Straits Born

The scent of childhood. The comforting lullaby of the parents. The first kiss. How great it would be if one could preserve the magical impressions of still young life forever! Not in the form of a discoloured snapshot, but in its entire emotional essence. As it were, as an "explosion in the heart", as the lyrics of the Dire Straits song "Romeo & Juliet" say.

Not many true guitar gods have walked this earth. In the hands of these rare beings, the guitar is more than a six stringed musical instrument; it is a source of immense power, a weapon of mass destruction, a light saber, the most magical of wands, capable of removing a groupy’s panties with a single note…

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of Mark’s debut solo release Golden Heart in 1996, a new box set, Mark Knopfler - The Studio Albums 1996-2007, will be released on 1st October Worldwide, and 10th December in the US.
Gathering his first five post-Dire Straits solo albums (not counting film scores), and a bonus disc of B-sides titled The Gravy Train, this collection is as sleepy and nonchalant as an old friend’s affable shrug. Knopfler does what he does, blending folk, blues, country and rock into a tension-free take on Americana that’s faintly personal but more about delivering a carpet atmosphere of reflective rumination.
The audio of each album has been newly remastered by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios in London.

Mark Knopfler - The Ragpieker's Dream
FLAC | EAC, LOG & CUE | Full Artwork Scan (400dpi .png) | Size: 645 MB | Hotfile & Rapidshare
Cat#: Mercury 063 293-2 | Country/Year: Europe 2002

The Ragpicker's Dream is Mark Knopfler's third solo album, released in 2002. It is a collection of songs written from the point of view of poor but dignified people, 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".

With his second post-millennium album in just two years, Mark Knopfler has already equaled his meager (non-soundtrack) output for the '90s. And while he isn't reinventing himself, The Ragpicker's Dream is a pleasant, classy, often inspired effort whose unassuming charms are best appreciated after repeated listenings…