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Mark Knopfler - A Shot at Glory Audio CD

A fair review of the Mark Knopfler "A Shot at Glory" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Mark Knopfler reviews here, or go back to the Mark Knopfler tabs.

Mark Knopfler Band: Mark Knopfler
Title: A Shot at Glory
Rating:
Release Date: 2002-04-30
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Sons of Scotland 2: Hard Cases 3: He's the Man 4: Training 5: The New Laird 6: Say Too Much 7: Four in a Row 8: All That I Have in the World 9: Sons of Scotland--Quiet Theme 10: It's Over 11: Wild Mountain Thyme

He's The Man
I willingly admit that I cannot possibly be objective regarding this recording, because (1) I firmly believe Mark Knopfler is about the best guitarist on earth, and (2) I firmly believe Robert Duvall is about the best actor on earth, and (3) being of Scotch/English ancestry, I have a soft spot for anything Scottish, and (4) I find English/Scottish football and the culture fascinating, and, finally, (5) I deeply enjoy Celtic music. "He" being Mark Knopfler, and also the name of one of the best tracks on this album.
It seems that MK has been able to come up with at least one astonishingly great melody on all of his soundtracks, a tune so magnificently romantic and evocative that it's a wonder that it hasn't entered the pantheon of classics. On Local Hero, he was able to turn out several. On this set, it's Sons of Scotland. This modest, subtle, poignant, beautifully melancholy tune perfectly distills the moody and wistful spirit of Scotland. He's The Man is a muscular, straightforward rocker which features a memorably explosive riff which you'll not soon forget.
There is not a lot of innovative music on this CD, but what is there is of superior quality. .


Another nice soundtrack from MK
This is no exception. These soundtrack CDs have become a nice way to get some original material from MK between his solo projects. The instrumentals are really nice and the contemporary tunes range from the typical DS style tune to material more like his solo work (I'm thinking Golden Heart here). Of course, I haven't even seen the movie yet and don't know the context for which these tunes were written. This CD is longer time-wise than the last soundtrack (Wag the Dog), but still a little short for today's CD media standards (38 min. ).


Check out these other soundtracks
For a couple of fantastic MK soundtracks with a Celtic lilt, check out "Local Hero" and "Cal". I'm a huge MK fan, but I was a little disappointed with this one. Don't get me wrong, this isn't a bad soundtrack, but I didn't feel like it was as good as MK's other work.


Good Mood Music...Not His Best OST
While I prefer the Dire Straits albums, or the solo albums by David or Mark, the soundtracks that Mark has composed over the past 20 years have found a comfortable spot on the cd rack as well. I've long enjoyed the Dire Straits' guitar sound and have been a fan of the Knopfler Brothers for a long long time. And this release doesn't vary the formula from his previous soundtracks too much at all (although it is much more a Knopfler album than the somewhat annoying "Metroland").

Here are the basics: The cd is 38 minutes long. Mark Knopfler composed all the music and sings vocals on three tracks--the best of which, "He's the Man" would fit well on either of his solo releases. All the songs with vocals are more reminiscent of his work with the Notting Hillbillies or Chet Atkins. What I'm trying to say is these songs have a little more country sound to them. The other eight songs are instumentals and have a Celtic flavor to them. In fact, the entire album (aside from the vocal tracks) is very familiar--it sounds a heckuva lot like the "Local Hero" soundtrack. The songs feature Celtic instrumentation and the primary theme throughout sounds very much like 'Going Home'. Additionally, as you'd expect, this OST features Guy Fletcher on keyboards! Overall, an enjoyable soundtrack, but a tad too short and familiar.


You can see a complete list of all Mark Knopfler discography, or go back to the Mark Knopfler tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.

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