Do Dire Straits Count as Prog? - Progressive Rock Music Forum

Cristi wrote:

some of their songs have been overplayed, I mean I don't want to hear Money For Nothing any time soon. Or Romeo & Juliet, Walk of Life.

I'm prepared to make an exception for the middle song in that list but that's it. I feel similarly about U2's With Or Without You.

Those were probably the 2 eighties bands I really disliked the most from that decade. Even Duran Duran were more interesting which is saying something Tongue

Admittedly, Manitas de Plata and other great flamenco players are the real greatest guitarists of all time.

No, but one or two of their albums are considered prog. They were sort of roots rock and then later pop rock. I remember I had their last album on cassette and remember thinking parts of it were rather Floydish so they definitely had their prog moments but over all no not prog. Also, there is one undeniable prog connection and that is that Pick Withers who was the drummer on their first four albums also played with the early English prog band Spring and is on the mellotron debut album from 1971.

Edited by AFlowerKingCrimson - July 02 2020 at 08:43

Tom Ozric wrote:

When I was 14, I thought John Illsley was the best bassist, then I bought Never Told a Soul and knew............he wasn’t 🤪

yeah, Illsley was no genius but he could get a groove going and probably fit their stripped down sound.

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If Dire Staits is rock for people who don't like rock music, I must be one of those who don't like rock music...

And Mark Knopfler is one of my favourite guitarists - his playing is much more poetic than many of those move-your-fingers-as-fast-as-you-can guitar players that dominate f.e. Rolling Stone's top 100 of guitarists and which I often find boring and unimaginative - but maybe that's just me...

essexboyinwales wrote:

SteveG wrote:

^ You were bored to death by Making Movies?

I'm bored to death by pretty much anything I've every heard by them....

I can tell that you're not a guitarist!

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SteveG wrote:

^ You were bored to death by Making Movies?

I'm bored to death by pretty much anything I've every heard by them....

Blacksword wrote:

richardh wrote:

No , just a terribly overrated band with annoying vocals (like U2 and many other eighties bands) .

Yeah, I could probably go with this....

My dislike of DS may be marginally less than yours. but alongside U2 they do represent an 1980's, I'd rather forget; the 'cool' kids at school, strutting around in Rattle & Hum, or Brothers in Arms tee shirts, like they'd just discovered the guitar. They needed reminding that two years before they were listening to A-Ha and Go West (both of which I'd also rather listen to than U2 & DS

)

Dire Straights, U2, INXS et al = Rock music for people who don't like rock music.

The Dire Straits music comes from the tradition of English rockblues, to which is added American roots rock, and some prog ambitions. All with velvety and mainstream production.

U2 has nothing to do with it, they come from the post punk or post new wave scene, and their rock is much more rough and with a nearly seventies sound. The two audiences have little in common. Obviously you may like or not these two groups, but they are among the best of their genre, in that years.

The music of U2 up to Achtung Baby has neither the sound nor the typical production of the eighties.

Inxs, on the contrary, are a three-minute single group with an eighties-style pumped sound, they managed to produce good pop-rock-funky singles but as far as albums are concerned, they are two spans under U2 and Dire Straits.

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Sean Trane wrote:

SteveG wrote:

^ You were bored to death by Making Movies?

even the album sleeve is boring as hell Sleepy

Well, at least we agree about the cover!

Tunnel Of Love is their most progressive song and features a melodic and electrifying lead that most guitarists could only dream of playing, but c'est la vie.

Edited by SteveG - July 01 2020 at 05:33

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About as Prog as Elton John - that is ; they dabbled with elements of Prog without fully indulging in the complexities.
Didn’t the last Eagles album feature many longer tracks ??