On 2nd March 1986 I went along to Western Springs, Auckland, to the Dire Straits Brothers in Arms concert. This was an amazing show for two reasons. Firstly, it gave me a chance to see a group I'd followed since their first release in 1978. 'Brothers in Arms' was their 5th studio album and I had all 5 in my collection.
Secondly, it was going to be my last chance to see ANY concerts for a while. I'd just signed a 3 year contract to live and work in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea and I was due to fly out on 16th March - exactly 2 weeks later.
I really don't need to write much about Dire Straits music. There are people living in the Amazonian rainforest or in a yurt in Mongolia who know all the words to 'Money For Nothing' so instead here's a few bits of trivia.
Through various associations - flatmates, previous bands etc - the four principals, Mark Knopfler, his brother David, John Illsley and Pick Withers got together as a group in 1977. One story has it that a friend suggested the name for the group because it pretty much summed up their financial situation .. 'Dire Straits' !!
Their first single, 'Sultans of Swing' was named after a jazz band Mark Knopfler saw in a pub in London. The place was almost deserted, the jazz band AND the pub were a bit seedy and tatty, but at the end of the set the singer said they were the 'Sultans of Swing'. Knopfler thought that the contrast between the glitzy name and the crap surroundings was too good not to use.
The Dire Straits song and album 'Love Over Gold' got it's title from something on the cover of a Captain Beefheart album. Don Van Vliet a.k.a. Captain Beefheart was also known to sign autographs with 'Love Over Gold' above his name.
'Tunnel of Love' was written by Mark Knopfler but there's an instrumental bit at the beginning of the song taken from the musical 'Carousel', so Rodgers and Hammerstein get songwriting credit.
'Walk of Life' has one of the most memorable intro's ever .. but before the song kicks in, Mark Knopfler does some 'woo-hoos' in the background. In a 1989 interview on the BBC he said "I heard it on the radio the other day and thought, Oh my God! What was I doing that for?"
'Brothers in Arms' was written around the time of the Falklands War, so no prizes for guessing the inspiration for that one.
Mark Knopfler is a brilliant guitarist. No question. However, right from the early days, I'd always hear a J.J. Cale turn to his playing. I was pleased to find out later that it wasn't just me. Critics and Knopfler himself credit Cale as being an influence - although Cale was known to occassionally (maybe light-heartedly) say that Knopfler 'ripped off his guitar and singing styles'.
Eric Clapton is probably best associated with J.J. Cale, making hits of some of his songs and doing albums together.
In 2014 Clapton did a tribute album, 'The Breeze: An Appreciation of JJ Cale' and Mark Knopfler played on two of the tracks.
Despite all the Dire Straits albums and songs, my all-time favourite track is an instrumental credited to Mark Knopler .. 'Going Home (Theme Of The Local Hero)'
It's magnificent. It's starts slowly, quietly, with beautiful guitar work .. then around 2:28 it picks up and the sax kicks in and finishes on 5 drum beats that you just HAVE to do with your hands on the nearest flat surface.
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