We talk about Miles Davis' " Kind Of Blue" and Brubeck's "Time Out" (to name but two) as Masterpieces, but does Dire Straits' "Love Over Gold" have what it takes to be considered a Masterpiece?
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Dire Straits - Love Over Gold -------- Masterpiece?
- Thread starter Johnny Vinyl
- Start date
It's certainly a great piece of work. There are other songs by Dire Straits that I like better, but that's just personal taste. Telegraph Road is great songcraft, contains all the signature elements that make Knopfler Knopfler, and is either a beautiful piece of studio recording or over-cooked, completely depending on your POV.
In other words, yeah, it's close enough that if you think of it as a masterpiece I'm sure not going to argue with that.
Tim
Steve Williams
Site Founder, Site Co-Owner, Administrator
Yes it gives you Dire Straits big sound; not quite as big as they present live, but a reasonable facsimile.
Ditto on Steve's comment. Great music, lyrics and special effects
Yep, unfortunately at least for me, it fits into that special category of records that got so overplayed back in the day (Tea, Dusty's Look, etc) that I rarely listen to it, even decades later. Occasionally pull it out. HiFi+ once ran a funny piece called 'Records to Die From' (a play on the Stereophile periodic "Records to Die For") which included a list of stuff that got beat into the ground as demo material. The ones I mentioned were on it, along with quite a few others. In fact, in the article, the writer (I forget who wrote the piece) said a customer demanded that a certain one of these be played to demo some system. The salesperson agreed, provided that they would destroy the record afterwards. They apparently kept a melted down copy in the backroom and brought it out afterwards to show the customer that they meant business. Well worth digging for the article. It was quite funny.
Knopfler's soundtrack to that movie about the small Irish or Scottish town that was resisting some big corporate project (Local Hero?) was also wonderful as I remember. I haven't listened to it in years. I'll have to pull it out.Yes it gives you Dire Straits big sound; not quite as big as they present live, but a reasonable facsimile.
Ditto on Steve's comment. Great music, lyrics and special effects
I feel so stupid, I actually meant to write LOVE OVER GOLD. Can you change the thread title for me?
:0 I do not think of Telegraph as a masterpiece either, good but .. Favorite DS album is Brothers In Arms... ot it could well be On Every Street... Seems most of Dire Straits albums are Sonic gems by the way and Live , I have never heard a cleaner sound in concert.... never..
Well, John....I wouldn't consider Love over Gold as a masterpiece but the Live concert that is unobtainable at the moment from Bergen that just so happens to feature very close to a 16 minute version of Telegraph Road I would definitely consider a masterpiece! I love that album. In fact, I listened to it in it's entirety, not once but twice yesterday. I'll have to spin Love Over Gold today and see if I would reconsider. It has been a while since I put that one in.
Here's a thread about the concert I'm talking about >>> http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showthread.php?6720-An-audio-must-have
Tom
. I'll have to spin Love Over Gold today and see if I would reconsider. It has been a while since I put that one in.Here's a thread about the concert I'm talking about >>> http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showthread.php?6720-An-audio-must-have
Tom
Interesting comments so far. Of course its all subjective.
So none of you think that this should be mentioned in the same breath as KOB and TO?
So none of you think that this should be mentioned in the same breath as KOB and TO?
I thought you were talking about that one track from Love Over Gold. Yeah, Love Over Gold is wonderful. So is Brothers In Arms. Particularly sonically. But my favorite DS albums are still the first, Dire Straits, and the third, Making Movies. They aren't as wonderful sonically, though. Knopfler took over production responsibilities himself from Love Over Gold on, and clearly he cares very deeply about sound. But the music on those first 3 albums, my God......
Tim
Steve Williams
Site Founder, Site Co-Owner, Administrator
I also think one needs to think of the decade (1982) in which it was releaased. Rock music was a barren wilderness and LOG was one of the few decent albums released in the '80s. Thanks goodness for the Seattle scene that spawned grunge and rescued us from the commercial mediocrity of the '80s!
Well, John....I wouldn't consider Love over Gold as a masterpiece but the Live concert that is unobtainable at the moment from Bergen that just so happens to feature very close to a 16 minute version of Telegraph Road I would definitely consider a masterpiece! I love that album. In fact, I listened to it in it's entirety, not once but twice yesterday
Here's a thread about the concert I'm talking about >>> http://www.whatsbestforum.com/showthread.php?6720-An-audio-must-have
Tom
-----I'm still looking for that 2-Disc CD set Tom.
___________________
* I luv Dire Straits (1978) and Communique (1979). :b
....Lots & lots of good memories playing these two albums over and over.
Awe heck, John. Don't I feel like the donkey. I was thinking of another Dire Straights/Mark Knopfler album, not Love Over Gold *smacks head*. I went looking for it and after about tearing the house apart, I could not find it anywhere. As soon as I Googled the image of the album cover, I remembered that it was on my short list of things to get...but haven't gotten around too yet. I did, however, order an import of Love Over Gold on SACD a few moments ago and I should have it within a week. I look forward to listening too it and again, I apologize. I was thinking of the wrong album. My bad. Thank you though for the reminder!
Tom
Tom
I cherished all of their albums and to this date they are part of my "5 star" collections (rated as such in my music library) that I take around with me. Yes, it is a bit tired given the so many plays I have given it but the sign of great music is one that survives generations and it still doesn't sound "old." Pink Floyd has similar characteristics.
DS always a go to for reference sounding Rock and Roll especially on vinyl....Brother's in Arms album is my fav orverall.
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