Mark Knopfler (Volume 2) – The First Comprehensive Track-by-Track Exploration of His Solo Career
«Probably the most intelligent book on music I've ever read!» (Marc Loison, blues radio broadcaster and music columnist in France)
An in-depth tribute to Mark Knopfler; written by an award-winning musician and book author. Following the success of Volume 1 (Dire Straits), here is Volume 2: a 420-page track-by-track analysis of the first half of Mark Knopfler’s solo career. A third volume will follow at a later date.
(traduction française) (traducción al español) (D-Original-Ausgabe) (traduzione italiana)
What can readers expect (Vol. 2): → Download table of contents & preface
The book is available worldwide as a paperback, hardback and e-book (not all editions might be available at every retailer).
Paperback ISBN-13: 978-3-384-91021-9
Hardback ISBN-13: 978-3-384-91022-6
E-Book ISBN-13: 978-3-384-91023-3
To order the book from one of the retailers below, click on the logo and you will be taken directly to the book (there are many more worldwide retailers). Amazon is the market leader, but we encourage readers to also support other retailers or independent local bookstores whenever possible.
Swiss blues musician and author Richard Koechli continues his in-depth exploration of Mark Knopfler’s musical universe. This second book traces the beginning of Knopfler’s solo journey – from the roots-oriented collaborations with the Notting 
Hillbillies and Chet Atkins to the richly atmospheric solo albums that shaped his artistic identity throughout the1990s and early 2000s. Across more than 400 pages, Koechli presents the first comprehensive track-by-track exploration of Mark Knopfler’s solo work, combining musical insight with a deep sensitivity to sonic atmosphere, lyrical poetry, guitar craftsmanship and artistic evolution. Each album is placed within its wider musical and cultural context, revealing how Mark Knopfler gradually moved beyond the stadium-rock years of Dire Straits toward a more subtle, intimate and deeply personal musical language influenced by Celtic folk, blues, country and Americana traditions. Avoiding academic heaviness while offering a rare level of depth and detail, the book also features an exclusive eighteen-page interview with Mark Knopfler, conducted in 2000 by Swiss journalists Hanspeter Kuenzler and Miguel Cid, revealing the artist’s musical thinking during a pivotal phase of his solo career. Combining careful research, musical expertise and an accessible narrative style, Richard Koechli paints a vivid portrait of one of modern music’s most distinctive songwriters and guitar stylists. A compelling read for Mark Knopfler fans, guitar enthusiasts, audiophiles and anyone fascinated by musical storytelling, timeless songs, musical history and the art of deep listening.
The book is accompanied by the double album ‘Laidback Universe, Remembering J.J. & Mark’ (stream it), which includes the 28 best songs and instrumentals from Koechli's career, 
as a tribute to the two grandmasters of laid-back music, J.J. Cale and Mark Knopfler.
Richard Koechli talks about Volume 2: "Compared to Volume 1, two major changes stand out. Firstly, I no longer select individual tracks: each album is examined in its entirety, song by song. Whilst this certainly increases the length, it is the only way to pay full tribute to a body of work as a unit. Secondly, the focus has shifted: music and lyrics are now analysed on an equal footing. Mark Knopfler’s evolution from star guitarist to sensitive and refined poet justifies this broadening of the concept. Once again, this in-depth exploration goes beyond the scope of a single book; Mark Knopfler’s solo career is simply too rich to fit into a single volume. The good news is that the journey will continue later — with a third volume..."
Richard Koechli: The Swiss guitarist, singer-songwriter and author is a proven expert in blues, folk and country music. His book 'Masters of Blues Guitar' received the German Music Edition Prize, his music has won the Swiss Blues Award, the Swiss Film Music Award and the PRIX PLUS Culture Prize, among others. The 63-year-old lives in France and Switzerland; to date, he has released 15 music albums and 10 music books. Find out more about Richard Koechli: Exclusive 7-page interview with Richard Koechli in the legendary British magazine BLUES IN THE SOUTH, two great features in UK's leading blues magazine BLUES IN BRITAIN.
In the same series (‘Laidback’ music history), Richard Koechli's successful book about J.J. Cale (336 pages) has now also been published in bookstores (it was released in 2020 exclusively in music stores as a giant CD booklet) – available in paperback (ISBN 978-3-384-55942-5), hardcover (ISBN 978-3-384-55943-2) and E-book (ISBN 978-3-384-55944-9). Find out more about this J.J. Cale-book
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