VINIL Universal Records Dire Straits - Dire Straits

1980

A1     Down To The Waterline    
A2     Water Of Love    
A3     Setting Me Up    
A4     Six Blade Knife    
A5     Southbound Again    
B1     Sultans Of Swing    
B2     In The Gallery    
B3     Wild West End    
B4     Lions

Mark Knopfler, David Knopfler - guitar
John Illsley – bass, vocals
Pick Withers – drums, vocals

Mastered from the original analogue and digital masters by Bernie Grundman and Bob Ludwig

Rolling Stone:
"Dire Straits, an English quartet led by singer songwriter Mark Knopfler, plays tight, spare mixtures of rock, folk and country music with a serene spirit and witty irony. It’s almost as if they were aware that their forte has nothing to do with what’s currently happening in the industry, but couldn’t care less.

As a writer, Knopfler pens terse little narratives about the mundane problems of his brethren: women trouble, money trouble, one’s-place-in-the-world trouble. He’s often as clever as he is banal, so a nice line (“I need a little water of love”) can be followed by a silly one (“You know it’s evil when you’re living alone”), or vice versa. If anything, living alone is what Dire Straits is about, and it sounds like a good life."



AllMusic:
"Dire Straits' minimalist interpretation of pub rock had already crystallized by the time they released their eponymous debut. Driven by Mark Knopfler's spare, tasteful guitar lines and his husky warbling, the album is a set of bluesy rockers. And while the bar band mentality of pub-rock is at the core of Dire Straits -- even the group's breakthrough single, "Sultans of Swing," offered a lament for a neglected pub rock band -- their music is already beyond the simple boogies and shuffles of their forefathers, occasionally dipping into jazz and country. Knopfler also shows an inclination toward Dylanesque imagery, which enhances the smoky, low-key atmosphere of the album. While a few of the songs fall flat, the album is remarkably accomplished for a debut, and Dire Straits had difficulty surpassing it throughout their career. "