Communique [Remastered] - Dire Straits > Reviews > One man's experiment...

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Average
Lyrics	Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks	Mixed
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Unmemorable
Value for Money

Advantages:	Mark Knopfler's glorious guitar
Disadvantages:	Not one of their best

Recommend to potential buyers:

no

Full review

Dire Straits. They're something of a fading phenomenon, now, having most certainly had their time as one of Europe's most popular bands, but the fact remains that they were popular for a very good reason - ie, the fact that they were original, enthusiastic and mesmerisingly good. This comes across particularly well on the Straits' first studio album, on which Knopfler's instantly recognisable guitar playing acts as a counterbalance for his often equally elaborate lyrics.

Communique fails to touch the standards of this first album, save with one or two tracks, notably the entrancing 'Lady Writer' and that radio anthem of the eighties, 'Portobello Belle'. It *is* Dire Straits, of course; and so there are Knopfler's languid vocals and his rippling guitar, but the guitar does not feature so prominently here as it has in the past, and the high points of this album are exactly that - high points of the *album*, rather than of the Straits' recording career. There is no 'Romeo and Juliet' here; no 'Twistin' By The Pool' or 'Brothers In Arms'. Knopfler himself thought this something of a 'lazy' album, and, in contrast to the Straits' usual boundless energy and enthusiasm, this is probably true.

This is not to say that the album isn't worth buying. For anybody already initiated to the Straits' sound, the tracks mentioned above are unmissable, and an 'experiment' by Dire Straits is better than a lot of artists' seminal works. However, it's not the thing to present to your girlfriend if you want her to understand your obsession; nor the thing to play to your kids in the hope that they will understand why Knopfler and his mullet were once the height of cool.

The best songs on this album have been selected by a higher power than myself as being the best, and therefore they are available on the Straits' greatest hits album. Unless you are a die-hard Straits fan, determined to procure every track they ever recorded, it might be better just to give Communique a miss and make sure you have a solid copy of the Greatest Hits, just in case. That has 'Romeo and Juliet' on it, too, which is always a good reason to buy an album.