Dire Straits – Self Titled

Dire Straits’ Self-Titled 1978 Debut Distinguished by Jazz-Inflected Mix of Folk, Blues, Country, and Rock: Guitarist Mark Knopfler Displays Uncanny Precision, Intricacy, and Texture. The breakout Dire Straits Album Includes ‘Sultans of Swing’ and ‘Down to the Waterline’: Band’s Shuffles, Boogies, and Ballads Spark With Crispness, Soulfulness, Coolness.

Dire Straits’ arresting self-titled debut arrived in the midst of punk’s reign but couldn’t have been further removed from the era’s slash-and-burn style. Recorded in West London in February 1978, the band’s tasteful, jazz-inflected set embraces folk, blues, and pub rock while also tracing a direct line back to the beat-oriented sound of early rock n’ roll. Country and roots accents further distinguish the British quartet’s stripped-down music from any 1970s peers, as does the transparent production, which has remained revered among audiophiles the world over.

• 1 Down to the Waterline
• 2 Water of Love
• 3 Setting Me Up
• 4 Six Blade Knife
• 5 Southbound Again
• 6 Sultans of Swing
• 7 In the Gallery
• 8 Wild West End
• 9 Lions

LABEL: Rhino
GENRE: Rock
RELEASE DATE: 1/22/2021