Mark Knopfler - The Ragpicker´s Dream (2002)

"The Ragpicker's Dream" is Mark Knopfler's third solo, released in 2002. It is a collection of songs written from the point of view of poor but dignified itinerant men, struggling to get by in life, often enjoying small triumphs. Knopfler does not play the acoustic guitar as much as he used to, but gives a folk imprint to the whole album. The first song, "Why Aye Man", was used as the theme tune for the third series of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet which first aired in 2002 and the album contains numerous other references to North East England, including the village of Tow Law on "Hill Farmer's Blues".
The memorable riffage that fueled Dire Straits' most radio-friendly material has been discarded for a more pastoral approach, making this a perfect album for a rainy Sunday morning. Like his Notting Hillbillies side project, it isn't entirely unplugged, yet there is an emphasis on acoustic accompaniment to its predominantly ballad slant. Instead of leaving space for traditional soloing, Knopfler weaves his snake-like guitar between the words. This infuses a tense, edgy quality in even the most bucolic tracks, resulting in the crackling but still low-boil atmospherics of "Hill Farmer's Blues" and "Fare Thee Well Northumberland." "Marbletown" is an unaccompanied folk/blues that sounds as if Knopfler was born and raised in the Mississippi backwoods. He taps into the patented insistent lazy, shuffling groove on the spooky "You Don't Know You're Born." It's the most Straits-like track here featuring an extended, winding, yet subtle solo. "Coyote," a mid-tempo sizzler -- lyrically based on the Road Runner cartoons -- is propelled by a walking bass figure and Knopfler's homey, lived-in, talk-sung vocals. Again, the guitar pyrotechnics are interspersed throughout the verses with overdubbed sounds employed to provide ambiance and mood. The authentic honky tonk swing of "Daddy's Gone to Knoxville" could have come off a Wayne Hancock album, and the "King of the Road" melody from "Quality Shoe" is a tribute to Roger Miller. As an homage to the American roots music he's always admired and a desire to retreat further from the stadium rock of his Straits days, The Ragpicker's Dream is a restrained success, at least on its own terms.

Track List

01.  "Why Aye Man" – 6:14
02.  "Devil Baby" – 4:05
03.  "Hill Farmer's Blues" – 3:45
04.  "A Place Where We Used to Live" – 4:34
05.  "Quality Shoe" – 3:56
06.  "Fare Thee Well Northumberland" – 6:29
07.  "Marbletown" – 3:33
08.  "You Don't Know You're Born" – 5:21
09.  "Coyote" – 5:56
10.  "The Ragpicker's Dream" – 4:20
11.  "Daddy's Gone to Knoxville" – 2:48
12.  "Old Pigweed" – 4:34

Limited Edition Bonus CD

01.  "Why Aye Man" (live at Shepherds Bush Empire) - 6:48)
02.  "Quality Shoe" (live at Shepherds Bush Empire) - 4:01
03.  "Sailing to Philadelphia" (live in Toronto) - 7:18
04.  "Brothers in Arms" (live in Toronto) - 9:02

Artist:  Mark Knopfler
Title:  The Ragpicker´s Dream
Released:  30 September 2002
Genre:  Roots Rock, Folk Rock
Length:  55:39
Label:  Mercury
Producer:  Mark Knopfler, Chuck Ainlay