I have a lot of one-off albums in my collection that I love despite not owning anything else by the artists who recorded them. Albums such as k.d. lang’s Absolute Torch and Twang, The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds and The Afghan Whigs’ 1965, to name just a few.
In most cases, I’ve sampled other work by those artists and decided it wasn’t really my thing. But on that one album, they tapped into something special and earned a spot in my heart, and on my CD shelf, forever.
Now that I think about it, those albums are probably worth a theme week of their own. Stay tuned.
Mark Knopfler is in a slightly different category. I have a couple of Dire Straits albums, so he’s not exactly a one-CD wonder. But of the seven albums he’s put out as a solo artist, I own only one — 2000’s Sailing to Philadelphia. And that one is very special indeed.
Sailing to Philadelphia is a mellow masterpiece, filled with Knopfler’s gorgeous guitar work, low-key vocals and solid songwriting. I’ve featured it only once before on the blog, and was probably scared away after that post turned into, of all things, a bare-knuckle brawl over the merits of James Taylor.
‘Prairie Wedding’ is a nice representative of Sailing to Philadelphia. It has the hushed elegance that characterizes the album’s best tunes and its subject matter — an arranged marriage in the Old West — gives it a classic sheen that covers the whole record.
I went to meet her off the train
When the smoke had cleared and the dust was still
She was standing there and speaking my name
I guarantee she looked like an angel
I couldn’t think of what I should say
But when Adam saw Eve in the garden
I believe he felt the selfsame way
I handed her up on the wagon
And I loaded up her trunk behind
She was sitting up there with the gold in her hair
And I tried to get a hold of my mind
Do you think that you could love me Mary
Do you think we got a chance of a life
Do you think that you could love me Mary
Now you are to be my wife
We finally headed out of the station
And we drove up the home trail
And when we came on the farm she laid a hand on my arm
I thought my resolution would fail
And I froze as she stepped in the doorway
Stood there as still as could be
I said I know it ain’t much, it needs a woman’s touch
Lord she turned around and looked at me
Do you think that you could love me Mary
Do you think we got a chance of a life
Do you think that you could love me Mary
Now you are to be my wife
We had a prairie wedding
There was a preacher and a neighbor or two
I gave my golden thing a gold wedding ring
And the both of us said I do
When the sun’s going down on the prairie
And the gold in her hair is aflame
I say do you really love me Mary
And I hold her and I whisper her name
Do you think that you could love me Mary
Do you think we got a chance of a life
Do you think that you could love me Mary
Now you are to be my wife
Meet Me In Montauk 
I”m actually less familiar with this song than others on the album. It’s a good one, but I guess not one that captivated me as much as others.
Oh, and long live James Taylor:)
I totally love Mark Knopfler’s music…especially this song! Good choice!
His album Shangri-La is also fantastic 🙂