Commencing with a haunting, foggy bass and an angelic guitar solo by lead singer and guitarist Mark Knopfler, Dire Straits’ eponymous 1978 album leaves its listeners wanting more.
I have grappled with how to adequately describe the magnetism of this album to someone who has not yet listened to it. Do I begin with the buttery guitar solos, the husky voice of Mark Knopfler or the way Pick Withers’s unique drum patterns make me want to dance around my room?
After intense consideration, I have decided the best approach would be to detail the image it evokes for me. Although Dire Straits was formed in London, there is a Northern California vibe to this album that I cannot shake.
Picture this: you are driving down Highway 1 between Stinson and Bolinas in August. The windows are down; it’s golden hour and you have just experienced the perfect slow summer day. The sun lights up the hills to your right and reflects off of the lagoon to your left.
“Lions” by Dire Straits is on. The bare, rootsy sound of the guitars, combined with the meandering drum beat backed by hand drums perfectly encapsulate the moment.
Such is what I experienced this summer when I first discovered Dire Straits and their shining first album. Now, even as days continue to shorten and the weather has turned colder, I am able to return to that feeling each time I hit play on “Dire Straits.”
While the lyrics of Dire Straits’ other albums (especially “Making Movies”) are an object of obsession for me, the instruments, especially the guitar, on “Dire Straits” are what makes the album so enticing.
The album’s opening track, “Down to the Waterline,” hits the ground running. After Knopfler’s guitar completes an ambling solo dance, it is joined by a wave of perfectly united sound that makes the listener stop in their tracks.
The thread of standout guitar continues throughout the entire album, finding a special hold in “Southbound Again,” “Sultans of Swing” and “Wild West End.”
The unique sound of Knopfler’s guitar has earned him critical acclaim and decades of devoted fans. His style includes using his palm to mute strings for a more percussive sound and emphasizes finger independence, allowing him to play complex chords and melody lines simultaneously.
The ceaselessly intricate sound of Knopfler’s guitar is what makes the instrumentation of Dire Straits so alluring to me, which is why I recommend that, as you listen (because I don’t know why you wouldn’t after reading this), you keep your ear trained on the incredible, constant fluctuation of his guitar.
That is not to say that there are not a litany of praises to sing of John Illsey’s bass, or a thousand details of Pick Withers’ drum patterns to delve into, but 500 words is not enough to say half of what there is to say about this album, and I must pick my battles.
In a few words, “Dire Straits” is a masterpiece that has brought me joy time and time again on what I imagine is encroaching upon a worrying number of listens.
So, I will leave you with this: why wouldn’t you listen?
