Dire Straits [Vinyl]

Dire Straits | Format: Vinyl

Product Details

• Vinyl (December 29, 2009)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: WEA/Reprise
• ASIN: B002U4UZUE
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #156,035 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

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

Editorial Reviews

Dire Straits' Self-Titled 1978 Debut on Audiophile-Quality 180-gram LPRemastered from the Original Tapes: Wait Until You Hear How Good This Sounds!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 can be experienced like never before. Remastered and cut from the original analog tapes and pressed on high-quality 180-gram 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-k

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars All-analog 'ECSTASY' !!!!!, January 14, 2010

By 

Doctor Dan (Bangor, Maine) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dire Straits [Vinyl] (Vinyl)

I'll admit, I've been a Dire Straits 'fan' since I first heard this as a vinyl record back in the late 1970s. The combination of a tight four-piece ensemble playing music that they loved and were extremely good at, and the very high recording quality proved to be a winning combination. Obviously I wasn't alone as this record made an impression on many other music lovers and 'audiophiles' and has been used as an audiophile 'demo' recording for over thirty years. Now, we can rejoice in a true audio delight, that comes along all too rarely.

I've had the original Warner Brothers LP, as released here 'stateside', and a collection of British 'Vertigo' label pressings (that until now have been my first choice for the best sound) and a 'Super Bit Mapping'(SBM) high-resolution 'audiophile-quality' CD. And even a couple of Japanese LPs(the world's "quietest" vinyl). THIS version is easily the finest recording of this Dire Straits classic that I've EVER heard!!!!!

I sat in ecstasy yesterday afternoon totally amazed hearing subtleties and nuances in every song that I'd never heard before. The cymbals had a "shimmering" quality in the very air they were resonating in. Mark Knopfler's breathing and fine vocal intonations and inflections in his verses had a human 'presence' like he was right in the room with me. The sound of the felt-covered kick-drum foot pedal could be clearly discerned striking the stretched skin of the 'kick'(bass) drum, no longer being 'masked' sonically by the bass guitar's notes. It was like hearing it all fresh and new again and my skin had "goosebumps" with the total thrill of the experience. And this, mind you, is from the original ANALOG audio tapes, mixed as ANALOG, and made into a wonderful, flat, quiet 180 gram ANALOG vinyl record by a few people that care enough to exercise the care and techniques necessary to show off the capabilities of this older, "mature" technology.

IF you love Dire Straits and if you have a decent turntable, tonearm, and cartridge combination capable of resolving the 'magic' in the grooves of this record, RUN to the closest source of records in your neighborhood and BUY it NOW! You WILL NOT regret it. THIS new recording from Warner Brothers is truly 'World-Class' and the new 'reference standard' that every other version of this 'classic' recording will be compared to from now on. FIVE BIG BLAZING STARS for this one !!!!!

Added Note: The cover 'artwork' that amazon.com has accompanying this review is for the Warner Brothers Re-Master of the COMPACT DISC version. The album jacket that this Warner Brothers Re-Mastered 180gram LP record comes with is the 'original' LP record cover artwork with only the painting illustration and the name DIRE STRAITS across the top left of the record jacket cover. Warner Brothers was very thorough and did this LP record project with great attention to all the details and ended with THE VERY BEST (yet)! . Dan - February 19, 2010

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Almost as good as the original, March 5, 2010

By 

Wildernessman "SElliot" (Boulder Creek, Ca. USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dire Straits [Vinyl] (Vinyl)

Dead quiet vinyl. Sound is very good overall with a touch too much bass. Very pleasurable to listen to. So many re-makes are not mastered correctly. This one is fine, however I have to give 5 stars to my original 1978 WB. It was engineered by Rhett Davies and it is absolutely perfect. Don't have a good copy of the original then get this re-make? It's almost as good.

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Lp I have bought in years, August 7, 2011

By 

ben stewart (Caringbah, AU) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dire Straits [Vinyl] (Vinyl)

Dire Straits put out some brilliant songs but their height was reached early with this album. I would put this on my
list of desert island discs. This pressing made from the original magnetic tapes is out of this world, all for the low price of $25 USD plus a shipping a great buy. If you love this group and you have a turntable of a good standard, get one or two copies, 10/10