Love this jam. Great SONG. Good guitar work. Classic soft rock. Love it RIGHT on guys...... Andy's facial expressions again. Lmao BAWHAHAHA LOL funny. Love it 😁😁😁😁😁😂😂😂😂👍👍👍
Mark Knopfler is obviously a fan of Bob Dylan on vocals. He's a hell of a guitarist though. Yes they have more hits you can check, like "Money for nothing." (Sting of the Police on backing vocals).
A freaking legend...saw Dire Straits live several times...worked three days with them, catering their Walk of Life video...was in love with Mark Knopler for those three days...a few years later, I saw him perform with the great Chet Atkins as well
This was their first hit. Their biggest rocker was Money For Nothing. Dire straights didn’t go after radio. Radio went after Dire Straights. Very unique band.
When this was released in 1978, there hadn’t been anything like it. They emerged from nowhere. From Pub Rock to arenas and stadia in one or two leaps! Still sounds fresh.
I think it would be cool if the guys would say in there intro, the year that song was released. Because I was thinking these guys aren’t on acid they’re just stoned so it must be mid to late 70s LOL
Yeah, this wasn't some manufactured hit targeting radio play, it is a pleasant song that features the excellent smooth subtle tasty guitar work of a true master of the instrument.
I know many of us at times cringe when Andy stops the track, especially with Floyd. But with that said I completely understand why. They are letting us know that this music is impacting them as much as it did us. I remember going through the same with my best friend when we were in are teenage years. His dad had a great setup for music, we would go to garage sales and by old records for a dime or a quarter based on the cover or if we heard a song or two from them. We would have to listen to a track two or four times if it really moved us or if we had to catch the lyrics of a new artist again. So the main reason I watch your reaction channel over the multitude of them IS that you remind me of ME in my youth. With a warm felt heart going out to you both, peace my brothers from an other mother.
I seen these guys in 1980's in Australia and they are still the only band i know that has filled a 40,000 seat stadium for 9 nights in a row for all 6 major cities in this country!
The singer is driving the song and he's playing the guitar. There's bands that play this song using multiple musicians. This is one person doing it all. Knoffler is amazing. Do some more listening. You'll understand why people want you to listen and appreciate the talent and skill. I'm glad you're open to expand your musical repertoire. Simply fantastic.
Check out the live version of Sultans of Swing from Dire Straits “Alchemy “ in 1985 . Great version of this classic. Mark Knopfler is one of the best guitarists ever!
alchemy was 1983, but youre damn right mark knopfler is one of the best guitarists ever. alchemy live proves that for sure. what a godly fucking live show
And they also usually have fairly smart things to say about the song - they don't just bundy off after the fade out, with "Well that was great. See you next time."
I have to say: Nothing needs saving here! This song is an original by its own merits. It’s has its own rules. Doesn’t need dios and elevations. The song is memorable for exactly the reasons you’re critical of it. Yup, great song for the radio. I grooved every time I heard it. But don’t confuse its radio playfulness to easy, commercial swallow.
His style became unique with his fingerstyle playing on an electric. Its a different tone than what a guitar pick makes and the thumb causes many accidental pinch harmonics, and sounds can get dulled out. Along with Mark's solos there are a few occidental notes used in his relative minor playing by thrown in a major third to the minor 3rd.
The only real "radio" song which Mark K. and Dire Straits tried to make was "Money for Nothing" with Sting. An unashamed plug to promote (and criticize) MTV. Similar to Neil Peart's criticisms in Rush's "The Spirit of Radio".
Mark Knofler is one of the best guitarists ever, right up there with Eric Clapton (who I assume you've heard of) and a songwriting genius too. Check out the Alchemy Live dvd, it's an absolute masterclass. They were the biggest rock band on the planet for a few years.
I have a specific memory of hearing this song. In late 1978, I was a young apprentice glassblower driving home cross-town one night in my '64 Jeep Wagoneer. An adapter was plugged into the AM radio so I could pick up FM radio and "Sultans of Swing" came on. With the rhythm and flow of the song in my ears, I drove through the Mouse Trap in Denver where I-25 and I-70 meet, the road undulating and curving through the interchange. It all gelled into a memorable drive. And now 41 years later, I'm still blowing glass, sitting here at my lathe listening to you guys hear our first introduction to Mark Knopfler. Awesome days, then and now.
I was invited to go see this band and had 5th row seats. Didn't know what to expect but they blew my mind. At least 8 guys on stage I think. The sound was so full and perfect. I'd heard them on the radio, but in person it was a whole other amazing experience. I've been to maybe hundreds of shows and this was one of the very best I've heard musically. Will never forget it.
At the risk of repeating myself, they're young, therefore they have been around for less time, therefore they have had less time to hear all the music that we all love, there are only so many hours in the day and many many songs to hear on their educational journey. Surely you are still discovering music that other people have known for years, I know I am ... "how can you not have heard that before ! Well I hadn't but now I love it ... ". Give them a break and more importantly, give them time x
@@nickrice5819 I watch these two and really enjoy their enthusiasm for the classic rock tracks they review in the knowledge they weren't around for them. My first ever music memories were Bowie and T rex on TOTP when I was 7/8 years old. Bliss.
@@petergreen2552 Yes so do I, I was going up to clubs in London at 15 to see Yes, Sabbath, Groundhogs, Floyd, Jethro Tull etc etc. We held great disdain for TOTP until Jethro Tull appeared on it. I keep wanting to "advise" theses guys so they don't embarrass themselves unknowingly. They called the Who a prog band.....wince....er. boys er
@@nickrice5819 yeah there are certain 'cliché' feelings people get throughout their lives, and this is one of those, surely something ANYONE and I mean ANYONE can utter about younger people at a certain point in their lives. It's an observation of perspective, a reflection on one's own life rather than anything else, and thus a rather 'selfish' comment we all feel inclined to make when we observe there's yet another new generation younger than us we kinda feel alien to. I don't mean anything ill with this comment, just mine own reflection on what @Peter said.
Gentlemen this is one of the best debut rock singles ever. The bass and drummer held back? They did their job and carried the beat. Mark Knopfler sloppy? Never.
I think it would have been pretty hard to hold Pick Withers back as a drummer! He's the only reason I liked this band. Of course, a lot of bands held back a bit on record and let it loose live. That was just how it was done back then.
Ditto to every reply SLOPPY!!? good Lord! You will find over the next years of your life that this song hooks you sooooooo bad, I look forward to a video from you in 25 years about your incorrect assessment. Till then.
What I love about this song is how subtle, yet melodic, the guitar is. It's so gentle, yet you know by the dynamics, by the note choice, that the man playing it is a master. Yet he made it so comparatively subdued. This song has one of my favorite guitar solos of all time.
The singer is the guitarist. The whole point of the lyric is that the song is about a band playing n a pub who like playing but don't have a desire to be a big band. It refers to the young guys in the pub who don't particularly like them as "they aren't what they call rock and roll" As for the song, this was their first hit from their first album. They sure developed from there. A really good one next would be Brothers in Arms. It was the first CD single and it was also the first CD album to sell a million. Keep on rocking. I've seen them twice and they were amazing.
@David Clinging in 1985 it was relevant to the times. How old are you? Plus you have to put it into the context of the narrative being sung from the third person not the first person. That's why the video shows two moving contractors, and the one making the comment about the singer in the video is an old burly cigar smoking misogynistic blue collar worker. Mark Knopfler wrote the song from the perspective of someone who was an older person deriding Mtv and youth, the bands and the music business in general- like a father telling a kid in a band- "get a real job."
I just never get tired of this song. Dudes! The story, the story! The guitar player is the singer. Damn. I think you need to give this one a few more listens.
Stepping in to bump this comment up. Knopfler is the singer and the guitarist. The back-and-forth between the two is inspired and makes the song. And it’s the same guy doing both. The story is worth focusing on, though the song is confusing because DS aren’t the Sultans of Swing; the band the song is about are the Sultans of Swing. The title is a quote from a person in the story, not part of the narration. This song deserved a little more attention from A&A but that’s fine - it’s the nature of these reaction videos that the reactors are first-time listeners who don’t know who they’re listening to. :-)
This is my most favorite Dire Straits song. Only a few songs were as perfectly created as this. I can play this music all day long without getting tired of it. It's just that perfect.
History is important here. This band came on the scene when everything was 80's keyboard music. They showed that guitar is still cool. I'd suggest settling down, getting all introspective and thoughtful, and listening to "Telegraph Road".
Far and away my favorite Dire Straits song. That bit towards the end ("all the birds up on the wires and up on the poles...") and the way the tempo builds like he's getting more breathless and desperate is gorgeous.
Chris Check my all time favorite song and the reason for my nick 👍😉 The building crescendo at the beginning as if the sun is coming out and then the wonderful acoustic guitar... what can i say...
Telegraph Road is masterpiece of mood painting. And it’s probably the song where they go most ‘crazy’, as you said you wanted, even though they’re always in perfect control. :)
I heard this when it came out, and now in Aug 2020, its still fresh. "They dont give a damn, about any trumpet playin band, it ain't what the call Rock & Roll. Then the Sultans, the Sultans they play creole "> That line is such a snub to the face, the Sultans don't care what you think either, they are going to play what they enjoy, what brings them love.
Mark Knopfler is handily in my top two favorite guitarists. I really love his vocals, also. You guys need to see them live, especially the one with Eric Clapton.
The lyrics are some of the best and cleverest in rock music. Sultans is also a masterclass in how to play the guitar. You guys should give it another listen sometime.
2 years later so you probably know by now that this is literal. They really did go into this place to get out of the rain. This jazz band was playing and no one in the place cared. You can see the shorts video of Mark telling Brian Johnson
@@richposports7030 , Thanks, we were floored by these guys. At that time, it seemed to me that I had heard "Dire Straights", in seventy one or so. Don't recall a song, just the name. You have any scoop on that?
Ooooh, I remember first hearing this song in my uncle's car, together with two of my cousins, as we were all there at our neece's wedding... It actually was our uncle, who is now at the age of 77, who introduced Dire Straits to us youngsters way back then in '78. I've been a fan of them ever since...
exactly the same i was like " ehm if only they knew the guitar player is the one singing , and how hard is to play and sing that live at the same time "
Watch it live, dudes. Seriously. The singer is the guitarist. He’s a legend. You may have a bit more appreciation for his vocals if you understand he’s singing and playing.
I am laughing so hard at the commentary! Guys, Mark Knopfler and Dire Straits are a classic! I grew up with them and cannot imagine music without them. They have so many great songs - Skate Away, Romeo and Juliet, and of course, Money for Nothing. I think the need for constant stimulation in a song (dips and valleys) is something from the newer generations who are easily bored. Back in the day, we could listen to this kind of music for hours! But then I also like Radiohead's House of Cards (which is also similarly monotonous and I love everything by REM though it all sounds the same.
@@bernadettekutch5240 I really appreciate how you mention the piano in the outro. Knopfler playing the guitar is out of this world, but I love the piano in the end just as much. And I don't hear people saying that, it's like, it's just me who loves it to death. (Only fault with the piano outro is that it's way too short.) Again, thanks for the comment!
Got to love the "He doesn't want to make cry or sing" ... and then Mark Knopfler effortlessly makes it cry and sing... You guys deserve a sub for just listening to the songs and not stopping them to talk... You letting the songs hit you like they are ment to... Good on you.
You do have to know that Mark Knopfler used to be a journalist and when his boss, knowing he played guitar, asked him "write a story about this guitarist dude that died in Amsterdam" (Jimi) he told his boss he could take his job and shove it and decided to dedicate his life to music. He's a true master as someone who is left handed but plays right handed.
This was the song that Dire Straits blasted onto the charts back in 1978. They have sold over 100 million albums world-wide so a pretty successful band. I saw them live in Australia in 1981...I worked for their record label at the time.
I remember the first time I heard this song, and I was totally thrilled. I guess that Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler have had so much influence on modern music that it's not as revolutionary to you as it was to us. You'd never catch Mark or the band "getting crazy" - always a bit restrained, a bit deep, a bit virtuoso. They had fun with Money for Nothing, but most of their songs are serious. Mark is my favourite singer/songwriter/guitarist. His solo stuff is wonderful.
Awesome choice, one of my top 5 songs all time! I always loved the story of the song, about a band doing their own thing and enjoying what they're doing.
Knopfler has a completely unique guitar style - slinky, sly, technical, understated, and so tasty. I've seen him several times (including with Clapton, where Knopfler "guested" for the whole tour - man they were fantastic together - pushed each other hard), and he does not hit sloppy notes even live. I can assure you that in a studio with multiple takes possible the solos are EXACTLY what he wanted them to be; based on his live ability, these wouldn't have been a strain IN THE LEAST. The dude is extraordinarily talented. Look him up - he's got some vids where he's talking to the interviewer and playing at the same time. You'll have a whole new level of respect.
God damn I love this song. I always think of driving on the highway and there is a storm ahead. Rain on the wind. Lighting in the air. Gas in the tank. Good tunes on the radio. 🤘🏽🤘🏽
@@vannacee26 A Lefty Playing Righty??????? Not a clue what your on about????? he Writes Right handed, plays pool right handed (checkout the beginning of the Alchemy Video) and golf, so where the hell is he a Leftie ?????? Unless your talking Polotics??????
The live lead is amazing...structured like a classical symphony with four movements! Breath-taking to see this live! The lead in Tunnel if Love is amazing also. Good call!
To me the main focus of the song is the story of the actual “Sultans”, a jazz band playing in an almost empty pub in South London that Mark Knopfler saw performing, which inspired him to wright the song. Not only his voice and style of singing fits perfectly with how he tells the story, but also the way the instruments interact with eachother, everybody playing for the song and the story and not the other way round. The clean sound of the guitar is I think more related to his style… he is not just not trying to cover his tracks by simply playing a straightforward setting of chords. He is finger picking through the entire song, which becomes so trademark of Knoplers when he hits those triads in the second solo. Magic! Simply just nothing like it!
This song is based on a real band called The Sultans of Swing that Mark Knopfler saw playing in a dive bar in London. He just loved the way they were regular working men, but in the moments they were on stage they became rock stars
Mark Knopfler is considered one of the "greats" of guitarists, up there with the Steve Vais and and Jimi Hendrixes. He's a classic country guitarist, in essence, borrowing heavily from Chet Atkins and also being comparable to Steve Howe (Yes). His acoustic work in absolutely jaw-dropping, and a large part of the reason his electric tone is so clean and precise; he essentially plays this song like he's playing on an acoustic. He also does a lot of fingerstyle playing, using all of his fingers to pick out the notes and not relying heavily on a pick. This guy has some serious skill! As an added bonus, he wrote and performed the soundtrack to Princess Bride - "A Storybook Story".
Mark Knopfler has an amazing and unique style that I can only describe as "smokey but silky smooth". I also think his voice matches his playing style, smokey but silky smooth.
Brothers in Arms & On every Street are two amazing songs from the Dire Straits, but especially the guitar play on Brothers in Arms is one of the most emotional things i‘ve ever heard!!! And i‘m a huge Pink Floyd fan, so i think i know emotional guitar play!
“Mark Knopfler has an extraordinary ability to make a Schecter Custom Stratocaster hoot and sing like angels on a Saturday night, exhausted from being good all week and needing a stiff drink.” ― Douglas Adams, So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish
My favorite Dire Straits tune is Tunnel of Love, which is kind of a deeper cut from their 3rd album. It's longer, rockier and has a lot more dynamic range to it. However, Straits was never a blow you away with bangers sort of band, at least not in my mind.
The live version of this song is 🤩! I could turn it on right as I was leaving work, sunroof open, beautiful day, and it would finish right as I was pulling into my driveway at home. Perfect! I love this song, Mark Knopfler is a genius on guitar.
Glad to see this song making an impression on younger generations. I can still remember the first time I heard it. I was 12ish and my dad took me to play pool at a local family-friendly billiards emporium. Somebody played this song two or three times in a row on the jukebox. My old man was a straight-up country music guy but knew great guitar picking when he heard it. I remember being surprised that he would like a rock song. He also liked the intro to The Hollies' "Long Cool Woman." Dad's been gone for 25 years now and I still really miss him. Thanks for bringing up a really great memory, guys.
My fave track Industrial Disease is a classic track. Lady Writer, Money for Nothing, Skateaway, Romeo and Juliet, So Far Away, and Heavy Fuel were heavy hitters too... Mark Knopfler (guitarist and vocals) is a legend.
This will be a timeless classic long after I'm gone. Loved it from the first time i heard it. This song dropped right in the middle of the disco craze. The purity of the music is astounding. It would be interesting how you would grade this song three years after you first heard it.
Thank god you guys finally got to this monster of a song One of my absolute favorite songs ever, so unique and so perfectly written Knopflers guitar work is always so emotionally driven and soulful while being so melodic Knopfler is the guitar and vocals If you listen to the lyrics, they tell the tale of a small little band in a sleepy bar in london where the guys playing just come to play, they don't care if they get paid, they have other jobs, they are just there to play to the 3 people who happen to be listening, they dont care if they look cool or make the scene, they dont even care to play whats popular, they're playing swing.. that feeling comes through in the song so much Knopfler wrote this song when he stopped in a little bar, comin in out of the rain, and sat and listened to them play, and you can hear that relaxing, loungeish feel
I love this kind of stuff so much because it is so ridiculously good and it happens all of a sudden out of nowhere and then it kind of doesn’t happen after. Until like now. It is just so good.
Later on, when Dire Sraits was one of the best bands in the wold, they recorded a live version of Sultans of Swing that was double if not quadruple time. Totally awesome, especially the finale solo. This song came out in 1977, and within a decade, Mark Knofller was a guitar legend.
this is one of those bands you almost have to see live to truly appreciate. that guitar solo at the end for example goes on another 5 or 6 minutes during a live show. Mark Knopfler's guitar has a certain twang to it that makes it instantly recognizable amongst other rock groups of the era. they tend to be much more atmospheric than straight up banging. and yes, that guitar drives their sound. there's a simplicity and unpretentiousness to their lyrics that serves their music well. the band has long since disbanded but Knopfler still tours on his own occasionally, doing all the Dire Straits stuff. He was, for all intents and purposes, Dire Straits. Other songs by them "Lady Writer", "Once Upon a Time in the West", "Romeo and Juliet".
I love everything about this song! The way the lead guitar sounds just makes me happy! The rhythm...the drums...the bass guitar! The sound of his voice. The lyrics! This song has such a timeless quality. To me...this song is pretty close to perfection. Thanks for reacting to this song. I give this song a solid 10! 🥰 Sometimes, you just have to enjoy a song and not over analyze it.
Your reactions are exactly the same as mine was when this first came out. I was listening to this song a couple of years later and got goosebumps when I realised how complex the guitar work is. And yet the guitarist, Mark Knopfler, slides through it with the greatest of ease. The song appears on almost everybody's top 10 list of difficult guitar songs to play.
Dire Straits has a cooler presentation in general. At a time when bands were going for the big power rush in their writing DS used a more understated sort of approach. For DS fans, that's what a lot of us like about them. There's a lot of other bands over the years that I like for the same reason. Actually I realize now writing this that it has informed my music sensibilities more than I recognized. Thanks again.