|
Post by greendemon on Oct 10, 2020 15:16:12 GMT 1
One left from the shortlist. For the letters I've done so far, it hasn't ever been a really difficult choice to pick the winning candidate - especially for B and C where there was only really ever one artist I was ever going to pick. The runners-up for D are probably the ones so far that have been closest to overtaking the artist I eventually chose.
Those runners-up were one of my favourite electronic music artists, Daft Punk. They haven't been the most prolific of artists but I love pretty much all their early material, especially Discovery, and they have two songs I would quite easily consider for my all-time top 100! In the end they lost out because I haven't actually been as fond of the Random Access Memories album - it's a bit too disco for my tastes - whereas I have no problem at all picking a top 10 for the other artist from across multiple albums.
I think 'One More Time' would probably win in a poll of Haven's favourite Daft Punk singles (I do really like 'Get Lucky' too, but I just don't think it's up there) but for me this one just edges it:
|
|
|
Post by greendemon on Oct 10, 2020 15:25:00 GMT 1
So Razzle Dazzle was on the money (for nothing) - it's Dire Straits. Possibly the squarest choice on the entire list - dad rock city central Like Crowded House, they're very much a band I developed a love of thanks to my parents, in particular my dad, and I owe the Brothers In Arms album in particular for shaping much of my earliest musical taste. There are songs of theirs I loved as a kid that I just don't anymore, at least not as much as I once did - once you're old enough to understand the lyrics, they lose their shine just a bit But there's just something about their music - Mark Knopfler is, I think, one of the greatest guitarists we've ever seen in the UK, and their very best songs evoke the sense of wide open spaces like few other bands can. As one of the bands I've known and loved the longest, they definitely deserve a spot in my A-Z. Top 10 to start tomorrow...
|
|
vastar iner
Member
I am the poster on your wall
Posts: 17,465
|
Post by vastar iner on Oct 10, 2020 15:30:24 GMT 1
C for me is very obviously Cocteau Twins. The only ones in the same universe are Cardiacs and Cranes. D? Darling Buds, Dave Dee Dozy Beaky Mick & Tich, and Dexys, in particular this forgotten gem...
|
|
|
Post by Milliways on Oct 10, 2020 16:17:24 GMT 1
D for me is the one that hardly anyone in the UK has heard of, but have a little more name recognition on the continent. A Spanish band whose songs are almost all in English: Dover
|
|
Roo.
Member
Posts: 17,885
|
Post by Roo. on Oct 10, 2020 17:43:22 GMT 1
D for me would be between Dashboard Confessional and The Dillinger Escape Plan - the former are a bit more Haven friendly than the latter, so I'd probably pick them.
|
|
|
Post by greendemon on Oct 11, 2020 13:56:45 GMT 1
10. Lady Writer (Communiqué, 1979)
Kicking things off, appropriately, with one of the very oldest songs on the list (one more to come that is even older, and yes, it's the one you're thinking of). I didn't actually grow up with this one, but discovered it in my late teens on the Private Investigations best-of compilation album. It is said to have been inspired by a TV interview given by the novelist and historian, (now Dame) Marina Warner, 'talking about the Virgin Mary' - Warner certainly seems to think so but I'm not sure if Knopfler has confirmed this. Either way, the song makes my top 10 less for its subject matter and more for its absolutely sublime guitar work which I think has to be up there with his very best.
|
|
|
Post by greendemon on Oct 11, 2020 14:05:42 GMT 1
9. Romeo and Juliet (Making Movies, 1981)This bittersweet song about young love going wrong is a longstanding favourite, but I don't like it quite as much as I did when I was younger and actually I wasn't sure if it would make the top 10 at all. It's not that it's not lovely - it is - but it's so sad I wasn't aware of the background of the song until recently: it is about a relationship Knopfler had with American singer, Holly Vincent, that didn't work out and may always have been doomed; the lyrics imply that she was using him to boost her own band, Holly and the Italians. 'Romeo and Juliet' is one of Dire Straits' best-known songs and has featured extensively in TV and film. Most recently, I heard it during the second season of the Amazon Prime drama, Goliath, starring Billy Bob Thornton (pro tip: the first season is excellent but you'll probably be happier if you give the second a miss...) One more from Making Movies...
|
|
|
Post by greendemon on Oct 11, 2020 14:23:00 GMT 1
8. Calling Elvis (On Every Street, 1991)
So many of Dire Straits' songs make me think of the same thing: driving. This might sound strange, given that I still haven't even taken a driving test (soon, I hope!) but the association comes from the very long road trips that I used to do as a child with my parents, during which it was almost inevitable that a Dire Straits album would be playing at some point. This country-tinged tribute to Elvis Presley - several of his song titles are worked into the lyrics - is one of the best at evoking that association. Like many of their songs, it sounds so American: it always makes me think of tearing down a highway at full pelt, listening to music that's been made to fill an entire landscape.
On Every Street was Dire Straits' final studio album - one more entry from this album to come.
|
|
|
Post by greendemon on Oct 13, 2020 19:18:07 GMT 1
7. Walk of Life (Brothers In Arms, 1985)
At number 7 we have Dire Straits' biggest ever hit in the UK - reaching #2 in 1985 - though in much of the rest of the world, it was eclipsed by that certain other single from the Brothers in Arms album. To say Brothers in Arms was a hugely successful record is something of an understatement: in the UK, it was the first album to achieve the platinum certification ten times over and remains the eighth-best-selling album of all time, while it has sold over 30 million copies around the world. It is undoubtedly one of the album of theirs I know best and with the exception of 'One World' I still love the whole thing.
There's something a little silly and almost cheesy about 'Walk of Life', but of all their songs, it has this wonderful feel-good quality that always brings a smile to my face when I hear it. Apparently there were two videos for this one - the one I've shared above is the more well-known (and has much better sound quality), but I think the original video - featuring a busker, as per the subject of the song - works much better. Here it is:
Unsurprisingly there are still 3 more to come from Brothers in Arms... one of which will be appearing shortly!
|
|
|
Post by greendemon on Oct 13, 2020 19:33:41 GMT 1
As promised...
6. Money For Nothing (Brothers In Arms, 1985)
Not many Dire Straits top 10s would be complete without 'Money For Nothing' but honestly, when I started compiling this top 10 I had no idea where I was going to place this absolute behemoth of a Dire Straits song. In the end it feels a bit too low, but I struggled placing it any higher. It... really hasn't aged all that well, and I'm not just talking about the video, with its blocky proto-CGI aesthetic that these days is more reminiscent of Minecraft than anything else. Homophobic and misogynistic lyrics aside (I think he kind of gets away with it if you see the song as gently mocking the two men from whose point of view the song is told), this is still an absolutely iconic song and a stone-cold classic. It's also famous for Sting's guest vocals, singing - and I can't believe I only realised this recently - 'I want my MTV' to the same tune as 'Don't stand so close to me'.
(NB: the version above does keep the two offending verses, just so we're clear!)
|
|
|
Post by Panda on Oct 13, 2020 22:28:35 GMT 1
Wasn't expecting Dire Straits. Not a huge fan but there are a couple of theirs I like quite a lot, one of which is Money For Nothing.
|
|
|
Post by Shireblogger on Oct 14, 2020 7:47:40 GMT 1
Delighted to see your musical horizons do extend back to before 1995. Also, delighted to see a track from the usually overlooked Communique album.
However, I'm quite surprised to see there will be two picks from the comparatively weak "On Every Street" LP, and I'm appalled that "Romeo & Juliet" isn't either #1 or #2.
Given your selections so far, I'm a little worried about some of the likely omissions from the Top 5 !
|
|
|
Post by Whitneyfan on Oct 14, 2020 9:21:08 GMT 1
There's one Dire Straits song which hasn't come up yet that was a big hit, but I've never understood why as it is one of the most boring songs of all-time. I like the ones mentioned so far though.
|
|
|
Post by greendemon on Oct 14, 2020 10:25:56 GMT 1
There's one Dire Straits song which hasn't come up yet that was a big hit, but I've never understood why as it is one of the most boring songs of all-time. I like the ones mentioned so far though. If it's the one I'm thinking of, I don't think it's in this top 10... but I could be wrong!
|
|
|
Post by greendemon on Oct 14, 2020 11:37:33 GMT 1
Delighted to see your musical horizons do extend back to before 1995. Also, delighted to see a track from the usually overlooked Communique album. However, I'm quite surprised to see there will be two picks from the comparatively weak "On Every Street" LP, and I'm appalled that "Romeo & Juliet" isn't either #1 or #2. Given your selections so far, I'm a little worried about some of the likely omissions from the Top 5 ! Most of the artists to come are 90s and later, but there are I think at least 4 or 5 pre-90s artists still to come. Though of the four artists I've featured already, only one of them wasn't around in the 80s (even though Ash really count as a 90s band). Younger me would have put 'Romeo and Juliet' close to the top, I've just gone off it a bit as I've got older - though it is a beautiful song. A few Dire Straits songs are really tough for me to listen to these days and unfortunately that's one of them (though that said the one I find the most difficult to listen to is still to come). I dropped a hint about the other On Every Street entry in the Crowded House rundown, when I was talking about loving songs with epic outros. There is a very specific reason why this particular one is so high, though. Of the remaining 5, I'd say only two are definitely non-controversial. And there is one horrific, appalling omission that many Dire Straits fans would consider unforgiveable...
|
|
TheThorne
Member
*Hillside, slip and slide, feel the pain, it's no surprise!*
Posts: 27,597
|
Post by TheThorne on Oct 14, 2020 11:57:35 GMT 1
There's one Dire Straits song which hasn't come up yet that was a big hit, but I've never understood why as it is one of the most boring songs of all-time. I like the ones mentioned so far though. If it's the one I'm thinking of, I don't think it's in this top 10... but I could be wrong! I agree it is so overrated, possibly one of the worst songs on the album but to be fair it's a pretty flawless record . If we are thinking of the same song.
|
|
|
Post by Earl Purple on Oct 14, 2020 13:00:10 GMT 1
I would still put Romeo & Juliet first, a totally incredible song.
|
|
|
Post by Razzle Dazzle on Oct 14, 2020 13:06:08 GMT 1
oh ok my top 3 already gone!
|
|
|
Post by greendemon on Oct 15, 2020 12:08:11 GMT 1
If it's the one I'm thinking of, I don't think it's in this top 10... but I could be wrong! I agree it is so overrated, possibly one of the worst songs on the album but to be fair it's a pretty flawless record . If we are thinking of the same song. I dunno; now I'm worried you're thinking of my number 1
|
|
|
Post by greendemon on Oct 15, 2020 12:30:56 GMT 1
5. Tunnel of Love (Making Movies, 1981)
The second and highest entry from their third album, Making Movies, this was a single but somehow only reached #54 in the UK charts! While I'll always prefer Brothers in Arms, I can see why this album is considered by many to be their best: the songs on Making Movies are a lot more intricate than some of their later material and the lyrics really tell a story. This particular song has to be one of the most gorgeous in Dire Straits' repertoire, particularly that sublime closing guitar solo which is undeniably the highlight of the entire song. The video's a bit crap in my opinion - you have lyrics evoking this image of a fairground, name-dropping the Spanish City in Whitley Bay (pretty sure when I was a kid I thought this was about an actual Spanish city...) - and then you have this rather bland, minimalistic sequence with some cutaway shots referencing the lyrics word-for-word. Much better to picture it in your head!
|
|