rory gallagher, Srv, Eddie Van Halen, Gary Moore etc...
Talking about great guitarists I’m waiting for a Pink Floyd!
😍
My favourite band ever. Mark Knopfler is a god!
I have always loved Industrial Disease
Oh yeah. ❤
It snowed a lot in the 80s. 😉😆❤️✌️
Yeah I was deep in snow(and other things) back in the late 70's, early 80's, then I got married.I love my wife and daughter (and her now husband), but I had to quit that (and many other things.) These days it's just beer and an occasional glass or two of scotch.
The Dite Straits repertoire has all kinds of styles and goodies, slow, fast, dreamy, you name it. That kinda music is hard to find nowadays.
Ah, this has that chord. Its in so many 80s songs. The A minor flat 6
he deservedly gets his due
Sultans of swing were a band in the song, a jazz band playing somewhere in London and being largely ignored by the audience. Mark was an observer at the time and wrote a song about his experience
Video edits always get me when you have the greatest guitarists in rock playing and the camera is on the crowd, etc.
Hey Krizz, try "Brothers In Arms". It's a good one for the times we are in.... (as if they ever changed 🥴).
Yes hear that guitar cry 😢❤
Dire straits and Mark knopfler have a special sound, his guitar Play are just so Good ❤
Its my go to song when driving to work, makes me hapoy
Mark Knopfler Lead guitar
Hal Lindes Rhythm guitar
John Illsey Bass guitar
Terry Williams Drums
Alan Clark Keys
Additional guest keys, Tommy Mandel.
The idea for the song comes from Mark Knopfler. He was out for a walk one evening South of the river in London Town, it came on to rain so he went into a pub(bar) where a mediocre band were playing a mixture of jazz/swing. At the end of the evening one of the band said, we are the Sultans of Swing.
A sultan is a Middle Eastern king sort of.
Stunning! Knopfler also wrote songs for other artists like Private Dancer for Tina Turner. I absolutely love his style. He was from a working class city in England and many of his songs are portraits of working class life. Later in his career he did work with some country artists - which doesn't surprise me. His playing is so distinctive. Normally I don't like long guitar solos but his playing reminds me of the patterns in rap song Krizz so often talks about. All of that playing is plucking strings with his fingers which is VERY precise. You can't really "fake it" because every note is on display. I wish the sound had been better for you.
I think this is one of the greatest performances of all time. These guys are guitar Gods. Not sure which version you used but I watched the vivo version constantly, and it sounds just fine. You might want to watch it on your own if it's too blocky for your channel.
This is the link I use
th-cam.com/video/8Pa9x9fZBtY/w-d-xo.htmlsi=rbZivRtnbmYyFxp6
I must take issue with your statement about drug use in music. Yes alcohol and drugs are prevalent in sll genres of music. However many great artists and musicians contributed legendary songs completely sober!!!
At 64 i have dabbled in everything except heroin and ecstasy over my lifetime, as an artist yourself,, you should understand you do a disservice to all the artists who created legendary music sober, creating masterpieces with creativity and talent alone!!!
A rock reporter asked Prince one day " how does it feel to be the best guitar player in the world "...Prince answer " I don't know , ask Mark Knoplfer "
The lyrics are about a jazz band he saw perform in London, the place was empty but someone in the band said to the bandmates to not care about it to encourage them, we are the sultans of swing, other members had other jobs and could not care less, true stories of struggling musicians, empty venues can be traumatic sometimes
If you want to truly understand how highly regarded lead guitarist, singer and songwriter Mark Knopfler is then check out Mark Knopfler's Guitar Heroes version of Going Home that was released last year, a track Mark composed for the movie Local Hero. Over 60 music legends, mostly guitar players, contributed and the proceeds went to teenage cancer charities. Also look up the vast number of songs Mark has played on for other artists and how many he's played with live. It's extraordinary.
As for Dire Straits, they were the biggest band in the world in the mid-80s when they released the Brothers in Arms album which sold 30 million copies worldwide. Bob Geldof wanted them to headline Live Aid and was desperate to sign them up to attract other performers. The problem was they were in the middle of a huge tour and had a sold out gig over the road at Wembley Arena that evening. They weren't comfortable cancelling on their fans, so they agreed to play an afternoon slot instead and after their soundcheck they carried their instruments across the car park to Wembley Stadium where they performed the longest set of the day. 3 years later, while on hiatus, they were asked to headline the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute Concert at the same stadium and got back together especially. That concert was seen by over 600 million people worldwide, second only to Live Aid at the time, and played a key role in pressuring the South African government to release Mandela and bring an end to the abhorrent apartheid regime.
The band was belatedly inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2018. Mark Knopfler opted not to attend and there was therefore no performance as part of the ceremony.
I know it's shocking to see actual talent, not generated garbage of today
"Sultan is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun sulṭah, meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who claimed almost full sovereignty (i.e., not having dependence on any higher ruler) without claiming the overall caliphate, or to refer to a powerful governor of a province within the caliphate."
I think it helps if you hear the studio version first. You get the whole story of the song, plus the ending solo this live version is built around. Then you will already love the song, and truly appreciate the fun and games that they have with it.
Mark Knopfler. Everybody’s favorite guitarist’s favorite guitarist. 😁
Mark Knopfler is one of the greatest guitarists of all time, no question. Certainly, his style is the most recognizable. From the same concert you should out "Telegraph Road", it's beautifully arranged, the piano work complements the guitars so well!
The original "Sultan of Swing" was Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees in the 1920s and 30s, whose homerun record wasn't broken, until 1974 by Hank Aaron (Oh, Henry!). I think it's a great name for a band that always hit it out of the park.
Carol in Boston
Correction: It's a great name for a song by the band that hits it out of the park. My goof.
Carol in Boson
Ok, Krizz, you know this band, they wrote , "I want my MTV" (actual Money for Nothing) a song about MTV, that catapulted MTV to big heights in early 80's.. that was on Brothers in Arms, actually towards the end of their Album releases. The intro to Money For Nothing is, well now multi-iconic ;) , historical and well just set the 80's off !! IMO
The Live Video is INCREDIBLE.. 80S LEGENDARY MUSICIANS .. LOVE EM EVERY TIME I HEAR A REACTION I ABSOLUTELY LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!! I'M A GEN X A TEEN IN THE 80S GRADUATED IN 84. PARTY'D IN THE 80'S DOWN IN THE SOUTH YA COULD STILL BUY LIQUOR AND GET IN CLUBS AT AGE 18 YEARS OLD !! CROWN AND COKE 75 CENTS .. I'D GO TO CLUB WITH 75 CENTS LEFT WITH A BUZZ SOLO WITH MY 75 CENTS
BEST OF DAYS THE 80S KRIZZ
Damn dude! I thought you called yourself a musician. You didn't even let not Knopfler end the song and hear the last note, what planet are you on anyway?
OUTRO INTERRUPTUS!
Right.
I enjoy your reactions.
Great band and Mark 8s one of the greats. Check out Telegraph Road from same concert.
This is one of those times that the studio version is much better due to the low vocal quality.
Always loved the story to this song.
Lou Ree3d, Dire Straights both legendary. Sometimes you just had to be there, live in the 80s to understand this incredible music. Just like I don't get RAP people in the hood probably do. :-)
Knopfler went solo in 1996 and has had an amazing career on his own after Dire Straits. At 75 he is still playing but a hand condition has limited his abilities. You can find several videos of him live with other artists like Bonnie Raitt, Eric Clapton and notably his Road Running Live tour with Emmylou Harris. His guitar artistry places him in an elite class, but so does his writing. He has written most of the Dire Straits material and his own solo music. His voice and his playing have a distinct sound and he is a poet as well as a musician. Romeo and Juliet, Telegraph Road, Piper to the End. He is worth a deep dive - the deeper you go the more you are hooked
Mark Knopfler has always been strongly against drug use and says that the strongest drug he’s ever taken is English tea. He’s also credited with at least a half dozen movie scores, including for “Local Hero”, “The Princess Bride”, and “Wag the Dog”.
9 movie scores, his last being Altamira in 2016 that he did with world-renowned percussionist Evelyn Glennie (who happens to be deaf). Mark's Spanish acoustic guitar playing on the main theme is sublime.
I saw an interview with him not so long ago when he said he wouldn't be doing any more film scores. I guess now he's 75 he's focusing on recording as many of his songs as he can while he can hence his latest album, with extra tracks on the deluxe edition, and an EP.
I really enjoy your reactions! On my end, the videos look mirror image. Just FYI😁
Jeff Beck. "Cause We've Ended As Lovers" Live At Ronnie Scott's. Trust me. It's real.
You can scoop all the reaction channels by looking into what I thought was their best song "Twisting By The Pool." More up tempo and so much fun. For some reason everyone forgot it, or just never found it. It was a hit in Canada.
DS were better live than in the studio and this concert was awesome. Make sure you check out “Telegraph Road” masterpiece and from “Wembley 85” “Tunnel of Love” the outro will blow you away, so good
'Mark Knopfler' is his name. Lead guitar lead vocalist
He wrote ALL the songs.
Usually something he just heard in general
'Money for Nothing' was written about a man watching MTV on tv in a appliance store, giving his opinion about the bands getting made too much money for what they do!
'Romeo and Juliet' was a personal song.
IF you can ALL their songs should be listened LIVE
The guitar players were great, but the drummer and piano player were playing their butts off.
Finger-plucking, banjo playing style! The drummer is keeping tempo in a major way!
Use of sultan in sentence: I be a sultan yo ass if you say anything about my momma. 😁
This song is a prime example of why Steroids and all performance enhancers should be legal in every sport.
You should really listen to the studio cut first to fully enjoy the riffing they do from the original canvas of the song. As a second cut, I
would suggest my favorite melody by them, "Skateaway". Have fun!
In regards to performers being high while on stage: in the early mid-seventies Eric Burden and War performed at the college I was attending. He was so stoned he sounded terrible. Fortunately for us, the band was fantastic and they did a good job of drowning his voice out and made the concert worthwhile.
Does Mark Knopfler get enough credit for his guitar credit? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 I think the Vevo Alchemy Live version has better sound quality or something not working for some reason if it's the same one. th-cam.com/video/8Pa9x9fZBtY/w-d-xo.html
Mark Knopfler One of the greatest singer-songwriters & finger pickers of all time, let alone our era.
Terry Williams on Drums, his father's first time seen him perform) Mark told Terry to "just go for it"
Betty Davis eyes was by Kim Carnes
He's in my top 5, easily.
Heya Krizz another banger my bro as usuall enjoying your content keep them coming my bro watching from New Zealand
Thanks! Will do!