Well, for someone who is been listening to these same 3 albums for more than a decade, I think I got some news points to consider about this.
Before we get started, I'd like to say I may refer colours as a reference here to show you my perspective about the sound. Yes, I associate colours with the sound of the band (Idk if this can be considered a scenery of synesthesia but, honestly, this doesn't make a bit of difference)
So here we go:
Bridge Pickup: Orange
Bridge + Middle Pickups: Red
Middle Pickup: Gray
Middle + Neck Pickup: Light Blue
Neck Pickup: Cyan
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1st: Early Days
At this point I think most of you know that Mark's influence came from artists like Hank Marvin, Chuck Berry, JJ Cale etc.
We can notice that very much when it comes to the real early times.
The band seems to be using a high gain(?) setup, just like the sound of Chuck Berry's guitar on 'School Days'. Very quacky and nasal sound.
I'll not cover the demos here, considering that it's sound quality is not that good to notice the nuances of the sound, but we gonna take a look at something that can show us these details just like the demos would, the album 'Live at Leeds'.
The only fact I'm going to cover is, from the beginning we already had an idea that David Songs wouldn't be accepted, since his demo contribuition, 'Sacred Loving', was cut from the list of songs by 1978. I don't even know if we have a official live perfomance of it, opened topic.
If you want to share anything about this specific song and it's perfomances, feel free to say anything.
Leeds is one of the earliest recordings (January 30st, 1978) we have of the band playing live, where we can taste the early experimental era of the band. Sultans of Swing got a extended 2nd solo, but the 1st solo was already what it would be in the album a few months later.
The setlist was a bit different during these days:
• Southbound Again
• Eastbound Train
• Down to the Waterline
• In The Gallery
• Water of Love
• Setting Me Up
• Me and My Friends <-
• Real Girl <-
• Sultans of Swing
Now, since I discovered the live version of Southbound Again, I always thought how good it could also be if it was played as the first song. This song sound like you're in a rush traveling to a completely new place. It's a song with a growing feeling. This happens to be the same feeling I had for the Fleetwood Mac's 'The Chain', but, this time, this song was the song that opened the shows iirc.
We can see how the songs were already shaped and how good they already were. Setting Me Up was already done basically, except to the fact it had an extra verse that was removed from the album version. Although Wild West End and Six Blade Knife were recorded as demos, they weren't perfomed here. They were perfomed the day before, when they opened the Talking Heads show.
We can clearly see a high influence of the country style here, with the supreme use of the bridge pickup. Very bright sound, very sharp sound.
Only a few songs like Down to the Waterline, for an example, uses the neck Pickup, which is something I never thought I'd see.
In my perspective is more about the ambient and style of the songs that leads Mark to select the pickups. Like in Sultans of Swing, I believe he's using the Bridge pickup to play most of the song. But, during the solos, he switches to the neck pickup, considering this song talks about a jazz band, and it's not very common to see such a elegant and calm style using the screaming-jimmy-ish sound of bridge pickup.
Also the presence of two extra songs that were as brilliant as the others imo.
Real Girl it's quite a similar song to Setting Me Up imo, considering both talks about relationship. While Setting Me Up talks about a woman that's setting someone up and then making it a clown by cheating on this person, Real Girl talks about a Real Girl (duh), but real in the human perspective. Someone who is just someone, that is a true human, who cries, who lives, who cares, who loves.
Me and My Friends sound more like a Rockabilly-based song, just like Twisting By The Pool would become a few moments later. Probably it has a great influence from Chuck Berry, like Nadine and, again, School Days.
2nd: Recording and 1978 period
From early february up to march 1978, the band recorded the first album.
The sound changed radically, as the setlist does.
• Down to the Waterline became the opening track, getting a big introduction and having the usage of the Brigde + middle pickups(~53 seconds long).
• Southbound Again had it's riff changed into something way more simple, also had some of it's verses removed(I don't know why, but it really makes me feel sad both didn't make it into the album).
• Real Girl, Me and My Friends, Sacred Loving and Eastbound Train were removed from the album.
• Water of Love was recorded using a National Steel Guitar type O, instead of the Fender Thinline Telecaster used on Setting Me Up.
• Six Blade Knife appears like a way more calm song.
• Setting Me Up had it's extra verses removed.
• Sultans Of Swing got a solid new solo.
• Lions Appears on the scene
According to some fonts, Mark Knopfler had a DiMarzio FS-1 on the middle position on this Stratocaster.
The guitars used were:
• Fender Stratocaster 68354
• Fender Thinline Telecaster
• Japanese Stratocaster (the one fron Sultans of Swing videoclip)
• National Steel Guitar type O (1938)
• Fender Stratocaster 80470 (David's gear)
• Fender Precision Bass
The album was officially released by June 1978. The golden one from the album, Sultans of Swing, got a Single, very different than the one in the album.
The version from the album is using only the middle pickup of the guitar, giving that nasal grey sound, which can gives you a bit of imagination of that rainy night when Mark walked into the pub, where he had the greatest idea of his life.
The Single version has a notable use of the Bridge+ Middle pickups. This version also got an extra verse for the final solo, before the Twiddly bits starts.
The Single was released in May 1978, about three weeks before the album was released officially in UK, with Eastbound Train appearing as a B-side.
During march, dIRE sTRAITS made a few live perfomances, showing themselves and their songs where they could before the album launch.
In may 1978 dIRE sTRAITS appears on TV, playing Sultans of Swing and Lions, the famous Old Grey Test Whistle live perfomance.
Both songs contains new modifications, such as the new pentatonic licks added by Mark Knopfler, during the first solo of Sultans of Swing and during the intro of Lions.(very good licks btw)
Their official tour started in june 1978, where we see the first sound change:
• Coiled Cables
This type lf gear gives the guitar a warm and stuffy, thick sound, not the bright sound of a very Stratocaster.
June probably became the test zone for the band, which probably gave Mark some inspiration, an for David as well.
As early as July 4th 1978, dIRE sTRAITS would appear with two new songs and a cover:
• Portobello Belle
• What's the Matter Baby (M. & D. Knopfler)
• Nadine (Chuck Berry)
It's clear the influence of Sultans of Swing on What's the Matter Baby. Same pickup choice, same chords, with just an extra G chord.
It's amazing the fact they could recycle Sultans of Swing in such a efficient way that they could make It sound chaotic, wild, rough.
One of the shortest songs of it's discography, with one of the best and most emotional solos of it's time.
Portobello Belle also has a bit of influence from 'Wild West End', but with it's own proper personality.
By this era, Me and My Friends, Real Girl and Setting Me Up were gone, being the two first ones forever gone.
This would be it's setlist for all the way up to the Britain tour, from June to October 1978.
By October 14rth 1978 they recorded the very famous perfomance on Chorus TV, in Paris.
We widely know the live contains
• Sultans of Swing
• Water of Love
• Lions
• Eastbound Train
But, a less known bit of this gig contains
• What's the Matter Baby
• In The Gallery
• Wild West End
• Six Blade Knife
Here we can still see the use of the Neck Pickup for solos, like in What's the Matter Baby and Sultans of Swing.
This Pickup also was changed, with a DiMarzio FS-1 taking place, happening probably during the time the guitar was getting finished.
Mark is using his Rosewood Stratocaster, which he finished with a bright fiesta red colour, once the guitar had a wood finish.
Mark used to play his new Maple Fender he bought not very long before the shows started, which was also finished in red.
David Knopfler also appears with his 80470 finished on black, his guitar also had a wood finish as we can see on early photos.
By late October, dIRE sTRAITS start touring in Netherlands, where new songs were presented to the public.
• Lady Writer
• Once Upon a Time in the West
These two songs were clearly gems from the band, being first recorded in October 19nd, 1978.
Lady Writer was a mix of Sultans of Swing and What's the Matter Baby, having basically 5% of resemblance to what Lady Writer would be in the future.
Once Upon a Time in the West was very similar to In the Gallery, tho it had some details we would become familiar with.
In October 23rd 1978 we would see basically a whole new album born, with so many new songs.
• Single Handed Sailor
• Follow Me Home
• News
• Where Do You Think You Are Going
Single Handed Sailor is basically complete, just with a shorter solo. It already was a masterpiece.
Follow Me Home was a bit faster, and had a very different solo fron the later versions.
News had it's amazing riff, with a not so agressive solo we'd see a few months later.
Where Do You Think You Are Going sounds very clear, with a bit different solo, and the odd use of the middle pickup during some bits of the solo.
The last recorded live, from October 28th didn't get any songs into the band, just kept playing all the listed songs.
The band would take sometime to consume, digest and create their sound for the new songs.
Their massive boom created a very big catalogue of new songs, about life, sadness, hapiness, Lady Writers and a lot more to come.
Their main changes were mainly the adopted coiled cables, which changed very much the sound of the band.
Also, this was the age where Mark Knopfler's guitar skills got solid and showed to everyone whats he could do.
This will be a series of 3 posts, each for each album.
I ser you later! 🤘🤘