Live at the BBC [Live]

Dire Straits | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (August 29, 1995)
• Original Release Date: August 29, 1995
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Live
• Label: Warner Bros / Wea
• ASIN: B000002N2X
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #93,835 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

This is their third live release, mostly recorded in July 1978. It is in effect a concert version of the self-titled debut album. Also included as a bonus is a 12-minute version of 'Tunnel Of Love' from 1981 which is unavailable elsewhere. Windsong. 1995. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Decent live album., August 24, 2001

By 

Matt "mattfl1" (FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Live at the BBC (Audio CD)

First off, the sound quality of this recording is great, not muddy like you find in a lot of live recordings. Each band member is clearly audible. 75% of the album consists of live versions of what I consider to be the best tracks off their debut album. Then there are two other songs--"What's the Matter Baby" and "Tunnel of Love." Good live versions of all these songs, but they're essentially play just like they are on the studio versions (with the exception of "What's the Matter Baby"...is there a studio version of that anywhere?). Nothing really special about them, just your run of the mill live album that happens to have exceptionally good sound quality. I will admit though that the version of "Sultans of Swing" on this recording is great, and Knopfler's guitar solo on it is amazing. I still like the "Alchemy" album better.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars In the Beginning..., August 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Live at the BBC (Audio CD)

The BBC presents yet another great live set recorded just for them, along with the audience of that time and place. All of the selected songs, save two, are from the first Straits album, and the band doesn't deviate much from the studio arrangements. However, there's definitely a "live" feel to the proceedings.

Mark Knopfler's cool in-between verse mumblings and guitar stabs are an essential part of any Straits performance, and those elements are here in force. John Illsley's bass guitar is a little loud, but it reminds one that this is indeed a raw live recording, and not a polished studio production. "What's the Matter Baby," the previously unreleased Mark/David Knopfler composition, is essentially "Sultans of Swing" and "Lady Writer" combined, but still a very likable number.

Tacked on at the end from a performance in Dortmund, Germany, is "Tunnel of Love" from Making Movies, their third studio album. The arrangement is a really fine example of pre-Alchemy Straits (Alchemy being their first live album, released in 1983), where the song had indeed begun to breathe but had not yet expanded to its full on-stage glory. Another highlight for me is to hear the original Dire Straits drummer, the hugely underrated Pick Withers, play on a live arrangement of "Tunnel."

I would describe Live at the BBC as a must for hardcore Dire Straits fans, and I also would highly recommend it for the as yet uninitiated. If Warner Brothers unearths any more Dire Straits live recordings, particularly from the Communique and Making Movies periods, I sincerely hope they put them out. In the meantime, if I've made you curious, hesitate no longer. Go out to your favorite CD outlet, buy Live at the BBC, and pop it into your player as soon as possible. Time's a-wastin'!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fine material of Early Dire Straits, December 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Live at the BBC (Audio CD)

Alchemy, the band's double live CD, is a bit too polished for my taste. I prefer this earlier recording with the original line up (on 7 of the 8 tracks). The material covered is primarily from the band's first two albums, so if you're not a fan of Dire Straits or Communique, you probably won't enjoy this set.

While Alchemy certainly has its moments, the album sounds like their studio recording with a lack of spontanity. This album, on the other hand, captures the band in their earlier, rawer incarnation.