Mark Knopfler - Metroland (OST) (1999)

“Metroland” is a soundtrack album by British singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Knopfler. The album contains music composed for the 1997 film Metroland, directed by Philip Saville.
The instrumental tracks, specifically composed and recorded for the film by Knopfler, effectively help to create the mood and highlight the distinct personalities of the principal characters, with the soundtrack changing the atmosphere as the film flips back and forth between Paris in the early '60s and suburban London in 1977. Parisian flavour is augmented by the music of Françoise Hardy, Django Reinhardt and Quintette du Hot Club de France, with some late-70s classics from The Stranglers, Dire Straits, Hot Chocolate and Elvis Costello that are appropriate for that the period.
In the lyrics of "Metroland", the only song he wrote for the move, Knopfler says "I've danced in the rain and I've been Django", so it is entirely appropriate that music by Django Reinhardt should also be on the soundtrack. The song is illustrative of Knopfler's art: it begins with a rising four-note theme on flugelhorn which parallels the hymn Jerusalem, the quintessential anthem of Englishness, but with a vibraphone accompaniment recalling Anglo-French jazz of the '50s. The same theme has been used throughout the movie as the protagonist's signature. The song then moves from a conventional verse backed by acoustic guitars into an electric guitar and organ-driven rock song, sweeping the listener along in its accelerating rush. Knopfler skillfully manipulates the dynamics to take the listener along an emotional journey, mimicking the film's protagonist's journey from detached observer to painfully involved main character.

Track listing

01.  "Metroland Theme (Instrumental)"   (Mark Knopfler) - 2:27
02.  "Annick"   (Mark Knopfler)  - 3:01
03.  "Françoise Hardy - Tous les Garçons et les Filles"   (Françoise Hardy, Roger Samyn)   - 3:06
04.  "Brats"   (Mark Knopfler)  - 2:39
05.  "Django Reinhardt - Blues Clair"   (Django Reinhardt)  - 3:01
06.  "Down Day"  (Mark Knopfler)  - 1:51
07.  "A Walk in Paris"  (Mark Knopfler)  - 1:36
08.  "She's Gone"  (Mark Knopfler)  - 1:28
09.  "Quintette du Hot Club de France - Minor Swing"   (Django Reinhardt, Stéphane Grappelli)  - 3:13
10.  "The Stranglers - Peaches"   (The Stranglers)  - 4:05
11.  "Dire Straits - Sultans of Swing"  - 5:45
12.  "Hot Chocolate - So You Win Again"   (Russ Ballard)  - 4:22
13.  "Elvis Costello - Alison"   (Elvis Costello)  - 3:22
14.  "Metroland"  (Mark Knopfler)  - 4:41

Credits
MusicMark Knopfler – guitars, vocals
Richard Bennett – guitars
Jim Cox – piano, Hammond organ
Guy Fletcher – keyboards
Chris White – saxophones, flute
Steve Sidwell – trumpet, flugelhorn
Glenn Worf – bass
Chad Cromwell – drums
Andrew Gallimore – assistant producer
Denny Purcell – mastering at Georgetown Masters in Nashville
Jonathan Russell – mastering assistant
Don Cobb – digital editing
Rick Lecoat – design
Mark Leialoha – photography (Mark Knopfler)
Peter Mountain – photography
Mark Knopfler, Chuck Ainlay - Producer

Notes
Recorded at: Sarm West Studios, London, UK
Genre:  Film Music, Jazz, Rock
Length:  44:37
Label:  Vertigo Records

© 1999

Mark Knopfler - Cal (Soundtrack) (1984)

"Cal" is a 1984 soundtrack album by Mark Knopfler for the film Cal, produced by David Puttnam.
With the core of Dire Straits augumented by Paul Brady and Liam O'Flynn, Knopfler set out to give this score a somewhat Irish spin, though keeping that light.
A quiet, reflective set of cues that eschew false dramatics in favor of supporting the story.
Knopfler completists will want the entire album, of course; others might as well settle for the several excerpts on Screenplaying.  In 1983, Mark Knopfler, singer/songwriter of Dire Straits, released the superb soundtrack to "Local Hero", which remains a favorite of mine still, and one of the best soundtracks ever.
The next year, he followed with another movie soundtrack, "Cal", which brings the story of an Northern-Irish family tormented by the struggles with the British "occupancy". "Cal" (12 tracks, 35 min.) evokes the atmosphere of Irish life, with superb result. Check out the opener "Irish Boy", with gentle guitar and flute. The conflict in the movie is born out in "Fear and Hatred", which is the only "harsh" track on the album, all the other tunes are mood pieces.
There are 2 center pieces on the album that are beautiful beyond belief: the 6 minutes. "Father and Son" which evoke all the ache that is in the movie, and the closer "The Long Road", which is uplifting in sound (and sight onto the screen).
Knopler's excellent guitar work is never overbearing, but enhances the mood throughout.

 

01.  "Irish Boy"  - 3:55

02.  "The Road" - 2:08

03.  "Waiting for Her"  - 0:38

04.  "Irish Love"  - 2:24

05.  "A Secret Place/ Where Will You Go"  - 1:45

06.  "Father and Son"  - 7:41

07.  "Meeting Under the Trees"  - 0:48

08.  "Potato Picking"  - 2:06

09.  "In a Secret Place"  - 1:08

10.  "Fear and Hatred"  - 2:18

11.  "Love and Guilt"  - 3:04

12.  "The Long Road"  - 7:13

Released:  1984

Recorded at:  Air Studios

Genre:  Celtic, Pop

Label:  Vertigo

Producer:  Mark Knopfler, David Puttnam

Personnel

Mark Knopfler - guitars and vocals

Guy Fletcher - keyboards

Paul Brady - tin whistle and mandolin

Liam O'Flynn - uillean pipes

John Illsley - bass

Terry Williams - drums

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