Artist > Dire Straits

1/2 Speed Mastered by Stan Ricker on High Performance 180 Gram Vinyl. Plating and Pressing at R.T.I.

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. The Man's Too Strong
8. One World
9. Brothers In Arms

Guest Artists:
Richard Bennett, electric, acoustic
and steel guitar
Steve Conn, accordion
Jim Cox, piano, organ
Chad Cromwell, drums
Danny Cummings, tambourine, drums
Dan Dugmore, pedal steel and acoustic guitar
Glen Duncan, mandolin, fiddle
Stuart Duncan, fiddle
Guy Fletcher, piano, synthesizer, organ
Paul Franklin, steel guitar
The Memphis Horns, horns
Glenn Worf, bass

1. Beachcombing
2. I Dug Up A Diamond
3. This Is Us
4. Red Staggerwing
5. Rollin' On
6. Love and Happiness for You
7. Right Now
8. Donkey Town
9. Belle Star
10. Beyond My Wildest Dreams
11. All the Roadrunning
12. If This is Goodbye

Import (UK)

1. Sultans of Swing
2. Love Over Gold
3. Romeo & Juliet
4. Tunnel of Love
5. Private Investigations
6. Money For Nothing
7. Brothers In Arms
8. Walk of Life
9. On Every Street
10. Boom, Like That
11. Going Home (Theme From the Local Hero)
12. Why Aye Man
13. What It Is
14. All The Roadrunning

Cut Out Original Version

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. The Man's Too Strong
8. One World
9. Brothers In Arms

Dire Straits’ self-titled debut arrived in the midst of punk’s reign but couldn’t have been further removed from the era’s slash-and-burn style. Here is tasteful, jazz-inflected rock, all smoothly skating on virtuoso guitarist Mark Knopfler’s winding guitar lines and the band’s laidback rhythms. Equally drawing from country, roots, and folk influences, the British quartet’s stripped-down music knew no peers in the 70s, and has never been matched to this day.

Part of the reason for the band’s uniqueness owes to its clean, vibrant sound. Just as Knopfler’s narratives reflect poetic and surrealist texts, the group’s arrangements, an intoxicating combination of easygoing shuffles, bluesy boogies, and pop-honed ballads, mirror the old-fashioned soulfulness and spaciousness inherent in the classic recordings of the late '50s and early '60s. It’s no wonder why Dire Straits has long been a favorite of audiophiles the world over. When it comes to sonic purity, transparent soundstages, and rich tonalities, few, if any bands sound better.

And now, thanks to the meticulous efforts of Warner Bros., Dire Straits’ 1978 breakthrough debut can be experienced like never before. Remastered and cut from the original analog tapes and pressed on high-quality 180g vinyl, Dire Straits is simply out-of-this-world good. Knopfler’s mesmerizing guitar textures and cool vocals appear as if they’re right in front of you. Details, imaging, and presence are on a level associated with the finest audiophile recordings.

As it’s proven for the last few years, Warner Bros. treats vinyl with the ultimate respect, and this must-have Dire Straits record is no exception. Listeners with original copies of the LP, or Simply Vinyl’s pressing, will be absolutely stunned upon hearing the improvements. And the rest of us can simply rejoice in knowing that low-key songs such as “Sultans of Swing” and “Southbound Again” resonate with an airiness, openness, and palpability they’ve never claimed prior. A five-star pressing!

Track Listing:

1. Down to the Waterline
2. Water of Love
3. Setting Me Up
4. Six Blade Knife
5. Southbound Again
6. Sultans of Swing
7. In the Gallery
8. Wild West End
9. Lions