The songwriter so good it made Mark Knopfler want to retire: “It’s stunning”
Most musicians who are worth their salt don’t want to be in the industry solely for the money. The idea of sustaining one’s self might be a fun idea when nothing is coming in, but the big picture should always be about finding that perfect melody that fits underneath chords and being able to take out a piece of your soul in that handful of lines.
Although Mark Knopfler fashioned himself as a write along with being one of the greatest guitarists, he knew when someone had him completely defeated.
But what Knopfler may have lacked in quality in his mind, he more than made up for in his ability to play guitar. As much as people like to compare and contrast guitar heroes, Knopfler is truly a one-off in music history, especially given the way that he never plays with a pick and yet finds ways to make strange picking techniques work when tearing through songs like ‘Sultans of Swing’.
When he reached the 1980s, though, it was clear that his talents weren’t limited to simply writing his own tunes any more. He needed to branch out a little bit more, and while that meant eventually dissolving Dire Straits, he was about to have a second wind when he started working with artists like Tina Turner.
Part of what made Knopfler such an effective collaborator was his instinct for restraint. Unlike many celebrated guitarists of his era, he rarely approached sessions with the intention of dominating the arrangement or proving his technical ability. Instead, he focused on atmosphere, phrasing and supporting the song itself, qualities that made him an ideal musical partner for artists as lyrically driven as Dylan.
His admiration for Dylan also reveals how deeply Knopfler valued songwriting above musicianship, despite being regarded as one of rock’s most distinctive players. Dylan represented the kind of writer capable of reshaping language and narrative within popular music, setting standards that intimidated even seasoned composers.
For someone as accomplished as Knopfler to speak about wanting to “retire” after hearing a Dylan lyric underlines the immense respect Dylan commanded among his peers, particularly musicians who understood just how difficult truly great songwriting actually is.
Steely Dan may not have been all that impressed with what he could do, but he always had that identifiable way with melody whenever he strapped on his guitar. And if he couldn’t find a way to relate to people in the same way when he was playing in stadiums, he figured the next best thing was to help some of his heroes find their feet again. While Bob Dylan was always going to do his own thing, Knopfler’s work on his records is nothing short of brilliant.
“Blood On The Tracks is one of my favourite records, with ‘Tangled Up In Blue.’ On the last record [Infidels], to hear the first lines of ‘I And I,’ that’s enough to make anybody who writes songs want to retire. It’s stunning.”
Mark Knopfler
Despite Dylan’s born-again period being very hit-and-miss with fans, the guitar work that Knopfler did for him on albums like Slow Train Coming is some of his finest work outside Dire Straits. Not all of it is exactly guitar hero worthy, but the beauty lies in how understated it can be. And given who he was working with, Knopfler knew that he wouldn’t dare get in the way of Dylan’s lyrics.
That was always how Mr Zimmerman created genius, and listening back to some of his later records, Knopfler eventually questioned why he would even try writing another tune again, saying, “I still think he’s great. Blood On The Tracks is one of my favourite records, with ‘Tangled Up In Blue.’ On the last record [Infidels], to hear the first lines of ‘I And I,’ that’s enough to make anybody who writes songs want to retire. It’s stunning.”
And when Dylan did eventually get out of his slump period in the mid-1980s, seeing him transition into something more mature in his later years was even more interesting than what he had done before. His voice had taken a beating, but he was even more sure of what he wanted to do when making records like Time Out of Mind and Love and Theft, always making sure that he spoke his truth rather than focusing on how the melody moved.
Given the fact that he continued to innovate when working on tracks like ‘Murder Most Foul’, Dylan was the ultimate example of someone who was a consummate artist. Because no matter which decade you caught him in, you were always going to get the most authentic experience possible.
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