October 7, 1978 - Dire Straits and Dire Straits

Nine days after my last release a new band briefly joins my library when British newcomers Dire Straits released their self-titled debut album (and only album I have by them) on October 7, 1978. But who are Dire Straits? They were a 4-piece rock band formed in London, England consisting of Pick Withers (drums, percussion), John Illsley (bass), Mark Knopfler (lead vocals, lead guitar) and his brother David Knopfler (rhythm guitar). These guys play an older style of blues rock that we haven't heard much of in the past few years. I'm not their biggest fan but I do think this first album has some good tunes on it. Let's give it a listen!

The album begins with "Down To The Waterline" which starts very quiet. Mark plays some nice guitar in this slow opening and around a minute in it kicks into a faster main riff. David plays a solid backing guitar riff and we hear Mark's voice for the first time as he sings in his laid-back blues-y voice. It's not the most amazing lead vocals, but it fits the style of the band quite nicely. Mark also plays some cool lead guitar between verses that spices up this decent main riff. Illsley plays some nice bass to back a short guitar solo by Mark that sounds pretty sweet. His cool lead guitar continues until the end of the song as they end it on a nice note. This was very emblematic of what Dire Straits sounds like and I thought it was solid for sure. Up next is "Water Of Love" which Withers opens with a nice drum beat as both Knopfler's add some cool acoustic guitar to form the main riff. It's a slower pace than the first song but things sound pretty good as Mark leads the way on guitar and with his smooth singing. It's a fairly simple beat but it's refreshing to hear some classic blues rock this late in the decade. There are no solos or anything flashy but the main beat also never seems to get old as they continue to jam it out for pretty much the whole five and a half minutes. Track 3 is "Setting Me Up" and it's led by some speedy guitar that sounds almost like Led Zeppelin! David does a nice job with this guitar riff and Mark's smooth, low voice sounds good in this style as well. We hear Mark play a guitar solo overtop the main riff and it sounds pretty good. It meshes with the rhythm guitar nicely and makes for a nice little solo. After a final verse and chorus Mark plays some more solid lead guitar and brings this song to another nice finish. The next song is called "Six Blade Knife" and Illsley carries the beat with some nice bass as the Knopfler's play some slow guitar. Mark's voice sounds even lower in this song as he slowly sings the verse. He follows each of his lines with a cool little guitar flourish as they keep things interesting. After a slower bridge part we hear a slow guitar solo that is nothing flashy, but fits the mood nicely before they return to the main verse. The last minute they continue the main beat with Mark playing some decent guitar as it slowly fades to a close. The final song on this side is "Southbound Again" and it's backed by another solid main riff by David as Mark sings nicely along. He adds some flashes of cool lead guitar at times and when he does it certainly spices things up. He plays a brief solo between verses and at the end it sounds like he's going to go off for another one, but they fade out the side in the middle of his solo...........WHY?! I hate it when bands do this and I think it's a terrible way to end a song, let alone an album side.

Side two kicks off with "Sultans Of Swing", the big hit single off this album and one of Dire Straits most famous songs. David plays a solid rhythm guitar riff that carries this whole song while Mark plays some nice lead guitar overtop. He sings in his standard low voice and all the lyrics of this song are about a jazz band Mark once saw in London that wasn't doing very well and the name of their band was actually the sultans of swing! It's a very catchy main verse that they do really well as Mark plays lots of quick guitar that sounds great. The chorus is pretty short but there are a lot of verses in this near six minute song and each one of them is a little different than the last, keeping things fresh the whole time. At around the 3:30 mark Mark goes off for a solo that isn't super fast, but it fits the style of the song very nicely snd connects right back into another verse. After this verse the final minute or so is left for another Mark Knopfler guitar solo. This one is much faster than the first one as he plays some excellent stuff! A fine way to end a very good song indeed! Up next is "In The Gallery" which opens with a riff that sounds kinda sappy, but they settle into a nice southern style of rock. Mark's lead guitar sounds pretty good and I like his voice when he puts a bit more force behind it. They slow it down for the brief chorus before resuming the solid main riff as we hear lots of good guitar. After the second chorus we hear an extended guitar solo by Mark and again he does a fantastic job! They resume the main riff as Mark's awesome guitar continues throughout the rest of this breezy tune. Track 8 is called "Wild West End" and is much slower paced than the last two songs. We hear some nice backing guitar by David as well as some soft piano that together form the backing riff of this song. Mark's slow lead guitar sounds good and he sings soulfully along. The chorus is pretty slow and predictable but Mark spices up the verses with some pretty good guitar. They slow it right down at the finish and end this slightly sappy song. The record closer is called "Lions" and David starts things off with a slow backing guitar riff as Mark makes his lead guitar cry and sing. The verse is a pretty standard light rock beat and Mark's voice sounds good but not great and the chorus is more of the same. Mark plays a decent little guitar solo but most of this one is pretty average I think as they lightly jam along. Towards the end Mark gets an extended chance to show off, and he does a little bit, but he too seems happy to lightly jam along as this album comes to an end.

That is the end of "Dire Straits" and I thought it was a good but not great album. "Sultans Of Swing" is a clear favourite, and there are other good songs as well, but I also thought some of them were pretty average. Overall I think it ends up being a good album, but not good enough to make me want more. Until next time...