The song, The Sultans Of Swing, was originally on their debut album simply called Dire Straits, released in 1977. It is about a jazz band playing in a London club. They are not in it for the fame or fortune, and it's a dying scene, "it ain't what they call rock and roll." To me, I can hear the joy of music and the joy of playing without compromise throughout this entire song. The use of dynamics make the emotions ebb and flow - and maybe even more so in this live version, which goes quite a bit faster than the studio version, so the dynamics are essential to the emotional content. Listening to it again is a perfect thing for a lunch break - it sure made mine enjoyable, and I am so glad to be sharing this gem!
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
2017 - September 12 - Sultans of Swing
Today's song is a beauty... This is a song I simply can't sit still to - and I am very happy to hear it gets a lot of airplay. I think it's my favorite Dire Straits song, and I am bringing it here in the full live version from the first Dire Straits album I ever bought: Alchemy, which is a live album recorded in 1983 and released in 1984. The extended version gives room for Mark Knopfler fantastic guitar playing - although there are a couple of licks in there from Hal Lindes, who is the second guitar player. John Illsley plays the bass, and that's the trio we see through most of this video - but Alan Clark on keyboards and Terry Williams on drums round out this incarnation of Dire Straits.
The song, The Sultans Of Swing, was originally on their debut album simply called Dire Straits, released in 1977. It is about a jazz band playing in a London club. They are not in it for the fame or fortune, and it's a dying scene, "it ain't what they call rock and roll." To me, I can hear the joy of music and the joy of playing without compromise throughout this entire song. The use of dynamics make the emotions ebb and flow - and maybe even more so in this live version, which goes quite a bit faster than the studio version, so the dynamics are essential to the emotional content. Listening to it again is a perfect thing for a lunch break - it sure made mine enjoyable, and I am so glad to be sharing this gem!
The song, The Sultans Of Swing, was originally on their debut album simply called Dire Straits, released in 1977. It is about a jazz band playing in a London club. They are not in it for the fame or fortune, and it's a dying scene, "it ain't what they call rock and roll." To me, I can hear the joy of music and the joy of playing without compromise throughout this entire song. The use of dynamics make the emotions ebb and flow - and maybe even more so in this live version, which goes quite a bit faster than the studio version, so the dynamics are essential to the emotional content. Listening to it again is a perfect thing for a lunch break - it sure made mine enjoyable, and I am so glad to be sharing this gem!
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