Customer Reviews

One Take Radio Sessions

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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).

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!

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.

Having seen Mark in NYC (8th row!!) about six weeks before picking up this CD, I was yearning for something more like I heard that night in Radio City Music Hall. Something with a little more raw energy. This fits the bill nicely - albeit leaving the real fan just wanting more.

As others have said, these versions have enough new edge and energy to distinguish themselves from the originals, so that now when I listen to Shangri-La, I prefer these renditions more.

The standouts for me are a greatly improved "Song for Sonny Liston", which was one track from the original release that I found myself occasionally skipping over. Not so here. Mark's grittier guitar propels this tune with new vigor. "Boom" is much more like what I heard live, but for me the real winner is "Everybody Pays". I loved the original version, but this now classifies as a religious experience. An extra measure of solo at the end extends this versus the original, but I feel only teased. I want the solo to go on and on and on...

How about it Mark? Treat the diehards to something truly indulgent. Give us a 12-15 minute version of "Everybody Pays" with an extended solo at the end that explores this melody completely. A fan can only dream...

If you liked Marks album "Shangri-La", you'll love this live CD. He sounds great and the versions are all a little different.

While I don't particularly like Shangri-La (the album where most of the songs from the One Take Radio Sessions are from) as a whole, the four best songs are on here - and this version of them is fantastic. Buy it for:

The Trawlerman's Song
Back to Tupelo
Everybody Pays
Stand Up Guy

When I saw the announcement for this CD, I thought, "What's the point?" The songs already exist on other CDs, and there is not even that one "never been released" song to be used as a justification for those that have to have every song from an artist. The fact that this CD cost so little made me pick one up from the local Best Buy.

I have the Shangri-La CD and listen to it often, so when I put this CD in my player I didn't expect much in the way of a change or difference from what I have come to expect from these songs.. I was wrong. These songs being performed live are great! There are some subtle differences in things like tone or prominence of voice versus instruments, nothing earth shattering, but enough to notice, and more importantly enough to have a preference as to which disc to play when listening to a certain song.

This EP will be my choice to listen to "The Trawlerman's Song", "Back to Tupelo", "Song for Sonny Liston" and "Everybody Pays", while the others are just as good as those on the Shangri-La CD. The aforementioned songs are just so much better in terms of clarity and tone, over the previous renditions. Maybe it is intangible, but for me they are more enjoyable on this disc. One nice addition to this EP that did not come from the Shangri-La CD is "Rudiger" which is a song about a stalker that Knopfler wrote after John Lennon was killed (according to his introduction to this song on his "A Night In London" DVD), and this version is much better than the one from his "Golden Heart" CD.

I give this disc 4 out of 5 stars only because they put the weakest track from Shangri-la on it, "Donegan's Gone". Given the limited space for an EP, they could have made the tract list better with one of the other great tunes from that first CD, and not this throw-away shuffle based on hero worship from Knopfler's boyhood.

If you like Knopfler, the price is right for this collection that is just right for when you have a spare block of time for a mini-dose of great music.

If you liked the Shangri-La album, this is a must buy. I think a lot of other reviewers have expounded more than I'm going to, but the tracks are much more alive here. My favorite tracks from here are Rudiger and Song for Sonny Liston. Everybody Pays is great here as well. Several songs here were not performed live on his last tour, so tis great to get to hear them in a live setting. Back to Tupelo and Stand up guy were not played at my concert, and likely weren't played elsewhere. Even if there is a live album, the quality of sound here should top it. Only 8 songs...but each one is flawless, and provides many more details and subtleties than the original album recordings.

I begged my sister for this cd for Christmas and it has, quite literally, never left the car since December 25. It has its own place on the passenger seat like a talisman, my own audio good luck charm. In some odd way I don't feel right if I can't look over and see him on the cover, gazing off into space. No Mark Knopfler collection is complete without this, a sort of studio-work-within-a-studio-work. He always manages to put a different spin on every new rendition, a fresh energy, a wry nuance that wasn't there before. I have honestly never really gotten his attachment to "Rudiger" - one of my least-favourites - but I don't question his inclusion of it here. It certainly connects the old with the new, which perhaps was his intent. I love any variation of "Everybody Pays" (a sentiment I have always wished I could render so succinctly),and I've come to be very fond of "Stand Up Guy" and "Donegan's Gone" (the man wasn't just one of Mark's heroes, Mark eventually got to be friends with Lonnie Donegan, so it makes sense he should include this song - Mark has always given credit where it was due.)I am not ashamed to say I would and will stand by everything I've heard from Mark Knopfler - I fully appreciate the continued excellence of a member of my own generation in a world that increasingly snubs those who have earned better - and having said that, I am glad to have this collection of songs in my library. I wouldn't feel whole without it.
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To hear Mark in a live setting really gives you the sense of the power of this talent. The recording is crisp and deep. Immaculate as well as spontaneous, Mark delivers his collection of songs with passion, integrity and even a touch of humor. A trail blazer for more then 30 years, Mark's talent is seemingly, like great wine, only sweetening and deepening with age! Bravo Mr. Knopfler!