DIRE STRAITS

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MAKING MOVIES (1980)

(reviewed by Pat D.)

Quite a departure form my usual riff-heavy metal selections. But I was not disappointed by this album like I was the last time I tried to expand my musical horizons (see Yngwie "No Nutsack" Malmsteen review). Dire Straits are what I refer to as "mood music". Most tracks on here have a delightful relaxed nature to them, and Mark Knopfler (lead guitar and vocals) has a wonderfully ambient fingerpicking style that is a nice change of pace from the pure speed shredders I usually listen to.

By far my favorite track on here is "Skateaway". I LOVE that keyboard riff. If I only had this CD in the car, I could listen to "Skateaway" for DAYS without getting bored. It's really that great a song. And in retrospect, I had never heard any of the other songs on here, and I bought the CD just for "Skateaway". I was pleasantly surprised to find that almost every other song on here is catchy in its own way.

Apparently "Romeo And Juliet" has been used in more movies than the theme to "Crimson Tide". I say apparently, cause I've never heard the song before, yet most of my little music group insists that this is so. Still, I liked the song when it flew across my sound system. "Tunnel Of Love" I mistook for an entirely different song (the one I was thinking of is apprently by Mr. Bruce Springsteen), and while I still think the other version is superior, Knopfler and Co.'s composition is catchy in its own right.

"Expresso Love" his a hard-edged guitar riff (well, at least RELATIVELY hard) although sometimes I find the lyrics a bit awkward. "Hand in Hand" is OK, but the last two songs fail to interest me in the least. Still, I think I got a pretty good deal here, as I was expecting to spend $18 for one song (which is an absolute BITCH to find on mp3, by the way), and I got 5 good ones. I think most of you will like (or love) "Skateaway" like I do, but I won't recommend this album unequivocally, as it does have two boring tracks at the end, and there are only 7 tracks total.

OVERALL RATING: 7

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[email protected] (tony souza)

This was a departure musically from their first two albums in that Mark Knofler (sic) added keyboards to the group and some of the songs moved more in the direction of Bruce Springsteen's sound. I agree about "Skateaway". It's probably the best song, but "Expresso Love" "Tunnel of Love" and "Solid Rock" are also good tunes. The last song sucks though, closing the album out on a down note.

BROTHERS IN ARMS (1985)

(reviewed by Robert Grazer)

HIGH POINTS: Brothers In Arms, The Man’s Too Strong, So Far Away, Ride Across The River, Walk Of Life. LOW POINTS: Money For Nothing.

For the Dire Straits’ supposed sellout effort, they go in for a mix of a couple upbeat rockers among a while bunch of really slow tracks. This was perhaps an attempt to tap into either the listener’s soul or his pocket book, and while I don’t pretend to know what it was intended to do, I do believe that it succeeds with the former (though it was the band’s biggest commercial success too). These songs are quite moving, on several levels. Brothers In Arms is, for the most part, a success.

“So Far Away” is a catchy tune, ending on the repeating of “You're so far away from me” in a very smooth fashion. “Walk Of Life” on the other hand almost reminds of something Bruce Springsteen would do with it’s upbeat pace. With Bruce on vocals it wouldn't be a stretch to put it on Born In The U.S.A. or something. The epic “Why Worry” might be a little overlong, but just a bit, and the song still has enough power in it to remain interesting. The following “Ride Across The River” on the other hand is a near-perfect seven minute track with a memorable jam to finish it off.

“The Man’s Too Strong” is an acoustic track, with a catchy chorus and more of the emotional tone that dominates most of the album. It’s one of the best songs on here. However, the ultimate highlight comes with the title track, though. A slow building masterpiece of emotion, with incredibly sincere vocals and soft, effective melody. I also find the song stuck on my head more than I should, particularly the “we're fools to make war” line. An very moving tune.

The most notable hit here is “Money For Nothing”, which to me is the best example of a good riff being burned out after eight long minutes. Take about five minutes off of the song and it would be fine, sure, but not it becomes a real bore, not really going anywhere, just sort of dragging along. Which is a shame because I really like the first minutes, especially the “custom kitchen delivery” part, and it’s a shame to see a great song turned into the album’s only real flaw, but that’s just how it happened, I guess. Not to mention that it doesn't fit in at all with the slower style in the rest of the songs.

Overall, though, the one long error can't hurt the overall quality here, and I’m sure the many people who bought the album are happy with it, since it is quite well made. So whether or not this is a sellout release or a crowd-pleaser doesn't really matter since this album is quite amazing, and I am pleased. It’s a diverse example of slow, well-done 80s pop at it’s best. Strongly recommended.

OVERALL RATING: 9

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COMMENTS

[email protected] (John Schlegel)

I used to think I liked only one Bruce Springsteen song. Then I found out "So Far Away" was by Dire Straits. Hee, hee, hee, hee.

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