I was actually gonna say it was a perfect album until the final song, but I figured no one on your Substack cared to hear my thoughts on Side Two of "Making Movies."
Dan, I really enjoyed this. It's true, nothing sounded quite like "Skateaway," for reasons you enunciate so well. It has an amazing feel to it. I wonder if any other Dire Straits song has this sinewy quality.. And yeah, "Les Boys" is a real groaner indeed -- sort of a spiritual cousin of the Kinks' "Out of the Wardrobe."
Best wishes, fourteen joys and a will to be merry to you and yours ...
You asked whether there was anything special I wanted for Xmas? I could have said “Rollergirl”. But the shout out to me about your adolescent infatuation with New York (which has never ceased) is gift enough. But next year Rollergirl! 🤷🏽❤️
Another Holiday adventure of yours I learned about for the first time. Your 1979 wide-eyed with awe for your first real look at Manhattan!. Reminded me of our first family Christmas living in Morningside Heights in 1960. We three DQ girls discovered the very same joys and delights of the season, including the Tree at RC and New Year's Eve at Times Square with warm chestnuts in our mittens and a crowd of cheery people all ready to celebrate the midnight moment. That season did truly change our lives....we became urban New Yorkers! Merry Christmas
This song embedded itself in my adolescent heart and mind as well, and I come back to it and this album often. The timbres of the instruments, and the atmosphere created by the reverb and echo do all work together, as you point out, and that long outro is just gorgeous. That sort of thing did seem more common on the AOR stations of the time.
When I was 10, I was convinced this was the greatest album ever made. Thanks for making me feel 10 again for a couple minutes, Dan. Happy holidays.
My pleasure, Tommy. I still love most of this LP, though “Les Boys” hasn’t aged so well. Happy Holidays to you, too!
I was actually gonna say it was a perfect album until the final song, but I figured no one on your Substack cared to hear my thoughts on Side Two of "Making Movies."
Evocative. I’d just moved to NYC when that song came out. Wonderful writing.
Thanks, Jeff! Happy Holidays!
Dan, I really enjoyed this. It's true, nothing sounded quite like "Skateaway," for reasons you enunciate so well. It has an amazing feel to it. I wonder if any other Dire Straits song has this sinewy quality.. And yeah, "Les Boys" is a real groaner indeed -- sort of a spiritual cousin of the Kinks' "Out of the Wardrobe."
Best wishes, fourteen joys and a will to be merry to you and yours ...
Thanks, David - same to you and yours! And thanks for the book!
Thanks Dan 🙌 peace on earth ✨
Peace and Love to you and Chris!
You asked whether there was anything special I wanted for Xmas? I could have said “Rollergirl”. But the shout out to me about your adolescent infatuation with New York (which has never ceased) is gift enough. But next year Rollergirl! 🤷🏽❤️
I’ll have a word with Santa for you…
🙏🏻
Another Holiday adventure of yours I learned about for the first time. Your 1979 wide-eyed with awe for your first real look at Manhattan!. Reminded me of our first family Christmas living in Morningside Heights in 1960. We three DQ girls discovered the very same joys and delights of the season, including the Tree at RC and New Year's Eve at Times Square with warm chestnuts in our mittens and a crowd of cheery people all ready to celebrate the midnight moment. That season did truly change our lives....we became urban New Yorkers! Merry Christmas
This song embedded itself in my adolescent heart and mind as well, and I come back to it and this album often. The timbres of the instruments, and the atmosphere created by the reverb and echo do all work together, as you point out, and that long outro is just gorgeous. That sort of thing did seem more common on the AOR stations of the time.
There was so much more space in the music back then - and space on the radio for it!