The Ragpicker's Dream

The Ragpicker's Dream is the third solo studio album by British singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Knopfler, released on 30 September 2002 by Mercury Records internationally, and by Warner Bros. Records in the United States.[1] The album received generally favorable reviews upon its release.[2]

The Ragpicker's Dream
Studio album by
Mark Knopfler
Released30 September 2002 (2002-09-30)
RecordedJanuary–June 2002
StudioOcean Way, Nashville
GenreRoots rock, folk rock, blues
Length55:34
LabelMercury
Warner Bros. (USA)
ProducerMark Knopfler, Chuck Ainlay
Mark Knopfler chronology
A Shot at Glory
(2002)		 The Ragpicker's Dream
(2002)		 Shangri-La
(2004)

Composition

The album is a collection of songs written from the point of view of poor but dignified itinerant men, struggling to get by in life, often enjoying small triumphs. Knopfler gives a folk imprint to the whole album without relying too heavily on the acoustic guitar. The first song, "Why Aye Man", was used as the theme tune for the third series of Auf Wiedersehen, Pet which first aired in 2002. The album contains numerous other references to North East England, including the village of Tow Law on "Hill Farmer's Blues".[1]

Artwork

The album cover shows a black and white photograph of a man and a woman dancing in a kitchen. The photograph was taken by Elliott Erwitt and is titled "Spain, Valencia, 1952, Robert and Mary Frank".[3] The photo was also used as the book cover for two novels: The Marriage Artist by Andrew Winer (2010, Henry Holt & Company), and Ancient Light by John Banville (2012, Viking).[4]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic62/100 [2]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [1]
Rolling Stone [5]

In his review for AllMusic, Hal Horowitz gave the album three out of five stars, calling the album "a pleasant, classy, often inspired effort whose unassuming charms are best appreciated after repeated listenings."[1] Horowitz continued:

The memorable riffage that fueled Dire Straits' most radio-friendly material has been discarded for a more pastoral approach, making this a perfect album for a rainy Sunday morning. Like his Notting Hillbillies side project, it isn't entirely unplugged, yet there is an emphasis on acoustic accompaniment to its predominantly ballad slant. Instead of leaving space for traditional soloing, Knopfler weaves his snake-like guitar between the words. This infuses a tense, edgy quality in even the most bucolic tracks.[1]

Horowitz acknowledges Knopfler's versatility and breadth of music on the album: the atmospherics of "Hill Farmer's Blues" and "Fare Thee Well Northumberland", the unaccompanied folk/blues of "Marbletown", the "shuffling groove" on the spooky "You Don't Know You're Born", the mid-tempo "Coyote", the authentic honky tonk swing of "Daddy's Gone to Knoxville", and Roger Milleresque "Quality Shoe". Horowitz singles out the title track, which he describes as "an homage to the American roots music he's always admired."[1]

Track listing

All songs were written by Mark Knopfler.[1]

No.TitleLength
1."Why Aye Man"6:14
2."Devil Baby"4:05
3."Hill Farmer's Blues"3:45
4."A Place Where We Used to Live"4:34
5."Quality Shoe"3:56
6."Fare Thee Well Northumberland"6:29
7."Marbletown"3:33
8."You Don't Know You're Born"5:20
9."Coyote"5:56
10."The Ragpicker's Dream"4:20
11."Daddy's Gone to Knoxville"2:48
12."Old Pigweed"4:34
Total length:55:34
Limited edition bonus disc[Note 1]
No.TitleLength
1."Why Aye Man" (live at Shepherds Bush Empire, London, 23 July 2002)6:48
2."Quality Shoe" (live at Shepherds Bush Empire, London, 23 July 2002)4:01
3."Sailing to Philadelphia" (live at Massey Hall, Toronto, 3 May 2001)7:18
4."Brothers in Arms" (live at Massey Hall, Toronto, 3 May 2001)9:03
5."Why Aye Man" (enhanced video)6:48
Total length:33:58
Singles from the album
  • Why Aye Man - Released on September 16, 2002
No.TitleLength
1."Why Aye Man" (single edit)4:10
2."Small Potatoes"3:12
Total length:7:22

Personnel
Music
Production
  • Mark Knopfler – producer
  • Chuck Ainlay – producer, engineer, mixing
  • John Saylor – engineer
  • Jon Bailey – engineer
  • Jake Jackson – engineer
  • Tony Cousins – mastering
  • Stephen Walker – art direction
  • Neil Kellerhouse – art direction, design
  • Elliot Erwitt – photography (front cover)
  • Ken Sharp – photography
  • North Bank Fred – photography (trains)[6]

Charts

Certifications and sales
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[33] Gold 25,000^
France (SNEP)[34] Gold 100,000*
Germany (BVMI)[35] Gold 150,000^
Netherlands (NVPI)[36] Gold 40,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[37] Platinum 40,000*
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[38] Gold 50,000^
Sweden (GLF)[39] Gold 30,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[40] Gold 20,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[41] Gold 100,000^
United States — 143,000[42]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
Notes
  1. The limited edition disc was available only in the United Kingdom and Canada.
Citations
  1. Horowitz, Hal. "The Ragpicker's Dream". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 November 2011.
  2. "The Ragpicker's Dream". Metacritic. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
  3. "Elliot Erwin 1952". Magnum Photos. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
  4. "Different Book, Same Cover: Andrew Winer's The Marriage Artist". OpinionLess. Retrieved 24 November 2012.
  5. "The Ragpicker's Dream". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 2 October 2007. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
  6. The Ragpicker's Dream (booklet). Mark Knopfler. Burbank, California: Warner Bros. Records. 2002. p. 7. 948318-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. "Australiancharts.com – Mark Knopfler – The Ragpicker's Dream". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  8. "Austriancharts.at – Mark Knopfler – The Ragpicker's Dream" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  9. "Ultratop.be – Mark Knopfler – The Ragpicker's Dream" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  10. "Ultratop.be – Mark Knopfler – The Ragpicker's Dream" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  11. "Mark Knopfler Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  12. "Danishcharts.dk – Mark Knopfler – The Ragpicker's Dream". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  13. "Dutchcharts.nl – Mark Knopfler – The Ragpicker's Dream" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  14. "Mark Knopfler: The Ragpicker's Dream" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  15. "Lescharts.com – Mark Knopfler – The Ragpicker's Dream". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  16. "Offiziellecharts.de – Mark Knopfler – The Ragpicker's Dream" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  17. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Mark Knopfler". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  18. "Italiancharts.com – Mark Knopfler – The Ragpicker's Dream". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  19. "Charts.nz – Mark Knopfler – The Ragpicker's Dream". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  20. "Norwegiancharts.com – Mark Knopfler – The Ragpicker's Dream". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  21. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  22. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  23. "Swedishcharts.com – Mark Knopfler – The Ragpicker's Dream". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  24. "Swisscharts.com – Mark Knopfler – The Ragpicker's Dream". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  25. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  26. "Mark Knopfler Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  27. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 2002". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  28. "Top de l'année Top Albums 2002" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  29. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  30. "Årslista Album – År 2002" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  31. "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2002". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  32. "2002 UK Albums Chart" (PDF). ChartsPlus. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  33. "Danish album certifications – Mark Knopfler – The Ragpicker's Dream". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 9 May 2020.
  34. "French album certifications – Mark Knopfler – The Ragpicker's Dream" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
  35. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Mark Knopfler; 'The Ragpicker's Dream')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
  36. "Dutch album certifications – Mark Knopfler – The Ragpicker's Dream" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved 13 July 2019. Enter The Ragpicker's Dream in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 2002 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  37. "IFPI Norsk platebransje Trofeer 1993–2011" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
  38. Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (PDF) (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. p. 964. ISBN 84-8048-639-2. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  39. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2002" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2011. Retrieved 1 October 2019.
  40. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards (Mark Knopfler; 'The Ragpicker's Dream')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
  41. "British album certifications – Mark Knopfler – The Ragpicker's Dream". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 13 July 2019. Select albums in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type The Ragpicker's Dream in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  42. "Knopfler Plans Tour, Duets Album". Billboard. 6 March 2003. Retrieved 24 July 2019.
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