When I first heard “Sultans” (I was probably 19 or so) I was in the student center of Kent State, and it absolutely knocked me out. From the very first listen, I thought that it was an incredible track, so much so that I ran down to the record store just off campus, and bought the album that day. Regardless of how many times I’ve heard the song since, I STILL think it’s an incredible track. Knopfler is one of my favorite guitar players; he plays with such taste, soul, and feeling; but it’s also his TONE that knocks me out, too. His tone is, well, “magical”... not just in this song, but on any song he plays on. In that regard, I feel the same about him as I do about David Gilmour, in that I love listening to their guitar/amp tone(s), as much as I love listening to what they play. (Knopfler’s playing and tone on the song “Brothers In Arms” can still give me goosebumps). I think that “Sultans” (and Knopfler) grabbed me with such immediacy, because the track was just so unlike so much of the other music that dominated commercial FM rock radio at that time - bands like Journey, Foreigner, Fleetwood Mac, KISS, etc., (and I’m not comparing those bands to each other, nor am I demeaning them either, it’s just that Dire Straits was so very different in contrast to popular 70’s bands like these.). The song, and the style it was played with and produced in, were very different from the other popular hit records of the day, and to me, it was like a breath of fresh air. It’s also a track that was sonically recorded and mixed very well. The song didn’t take any time to “grow on me”, and I’ve never grown tired of hearing it, either.. I doubt that I ever will. 😉 IMHO, of course. 🙏
Stu, you sound like me when I first heard Sultans......and told my friends "Listen to this!".........and I told myself that I will learn guitar just to play this song.....I'm over 50 now and finally working on learning it....I will do it.
Wow. I didn't hear this song until the mid to late 80s. But my story is the same. I was (and still am) a huge Rush fan who stood firmly planted in the music of Slayer and Metallica... Maiden... Stuff like that. But I remember the first time I heard this tune. A friend and I pulled into a store to get some smokes right quick and the song came on the radio. We were heavy metal dudes. Balls to the wall. But we sat there silently the entire length of the song just taking it all in. There was no distortion, no crazy double bass or Neil Peart drum fills... Just straight up honest music with a good clean guitar. Listened to every note. Totally blown away. And that song still awakens whatever it was it triggered inside me that day. Great tune.
I found ‘Behind the Vinyl’ only a few months ago. Now, going forward in 2021, because of this series, Boom 97.3 has become my go to radio station. Just love everything about this series, and the station absolutely rocks!
Thanks Stu! Thanks for being a part of bringing great videos and interviews to a generation of Canadians and being one of the pioneers of the format. You and TDM deserve high praise for what you did.
I was passing by a night club here in the UK one evening in 1978 it said on the door £1 entry fee, the band playing to night is Dire Straits who are they never heard of them before, there at the back of the club there was a small stage, down and one of the club a bar and with bar stools and dotted around some small tables with chairs a bit scruffy . Dire Straits came on stage they were fanstastic very enthusiastic crowd in front of the stage. while others at the bar did not seem to care this is about six months before their hit single Sultans Of Swing came out and as they say the rest is history. It was just fait that intervened that was the only one time I managed to see them in their early days.
I appreciate the part of his story where he tells his friend in the car to shut up so he could he listen to the song. That was me every time I was in a car when music was playing.
I was 17 years old living in Orange County California when 'Sultans of Swing' hit the radio in March of 1979 (album was released in late 1978). The 2nd song from the 'Dire Straits' album that got a lot of airplay in the Los Angeles radio market was 'Down To The Water Line'. Great album, great band.
I’m a guitar player wannabe. I pluck out lame originals. I’m most certainly not a “by the numbers” cover song guy. However, for some reason, since the day I first heard Sultans back in 78, I’ve always fantasized about performing the song. So, about 3 years ago, I started the monumental(for me) task of trying to lasso this song in on guitar. Still trying. My fellow band members have displayed extreme patience with me as I fumbled through the song countless times. We’ve actually performed the song a few times and despite nearly drowning myself in my own concentration sweat, we got through it without getting booed off the stage. So, now I can feel good about putting it away and scratching this item it off my bucket list. Meanwhile, on the other end of the talent spectrum, Knopfler likely ad libbed all those brilliant licks in one take.
That album was an instant home and hi-fi shop test record and it still is. It also didn't hurt popularity that it was an early CD release also.....every hi-fi enthusiast and shop had a copy to show off their CD players. I still play it now and then, and then ask whatever happened to good recordings and good production values. Long live the wonderful capture of the music of Dire Straights.
I used to listen to this in a record shop in the North East of England every lunchtime. I was blown away, and felt that me and the owner of the shop were the only people who knew about this amazing sound.
I didn't realize it had affected others the same way, but I still remember exactly where and when I heard this for the first time, also... It was pleasantly relaxing, and strikingly different at the time.
Funnily this is one of my favourite songs and I went through all different genres accross 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s. Mark’s originally from Glasgow so he knows what it means being in dire straits - didn’t even realised what their band name refered to until now 😒. They had this US band image in my view due to the “I want my MTV”/Money for nothing song. Great to hear the story behind this epic song
Triple J was the first station in Australia that picked this song up and started playing it on air back in 1977. This was when Triple J was known as Double J and they were on the AM Band
Agreed. For me it was on a jukebox in the cafeteria at Centennial College in Toronto. I'd been wearing out the grooves on Slow Train Coming and thought for sure this was a new single from Dylan. I remember the counterpoint of the booming bass line and the hi-pitch licks. Unforgettable moment.
I just had a lunch conversation with close friends about how much we all love this song. And I was telling them they needed to watch this great series!
There are certain songs, that once they come on simply must, I say deserve to be played till they are complete...mostly with me also playing air guitar whether it be while driving my car or at home.
Perfect commentary on an even more perfect song "Sultans Of Swing", from Mark Knopfler and Dire Straits-love it : ) thanks for putting this one up-great job Stu!!
Great clip! Enjoyed this . I was 7th grade, in Iowa when this hit the airwaves. My buddy in Art Class would make fun of the verse "AND HARRY DOESNT MIND"...… as flick his wrist as a gay person. lol. It was a big hit. I remember digging it , cause nothing sounded like it, on US radio in 77/78.
As a Disc Jockey/FM Programmer/On-Air Personality (or whatever I am this week), I loved announcing copy or front-selling whatever and then slam that play button for that first drum beat into this song. And yes, he is absolutely correct, you let this song fade out as much as possible and then find that exact moment to drop the next song and it was usually at the 05:37 mark when the song was only down to the final 00:11 just to keep the flow on-air going.
Although not the original artist, he tells a great stories about it from a totally different perspective - nice job. One of the best in the series, and I'm a big Behind the Vinyl fan...
I saw them play this album as a support band. The audience gave some heckling as is the norm but that stopped as they played their way thro' the album. By the time they got to this song and those gtr runs we knew we were witnessing something special. The sound of his gtr and his playing style was/is captivating.
Right at the absolute height of the mercifully short Disco era, along came Dire Straits and Sultans Of Swing, and I thought, "Maybe there is a god after all ! "
My experience is so similar to his. Really loved this. Yeah I REALLY wished Mark Knopfler was interviewed here, but on the other hand I have seen plenty of MK interviews. I am happy to hear someone else's similar life changing "where were you when you 1st heard it?" moment.
Hey Stu!!! ....... I really think upon hearing this track for the first time, you stumbled upon a moment....... and what an appropriate time for you to have your "MUSICAL AH-HA MOMENT!!" For me it was "Running with the Devil" from VANHALEN's Break out album..... I guess I could really Say that the entire album became my "musical ah-ha moment!!" That of course was immediately followed up by "BOSTON'S" Break out album ....... ohhhh man!!! What a magical time in music history.... or at least it was for me, and after that, well let's just say that Christmas presents that were distinctly given away by their dimensions and wrapped to mask the musical album enclosed, were never the same for me again....!! My parents "GOT IT," yes sir they understood that while the musical albums they had previously gifted me were some of the greatest music ever recorded, they were very likely their music and even quite possibly their "musical ah-ha moments," but the music now being played in the house on "Pleasant Avenue" was forever going to change!!!! This Album being featured would also find it's way under the Christmas tree in a year later, and it is still a "go to" album at almost any party or gathering where celebrations take place!!!! GREAT CHOICE STU, GREAT CHOICE!!!!! PEACE 🤘
Your story could be me. I had just got home and it came on the car radio and I was as like this Dylan, who is this? The announcer never said so I had to investigate, I knew right off I would get the album
No offence intended to Mr. Jefferies but after watching videos with Tom Cocrane, Gowan, Mo Berg or even Kon Kan, having a dj give a commentary is some what of a let down. You don't have to get Mark Knopfler (thought that would be amazing) but at least someone in the band when that song was made would be nice.
Maybe he doesn’t know about this, but I wish he did and would have mentioned how Vandenberg ripped off part of the lead from this song on their debut album in 1982 on a song called “Lost in a city“. Adrien Vanderburg is an amazing guitar player, but he rips off the fast part of the solo big time. Check it out on RU-vid or Spotify if you’re a fan of Dire Straits but haven’t heard Vandenberg rip him off in the solo on that song.
For those of you who haven't kept up to Knopfler's solo work; on the subject of telling Stu that success is great; "Always think it's funny, gets me every time, the one about happiness and money, tell it to the bread line" from "Get Lucky"
Homeboy says no talking during song then continues to talk over song. Also takes 2 seconds to explain its inspiration so he can listen to the sound of his own voice again! Thanks Inspector Gadget for enlightening us!
Why is it whenever someone has a really good thing going they just cannot help them selves..... they have to fuck it up! I’ve been binge watching this series for days and I run into this crappy video of some fucking dude talking about some shit he had nothing to do with making! I’m a musician, what I love about this series is listening to the musicians who created the music talk about what was going on and what went into the song, when it was written , how it was written what was the inspiration yada yada… This guy can’t tell me any of that! Don’t make this a habit you’re going to blow it!
Why did disc jockeys think it's necessary to sprout out whatever is in their heads through the beginnings of these classic rock songs like hotel California until the very last second when the vocal begins? Just shut up and let us hear the song instead of just babbling on about nothing. One good thing about Spotify and some of these others is we don't have to listen to that garbage.
It's called "hitting the post" in the industry. It goes back to many years ago in the 60s, 70s 80s. We keep the music moving and in order to do that, we don't have much time to talk, so we use the song intro to talk over and give information that way.
The only thing I got out of this was that band that was so bad, you wanted to get as far away from the bar where that noise was coming from. The band who's guitarist was so bad that he was trying to disappear on stage. The bass player who played the basic notes--the one who made me want to scream, "Why are you holding back? You're so awful. The guitarist told you to play basic lines. You're awful. The band is awful. F it. You're going to be awful no matter what so why don't you cut loose?" Missing the right notes isn't worse than the lack of confidence and energy.