• Country Rock

    Notting Hillbillies in Newcastle (Redux)

    I stumble across this show quite frequently in my travels through iTunes, and I was reminded again of it this morning while picking around on my acoustic guitar. I was toying around with the beautiful guitar parts of the Dire Straits tune “Why Worry”, and decided to punch it up in iTunes so I could play along. Up came this live version by the Notting Hillbillies – a relatively short-lived group from the early 1990’s made up of Mark Knopfler, Steve Phillips, Brendan Croker, and Guy Fletcher.

    I posted this show back in 2006, and thought I’d bring it back for those who want to hear a laid back, tight-knit group of friends playing some great music. The Dire Straits covers are especially great – particularly the Calypso version of “So Far Away”.

    THE NOTTING HILLBILLIES
    Swan Hunter Shipyard
    Newcastle, England
    July 6th, 1993

    1. Intro
    2. Calling Elvis
    3. So Far Away (Calypso version)
    4. Your Own Sweet Way
    5. Run Me Down
    6. Why Worry
    7. Railroad Worksong
    8. Feel Like Going Home
    9. Setting Me Up
    10. Outro

    Check out the Notting Hillbillies’ one and only album: Missing…Presumed Having A Good Time

  • Rock n' Folk

    Notting Hillbillies in Newcastle

    notting hillbilies

    Reading the paper this morning, I was informed that it’s Mark Knopfler’s 57th birthday today. I’ve been meaning to get this show posted, so what better opportunity than today? The Notting Hillbillies was Knopfler’s post-Dire Straits group that he formed with old friend Steve Phillips. They started playing gigs in 1986 and didn’t release their debut (and only) album until 1990. This gig is from 1993, after Dire Straits had released their final studio album in 1991 (‘On Every Street’). Their 1990 album, ‘Missing: Presumed Having a Good Time’, explores traditional country territories, and is a great listen (I particularly like “Blues, Stay Away From Me”).

    So here they are performing Dire Straits & Hillbillies tunes in Newcastle during the summer of ’93.

    THE NOTTING HILLBILLIES
    Swan Hunter Shipyard

    Newcastle, England
    July 6th, 1993

    1. Intro
    2. Calling Elvis
    3. So Far Away (Calypso version)
    4. Your Own Sweet Way
    5. Run Me Down
    6. Why Worry
    7. Railroad Worksong
    8. Feel Like Going Home
    9. Setting Me Up
    10. Outro

    >> Buy Missing: Presumed Having a Good Time.

  • Country Rock

    Hillbilly Heaven – Blues Stay Away From Me

    “Mmmmm-mmmm-mmm-mmm-mmmmm”. You’ll understand after you hear the first 5 seconds of this song. Now, I’ve always liked Dire Straits, but I had no clue, until I heard this song a few years ago, that Mark Knopfler had a little side project called the Notting Hillbillies.

    He formed this band after the smashing success of Straits’ ‘Money for Nothing’ album in 1984. He pulled a few fellas together: Brendan Croker, Steve Phillips, and Guy Fletcher, and hit the road in 1986. Their only album, ‘Missing…Presumed Having a Good Time’ wasn’t released until 1990. I was in college at the time immersed in my studies (*cough cough*), so I guess I totally missed it. But I’m glad I finally found it, especially this song, which is a cover of a Delmore Brothers-penned tuned originally done by Les Paul & Mary Ford back in 1952. Since then, a whole laundry list of artists have covered this song, from Jeff Beck to The Band, the Everly Brothers, NRBQ, and Sleepy LaBeef. Damn, I like saying Sleepy LaBeef.

    So enjoy this gorgeous, lazy & loping, delightfully melancholy song.

    And buy the album on Amazon for less than $8.00!