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58 of 61 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stellar compositions., July 16, 2001
Mark Knopfler obviously loves to write passacaglias - pieces of music that start with a very basic theme, played by only one or very few instruments and, often over repeated crescendos and slow-downs, increasing in volume and instrumentation to a rousing finale, performed by either all instruments or the instrumental lead "voice;" in Knopfler's case of course his trademark Fender Strat. "Brothers in Arms" has elements of a passacaglia, and so does "Speedway to Nazareth" on his latest solo release, "Sailing to Philadelphia." His greatest achievement though, not only in this regard, has to be "Telegraph Road," the opening track of "Love Over Gold." In a little over 14 minutes, the song rises from a simple opening melody, evoking the loneliness of that man walking along a deserted track at the beginning of the song's story, to a final guitar solo which is among the most ambitious and evocative pieces of music written by anyone in recent decades, anywhere and in any musical category. In between, there are no less than two other guitar solos, each of them over a minute long; dramatic centerpieces in their own right in any song but this one. And like the song's instrumentation, its lyrics trace the story of civilization from that one man walking along a track to a modern city, with six lines of traffic (three lines moving slow), unemployment, desolation and anger; so apparent in Knopfler's coarse vocals in the final verse and echoed with even greater force in the instrumental finale.
"Telegraph Road" is followed by the sinister "Private Investigations," reminiscent of Alan Parsons's interpretation of the Poe classic "Tales of Mystery and Imagination" (listen to that steady beat underneath the instrumental part and tell me you don't hear the "Tell Tale Heart"), and as daring and elaborate in its composition as "Telegraph Road." Both pieces are made possible by the advent of Alan Clark and his skills as a pianist; and yet, here as there it is Knopfler's guitar play that takes front and center stage. Next is the wicked "Industrial Disease," followed by the album's title track, and last, "It Never Rains," Knopfler's bow to Bob Dylan, rendered in an interpretation so true to life that you inadvertently feel yourself transported back by a decade or more and expect him switch into "The Times They Are A-Changin'" any second. One may wonder why the record, given its mostly gloomy and cynical mood, was not named for one of the two equally stunning and dark first tracks. Perhaps, however, the answer lies in the title song's last verse: "It takes love over gold and mind over matter to do what you do that you must, when the things that you hold can fall and be shattered or run through your fingers like dust."
The album's cover rightly (although somewhat unnecessarily) describes "Love Over Gold" as "one of Dire Straits' most ambitiously conceived projects to date" and points out that it "reflects almost a year's worth of meticulous attention." Short of his film music (which he was not to start writing until a year later, with "Local Hero"), this album was the closest yet that Knopfler has come to classical composition; not just in the record's first two masterpieces but right down to little details like the xylophone air underneath the title track. It was a hard act to follow, even for a Mark Knopfler; and his virtually only choice was to take his music into other, and more diverse directions ("Brothers in Arms"). Listening to the remastered CD version of "Love Over Gold," you almost forget that unlike its mega-selling successor this recording was not "made for CD;" which in itself speaks volumes to the quality of the sound engineering and production and, more importantly, to the indeed "meticulous attention" given to every single instrumental and human voice of every single track on the album. In all of its 41+ minutes, and although it does not reflect as wide a range of musical styles as Knopfler's later work, "Love Over Gold" is one of the most complex pieces of recording he ever produced. It may have taken the release of "Brothers in Arms" to propel Dire Straits to worldwide fame forever. But it is impossible to listen to "Love Over Gold" and not recognize the unique talent of a man who, having found an initial foothold in the musical scene through the success of his band's first three albums, here made it clear once and for all just how much more the world had yet to expect from him.
Also recommended:
Alchemy: Dire Straits Live
On the Night
Dire Straits
Night in London
Sailing to Philadelphia (CD & DVD Audio)
Local Hero (1983 Film)
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36 of 39 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
LESS IS MORE, November 19, 2000
Don't let the fact that there are only five tracks on this album deter you. This is a masterful piece of work by Mark Knopfler and the boys.Interestingly enough, the Dire Straits album that preceded this one was titled "Making Movies." In many ways, it seems as though Knopfler has done exactly that here. "Telegraph Road," the opening track, is a musical portrait of epic proportions, a tale of promise, progress, and desolation wrapped around an incredibly powerful arrangement. Knopfler's biting lyrics give this opus extra kick - "Then came the churches, then came the schools, then came the lawyers, then came the rules." His voice was made to sing this song - the sad, smoky, whisper "Now you act a little colder, like you don't seem to care," is positively chilling. Even if this were the only song on the disc, it would be worth having. "Private Investigations" finds Knopfler narrating as the weary private eye, disillusioned and disgusted by the lives and the lies of the people he is paid to watch. "What have you got at the end of the day? What have you got to take away? A bottle of whiskey, and a new set of lies, blinds on the windows and pain behind the eyes." This cut is another example of Knopfler's ability to evoke a powerful image, using his words economically, yet masterfully, and allowing the sound to fill in the blanks. "Scarred for life. No compensation. Private investigations." Knopfler's hilarious take on modern technology, "Industrial Disease" is a raucous romp placed right in the middle of the song cycle, giving the listener a few minutes to breathe and laugh. If you listen hard enough, you can hear the singer laughing along with you. "Two men say they're Jesus, one of 'em must be wrong" has to be one of my favorite lines ever. The title track, amidst the other imagery, could well be Dire Straits' motto. One gets the feeling that when Knopfler sings of "Love Over Gold" he's referring not only to the character in the song, but also of his philosophy regarding his music, that the art is far more important than commercial success. (Of course, the fact that only a few years later, he wrote a song that begins with the lyric "I Want My MTV" might shoot my theory to pieces). Nonetheless, "Love Over Gold" is an excellent song "It Never Rains" has a Dylanesque feel, both lyrically and musically. When Knopfler sings "It's a sad reminder when your organ grinder has to come to you for rent, and all you have to give him is the use of your side show tent" amidst the sound of the carnival - style organ, it's vaguely reminiscent of "Like A Rolling Stone." The song, and the album, ends with another dose of reality - "and he takes you out in Vaudeville Valley with his hand up smothering your screams, and he screws you down in Tin Pan Alley, in the city of a billion dreams," as the sound builds to a crescendo, then fittingly fades out. The movie has ended. Mark Knopfler has come to be known, in addition to being an outstanding guitarist and lyricist, as an accomplished composer of movie soundtracks. He is incredibly adept at writing music to enhance films. He is just as talented in creating songs that evoke lasting visual images. As far as I'm concerned, Knopfler and the various incarnations of Dire Straits never released an album that would be considered less than a five - star effort. This is one of many. Buy this one. Buy them all.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Superb Introduction To Mark Knopfler & Dire Straits!, August 28, 2000
I was lucky enough to be living in England just outside London in a little town called West Ruislip just down the cobbled streets from the "T" station near the famous "Orchards" pub when this album was released in 1982, and the young English couple living in the flat upstairs played this over and over, introducing me both to their good taste in music and the terrific group called "Dire Straits" in the process. Of course, as I think back upon it, I was familiar with their hit "Sultans Of Swing", but never really paid much attention until hearing this terrific album and Mark Knopfler's unbelievably stirring, crisp and innovative guitar solos. Here they introduce both their unique and unforgettable sound and also their very introspective lyrics. Both "Telegraph Road" and "Industrial Disease" provide running commentaries both on the contemporary employment problems in Britain of the early eighties, and a number of more personal matters as well. In the short two years I lived in Britain, Knopfler became a kind of institutionalized artistic force everywhere one looked, writing soundtrack music for (among other films) "Local Hero" and "Cal", performing both alone and with Dire Straits, and collaborating with other artists, as well. The music here is very and innovative progressive rock, and the electric guitar work literally sings by itself. When I listen to the album now, it is a source of continuing amazement to me that Knopfler could make the sounds that emanated out of that instrument so uniquely animated as it is. The whole band is terrific, and it is sad that they made so few albums before internal frictions broke them apart. Enjoy this and their other wonderful albums. Here in "Love Over Gold" they make an indelible stamp on modern rock that I am sure you will find entertaining and entrancing. Enjoy!
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by Dire Straits 
