Dire Straits Self-Titled Album

I received this record recently from my friend and gave it a spin today. My knowledge of Dire Straits is mainly Walk of Life, which is one of the catchiest songs out there. Their self titled album released in 1978 features the four-man band compromised of Mark Knopfler on vocals and rhythm guitar, younger brother David Knopfler on guitar, Joh Illsley rocking bass, and Pick Withers on drums.

We’re setup by Down by the Waterline. It’s an upbeat lead-off track with catchy guitar riffs and unique vocals. Mark’s style is akin to sing-talking, but it works and my leg was bopping throughout the track.

Water of love is the follow-up and the beginning instantly transported me to a western film intro that’d cut into scenes ranging from the desert, spurs, horses, parlors, guns, and cowboys of course. I was singing along to the chorus the second time it played. My viewpoint of the song is about not being able to find love around them after losing someone, but staying open to it flowing one day even though the currents currently dry.

The rest of the tracklist was fun and an easy listen. For being made in 1978, there is a lot of gems in here. I was caught off guard with how groovy and atmospheric it got, but they did write Walk of Life after all. The instruments stayed tight throughout and it was a cohesive piece of work. My main negative is that I wouldn’t play most of these tracks in my day to day life, but that makes the record more special on the days it is spun.

Rating: 762/1000