What I really appreciated about this disc is how easily Knopfler is able to cross the ocean musically from his adopted land of blues and country music back to his homeland's folk traditions. "You Two Crows" sees him swing back from the rainy highways of America to the rainswept moors of the British Isles. The uilleann pipes of Mike McGoldrick are enough to bring a shiver to anyone's spine, and they set the tone for this tale of a shepherd and his dog out in the rain contemplating life. Taking shelter from the rain and drinking from his flask, he questions his career choice: "And once again I ask/What made you think/There'd be a living in sheep/Eat, work, eat, work and sleep." However, the two crows of the title, looking for carrion to eat, but most of all survivors, seem to give him the strength to continue: "And I raise my flask/To the clearing skies/To you sweepers/You carrion spies/To scavenge and survive/If you can do it so can I."
Its a beautiful and haunting sounding song, but like the other tracks its firmly rooted in reality. The farmer has chosen a hard life for himself and knows damn well he's going to have be as tough and ornery as any crow in order to survive. There's nothing romantic about this rainswept heath, no brooding heroes or beautiful heroines wandering looking for lost loves, only mud, dirt and the hard work of making a living from a herd of sheep. Yet, even here, in this tough and dirty song, you can feel the love Knopfler has for his subject. The respect he holds for the people who have to get their hands dirty, in one way or another, in order to get by. As he says in another song, "Corned Beef City": "You don't ask questions/When there's nothing in the bank/Got to feed the kids/And put diesel in the tank." Sometimes people don't have much choice and they do what is necessary in order to survive.
Like the gentleman he is, Knopfler doesn't judge any of the people he sings or writes about. There's not many people who can sing about the realities of having to make a living with compassion and understanding without pontificating. Not only does Knopfler avoid those traps, he doesn't make the mistake of romanticizing these people either. These aren't odes to the salt of the earth, these are songs about people. Of course these are songs, not essays on the plight of the working man, so they also sound wonderful and are played with the seemingly effortless skill of all Knopfler's creations. To make this combination work successfully it takes a person with equal amounts compassion, understanding of human nature, and musical ability. Mark Knopfler is such a person.
Article comments
1 - Telmo Marques
Great review about a double album that is really amazing. Great review Richard
2 - Kevin
Great review - what a change to hear someone knowledgeable making such incisive & accurate comments. He is an outstanding musician, a good human being and this is a wonderful CD. How he has not been much more widely recognised by the public and music industry is well beyound my comprehension.
3 - Jeff C
Nicely written review. I've heard all the tracks except After the Bean Stalk and the great thing is, all the tracks are just what you'd expect from Mark. Evocative stories that draw you in, each one scored as if its own miniature movie. Can't wait until it is released in the States.
4 - Arhur A
Thanks for the lovely review of a wonderful album.
5 - BeRGoL
A great musician and a very modest man. For thirty years I listen to his music with unfeigned admiration.
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