Rock, Metal

Dire Straits - Alchemy (1984)

2012-12-24T16:16:22Z

Dire Straits - Alchemy (1984)

DISC 1
1 Once Upon A Time In The West
2 Expresso Love
3 Romeo And Juliet
4 Love Over Gold
5 Private Investigations
6 Sultans Of Swing

DISC 2
1 Two Young Lovers
2 Tunnel Of Love
3 Telegraph Road
4 Solid Rock
5 Going Home - Theme From 'Local Hero'

Musicians:
Mark Knopfler - guitar, vocals
Hal Lindes - guitar
Alan Clark - keyboards
John Illsley - bass
Terry Williams - drums
Additional personnel:
Tommy Mandel - keyboards
Mel Collins - saxophone
Joop De Korte – percussion

There is an interesting contrast on this 94-minute double-disc live album (recorded at London's Hammersmith Odeon in July 1983) between the music, much of which is slow and moody, with Mark Knopfler's muttered vocals and large helpings of his fingerpicking on what sounds like an amplified Spanish guitar, and the audience response. The arena-size crowd cheers wildly, and claps and sings along when given half a chance, as though each song were an up-tempo rocker. When they do have a song of even medium speed, such as "Sultans of Swing" or "Solid Rock," they are in ecstasy. That Dire Straits' introspective music loses much of its detail in a live setting matters less than that it gains presence and a sense of anticipation. Alan Clark's keyboards help to fill out the sound and give Knopfler's spare melodies a certain majesty, but Dire Straits remains an overgrown bar band with a Bob Dylan fixation, and that's exactly how the crowd likes it. --- William Ruhlmann, Rovi

Alchemy to jeden z najlepszych albumów koncertowych wszechczasów i zarazem pierwszy, wydany przez Dire Straits. Same najprzedniejsze hity, we wspaniałych, rozbudowanych, często improwizowanych aranżacjach. Po prostu, jazda obowiązkowa z zakresu Dire Straits. Płyta wydana w lutym 1984 roku, to dwupłytowe wydawnictwo, zawierające blisko 95 minut muzyki. Muzyki najprzedniejszej i znakomitej jakości. Jak już pisałem we wstępie, Alchemy to swoiste best of, tyle że nagrywane na koncercie. Słucha się tego bardzo miło. Słychać, że zespół nie jest zespołem typowo studyjnym, ale równie znakomicie (jeśli nie lepiej) brzmi na koncertach. Kompozycje są rozbudowane, zagrane z wielkim polotem. Niektóre zaimprowizowane wtedy solówki na stałe weszły do kanonu koncertowego Dire Straits. --- Michał Błaszczyk, rockmagazyn.pl

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Dire Straits - Before We Became Famous. Brussels (1981)

2010-05-30T11:03:17Z

Dire Straits - Before We Became Famous. Werchter, Brussels, Belgium (1981)


01. Once Upon a Time
02. Skateaway
03. News
04. Private Investigations
05. Angel of Mercy
06. Tunnel of Love I
07. Tummel of Love II
08. Down to the Waterline
09. Sultans of Swing (Cologne, Germany - February 17, 1979.)
10. Wild West End (Cologne, Germany - February 17, 1979)

Personnel: 
Mark Knopfler - lead guitar, lead vocals
Hal Lindes - rhythm guitar, backing vocals
John Illsley - bass guitar, backing vocals
Alan Clark – keyboards
Pick Withers - drums.

The cover art suggests that this show was recorded "On the first european tour of '79", but the majority was taken from a radio broadcast recorded in Werchter, Brussels, Belgium on July 5, 1981. Sourced for CD release from LP from vinyl, has some crackles and pops.

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Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms (1985)

2009-10-11T09:58:10Z

Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms (1985)


1. So Far Away 
2. Money for Nothing 
3. Walk of Life 
4. Your Latest Trick 
5. Why Worry 
6. Ride Across the River 
7. Man's Too Strong 
8. One World 
9. Brothers in Arms

Personnel
    Mark Knopfler – guitars, vocals
    Alan Clark – keyboards
    Guy Fletcher – keyboards, vocals
    John Illsley – bass, vocals
    Omar Hakim – drums
    Terry Williams – drums[Note 2]
+
    Michael Brecker – tenor saxophone
    Randy Brecker – trumpet
    Malcolm Duncan – tenor saxophone
    Neil Jason – bass
    Tony Levin – bass
    Jimmy Maelen – percussion
    Michael Mainieri – vibraphone
    Dave Plews – horn
    Jack Sonni – guitar
    Sting – backing vocals (2)

Brothers in Arms brought the atmospheric, jazz-rock inclinations of Love Over Gold into a pop setting, resulting in a surprise international best-seller. Of course, the success of Brothers in Arms was helped considerably by the clever computer-animated video for "Money for Nothing," a sardonic attack on MTV. But what kept the record selling was Mark Knopfler's increased sense of pop songcraft -- "Money for Nothing" had an indelible guitar riff, "Walk of Life" is a catchy up-tempo boogie variation on "Sultans of Swing," and the melodies of the bluesy "So Far Away" and the down-tempo, Everly Brothers-style "Why Worry" were wistful and lovely. Dire Straits had never been so concise or pop-oriented, and it wore well on them. Though they couldn't maintain that consistency through the rest of the album -- only the jazzy "Your Latest Trick" and the flinty "Ride Across the River" make an impact -- Brothers in Arms remains one of their most focused and accomplished albums, and in its succinct pop sense, it's distinctive within their catalog. [In 2005 Mercury released a 20th anniversary limited edition version of Brothers in Arms in the Hybrid/SACD format.] --- Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi

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Dire Straits - Communiqué (1979)

2010-06-02T13:08:48Z

Dire Straits - Communiqué (1979)


01. Once Upon A Time In The West – 5:23
02. News – 4:12
03. Where Do You Think You're Going? – 3:49
04. Communiqué – 5:48
05. Lady Writer – 3:44
06. Angel Of Mercy – 4:34
07. Portobello Belle – 4:28
08. Single-Handed Sailor – 4:42
09. Follow Me Home – 5:49

Personnel:
- Mark Knopfler - lead & rhythm guitar, lead vocals
- John Illsley - bass, vocals
- David Knopfler - rhythm guitar, vocals
- Pick Withers - drums
+
- Bobby Bear – keyboards

Rushed out less than nine months after the surprise success of Dire Straits' self-titled debut album, the group's sophomore effort, Communiqué, seemed little more than a carbon copy of its predecessor with less compelling material. Mark Knopfler and co. had established a sound (derived largely from J.J. Cale) of laid-back shuffles and intricate, bluesy guitar playing, and Communiqué provided more examples of it. But there was no track as focused as "Sultans of Swing," even if "Lady Writer" (a lesser singles chart entry on both sides of the Atlantic) nearly duplicated its sound. As a result, Communiqué sold immediately to Dire Straits' established audience, but no more, and it did not fare as well critically as its predecessor or its follow-up. --- William Ruhlmann, Rovi

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Dire Straits - Dire Straits (1978)

2010-06-02T14:26:03Z

Dire Straits - Dire Straits (1978)


01. Down To The Waterline – 4:00
02. Water Of Love – 5:23
03. Setting Me Up – 3:18
04. Six Blade Knife – 4:11
05. Southbound Again – 2:58
06. Sultans Of Swing – 5:47
07. In The Gallery – 6:15
08. Wild West End – 4:41
09. Lions – 5:01

Personnel:
- Mark Knopfler – lead vocals, lead guitar, rhythm guitar
- David Knopfler – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
- John Illsley – bass, backing vocals
- Pick Withers – drums

Dire Straits' minimalist interpretation of pub rock had already crystallized by the time they released their eponymous debut. Driven by Mark Knopfler's spare, tasteful guitar lines and his husky warbling, the album is a set of bluesy rockers. And while the bar band mentality of pub-rock is at the core of Dire Straits -- even the group's breakthrough single, "Sultans of Swing," offered a lament for a neglected pub rock band -- their music is already beyond the simple boogies and shuffles of their forefathers, occasionally dipping into jazz and country. Knopfler also shows an inclination toward Dylanesque imagery, which enhances the smoky, low-key atmosphere of the album. While a few of the songs fall flat, the album is remarkably accomplished for a debut, and Dire Straits had difficulty surpassing it throughout their career. --- Stephen Thomas Erlewine, allmusic.com

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Dire Straits - Live At Gentofte Stadium (Copenhagen, Denmark - 1992)

2011-01-07T10:57:04Z

Dire Straits - Live At Gentofte Stadium, Copenhagen (1992)


01. Calling Elvis (12:23)
02. Walk of life (6:30)
03. Private investigations (9:44)
04. Sultans of swing (12:32)
05. Your latest trick (5:44)        play
06. Money for nothing (8:42)

Lineup:
Mark Knopfler - Guitar, Vocals
John Illsley - Bass
Alan Clark - Keyboards
Guy Fletcher - Keyboards, Vocals 
Chris White – Sax
Paul Franklin - Pedal steel
Danny Cummings – Percussion
Phil Palmer – Guitar
Chris Whitten - Drums

Great soundboard recording taken from a radio broadcast. Very recommendable. It's a pity that there are only six songs from Copenhagen, because Mark was clearly in great shape. This is truely a magnificent version of Sultans of Swing once again. Brothers In Arms and Wonderful Tonight from the famous Mandela Tribute Concert were added here, they are always nice to have.

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Dire Straits - Love Over Gold (1982)

2012-12-08T17:21:24Z

Dire Straits - Love Over Gold (1982)


1.Telegraph Road 	14:20 	
2.Private Investigations 	7:00 	
3.Industrial Disease 	5:50 	
4.Love Over Gold 	6:15 	
5.It Never Rains 	7:55 	

Musicians:
    Mark Knopfler – guitar, vocals
    Alan Clark – organ, piano, synthesizer
    John Illsley – bass
    Hal Lindes – rhythm guitar
    Pick Withers – drums
+
    Mike Mainieri – marimba, vibraphone on 2 and 4
    Ed Walsh – synthesizer

Love Over Gold is not just the title of Dire Straits' fourth album, it is a statement of purpose. In almost suicidal defiance of commercial good sense, singer-songwriter-guitarist Mark Knopfler has chosen to follow his muse, fashioning a collection of radically expanded epics and evocative tone poems that demand the listener's undivided attention. Certainly a quantum leap from the organic R&B impressionism of the band's early LPs (Dire Straits and Communique) and the gripping short stories of Making Movies, its 1980 best seller, Love Over Gold is an ambitious, sometimes difficult record that is exhilarating in its successes and, at the very least, fascinating in its indulgences.

Two drastically different moods dominate the new album. One is sharp and fiery (like the bolt of lightning on the cover); the other is soft and seductive. That dichotomy is particularly explicit in "Private Investigations," a long, unorthodox ballad in which Knopfler plays a private detective hardened by a life of combing through other people's dirty laundry. Over a discreet synthesizer ring, gurgling marimba and a delicately plucked acoustic guitar, he grumbles into his whiskey glass like Bob Dylan in a trench coat: "You get to meet all sorts in this line of work Treachery and treason There's always an excuse for it," he recites in a raspy nicotine snarl. Then John Illsley sounds a quiet warning with a stalking bass line before the song erupts in dramatic bursts of guitar gunfire and tragic-sounding piano playing.

This wracking schizophrenia between the heart and the heartless, the loving and the pain, has always informed Knopfler's songs and arrangements. Love Over Gold, however, finds Knopfler casting further than ever for ways to articulate the frustrations that color his romantic streak. At nearly fifteen minutes, the album's opener, "Telegraph Road," is certainly a challenge to the average pop fan's attention span. But the song's historic sweep and intimate tension — the building of America and the dashing of one man's dreams in the wake of its accelerating crumble — enable Knopfler to deploy a variety of surprising instrumental voices, from the synthesized sunrise whistle at the beginning to the baroque piano motif in the middle. The song closes with an extended solo guitar crescendo that's heated up by Pick Withers' galloping drums. "Love Over Gold" is a whispery ballad that plays the jazzy tingle of vibes against an almost classical piano air and the violinlike pluck of a synthesizer to heighten its images of a casual, even cavalier, sex life. On the other hand, "Industrial Disease" — at five minutes, the shortest of the LP's five songs and its most conventional rocker — crackles with a cynicism underlined by its cheesy "Wooly Bully" organ and coughing guitar effect.

At times, Mark Knopfler, who also plays producer here, seems to try too hard. "It Never Rains" is a harsh chip off the "Like a Rolling Stone" block. And nearly all the songs end in guitar solos, as if he had too many ideas and was unsure how to reconcile them. But in a period when most pop music is conceived purely as product, Love Over Gold dares to put art before airplay. ---David Fricke, rollingstone.com

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Dire Straits - Making Movies (1980)

2010-06-02T12:17:37Z

Dire Straits - Making Movies (1980)


01. Tunnel Of Love – 8:08
02. Romeo And Juliet – 5:59
03. Skateaway – 6:37
04. Expresso Love – 5:09
05. Hand In Hand – 4:47
06. Solid Rock – 3:25
07. Les Boys – 4:06

Personnel:
- Mark Knopfler - guitar, vocals
- John Illsley - bass, vocals
- Pick Withers -drums, vocals
+
- Roy Bittan - keyboards
- David Knopfler - guitar (uncredited)
- Sid McGinnis - guitar (uncredited)

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, allmusic.com

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Dire Straits - On Every Street (1991)

2009-10-11T10:11:49Z

Dire Straits - On Every Street (1991)


01. Calling Elvis (06:26)
02. On Every Street (05:04)
03. When It Comes To You (05:01)
04. Fade To Black (03:50)
05. The Bug (04:16)
06. You And Your Friend (05:59)
07. Heavy Fuel (05:10)
08. Iron Hand (03:09)
09. Ticket To Heaven (04:25)
10. My Parties (05:33)
11. Planet Of New Orleans (07:48)
12. How Long (03:49)


Mark Knopfler - Guitar, Vocals, Producer
John Illsley - Bass
Alan Clark - Strings, Keyboards, Conductor
Guy Fletcher - Keyboards, Vocals (Background)
Manu Katche - Percussion, Drums

It took Mark Knopfler more than six years to craft a follow-up to Dire Straits' international chart-topper, Brothers in Arms, but although On Every Street sold in the expected multi-millions worldwide on the back of the band's renown and a year-long tour, it was a disappointment. Knopfler remained a gifted guitar player with tastes in folk ("Iron Hand"), blues ("Fade to Black"), and rockabilly ("The Bug"), among other styles, but much of the album was low-key to the point of being background music. The group had long since dwindled to original members Knopfler and bassist John Illsley, plus a collection of semi-permanent sidemen who provided support but no real musical chemistry. This was not the comeback it should have been. --- William Ruhlmann, allmusic.com

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Dire Straits - On The Night (1993)

2013-01-12T17:29:55Z

Dire Straits - On The Night (1993)


1. 	"Calling Elvis"   	10:25
2. 	"Walk of Life"   	5:06
3. 	"Heavy Fuel"   	5:23
4. 	"Romeo and Juliet"   	10:05
5. 	"Private Investigations"   	9:43
6. 	"Your Latest Trick"   	5:35
7. 	"On Every Street"   	7:01
8. 	"You and Your Friend"   	6:48
9. 	"Money for Nothing" (Mark Knopfler, Sting) 	6:28
10. "Brothers in Arms"   	8:54

Musicians:
    Mark Knopfler – lead guitar, lead vocals
    John Illsley – bass guitar, backing vocals
    Alan Clark – keyboards
    Guy Fletcher – keyboards, backing vocals
    Chris White – saxophone, flute, backing vocals
    Paul Franklin – pedal steel guitar
    Phil Palmer – guitar, backing vocals
    Danny Cummings – percussion, backing vocals
    Chris Whitten – drums

A live document of Dire Straits' 1991-1992 world tour supporting the On Every Street album, On the Night works sporadically, offering enough good material to interest fans but not enough to win back the commercial audience earned by Brothers in Arms. ---Stephen Thomas Erlewine, AllMusic Review

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