Dire Straits Communiqué Digital Life Music

Communiqué
by: Dire Straits

Used Price: $7.97
Third Party New Price: $8.98

Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0093624777021
Format: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
Label: Warner Bros / Wea
Manufacturer: Warner Bros / Wea
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Warner Bros / Wea
Release Date: September 19, 2000
Sales Rank: 25980
Studio: Warner Bros / Wea

Disc 1:

Digital Life
Related Items:

Digital Life
Editorial Review:

Amazon.com:
Dire Straits seemed to be a band with no popular context when they recorded this sophomore outing. Their previous album's 'Sultans of Swing' still hadn't charted and former schoolteacher Mark Knopfler, whose 30th birthday coincided with this album's release, still had little interest in mirroring the post-punk obsessions of late-'70s London. Oblivious to the changes that would soon take place (brother David leaving the band, compact discs resurrecting older rock consumers, and their own ascension to arena-rock status), the band continued to refine its pub-rock aesthetic on this unpretentious set of melancholy rock tunes. Mark's talent for cynical character sketches is further developed on tracks like 'Where Do You Think You're Going' and 'News,' while the presence of Jerry Wexler at the production helm ensures that the rest of the band keeps the rhythms tight. But the laid-back atmosphere of recording in the Bahamas seems to have had just as much influence, from the reggae lope of the opening 'Once upon a Time in the West' to those waves crashing against the beach in the hypnotic album closer, 'Follow Me Home.' All in all, a solid effort from a band that probably had no idea what was just around the corner. --Bill Forman

Digital Life Reviews

Customer Reviews

Average Rating: out of 5 stars

Rating:

- Inessential
Interesting to see so much love for this; I find it sluggish, derivative of the debut, inessential, a sophomore slump. Still, it sounds pretty good and can be a pleasant listen if one doesn't concentrate too hard. "Once Upon a Time in the West" is a promising start, one of the better tracks, with Knopfler's sardonic writing in force, "Sitting on the fence, that's a dangerous course/ You could even catch a bullet from the peace-keeping force," but "News" stutters and "Where Do You Think You're Going" gets going only in the last minute. From "Communique", the album mellows a bit, and with a hint of flamenco and a hint of funk and the title track is a nice tune, though far from truly vital. The single, "Lady Writer" is rehashed Sultans of Swing, but a catchy song for all that, and so on...the songs taken on their own are just fine, but the sum is considerably less than its parts.

Rating:

- A Step Forward
The Straits second effort found them dealing with their sudden fame in a far more comfortable fashion than other stars of the late 1970's/early 1980's. Instead of simply rehashing their first album to grab more success, the Straits went after a moodier, darker sound in which even the upbeat songs sound edgy. The band would rise to greater heights later, but this album - somewhat forgotten in the shadows of hits like "Money For Nothing" and "Sultans Of Swing" - is still a must for any fan of Dire Straits.

Rating:

- Great Dire Straits album!
I am a huge fan of Mark Knopfler, but even so I was not expecting this Dire Straits album to be this good. Communique combines the best of both worlds, with it combo of soulful blues and esoteric Knopfler riffs and lyrics. Just a pleasure to listen to.

Rating:

- Dire Straits Showcases a Country-like Feel to their Sound
Dire Straits is a band that would form in the late 1970s. Throughout their career, Dire Straits, they would do things much differently than many of the other bands during the "British Invasion" that was taking place. In an era where Punk and New Wave were taking center stage, Dire Straits were doing things the old-fashioned way: a combination of Classic Rock, Blues, Folk, and even some Country. In latter years, Dire Straits would migrate toward more complex and progressive arrangements and somewhere along the way they would become pop stars. However, the early days of Dire Straits would demonstrate their roots around Classic Rock, Blues, Folk, and Country. This was demonstrated on their self-titled "Dire Straits" which showed a simpler, more-stripped down sound than what they would eventually become known for. The follow-up album, "Communique" would continue this sound but focus much more around a County ... Read More

Digital Life

Digital Life is all about Dire Straits
CD's DVD's Music Video Concerts Movies and Software

Music : Communiqué
Digital Life Average Rating:

Digital Life is all about Dire Straits CD's DVD's Music Video Concerts Movies and Software

Music : Communiqué Digital Life Average Rating:

Digital Life is all about Dire Straits
CD's DVD's Music Video Concerts Movies and Software

Music : Communiqué
Digital Life Average Rating: