This next album will be my third
straight double album. A strange
coincidence indeed, but that is how the dice roll sometimes.
Disc 527 is…. Alchemy
Artist: Dire
Straits
Year of Release: 1984
What’s up with the Cover? Bad eighties modern art. There was a lot of this stuff kicking around back
then, and the vast majority was just as bad as what you see here. I think I see a guitar with lips and the vague
outline of what I hope is a woman’s leg.
Also, there is an ear and some suspect cartoon drawings. What a hot mess.
How I Came To Know It: Sheila got me heavily into Dire Straits, and this
was a very important album for her. She
heard most of the songs on “Alchemy” before she heard the studio versions. In addition to being introduced to Dire
Straits through this live album, Sheila has also been fortunate enough to see
them live herself (during their “Brothers in Arms” tour). This wasn’t my Dire Straits introduction, but
I like that it has so much meaning for her.
How It Stacks Up: Live albums don’t really stack up, except with each
other, and this is my only live album by Dire Straits, so I can’t really compare
it to anything.
Rating: 3 stars.
Dire Straits
is a band that likes to noodle, and so I braced myself for very long, drawn-out
versions of their songs when I started listening to “Alchemy.”
I
certainly got those versions. Most of
the tracks are at least twenty five per cent longer than their studio versions
and some – like “Once Upon a Time In the
West” and “Sultans of Swing” are
twice as long as the originals. If you
are expecting to hear a perfect rendition of the studio version you are going
to be disappointed.
On prior
listens that is exactly the feeling I took away from “Alchemy” but this time
was different. Maybe it was listening on
quality headphones, or maybe it was knowing in advance what I was in for, but
the longer versions annoyed me far less than I expected. In fact some – like “Romeo and Juliet” and the aforementioned “Sultans of Swing” – were brilliant reworkings of classics.
Strangely,
the song I enjoyed the least was “Telegraph
Road” and it was 49 seconds shorter!
That is partly because I love the studio version so much, partly because
I felt they rushed it a bit on “Alchemy” and partly because it was still 13:30,
and came immediately after a bloated 14:34 version of “Tunnel of Love.” After 28
minutes and only two songs, I was knackered!
Overall,
though, I enjoyed the long, drawn out noodle sessions. They aren’t that complicated when you break
them down, but the musicianship they display is amazing. I’ve said it before, but it bears repeating;
Knopfler is my favourite guitar player of all time.
As with
all Dire Straits albums, “Alchemy” is designed to show off his exceptional talents. The other members of the band lay down a
tempered and precise groove that gives him the freedom he needs to come in and
out of the song, and create on the fly.
Remember friends; behind every great lead guitar there is a dedicated rhythm
section, actively taking a back seat (I say actively because trust me, you’ve
got to pay attention when you’re playing rhythm).
The
track selection is a good one, and I expect the audience was happy with the
choices, which span all four of their previous albums with a heavy lean to
their 1980 masterpiece “Making Movies” (reviewed way back at Disc 245). “Making Movies” lays claim to four of the
eleven songs, which is just about right.
The band also throws in a song from their terribly titled 1983 EP, “ExtendedancEPLAY”
and from Knopfler’s soundtrack for the movie “Local Hero.” Overall you get a little something for the
casual fan, a little something for the purist – just how a live show should be
constructed.
To be
good, a live album should immerse you in the concert and – as much as is
possible – make you feel like you are there.
Too many live albums draw tracks from too many different venues, and the
variations in the crowd energy, the playing and the acoustics of the different
rooms makes it feel artificial. Dire
Straits wisely took all these tracks from two consecutive nights at the
Hammersmith Odeon in London in July 1983.
The only gripe I have is with the fans’ propensity to start clapping at
weird times. It always seems to me that
fans are too eager to start clapping just so they can feel they are
participating rather than letting the music soak over you. True beauty steals best into quiet souls
people – give it a chance to get in.
I know
most of these songs first from the studio albums and truth be told that’s how I
prefer them. The echoed sound of the
concert hall takes away some of the sound separation that they need. Also, unless I’m at the show myself, I can
only handle so many extended guitar noodles without losing a bit of my auditory
focus.
The band
plays strongly enough, and the songs are good enough that it is a minor
complaint, but I’d rather listen to my own ‘best of’ Dire Straits compilation
if given the option (yes, I’ve made one).
Still, as
live albums go “Alchemy” is a strong entry in our music collection. The next time Sheila pulls it out for a
listen (and she inevitably will) I’m going to enjoy it just a little more than
I did the time before, and that’s all you should ask of a record.
Best tracks: Romeo and Juliet, Sultans of Swing
No comments:
Post a Comment