[1] Tunnel of Love (Knopfler) - 8:05
[2] Romeo and Juliet (Knopfler) - 5:50
[3] Skateaway (Knopfler) - 6:15
[4] Expresso Love (Knopfler) - 5:00
[5] Hand in Hand (Knopfler) - 4:46
[6] Solid Rock (Knopfler) - 3:17
[7] Boys (Knopfler) - 4:06
All songs written by Mark Knopfler except the intro to "Tunnel Of Love" (Richard Rodgers).
The last album of their career that sounded as if they were trying to
play, instead of going through the motions. David Knopfler had already
departed from the band and brother Mark had a free rein, clear from any
sibling rivalry. "Solid Rock," "Tunnel Of Love," "Romeo And Juliet" and
"Skataway" would be on any decent greatest hits package. Following this
artistic triumph they proceeded to release LOVE OVER GOLD, and we all
know what album followed after that, don't we?
Without second guitarist David Knopfler, Dire Straits began to move
away from its roots-rock origins into a jazzier variation of
country-rock and singer-songwriter folk-rock. Naturally, this means
that Mark Knopfler's ambitions as a songwriter are growing, as the
storytelling pretensions of Making Movies indicate. Fortunately, his
skills are increasing, as the lovely "Romeo and Juliet," "Tunnel of
Love" and "Skateaway" indicate. And Making Movies is helped by a new
wave-tinged pop production, which actually helps Knopfler's jazzy
inclinations take hold. The record runs out of steam toward the end,
closing with the borderline offensive "Les Boys," but the remainder of
Making Movies ranks among the band's finest work.
Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All-Music Guide
#52 in Rolling Stone's "100 Best Albums Of The 80s" survey.
Rolling Stone
5 Stars - Indispensable - "...nailed to a pop groove, accessible but
worth coming back to....evidence that pub rock roots were not
forgotten..."
Q Magazine 7/96, p.141
"The third album displays Knopfler's expanding ambitions as a
songwriter with, as the title suggests, a cinematic sweep on such songs
as "Tunnel of Love " and "Romeo and Juliet".
All-Music Guide ****
Auf Making Movies wird die cineastische Qualität von diesen
manchmal banalen aber immer sehr engagierten
"Geschichten-Erzähler"-Songs fortwährend von der eigenen
Qualität übertroffen, ein Soundtrack mit donnernden Drums,
überschlagenden Pianos, sich ständig bewegenden Grooves und
der alles verbindenden Leadgitarre des Frontmannes Mark Knopfler. Bei
"Skateway" ist dieser Sound so einnehmend und eingängig, daß
der schlichte Text (über ein Mädchen, das im
Straßenverkehr Rollerskates fährt) leicht wettgemacht wird,
und wenn Knopfler zu fanfarenartigen Märchen ansetzt, wird dies zu
einer Sache von wirklicher Schönheit.
"Romeo and Juliet" ist besonders gelungen, da es all den Pomp mit einer
süßen und ausgesprochen bescheidenen Liebeserklärung
verbindet.
David Cantwell, Amazon.de
"Tunnel Of Love" und das anrührende "Romeo And Juliet" dominierten
'80 "Making Movies". Das feine Wechselspiel von Gitarre und Piano in
"Expresso Love" verdeutlicht das Klangplus.
getting crazy on the waltzers but it's the life that I choose
sing about the sixblade sing about the switchback and a torture tattoo
and I been riding on a ghost train where the cars they scream and slam
and I don't know where I'll be tonight but I'd always tell you where I am
in a screaming ring of faces I seen her standing in the light
she had a ticket for the races just like me she was a victim of the night
I put a hand upon the lever said let it rock and let it roll
I had the one arm bandit fever there was an arrow through my heart and my soul
and the big wheel keep on turning neon burning up above
and I'm just high on the world
come on and take a low ride with me girl
on the tunnel of love
it's just the danger when you're riding at your own risk
she said you are the perfect stranger she said baby let's keep it like this
it's just a cake walk twisting baby step right up and say
hey mister give me two give me two cos any two can play
and the big wheel keep on turning neon burning up above
and I'm just high on the world
come on and take a low ride with me girl
on the tunnel of love
well it's been money for muscle another whirligig
money for muscle and another girl I dig
another hustle just to make it big
and rockaway rockaway
and girl it looks so pretty to me just like it always did
like the spanish city to me when we were kids
oh girl it looks so pretty to me just like it always did
like the spanish city to me when we were kids
she took off a silver locket she said remember me by this
she put her hand in my pocket I got a keepsake and a kiss
and in the roar of the dust and diesel I stood and watched her walk away
I could have caught up with her easy enough but something must have made me stay
and the big wheel keep on turning neon burning up above
and I'm just high on the world
come on and take a low ride with me girl
on the tunnel of love
and now I'm searching through these carousels and the carnival arcades
searching everywhere from steeplechase to palisades
in any shooting gallery where promises are made
to rockaway rockaway from cullercoats and whitley bay out to rockaway
and girl it looks so pretty to me like it always did
like the spanish city to me when we were kids
girl it looks so pretty to me like it always did
like the spanish city to me when we were kids
Romeo and Juliet
a lovestruck romeo sings the streets a serenade
laying everybody low with a lovesong that he made
finds a streetlight steps out of the shade
says something like you and me babe how about it?
juliet says hey it's romeo you nearly gave me a heart attack
he's underneath the window she's singing hey la my boyfriend's back
you shoudn't come around here singing up at people like that
anyway what you gonna do about it?
juliet the dice were loaded from the start
and I bet and you exploded in my heart
and I forget I forget the movie song
when you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong juliet?
come up on different streets they both were streets of shame
both dirty both mean yes and the dream was just the same
and I dream your dream for you and now your dream is real
how can you look at me as I was just another one of your deals?
well you can fall for chains of silver you can fall for chains of gold
you can fall for pretty strangers and the promises they hold
you promised me everything you promised me thick and thin
now you just say oh romeo yeah you know I used to have a scene with him
juliet when we made love you used to cry
you said I love you like the stars above I'll love you till I die
there's a place for us you know the movie song
when you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong?
I can't do the talk like the talk on the tv
and I can't do a love song like the way its meant to be
I can't do everything but I'd do anything for you
can't do anything except be in love with you
and all I do is miss you and the way we used to be
all I do is keep the beat the bad company
all I do is kiss you through the bars of Orion
julie I'd do the stars with you any time
juliet when we made love you used to cry
you said I love you like the stars above Ill love you till I die
there's a place for us you know the movie song
when you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong?
a lovestruck romeo sings the streets a serenade
laying everybody low with a lovesong that he made
finds a convenient streetlight steps out of the shade
says something like you and me babe how about it?
Skateaway
I seen a girl on a one way corridor
stealing down a wrong way street
for all the world like an urban toreador
she had wheels on on her feet
well the cars do the usual dances
same old cruise and the kerbside crawl
but the rollergirl she's taking chances
they just love to see her take them all
no fears alone at night she's sailing through the crowd
in her ears the phones are tight and the music's playing loud
hallelujah here she comes queen rollerball
enchante what can I say don't care at all
you know she used to have to wait around
she used to be the lonely one
but now that she can skate around town
she's the only one
no fears alone at night she's sailing through the crowd
in her ears the phones are tight and the music's playing loud
she gets rock n roll a rock n roll station
and a rock n roll dream
she's making movies on location
she don't know what it means
but the music make her wanna be the story
and the story was whatever was the song what it was
rollergirl don't worry
d.j. play the movies all night long
she tortures taxi drivers just for fun
she like to read their lips
says toro toro taxi see ya tomorrow my son
I swear she let a big truck grease her hip
she got her own world in the city
you can't intrude on her
she got her own world in the city
cos the city's benn so rude to her
no fears alone at night she's sailing through the crowd
in her ears the phones are tight and the music's playing loud
she gets rock n roll a rock n roll station
and a rock n roll dream
she's making movies on location
she don't know what it means
but the music make her wanna be the story
and the story was whatever was the song what it was
rollergirl don't worry
d.j. play the movies all night long
come slippin and slidin
life's roller ball
slippin and a slidin
skateaway that's all
shala shalay hey hey skateaway
she's going sining shala shalay hey hey
skateaway
Expresso Love
she gets the sun in the daytime
perfume in the dusk
and she comes out in the night time
with the honeysuckle musk
because she smells just like a rose
and she tastes just like a peach
she got me walking where the wildlife goes
I'd do anything to reach her
and she was made in heaven
heaven's in the world
is this just expresso love
you know i'm crazy for the girl
she call me just to talk
she's my lover, she's a friend of mine
she says hey mister you wanna take a walk
in the wild west end sometime
and i get trouble with my breathing
she says boys don't know anything
but i know what i want
i want everything
well i feel so good cos i feel so good
and i feel so good cos it feels so right
i was made to go with my girl
like a saxophone was made to go with the night
and she can raise one eyebrow
put her hand on my hip
and i close one eye now
sweat on her tip
and i surrender to the fever
she love me so tender i got to believe her
love? expresso love's alright
i don't want no sugar in it
thank you very much
all wired up on it all fired up on it
expresso touch
hey maestro expresso
it's just another one just like the other one
hey maestro expresso
is this another one just like the other one
Hand in Hand
the sky is crying the streets are full of tears
rain come down wash away my tears
and all this writing on the wall
oh i can read between the lines
rain come down forgive this dirty town
rain come down and give this dirty town
a drink of water a drink of wine
if i been hard on you i never chose to be
i never wanted no one else
i tried my best to be somebody you'd be close to
hand in hand like lovers are supposed to
as you'd sleep i'd think my heart would break in two
i'd kiss your cheek i'd stop myself from waking you
but in the dark you'd speak my name
you'd say baby what's wrong?
oh here i am baby i'm coming back for more
i'm like a wave that's got to roll into the shore
yes and if my love's in vain how come my love is so strong?
now you and me go parallel together and apart
and you keep the perfect distance and it's tearing at my heart
did you never feel the distance
you never tried to cross no line
now it's another dirty river and another dirty scar
and i don't know who's kissing you and i don't know where you are
so far from home don't you think of me sometime
sky is crying see the streets are full of tears
rain coming down to wash away my fears
and all this writing on the wall
oh i can read between the lines
Solid Rock
well take a look at that
i made a castle in the sand
saying this is where it's you know
couldn't understand now
if i realised that the chances were slim
how come i'm so surprised when the tide rolled in
i wanna live on solid rock
i'm gonna live on solid rock
i wanna give i don't wanna be blocked
i'm gonna live on solid rock
well i'm sick of potential
i'm sick of vanity now
i'm sticking to essential reality now
i don't know what's worse
try to make a silk purse
living an illusion living in confusion
well a house of cards
was never built for shock
you could blow it down in any kind of weather
now two solid rocks two solid blocks
you know they're gonna stick
yeah they're gonna stick together
because the heart that you break
that's the one that you rely on
the bed that you make
that's the one you gotta lie on
when you point your finger cos your plan fell through
you got three more fingers pointing back at you
i wanna live on solid rock
i'm gonna live on solid rock
i wanna give i don't wanna be blocked
i'm gonna live on solid rock
i'm solid rock now
Les Boys
les boys do cabaret
les boys are glad to be gay
they're not afraid now
disco bar in germany
les boys are glad to be
upon parade now
les boys got leather straps
les boys got ss caps
but they got no gun now
get dressed up get a little risque
got to do a little s & m these days
it's all in fun now
les boys come on again
for the high class whores
and the businessmen
who drive in their mercedes benz
to a disco bar in old munchen
they get the jokes that the d.j. makes
they get nervous and they make mistakes
they're bad for business
some tourists take a photograph
les boys don't get one lough
he says they're useless
late at night when they've gone away
les boys dream of jean genet
high heel shoes and a black berret
and the posters on the wall that say
les boys do cabaret
les boys are glad to be gay