Dire Straits - Communiqu?
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Free Music Notes for Communiqu?
Free Music Review: Some pretty music under so so lyrics
Hit: 3 Stars
I find the music on this CD very nice, but can't really get into most of the song lyrics. Best example of this is Telegraph Road - very nice guitar with piano and other things thrown in, but the lyrics aren't anything to write home about. I like Industrial Disease the best on here - fun and lively. Safe to skip this in favor of Making Movies or another better Dire Straits disk. Free Music Review: Inessential
Hit: 2 Stars
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.Free Music Review: A Step Forward
Hit: 4 Stars
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.Free Music Review: Great Dire Straits album!
Hit: 5 Stars
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.Free Music Review: Dire Straits Showcases a Country-like Feel to their Sound
Hit: 4 Stars
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 and Folk sound. Some consider "Communique" the weak point of the Dire Straits catalog, but I think there is plenty of good music on this album.
For the most part, Dire Straits is the brainchild of its lead guitarist and vocalist - Mark Knopfler. Throughout his career, Knopfler would assemble a group of musicians that would comprise Dire Straits. Like on their debut album, "Communique" consisted of Mark Knopfler on vocals and lead guitars, his brother David - also on guitars, John Illsley (who would be the only constant throughout the life of Dire Straits besides Mark Knopfler) on bass, and Pick Withers on drums. On latter albums, Dire Straits would demonstrate more use of the keyboards (for example Roy Bittan would add a new dimension by playing keyboards on the "Making Movies" album), but as on the self-titled "Dire Straits" album, "Communique" would continue to focus around a guitar-oriented sound. "Communique" is not a hard-Rocking collection and will have more of a soft feel, yet this still is a very good collection.
As for the lyrics, Mark Knopfler does some of his best songwriting on this collection. I like how he makes use of metaphors and storytelling.
Here is a track by track review of this collection:
"Once Upon a Time in the West" This song demonstrates two themes on this album....the "Once Upon a Time" demonstrates the storytelling capabilities while "West" demonstrates the Country-Western feel. The guitar work is going to be the signature of this song - highlighted by the "twanging" sound that is heard throughout this collection.
"News": Similar feel to this song as "Once Upon a Time in the West". This song combines storytelling with the Country-Western feel of the guitar. I particularly liked the instrumental ending to this song - which is highlighted by some haunting drums by Pick Withers.
"Where Do You Think You're Going?": This is one of the stronger songs of the collection. Instead of sung as a story, this one is song from Mark Knopfler's point of view. The guitar strings sound three dimensional as they provide another Country-like feel. The ending of the song has a great guitar jam.
"Communique": This song starts with a strong Country-like feel to it. This song took a few listens for me to get into, but after a few listens, it definitely is worthy of a title track. I particularly like how the vocals "slow down" right at the end of each chorus with "Communique".
"Lady Writer": This song picks up the tempo and is one of the earliest of examples of Dire Straits pulling off a faster tempo song. The result is the album's strongest track and one that stands up with the best of Dire Straits' tracks. Still the Country-like guitar feel is prevalent throughout this track. There are some also nice background vocals on this track.
"Angel of Mercy": Here is another track that highlights the Country-Western like guitars by Dire Straits. Here is another track that took a few listens before I got into it. Once again, this song is highlighted by some good background vocals by the band.
"Portobello Belle": Same story here....more guitar-laden instrumentals with a Country like feel to the melody. This song also has a storytelling feel, but this time from Knopfler's point of view. The chorus is subtle, but very effective. This is one song where Dire Straits highlights the use of keyboards.
"Single Handed Sailor": This song maintains the Country feel to it, however this song is going to contain some outstanding guitar riffs. The end result will not only be a very catchy melody, but a very good song. I particularly liked the instrumental about 2/3 into the track that will wind things up. The song also follows a storytelling pattern. I've heard many call this one of Dire Straits' most underrated songs - I couldn't agree more.
"Follow Me Home": This song opens with the sounds of ocean waves. These waves segue into some very gentle guitar sounds (with the Country-like "twang" that is found on so many of these tracks). The vocals don't start until about just a little under two minutes into this track. I actually found this the collection's weakest track, but it still isn't a bad track.
The liner notes contain all of the lyrics to it. Overall, this album demonstrates the songwriting, vocal, and guitar talents of Mark Knopfler. It also demonstrates the musicianship for the rest of the band. This album does a nice job in expanding on the foundation that was established on the self-titled "Dire Straits" album. On this album, you can understand why it wasn't so unusual for Mark Knopfler to record with EmmyLou Harris. .Yes, Dire Straits have recorded stronger albums, but this album still does a very good job at holding their own. Highly recommended.