Dire Straits

Well, they ain't prog so that's probably why they're not here. Love Over Gold is really as close as they got. I recommend their debut because it's one of my favorite albums of all time, although that one is heavier on the blues guitar and less on the experimental side. Sultans Of Swing and Water Of Love are two amazing tracks but the rest are fantastic as well.

I've heard three or four of their albums. I have Love Over Gold and Brothers in Arms (both on vinyl), although I have no recollection of buying the latter.

To coin a phrase once levelled at ELP, I think they were mostly a waste of talent and electricty. Knopfler was a tedious vocalist and a predictable (although clearly talented) guitarist. I remember marvelling at the crystal clear production on 'Telegraph Road' but after a couple of albums, their pluckety pluckety twang twang sound starts to grate.. Does on me anyway.

They were one of the bands who really embraced the launch of the CD. In the late 80's you'd go into a HiFi shop and the sales assistant would always demo speakers and amps with a Dire Straights CD. At one time, in the UK they were apparently the band of choice for most A Level students, along with U2 and Simple Minds. I think at the time I preffered Hawkwind and Motorhead..

Maybe I'm being too mean. They are not without their merit, I guess. I just find them excrutiatingly boring.

Edited by Blacksword - July 25 2008 at 08:41

Blacksword wrote: I've heard three or four of their albums. I have Love Over Gold and Brothers in Arms (both on vinyl), although I have no recollection of buying the latter.

I have never owned a single Dire Straits album but I do have a copy of Sultans of Swing somewhere. I was put off them when everyone bought a copy of Brother in bloody Arms and you couldn't get away from it, especially the annoying Walk of Life. Also a few years of playing Money For Nothing in a covers band didn't help either.

Edited by chopper - July 25 2008 at 10:44

I don't think he's a poor singer in context. He ain't no Freddy Mercury or Ian Anderson, but he gets the job done. Excellent guitar player though.

I've never really seen them as a prog band other than Love Over Gold (like I said before)... if you hear other albums you'll see what I mean. Some prog moments but nothing overly prog.

DJPuffyLemon wrote: Poor singer? How so I think he's got a very good voice, which as you say has a capacity for melody and soul. I only heard love over Gold, and don't know of the rest of their catalogue, but I assumed people saw them as a prog band, at least in the beginning of their carreer.

Dire Straits (and Mark Knopfler solo) is great.  I've loved their music since I first heard Sultans of Swing on the radio way back in wha?  '78?  However they are decidedly not prog, with the exception of some proggy moments on Making Movies and Love Over Gold.