Local Hero (1983)

Dire Straits leader Mark Knopfler's intricate, introspective finger-picked guitar stylings make a perfect musical complement to the wistful tone of Bill Forsyth's comedy film, Local Hero. This album was billed as a Knopfler solo album rather than an original soundtrack album, with the notation "music … for the film." Knopfler brings along Dire Straits associates Alan Clark (keyboards) and John Illsley (bass), plus session aces like saxophonist Mike Brecker, vibes player Mike Mainieri, and drummers Steve Jordan and Terry Williams. The low-key music picks up traces of Scottish music, but most of it just sounds like Dire Straits doing instrumentals, especially the recurring theme, one of Knopfler's more memorable melodies. Gerry Rafferty (remember him from "Baker Street"?) sings the one vocal selection, "That's the Way It Always Starts."

Dire Straits leader Mark Knopfler's intricate, introspective finger-picked guitar stylings make a perfect musical complement to the wistful tone of Bill Forsyth's comedy film, Local Hero. This album was billed as a Knopfler solo album rather than an original soundtrack album, with the notation "music … for the film." Knopfler brings along Dire Straits associates Alan Clark (keyboards) and John Illsley (bass), plus session aces like saxophonist Mike Brecker, vibes player Mike Mainieri, and drummers Steve Jordan and Terry Williams…

Twenty-five years of the Shadows had raced by in a blur of hits. Both in their own right, and as the backing band behind so many of Cliff Richard's greatest recordings, the Shadows had left such an indelible mark on the British rock landscape that kids who weren't even born before "Apache" couldn't help but wish them well on their birthday…

Screenplaying is a compilation album by British singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Knopfler, released on 9 November 1993 by Vertigo Records internationally and Warner Bros. Records in the United States. The album contains previously released tracks from Knopfler's soundtrack albums Cal (1984), Last Exit to Brooklyn (1989), The Princess Bride (1987), and Local Hero (1983). In his review for AllMusic, William Ruhlmann gave the album four and a half out of five stars, writing, "The music is reminiscent of the calmer parts of Dire Straits songs: melodic, lyrical, and touching."

A new CD and vinyl box set called Live 1978-1992 focuses on the live recordings of Dire Straits. These packages spotlight four main concerts (or live albums): Alchemy (1983), On The Night (1993), the Live at the BBC compilation from 1995 and Live from the Rainbow Theatre, a 1979 gig which is previously unreleased.

Cal is a soundtrack album by British singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Knopfler, released on 24 August 1984 by Vertigo Records. The album contains music composed for the 1984 film Cal, produced by David Puttnam and directed by Pat O'Connor. Puttnam also produced the film Local Hero (1983). In his review for AllMusic, Steven McDonald gave the album four our of five stars and called it a "quiet, reflective set of cues that eschew false dramatics in favor of supporting the story." In her review in The New York Times, Janet Maslin called the album "an exceptionally lovely and haunting score."