•
Rating:
THE REVIEW
"Welcome to the world of Dire Straits", indeed, this could have been the appropriate title for the first self-titled work of Mark Knopfler’s band. An album that initially had difficulty making its way onto the charts of the time (considering that in '78 punk from the Clash, Sex Pistols, and similar bands was dominating), subsequently exceeded ten million copies.
An album recorded in a couple of weeks under the careful direction of Muff Winwood (brother of that other great, Steve!), showcasing nine tracks where the gigantic class and simplicity of the four musicians come to the fore, something that is not as easily found in their later works.
An opening track like "Down To The Waterline", where a certain American country tradition peeks through alongside that singer-songwriter rock vein that is Knopfler-esque, set on a 4/4 rhythm that encourages you to tap your foot for nearly 4 minutes of its duration. "Water Of Love", simpler and perhaps less stirring, highlights even more the decisive role of the then young Mark who leaps into those continuous solos interspersing the verses that would become the true trademark(!) of the group's sound. "Setting Me Up" is the right conjunction between country and blues that we will also encounter later in "Southbound Again" (which closes the album), which cannot help but ignite in the listener the desire to mimic the electricity that bursts from the speakers.
An album that in itself is divided between well-paced tracks like "Lions" (perhaps self-congratulatory?) and more melancholic compositions like "Wild West End", and despite this, manages to convey the image of a highly energetic group that will soon fill arenas and theaters with the sheer power of music.
Talking about the power of music and not mentioning "Sultans Of Swing" would be a real shame. It's too easy to open the review by talking about this track, which on the vinyl opened side B, so all I'll say is that this is the track that on a night on July 31, 1977, was played by DJ Charlie Gillett (to whom the album is dedicated) and set the phone lines of his radio station on fire, making the most frequently asked question: "Who is that band that plays that track that goes ta ta-ta ta...?"
A song that will become the true flag of the band (without taking anything away from the classics to come) as it has been appearing for over 15 years on all collections dedicated to the best guitar solos in rock. Try it to believe it.
Loading comments slowly
Summary by Bot
Dire Straits' self-titled debut album, released in 1978, overcame initial punk dominance to sell over ten million copies. Recorded swiftly under Muff Winwood's guidance, it showcases the band's signature blend of rock, blues, and country influences. Standout tracks like 'Down To The Waterline' and 'Sultans Of Swing' highlight Mark Knopfler's distinctive guitar style. The album captures the band's early energy and laid the foundation for their future success.Tracklist Lyrics Videos
01 Down to the Waterline (04:02)
Sweet surrender on the quayside
You remember we used to run and hide
In the shadow of the cargoes I take you one time
And we're counting all the numbers down to the waterline
Near misses on the dogleap stairways
French kisses in the darkened doorways
A foghorn blowing out wild and cold
A policeman shines a light upon my shoulder
Up comes a coaster fast and silent in the night
Over my shoulder all you can see are the pilot lights
No money in our jackets and our jeans are torn
Your hands are cold but your lips are warm
She can see him on the jetty where they used to go
She can feel him in the places where the sailors go
When she's walking by the river and the railway line
She can still hear him whisper
Let's go down to the waterline
03 Setting Me Up (03:19)
you say i'm the greatest bound for glory
well the word is out and i learned
i got the latest side of the story
you're pulling out before you get burned
well your hands are squeezing me down to the bone
i never saw you breaking no law
stands to reason i've got to leave you alone
what you taking me for
you're setting me up to put me down
you're just making me out to be your clown
you're just setting me up to put me down
you better give it up
quit your messing around
you think i care about your reaction
you think i don't understand
all you wanted was a piece of the action
now you talk about another man
04 Six Blade Knife (04:13)
your six blade knife do anything for you
anything you want it to
one blade is for breaking my heart
one blade for tearing me apart
your six blade knife - do anything for you
you can take away my mind like you take away the top of a tin
when you come up from behind and lay it down cold on my skin
took a stone from my soul when i was lame
just so you could make me tame
you take away my mind like you take away the top of a tin
i wanna be free of that thing - i don't want it no more
i wanna be free of it now - you know i don't want it no more
everybody got a knife it can be just what they want it to be
a needle a wife or something that you just can't see
you know it keeps you strong
yes and it'll do me wrong
your six blade knife - do anything for you
05 Southbound Again (02:59)
Southbound again I don't know if I'm going or leaving home
Boy got to be moving
Seems like the boy is bound to roam
Southbound again got no money I've got no place to go
That woman's with her lover boy
Never want to see her face no more
Every single time I roll across the rolling River Tyne
I get the same old feeling
Every time I'm moving down the line
Soutbound again last night I felt like crying
Right now I'm sick of living
But I'm going to keep on trying
06 Sultans of Swing (05:48)
You get a shiver in the dark
It's raining in the park, but meantime
South of the river you stop and you hold everything
A band is blowing dixie double four time
You feel alright when you hear that music ring
Well now you step inside but you don't see too many faces
Coming in out of the rain to hear the jazz go down
Competition in other places
Ah but the horns, they blowin' that sound
Way on down south
Way on down south, London town
Check out Guitar George, he knows all the chords
Mind he's strictly rhythm, he doesn't want to make it cry or sing
Yes and an old guitar is all he can afford
When he gets up under the lights to play his thing
And Harry doesn't mind if he doesn't make the scene
He's got a daytime job, he's doing alright
He can play the honky tonk like anything
Saving it up for Friday night
With the Sultans
We're the Sultans of Swing
Then a crowd of young boys, they're fooling around in the corner
Drunk and dressed in their best brown baggies and their platform soles
They don't give a damn about any trumpet playing band
It ain't what they call rock and roll
Then the Sultans
Yeah, the Sultans they played creole
Creole
And then the man, he steps right up to the microphone
And says at last just as the time bell rings
Goodnight, now it's time to go home
Then he makes it fast with one more thing
We are the Sultans
We are the Sultans of Swing
07 In the Gallery (06:16)
Harry made a bareback rider proud and free upon a horse
And a fine coalminer for the NCB that was
A fallen angel and Jesus on the cross
A skating ballerina you should have seen her do the skater's walz
Some people have got to paint and draw
Harry had to work in clay and stone
Like the waves coming to the shore
It was in his blood and in his bones
Ignored by all the trendy boys in London and in Leeds
He might as well have been making toys or strings of beads
He could not be in the gallery
And then you get an artist says he doesn't want to paint at all
He takes an empty canvas and sticks it on the wall
The birds of feather all the phonies and all of the fakes
While the dealers they get together
And they decide who gets the breaks
And who's going to be in the gallery
No lies he wouldn't compromise
No junk no bits of string
And all the lies we subsidise
That just don't mean a thing
I've got to say he passed away in obscurity
And now all the vultures are comming down from the tree
So he's going to be in the gallery
09 Lions (05:03)
Red sun go down way over dirty town
Starling are sweeping around crazy shoals
A girl is there high heeling across the square
Wind blows around in her hair and the flags upon the poles
Waiting in the crowd to cross at the light
She looks around to find a face she can like.
Church bell clinging on trying to get a crowd for Evensong
Nobody cares to depend upon the chime it plays
They're all in the station praying for trains
Cogregations late again
It's getting darker all the time these flagpole days
Drunk old soldier he gives her a fright
He's crazy lion howling for a fight.
Strap hanging gunshot sound
Doors slamming on the overground
Starlings are tough but the lions are made of stone
Her evening paper is horror torn
But there's hope later for Capricorns
Her lucky stars give her just enough to get home
Then she's reading about a swing to the right
But she's thinking about a stranger in the night
I'm thinking about the lions tonight
What happened to the lions.
Other reviews
By AJM
"This is the album of 'Sultans Of Swing,' the record that contains the masterpiece, and everything else will appear, at first superficial glance, as pure filler."
"The whole album enjoys a freshness and execution skill that make it not a masterpiece, but certainly an excellent debut."
By Pandalillo
"Sultans of Swing" rightfully entered the Olympus of contemporary music.
Ultimately, "Dire Straits" is an album to rediscover every day because it is unique and courageously timeless.
