Two interesting live clips of Dire Straits Six Blade Knife

Jean-Francois wrote in a comment:

I didn`t know where to post this :
Somme years ago, I remember you talked on mKnews forum about Six blade Knife on 17/02/1979 in Cologne that has a longer solo in the middle than usual.
I`ve never heard it. It would be very nice from you if you could send it to me, or at least put it on your blog.
Also, I`ve never heard Six blade Knife from Split 85, but read great reviews about it (T.Molin or JVT). I know it isn`t complete, but I`m very curious to hear how it sounds.
Could you do to me(or to us) this favour please ?

No problem, here are audio clips from both. The first is from Cologne, February 17, 1979 – one day after the Rockpalast TV show. This was a radio broadcast for “WDR Nachtmusik” on Germany’s radio station WDR2. The broadcast was about 55 minutes and was recorded at the “Große Sendesaal” at WDR’s headquarter in Cologne – a room that had been well-known for radio concerts for some decades. Unfortunately they had some problems with hum from the lights so they decided to play without a proper light show (there was just a small audience).

I am not sure if it has to do with the right timing to fill exactly the given time frame, but Mark played the solo in the middle of Six Blade Knife longer than he normally did, and they started What’s the matter with you Baby differently (with a longer drum intro, something they did also in Rotterdam 1978 – another radio show).

There are a few different versions of this show around. There was a vinyl bootleg by the La Salle label which has the intro of Down to the Waterline but the last two songs are missing (a vinly LP only allowed about 45 minutes).The sound is alright but there are audible variations of the tape speed – in German we say “leiern”.

A few years later this concert was re-broadcasted and I recorded it myself on a tape cassette. The sound was good, but it was without the intro of Down to the Waterline and the last verse of Southbound Again. When I got my first CD writer, I made a CD-R from this tape and added the intro of the vinyl bootleg. I think this is still the version that is around among fans who collect bootleg recordings.

I also had a tape with the complete show (but in worse sound quality) that also had the end of Southbound Again, but this tape has disappeared somehow, I have not seen it for many years but I still believe it must be somewhere here.

 

The other Six Blade Knife clip is from Split, former Yugoslavia, April 25, 1985. This was the beginning of the Brothers in Arms show. They soon dropped the song so there are no further recordings of this different version. Unfortunately we only have an incomplete clip of it.

 

7 thoughts on “Two interesting live clips of Dire Straits Six Blade Knife

  1. thank you very much Ingo ! 🙂 🙂 🙂
    great clips !
    since I’ve read your post on Mknewsforum, I’ve always wanted to hear that ! Now you make my dream come true ! :):):):) what a solo !!!

    the 85 version is also interesting. Guitar sounds is a bit between Ride across the river- sultans- tunnel from this tour….so it is between the sunburst and the CAR strat…

    thanks again
    :):):):):):)

  2. thank you very much Ingo ! 🙂
    great clips !
    since I`ve read your post on Mknewsforum, I`ve always wanted to hear that ! Now you make my dream come true ! :):):):) what a solo !!!

    the 85 version is also interesting. Guitar sounds is a bit between Ride across the river- sultans- tunnel from this tour….so it is between the sunburst and the CAR strat…

    thanks again
    :):):):):):)

  3. I think it would have be difficult for the band to fill exactly a given time frame. Imagine: always looking at a clock somewhere in the studio, or a producer making signs during songs ?
    And why extend only one song particulary ? And last but not least, this song is the 2nd in the setlist (I guess like others gigs ?), so it’s not the right time to adjust the length of the set. It would have be wiser to vary the length of the lasts songs like eastbound, southbound or so on…
    Was it real live, or recorded and then broadcasted some hours later ? (then, there could have been some editing)

  4. I am not sure, I guess there is usually a time frame, the band knows these x songs normally take about xy minutes, so there might be one or two minutes to fill and they play a solo a bit longer here or there. I think Eastbound Train has also some additional fills, and WTMWYB had the longer intro.

    I think it was a really live, a simulcast, but not 100 % sure.

  5. @Ingo
    i think Jean has said the right thing. it would be better to extend all other song in stead of one particular one.

  6. As said, they extended several songs to fill exactly the given time frame (of 55 minutes or so) that the radio show apparently was scheduled to.

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