{"product_id":"shangri-la","title":"Shangri-La |","description":"\u003cp\u003eMark Knopfler's first excursions outside of Dire Straits were film soundtracks, where his guitar mastery served him well. Starting in the mid-1990s, he embarked on a proper post-Straits solo career. By the time of 2004's SHANGRI-LA, Knopfler had almost entirely left behind the expansive instrumental textures of his former band in favor of a more straight-ahead singer\/songwriter approach, which works wonderfully here. Knopfler keeps things low-key throughout most of SHANGRI-LA, with quietly intoned, often drolly sardonic lyrics, supple finger-picked guitar lines, and songs full of subtly crafted surprises.\n\u003cbr\u003eThere's a wealth of unusual topics on offer here; \"Boom, Like That\" is a first-person monologue by Knopfler in the voice of Ray Kroc, the man behind the McDonald's fast-food empire. The bluesy \"Song for Sonny Liston\" chronicles the famed boxer's brushes with the underworld. \"Donegan's Gone\" laments the passing of British folk\/skiffle pioneer Lonnie Donegan, a key influence on Knopfler and scores of other British rockers. Departing from the more folk-oriented sound of its predecessor, THE RAGPICKER'S DREAM, SHANGRI-LA more fully develops the detail-oriented, irony-laced songwriting style Knopfler first hinted at in Dire Straits tunes like \"Money for Nothing.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eReleased: 2009-07-21\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFormat: CD\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eGenre: Rock\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Love Vinyl Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49260968345842,"sku":"RK13I5-230R-73","price":12.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0830\/7018\/9810\/files\/mark-knopfler-shangri-la_UlFmP.jpg?v=1779724432","url":"https:\/\/discandvinyl.com\/products\/shangri-la","provider":"DiscandVinyl.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}