Though no fan of Dire Straits, I mustn't be churlish and deny the sonic brilliance of this, their fourth LP, dating from 1982, and their first to hit No 1 in the UK charts. As ever, the musicianship is sublime, and Mark Knopfler's fluidity and inventiveness are enough to draw audiophiles to this release, but the self-indulgence counters the previous releases' greater accessibility. Indeed, the 14 minutes-plus of 'Telegraph Road' was causing me to lose the will to live, but suffering through it is what pays my mortgage. That aside, MoFi has done a spectacular job of reissuing the Dire Straits catalogue at this level, though it remains to be seen if one of the band's titles will earn One-Step status.
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