Customer Reviews

Sultans of Swing (Live in Germany) (2 CD Set)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Two discs 39 minutes each approximately. The sound is very good-even for a live (mono) recording. This has the feel of the listener sitting in the "sweet spot" at this concert-all the instruments are plainly audible,which is especially important for this group. I don't know for sure,but I believe this set may be the audio portion of a DVD of this concert. This company (possibly based in the Netherlands) has released a Neil Young set,which is the soundtrack to "Live Rust",with more tracks and unedited songs than was "officially" released. Even the tri-fold cd holder and the graphics are similar. So I'm wondering about the legality of it all. But no matter-its the music that's important.

For those who like DIRE STRAITS first few albums (especially the first) this a welcome addition. This was the original band-Mark Knopfler on guitar/vocals,David Knopfler on rhythm guitar/vocals,John Illsley on bass,and Pick Withers on drums.

With all the attention on Mark Knopfler,many people don't realize how important the rest of this group was,particularly the bass and drums,to the DIRE STRAITS "sound". The bass simultaneously filled in the bottom yet was very melodic. The under-rated Withers on drums was the Charlie Watts (ROLLING STONES) of the group. He held everything together while driving the band forward no matter what the tempo. All the while never calling attention to himself-just getting the job done. When this group began drifting apart something was lost. Yes the new band went on to fame and big venues (and big money) but that certain workmanlike,straight ahead feel was gone.

This concert brings it all back. Recorded in front of a small audience (Knopfler alludes between songs to there being 100 people) this is DIRE STRAITS before all the fame. Their first "hit","Sultans of Swing" is buried in the middle of the second disc. And then Knopfler,shyly tells the crowd that they will replay it because they fouled it up. This is part of the refreshing feel of this set,before they became "stars". The songs are played in a matter-of-fact,workmanlike style. Nothing fancy,no long instrumental passages,no flash-just a band trying out it's songs in front of a small audience. There is a simple honesty heard here that disappeared later. While its great to hear Knopfler's guitar,the instrumental work is kept to a minimum,but that great sound and the fast picking is still there. Everything is played with an idea of just presenting the tunes in the best way possible. A number of the tracks here appeared on the first album,with a few being tried out for possible later albums. Long time listeners will know most of the songs,yet being a live setting,the instrumental passages and the arrangements are turned around slightly,which gives added interest. All the tracks form a cohesive whole and together give a picture of this band at it's beginning stages.

For those listeners who like the original sound of this band-this would be a valuable addition. People unfamiliar with this group would also benefit from hearing a small unpretentious band,simply getting up in front of a crowd and playing their music. The honest simplicity if this set is very refreshing-especially today.

To say the least, this CD is not "high fidelity". To say the most, it sounds like a good bootleg. The quality is not awful but certainly not up to contemporary sonic expectations. That said, I have no problem paying $14 for a good Dire Straits two disc bootleg. However, when I purchased this title, I expected it to sound at least as good as the previously released "Live at The BBC" and it comes nowhere close.

While this is a rare performance that is probably worth it for avid fans, I wouldn't get too excited about it. The sound quality is average at best. The audio is in mono and comes directly from the video source.

Maybe, maybe not. But I like this 2CD set about as much as any of the first five studio albums and a lot more than "Alchemy," "On Every Street," and "On the Night." The material is basically from "Dire Straits" and "Communique," but performed with the moodiness characterizing those albums, especially the latter. In other words, it has what "live at the BBC," the other two live albums, and "On Every Street" lack. It also has much less audience noise than "Alchemy" and "On the Night."

I've always been disappointed by the "BBC" disc because it seems tense, anxious. The Immortal 2CD set makes me realize that it's "Communique" that I love the most, that most captures what I love about Dire Straits . . . Celtic country & western from an American port town.

To me, almost all the Immortal sets should be treasured. The packaging--quality digipaks with good pictures and meaningful liner notes--complements the sound, which seems to be the audio portion of a video or DVD. Most are mono, but to call them bootlegs is misleading; I wish all bootlegs sounded this good. For example, I have Vol. 2 of Johnny Winter's officially released, personally sanctioned "Live Bootleg Series." It's gotten rave reviews in general, but the sound quality is inferior to every Immortal set I've heard. And most of the Immortal sets offer material that is officially unrepresented or seriously underrepresented.

These are my Immortal sets:

-Eric Clapton & Friends, "The A.R.M.S. Benefit Concert from London" 2CDs (A full concert, the friends include Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck, Steve Winwood, and Ronnie Lane. Page has a four-song set in which he beautifully shows up Beck on Beck's 'Led Boots.')

-Eric Clapton, "After Midnight LIVE" 2CDs (a 1988 concert with Mark Knopfler as second lead guitarist and Alan Clark on keyboards)

-Eric Clapton, "live at Budokan" 2CDs (a 2001 concert that is similar to but with fewer musicians on stage than "One More Car, One More Rider")

-Deep Purple, "LIVE" 1CD (A rare appearance of 'No, No, No' distinguishes this combo CD of part of a late "Fireball"/early "Machine Head" Deep Purple concert with part of Ian Gillan's "Bedrock in Concert" live CD)

-The Eagles, "New Zealand Concert" 2CDs (a 1995 concert notable for the inclusion of solo songs like 'Smuggler's Blues,' 'Life's Been Good,' 'The Boys of Summer,' and many others)

-Tom Petty, "Live in Chicago" 2CDs (a 22-song, full-band, 2003 concert, with covers of Elmore James, Howlin' Wolf, Chuck Berry, Ray Charles/Elvis, as well as Petty solo material)

-Queen, "Rock You from Rio--Live" 1CD (a 1985 concert that includes the otherwise unavailable live 'It's a Hard Life' as well as 'Liar,' which appears live only on the "At the BBC" disc)

-Lou Reed, "Through the Years: New York 1983 - Spain 2004" 2CDs (A tremendous selection of songs from both the Quine and the Rathke bands, the latter including Jane Scarpantoni on cello, this set is oddly compiled: the bands alternate song by song. Quine's 'Sweet Jane' is followed by Rathke's "Why Do You Talk,' which is followed by Quine's 'Rock 'N' Roll,' etc.)

-Rod Stewart & Faces, "LIVE IN LONDON" 1CD (the only live Faces CD in print)

-The Who, "Live from Toronto" 2CDs (This 1982 American Tour, Maple Leaf Gardens concert begins with 'My Generation,' ends with 'Twist and Shout,' and covers early and late Who in between, including 'Love Ain't for Keepin')

-Neil Young & Crazy Horse, "Live in San Francisco" 2CDs (a full concert of what was edited and overdubbed to become "Rust Never Sleeps")

Except perhaps for the Deep Purple package, these concerts are significant additions to the artists' released works. Clapton and Knopfler exchanging solos on 'Badge,' for example--where else you gonna hear that???

Those first five studio albums by Dire Straits deserve Clapton's praise of Knopfler on the "After Midnight LIVE" set: "wonderful." Peter Green may criticize Knopfler for making mistakes, but to me anyone who can evoke such vivid scenery with guitar, voice, lyrics, and melody (all of 'em) within a few seconds has a gift beyond technique.

This Dire Straits Immortal double disc is a full expression of that gift.

This was one of the few Dire Straits albums I hadn't got in my collection and I bought it on a whim. I'm glad I did for while the polish of the studio albums is very nice, the live performance of the original Dire Straits line up is simply superb. The CD immediately took me back to the first DS concert I attended, I came away mesmerised by the music and so it is with this album. The concert set is based on the first two albums (Dire Straits and Communique) with some extra tracks ("What's the Matter Baby" and "Eastbound Train") and pretty much follows that first concert I attended. The quality is as good as you'd expect from a live recording and MK's banter between tracks is interesting to hear. MK's concert riffs add a different dimension to the songs, they add to the songs and the variation from the studio versions (and without the polishing that some of the songs were to get before their final release) is brilliant. That is not to say the concert is lacking polish, just that the polish is in different areas. Incredibly funny that they do 2 versions of "sultans of swing", apparently because they stuffed it up the first time and redid it as an encore. The sleeve notes sum up what this album represents in the context of its time, the emergence of music from the fatuous pop offerings and angry backdrop of punk. This is a moment in time, Dire straits captured before their meteoric rise to stardom shortly afterwards, it is "Alchemie" but raw. I should have bought it years ago.

I'm not sure why most everyone is giving this 2-disc set such low ratings... maybe it's because they don't know any better!

If these reviewers had a half-a-brain, they'd realize that this is when Dire Straits were at their best; Their self-titled debut album is BY FAR their best and this performance showcases just that. The music is strong & tight and you can tell that the band was on the rise.

Granted, the concert was not recorded from a soundboard, but the aformentioned reviewers act as though this album was recorded in the 1920's! This concert is hands-down superior to 'Alchemy' and it ends up making the performances on Alchemy seem long and drawn out - A true Dire Straits would realize that these songs are vintage.

My only regret is: why haven't more of these earlier perfomances been released? Bring it on!

CD sounds great - my concerns about poor sound quality were misplaced. Features early, short versions of these songs.

I love Dire Straits and feel that they are unappreciated. I could listen to their greatest hits cd every day all day and never grow tired of it. However this CD is from the early years and the band is nowhere near as polished as they would become.

When compared to Ont Night their live cd from the early 90s that can be purchased for $8 you see a band that is just coming to grips with their craft and playing the songs as though they were covering the record's version. As the band progressed there songs when played live would last for a glorious eternity.

This cd is for the true fan, if you are looking for a more polished recording try On the Night.