Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective

The Ragpicker's Dream

2002 studio album by Mark Knopfler From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Ragpicker's Dream
Remove ads

The Ragpicker's Dream is the third solo studio album by British singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Knopfler, released on 30 September 2002 by Mercury Records internationally, and by Warner Bros. Records in the United States.[1] The album received generally favorable reviews upon its release.[2]

Quick Facts Studio album by Mark Knopfler, Released ...
Remove ads

Composition

The album is a collection of songs written from the point of view of poor but dignified itinerant men, struggling to get by in life, often enjoying small triumphs. Knopfler gives a folk imprint to the whole album without relying too heavily on the acoustic guitar. The first song, "Why Aye Man", was used as the theme tune for the third series of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet which first aired in 2002. The album contains numerous other references to North East England, including the village of Tow Law on "Hill Farmer's Blues".[1]

Remove ads

Artwork

The album cover shows a black and white photograph of a man and a woman dancing in a kitchen. The photograph was taken by Elliott Erwitt and is titled "Spain, Valencia, 1952, Robert and Mary Frank".[3] The photo was also used as the book cover for two novels: The Marriage Artist by Andrew Winer (2010, Henry Holt & Company), and Ancient Light by John Banville (2012, Viking).[4]

Critical reception

Summarize
Perspective
More information Aggregate scores, Source ...

In his review for AllMusic, Hal Horowitz gave the album three out of five stars, calling the album "a pleasant, classy, often inspired effort whose unassuming charms are best appreciated after repeated listenings."[1] Horowitz continued:

The memorable riffage that fueled Dire Straits' most radio-friendly material has been discarded for a more pastoral approach, making this a perfect album for a rainy Sunday morning. Like his Notting Hillbillies side project, it isn't entirely unplugged, yet there is an emphasis on acoustic accompaniment to its predominantly ballad slant. Instead of leaving space for traditional soloing, Knopfler weaves his snake-like guitar between the words. This infuses a tense, edgy quality in even the most bucolic tracks.[1]

Horowitz acknowledges Knopfler's versatility and breadth of music on the album: the atmospherics of "Hill Farmer's Blues" and "Fare Thee Well Northumberland", the unaccompanied folk/blues of "Marbletown", the "shuffling groove" on the spooky "You Don't Know You're Born", the mid-tempo "Coyote", the authentic honky tonk swing of "Daddy's Gone to Knoxville", and Roger Milleresque "Quality Shoe". Horowitz singles out the title track, which he describes as "an homage to the American roots music he's always admired."[1]

Track listing

All songs were written by Mark Knopfler.[1]

More information No., Title ...
Limited edition bonus disc[Note 1]
More information No., Title ...
Singles from the album
  • Why Aye Man - Released on September 16, 2002
More information No., Title ...
Remove ads

Personnel

Music
Production
  • Mark Knopfler – producer
  • Chuck Ainlay – producer, engineer, mixing
  • John Saylor – engineer
  • Jon Bailey – engineer
  • Jake Jackson – engineer
  • Tony Cousins – mastering
  • Stephen Walker – art direction
  • Neil Kellerhouse – art direction, design
  • Elliot Erwitt – photography (front cover)
  • Ken Sharp – photography
  • North Bank Fred – photography (trains)[6]
Remove ads

Charts

More information Chart (2002), Peak position ...
Remove ads

Certifications and sales

More information Region, Certification ...
Remove ads

References

Loading related searches...

Wikiwand - on

Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.

Remove ads