Search - Mark Knopfler :: One Take Radio Sessions

A good teaser for a real live album

AK | Chicago | 06/23/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a slightly tricky release to review. On one hand, if you're a big fan of Mark's solo work like myself; you're going to really dig this EP. I still play Shangri-La (the album which 7 of these songs came from) regularly and to hear these tunes in a "live" setting is a refreshing change. However, if you are new to Mr. Knopfler, you'd be better off picking up his Shangri-la album.



On to the actual content- the songs here are remarkably faithful to their original versions. While that is an impressive feat, the music here is almost too close to it's original form. The sound quality is fantastic, with just enough ambience to let you know that this was recorded live. Mark himself said much of the Shangri-La album was recorded in a live setting, so like I already said- don't expect too much variation here.



There are three songs that stand out to me as being `better' than the original album cuts. The opening "Trawlerman's Song" really benefits from Mark's excellent guitar tone cutting through a little louder and clearer than on the Shangri-La album. Mark gives a great vocal performance on "Song for Sonny Liston"- you can almost hear him smirking as he delivers the lyrics... very nice. Last but not least, "Donegan's Gone" manages to swing even better than the album cut- it just really comes to life here. It's something you have to hear to understand.



All things considered, I really dig this release. Excellent sound quality, great performances and a really strong vocal and guitar performance from Mark. The rest of the band sounds great as well, with the drums really coming through nicely with this live mix. I really wish this was a full album release rather than an EP (it's just too short), but hopefully Mark is saving the full live experience for an upcoming live album/dvd.



If you loved Shangri-La, buy this EP. If you're new to Mark, check out Shangri-La or any of Mark's other solo albums first (I strongly recommend Sailing to Philadelphia)."

You can never have enough Knopfler!

Matthieu P. Raillard | Portland, OR USA | 07/05/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm a huge Knopfler fan, so this review might appear biased to some. That said, I am generally very happy with this CD. It's got eight great songs for a cheap price, and it's really nice to be able to hear the "rough cut" version of some of my favorites. If you don't like the songs on the CD in the original, produced and polished version, then you probably won't care too much for this LP. If you are a guitar fan or a Knopfler fan, you will definitely get a kick out of this album. The rougher texture and simpler background harmonies in this album give certain tracks ("Song for Sonny Liston" for one) a more intimate and bluesy feel. Highly recommended!"

Inevitably brilliant, but song selection slightly disappoint

Matthew Drummy | Vermont, USA | 02/02/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Hi! First off, if you're deciding between this EP and the full-length CD Shangri-La (7 of the 8 tracks on One Take Sessions are alternate versions of songs that appeared on Shangri-La), definitely buy Shangri-La, the full-length version. It's a beautifully cohesive album that you can get for a good price.



One-Take is for the Knopfler fanatic, and it is an excellent buy for such fanatics (like me), almost a gift from MK. The highlights are the rough, live "feel" of the music (as on "Trawlerman" and "Sonny Liston"); the mix, which has MK's guitar to the forefront and eschews overdubs; and Mark's playing: he adds more fills here than on the full-length releases, playing off of the lyrics, and that's sort of what MK is all about for a lot of us. "Tupelo" and the aforementioned two are good examples of this, making all 3 (and maybe Everybody Pays) superior to their Shangri-La versions.



But there are some odd decisions on One Track that keep it from achieving 5 stars. First, "Boom Like That" is disappointing, dropping 2 choruses and not adding much guitar-wise, tho the singing drips with vitriol. But then--and this is just my taste--I have to question including Rudiger, Donegan's Gone, and Stand Up Guy over so many other songs that we'd love to hear alternate versions of: 5:15 most obviously, but also Sucker Row and Shangri-La, to name the top three. These three songs are a lot more interesting musically and lyrically than the three that were included. And Rudiger really sticks out--if he's going to dig back into his solo catalogue for a song, I mean, we could all name 20 more interesting songs: Speedway, Silvertown, Old Pigweed, Hill Farmer's Blues, on and on.



So that's the quibble. But when all is said and done, here are eight brilliantly performed, generally brilliantly written songs by the guy whom many of us consider to be the most wondrous, unique guitar player of his generation. A down-to-earth genius playing some great stripped-down music."