Shangri-La

Mark Knopfler

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 28, 2004)
• Original Release Date: September 28, 2004
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: WEA/Reprise
• ASIN: B0002VKZL6
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (157 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,708 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Mark Knopfler isn't afraid to drop names. The heavyweight Cassius Clay laid low, the man who made burgers and fries into big business, the kings of rock & roll and skiffle are among the motley assortment who pass through Knopfler's fourth solo album. Recorded in Malibu with a tight crew of steadfast Knopfler sidemen, Shangri-La (the title comes from the studio where the entire set was recorded) chronicles the foibles of the acclaimed and the adrift, all delivered with the nonchalant grace that has marked Knopfler's music since Dire Straits emerged in the late '70s. Seven of album's 14 originals clock in at between five and seven minutes. That's Knopfler in a nutshell--don't rush things, but don't loose the thread, either. As a songwriter, Knopfler has a storyteller's eye for minutiae, which he delivers with practiced nuance. He overreaches here and there ("Song for Sonny Liston" fails to capture the pathos of the menacing fighter), but also pulls off a few career highlights (the understated crime-drama opener "5.15 a.m."). --Steve Stolder

Product Description

The fourth solo excursion from acclaimed singer-songwriter-guitarist Mark Knopfler, Shangri-La is perhaps his most rocking album since his halcyon days in Dire Straits. A four- time Grammy winner who has sold some 110 million albums worldwide with that group and solo — and whose signature guitar sound, instantly recognizable vocals and smart lyrics have made him one of rock's most admired artists — Knopfler offers an idyllic earthly refuge for the sophisticated rock fan with Shangri-La.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

73 of 78 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars quiet, reserved, and tasteful , October 1, 2004

By	Smallchief - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This CD will take you time to appreciate. At first listen I thought "elevator music" -- rock so light it isn't rock. It takes a while to appreciate the subtleties and the quiet, quiet songs. (The reviewer who said this was Knopfler's most rocking effort since Dire Straits days obviously had never heard the CD. The only semi-rocking song is "Boom like That")

The CD also lacks the variety of recent Knopfler efforts. Gone are the Celtic, Country, Cajun, and Folk tunes that dotted his other CDs. Instead, "Shangri-la" is just six guys -- two guitars, a bass, a piano, an organ, and drums, sitting around playing relaxed songs. The CD gets my top rating for good lyrics, interesting tunes, virtuoso instrumentation, perfectionist fussiness, and Knopfler's voice, which sounds a little smoother with age than his usual Dylanesque gruffness. It's not a CD that inspires superlatives, and none of the songs will likely go to the top of the hit parade, but they're good -- every one of them. Some of them even have a little bit of a surf sound, reflecting perhaps the fact that the CD was recorded in California

Still, I can appreciate the opinion of those who say "Shangri-la" is boring. I yearn for one of Knopfler's great guitar solos like the screamers on "Telegraph Road," the chugging "Sultans of Swing," or the smoky country blues of "You and your Friend." No such luck. Are Knopfler's rocking days over? I guess we'll have to be content with what we get.

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Returning to what made him famous, sort of..., October 30, 2004

By	Neil Moody Jr. "kwietman" (Olympia, WA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Mark Knopfler returns to the fertile ground of Richar Thompson-esque folk in Shangri-La, his fourth solo album. There is, however, a little of the old rock and roll fire here. The guitar has returned to the fore on several of the tracks, and there are extended solos that rival anything he's done since Dire Straits disbanded. Where "Ragpicker's Dream" was mostly thirties-style blues and folk, "Shangri-La" has the feel of late Dire Straits, circa "On Every Street," or perhaps "Golden Heart." Thematically, too, this is a very different album than "Ragpicker's Dream." Where that album concentrated on the beaten-down working man, the Depression-era hero of the tracks and bars, the first few tracks of "Shangri-La" approach the men who beat them down in the first place. "Boom, Like That" is about the man who founded McDonald's, Ray Kroc, and how his original concept was turned into a sea of mediocre identical cheap eateries. "Sucker Row" is about every young wolf in the business world, emulating the heartless men above him in an effort to get ahead. I think there's a kind of veiled reference to the founding of Las Vegas in there, too. The title track is a gem of a love song, with guitars at the end that made me close my eyes until the last note went away.

The remainder of the songs range from the traditional-sounding "Donegon's Gone" to the Ragpicker-ish "Stand Up Guy." There's some uneven songwriting here, and I have to agree with the Amazon reviewer's assessment of "Song for Sonny Liston," in that it didn't reach the level of most Knopfler songs, with their eye for dialog and atmosphere. I interpreted the last track, "Don't Crash the Ambulance," as the sly advice for one leader to his successor, as he leaves the office (perhaps the Oval one?) for the last time.

Overall, Knopfler delivers his usual grace and musical skill to this effort. Well worth the price for his fans, although not likely to attract new listeners not used to his particular brand.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mark as He's Always Been, October 6, 2004

By	Andrew Starks (Bloomington, Minnesota) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In many important ways, music reviews are as helpful as screen doors on a submarine. People who lament Mark Knopfler for not writing a 2004 version of Money for Nothing are pining for more of what they REMEMBER about Dire Straits, a band that was so thoroughly 80's without sounding dated. The fundamental shortcoming of this view is that Dire Straits was 20% Money For Nothing or Calling Elvis and 80% of what makes up the bulk of Mark's solo work.

I discovered Dire Straits through my older brother, just about when they stopped making music. I remember feeling how tragic this loss was, as I felt their last album, On Every Street, was an excellent follow up to Brothers in Arms. Clearly, the band did not sound like it was on the way out. Dire Straits became my favorite band and I have a deep love of every single album the band has released.

This is why it is baffling to me when people who review Mark Knopfler's work through the lens of Dire Straits fail to remember the huge volume of work that is stylistically very similar to his new music. For example, the Brothers in Arms album, which is widely considered the most popular album by his former band, is packed with tracks that bare this out:

So Far Away; Your Latest Trick; Why Worry; Ride Across the River; The Man's Too Strong; Brothers in Arms

None of these songs rocked. Only 3 of the 9 tracks on this album were traditional rock tunes, only 2 of those getting radio play (with So Far Away making it on the radio despite its sleep walking mood).

Go back to any album from Dire Straits and you will find that the majority of the material would feel right at home on a Mark Knopfler album. To name just a few examples: Once Upon A Time in the West; Love Over Gold; Portobello Belle; Six Blade Knife; Telegraph Road; On Every Street... the list goes on. In interviews with both Mark and his brother David, who has also released solo albums, the rock tunes were for radio and the storytelling and exploration into American folk music was for the love of the craft.

Mark Knopfler is widely considered one of the top five guitar players ever to pick up the interment, but never because his fast fingers. It is because of his ability to coax his steel guitar into guiding the emotion of his music, not just merely playing the notes on the page. As for the critiques of his voice? I can think of more than a dozen artists whose voice had character at the expense of velvety smoothness. Mark's voice is no different.

If you enjoyed all the music of Dire Straits and not just the radio hits, you will not be disappointed with Mark Knopfler's solo work, including this one. In the same spirit as James Taylor, Van Morrison and Eric Clapton, Knopfler has taken a seat amongst modern music's hall of fame elite. He has matured into an adult's musician who has a tremendous mastery of his craft; able to reach into many corners of musical style. Like watching a veteran athlete making the impossible seem effortless, Mark Knopfler's work, and Shangri-La is no exception, is an honor to experience.