This quiz is dedicated to those instruments ... the real sultans of swing. The song was then re-recorded in February 1978 at Basing Street Studios for the band's eponymous debut album. Illsley recalls: “One day he said to me: ‘Remember that song I was fiddling about with the other day? Their is now, a Plymouth based 6-piece swing/jazz/latin dance band. "Sultans of Swing" is a song by British rock band Dire Straits, written by frontman Mark Knopfler. … I think they were actually surprised they had an audience of three or four. It's also one of Dire Straits' best-known songs. Released initially in 1978 on the British band’s self-titled debut (then re-released a year later), the song is based on a real band that singer/composer Mark Knopfler came across in a dingy bar one night “way on down … And all good songs have a story.”, Still desperately seeking a record deal, in July ’77 Dire Straits booked time at a tiny eight-track studio. The demo of the song was recorded at Pathway Studios, North London, in July 1977 and quickly acquired a following after it was put in rotation on BBC Radio London. BA1 1UA. Lyrics to "Sultans of Swing" on Lyrics.com. “It was a very special feeling to be part of something so unique,” recalls bassist John Illsley. “Live Aid was a unique privilege for all of us. This is my arrangement of Sultans of Swing, for square neck dobro. Whatever the cumulative effect of the music might be, the inspiration for it was very much grounded in reality. One accurate version. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Sultans Of Swing: The Very Best Of at Amazon.com. These experienced musicians have crafted their approach to suit a global audience. Mark Knopfler recalled the experience of watching an “average” band play a low-key show in an empty London pub, and how their name, the Sultans of Swing, helped inspire the Dire Straits hit song about the moment.. People have said we were lucky, but I say: ‘Well, what does luck mean?’ The fact of the matter is that it was a bloody good song, the band was pretty damn good and we worked bloody hard. He Called Them "Very Average" "Sultans of Swing" may have only peaked at #4 on the US Billboard Hot 100 but it still holds up well even after four decades since its release. A legendary line from a legendary song, released in 1978 as a single, year later released again within the debut album “Dire Straits” by - Dire Straits. Difficulty: Very Easy. You will receive a verification email shortly. Its popularity soon reached record executives, and Dire Straits were offered a contract with Phonogram Records. Mark Knopfler recalled the experience of watching an “average” band play a low-key show in an empty London pub, and how their name, the Sultans of Swing, helped inspire the Dire Straits hit song about the moment. Most radio hits are about love, lost love, wanting love, needing love, hating love, or shaking your booty on a dance floor. You can see the list of radio stations where it airs here. Within two months Dire Straits had been signed by Phonogram. So is Guitar George, who knows all the chords: ‘But it’s strictly rhythm/He doesn’t want to make it cry or sing/If any old guitar is all he can afford/When he gets up under the lights to play his thing.’ Meanwhile, a small group of youths are fooling around in the corner, ‘drunk and dressed in their best brown baggies and their platform soles/They don’t give a damn about any trumpet-playing band/It ain’t what they call rock and roll.’ It’s as damp an evocation of thankless 70s publand as you’re likely to hear. Back in the day, certain music labels were an auto-buy for me: Wax Trax, Def American, Sub Pop. Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits. Now that Sultans Of Swing was on constant rotation, record companies started to take note of this rumbling blues- rock tune about a rotten jazz band. Then things started to move with an almost haphazard momentum. Dire Straits, of course, went on to become one of the most successful British bands of the 80s. But, as Illsley explains, “the problem we had was that we couldn’t get Sultans Of Swing to sound as good as the demo. These are the catalysts that move you onward through life. It started spreading like wildfire.”. The album produced the hit single "Sultans of Swing", which reached number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 8 on the UK Singles Chart. Just after 6pm on July 13, 1985, Dire Straits took to the stage at Wembley Stadium as part of Live Aid, playing to a global TV audience that reached a mind-frying 1.9 billion. Mark Knopfler recalled the experience of watching an “average” band play a low-key show in an empty London pub, and how their name, the Sultans of Swing, helped inspire the Dire Straits hit song about the moment.. By Who were these Sultans in fact? To swing, the big bands of the 1930's, relied not only on the quality of their musicians but the instruments they employed and the important roles these instruments served. The very latest chart stats about sultans of swing - peak chart position, weeks on chart, week-by-week chart run, catalogue number Likewise, the tune itself doesn't need to be pigeon-holed into a section like I once wanted to do to it. And let’s face it, all good songs have a story.”. They then took the resulting five- song demo, which included Sultans Of Swing, to Radio London DJ Charlie Gillett. Singer/guitarist Mark Knopfler had written it in 1977, after ducking into a deserted pub one rainy night and witnessing a lousy jazz band. At the end of their performance, the lead singer announced that "We are The Sultans of Swing".and Knopfler found the contrast between the group's dowdy appearance and surroundings and their grandiose name amusing. The radio stations started playing Sultans Of Swing like crazy. “We were living on next to nothing and weren’t even able to pay the gas bill,” Illsley says, adding that they weren’t called Dire Straits for nothing. And thankfully they did. “I suppose you could say that Sultans Of Swing was the one song that started it all off,” muses Illsley. Then it’s a story. As the rain beats down outside, the band are blowin’ Dixieland. Just after 6pm on July 13, 1985, Dire Straits took to the stage at Wembley Stadium as part of Live Aid, playing to a global TV audience that reached a mind-frying 1.9 billion. Sign up below to get the latest from Classic Rock, plus exclusive special offers, direct to your inbox! Even Knopfler thought it lacked spark. “We are the Sultans, we are the Sultans of Swing”. To swing, the big bands of the 1930s, relied not only on the quality of their musicians but the instruments they employed and the important roles these instruments served. In terms of lyrical content, Dire Straits’ “Sultans of Swing” is an exceedingly odd song to have climbed nearly to the top of the U.S. and U.K. music charts (numbers 8 and 4, respectively). Knopfler at least left the pub with the seed of an idea. These fictional musicians, the sultans, didn't need to categorize their style. Sultans Of Swing sees Knopfler folding the night’s events into the narrative. Download Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits. “On air he said: ‘I’m going to play this until somebody picks this band up,’ which I thought was quite a bold thing to do. 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