Kill to Get Crimson

Amazon.com:
Three decades after Dire Straits broke onto the scene with their remarkable debut, Mark Knopfler remains an iconic figure in popular music, his graceful guitar playing equaled only by his genial baritone and a novelist's ability to create distinct characters and themes in his songs. His fifth solo album since he pulled the plug on the band in 1995, Crimson reflects on a torrent of narratives, from the gracefully aging spouse in the flute-powered ballad "The Scaffolder's Wife" to the valiant down-and-outer in the Scottish folk song "Heart Full of Holes." Employing accordions, fiddles, and horns as majestic accompaniment, Knopfler drifts into the Celtic-tinged melodies of his past, explicitly in the whiskey-soaked singalong "Secondary Waltz," the busker's saga "Madame Geneva's," and "The Fish and the Bird," with its vagabond pensiveness. Clocking in at just under an hour, the album--without any page-turning epic--plays instead like an anthology of written works, every personification crisp in definition, every story exquisitely told. --Scott Holter

Amazon.com:
Building on last year's Grammy®-nominated All The Roadrunning collaboration with Emmylou Harris, his highest charting non Dire Straits album to date Top 20 Pop, scanning 400,000 copies in the U.S. acclaimed singer-songwriter guitarist Mark Knopfler unveils his fifth solo album, Kill To Get Crimson. While certain to appeal to his loyal fan base, the album's artful guitar rock will also entice new fans to Knopfler's signature sound (he's #27 on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time), instantly recognizable vocals and smart lyrics. A multiple-Grammy winner who has sold more than 110 million albums worldwide, Knopfler remains one of rock's most admired artists.

Mark Knopfler Photos

More from Mark Knopfler

All the Roadrunning

Shangri-La

The Ragpicker's Dream

Sailing to Philadelphia

Neck and Neck

One Take Radio Sessions [EP] [LIVE]

Real Live Roadrunning (with DVD) [LIVE]

Golden Heart

Screenplaying [SOUNDTRACK]

Private Investigations: The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler

Night in London (1996)

Ragpicker's Dream [LIMITED EDITION] [ENHANCED] [EXTRA TRACKS] [IMPORT]

Album Description:
Building on last year's Grammy®-nominated All The Roadrunning collaboration with Emmylou Harris, his highest charting non Dire Straits album to date Top 20 Pop, scanning 400,000 copies in the U.S. acclaimed singer-songwriterguitarist Mark Knopfler unveils his fifth solo album, Kill To Get Crimson. While certain to appeal to his loyal fan base, the album's artful guitar rock will also entice new fans to Knopfler's signature sound (he's #27 on Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitarists Of All Time), instantly recognizable vocals and smart lyrics. A multiple- Grammy winner who has sold more than 110 million albums worldwide, Knopfler remains one of rock's most admired artists.

Disc 1:

1. True Love Will Never Fade
2. Scaffolder's Wife
3. Fizzy and the Still
4. Heart Full of Holes
5. We Can Get Wild
6. Secondary Waltz
7. Punish the Monkey
8. Let It All Go
9. Behind with the Rent
10. Fish and the Bird
11. Madame Geneva's
12. In the Sky

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Customer Reviews

Rating: - Mellow, melancholy album tells tales with excellent guitar work
Mark Knopfler's "Kill to Get Crimson" is about as far away from the amped-up Dire Straits albums of the late 80s and early 90s as you can get.Virtually none of the pep from "Walk of Life" can be found - instead we're faced with an album of quiet, mellow tunes replete with meaningful lyrics and soulful guitars.

And that's a good thing.

This is one of those albums that's a perfect accompaniment for driving by yourself on a quiet rainy afternoon, or sitting by the fire half ... Read More
Rating: - Not Much Energy
Just keeping this short and sweet, this CD is really void of any energy. Sure there may be a track of two with catchy chord progressions, but realistically, it's quite boring. I am a big fan of MK's music, and especially his guitar playing ability, but this CD just doesn't work for me, and, it won't be one that I grab for long road trips.

Half the time, I don't have a clue as to what Mark is singing about as his voice is muddled and trails off. This is part of the "energy" that is simply ... Read More
Rating: - Becoming a fan
This CD has some lovely melodies, and the lyrics are interesting as usual.My husband introduced me to Mark Knopfler's music, and my appreciation has increased with each CD I listen to.Husband thinks some of the lyrics are a bit too grim ("Madame Geneva's", for example).I find some of them startling and some puzzling, but either way, I enjoyed the music."True Love Will Never Fade" is a beautiful tune.
Rating: - Not just a bunch of fickle tunes for fickle fans
Gone now are those marvelous guitar solos, charged with energy yet seemingly effortlessly controlled as, for instance, the Basel live version of "Sultans of Swing". But still very apparent in this CD is the ability to tell a story in a song and to express emotion on the guitar. Knopfler has moved on, and although the youthful energy is no longer there, his art has not diminished, and that puts him in another league from any other musician that I know.

The quality of the music is toned down ... Read More
Rating: - Superb storytelling
The lyrics and the scenes described are just wonderful.Listen and you will understand.