Mark Knopfler’s first studio albums are being remastered for a new box set collection. Mark Knopfler – The Studio Albums 1996-2007 is being released on December 10, 2021, as 6-CDs or 11-LPs. The set marks the 25th anniversary of the Dire Straits’ legend’s debut solo effort which was released in 1996.
The box will feature Knopfler’s first five studio albums as a solo artist – Golden Heart (1996), Sailing to Philadelphia (2000), The Ragpicker’s Dream (2002), Shangri-La (2004), and Kill to Get Crimson (2007) – plus an exclusive bonus disc of studio b-sides from this period. (This marks the first time Golden Heart and Sailing to Philadelphia have been released on vinyl.)
Each album was at or new the U.K. top 10 when they were released.
The audio of each album has been newly remastered by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios in London and the LPs will be pressed as double albums on 180-gram vinyl. The boxed set will include a download card and six embossed art prints of each of the albums covers. The CD set will come housed in a deluxe clamshell box with the CDs in wallets with folded double-sided printed inserts, plus six art cards of each of the album covers.
Watch Showell, the mastering engineer, “properly do to an unboxing”
CD6: Gravy Train: The B-Sides 1996-2007
1. “Small Potatoes”
2. “What Have I Got To Do”
3. “Gravy Train”
4. “My Claim To Fame”
5. “Summer Of Love”
6. “Camerado”
7. “Tall Order Baby”
8. “Let’s See You”
9. “The Long Highway”
From the July 28 announcement: Knopfler is one of the most successful musicians the U.K. has ever produced and is often cited as one of the greatest guitarists of all time. He first came to prominence in the ’80s as leader of Dire Straits, with such signature songs as “Sultans Of Swing,” “Money For Nothing,” “Romeo and Juliet,” and “Walk of Life.” The band broke up in 1995 and Knopfler set off on a new path as a solo artist.
In the ensuing years, he has released nine solo albums of rootsy rock and has continued to tour the globe with his band. Over the years, Knopfler has written the music for several films, including Local Hero, Cal, The Princess Bride, Last Exit to Brooklyn and Wag the Dog. He has played and recorded with such artists as Bob Dylan, Van Morrison, Tina Turner, Randy Newman and the late Chet Atkins. Knopfler was made an OBE in 1999 and was given the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Ivor Novellos in 2012.
Watch the video for 2000’s “What It Is”
Related: Our recap of opening night of Knopfler’s 2019 tour
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