Dire Straits
Live At The BBC

THE REVIEW

1995 is the year when Mark Knopfler decides to call it quits, fortunately not in the literal sense but concerning the creation he shaped: the Dire Straits officially cease to exist. About fifteen years, six and a half studio albums, two and a half live albums, a compilation, millions of copies sold, a thousand concerts, hundreds of tennis wristbands changed, several more zeros on the bank account. After all this, PolyGram reminds an already solo-career-bound Mark Knopfler (soon "Golden Heart" will be released) that according to the agreements, one more album is still missing. Thus, a old concert from the early, very early Dire Straits recorded on July 22, 1978 is retrieved in which the London band essentially presents their first work, thus closing the discographic circle.

Listening through "Down To The Waterline," "Six Blade Knife," "Water Of Love," "Wild West End," "Sultans Of Swing," and "Lions," we rediscover someone we met as a kid, a long time ago, who has since grown up gaining experience and self-confidence, to the detriment of his own genuineness; it must have seemed strange to listen again in 1995 to what the Dire Straits initially were, here without piano, keyboards, saxophone, slide guitar, flutes, and the like, relying only on their original lineup oriented towards the stages of those small smoky clubs. The live performance of the pieces from the 1978 debut hardly differs from the version on the studio album, so the only real reason for interest in listening to this latest release becomes "What's the Matter Baby?", a song that was part of the setlists of the time but never appeared on official releases, and hearing it now, one wonders why: the song has a strong, energetic structure and would have fit well on the debut album or the subsequent "Communiqué," perhaps replacing some less convincing piece ("Angel Of Mercy" or "Follow Me Home"). This is not only the only instance where Mark and David Knopfler co-write a song but also the only case in the entire Dire Straits discography of a piece written by four hands ("Money For Nothing," although credited to Sting as well, is all Knopfler's doing).

In an attempt to enrich the value of this last effort (if it can be called that), a live performance of "Tunnel Of Love" dated January 31, 1981, is thrown into the mix at the end, which is insignificant as it is structurally identical to the version already present in "Alchemy" but qualitatively poorer from the recording point of view. A more appreciated choice would have been some other live take of songs from the early days that were never much considered during the career, such as "Lady Writer," "In The Gallery," or "Single Handed Sailor".

On the cover, Mark Knopfler looks awful, but from there on, the British guitarist's music will become more and more tranquil and quiet, in line with his advancing age. This remains to this day the last time the name Dire Straits came to market with something new to offer, and I have reason to believe it will remain so, with Knopfler himself having repeatedly refused billion-dollar offers to reform the band in these recent times when dogs and hogs are reuniting in search of money. May Mark Knopfler continue to make music as long as he breathes, it can only do good to the world, but the Dire Straits should stay right where they are. In 1995.