Reviewed by:
marcus7string, on june 04, 2009
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Sound: I will start by saying that I love Dire Straits, I was born listening to them, I listened to them in the womb, they were my first ever favorite band. This album is Dire Straits 6th, and final studio album it was released in 1991, september 9th, (15 days after I was born).
I will go through each track so that I dont just rate the album as a whole.
01.Calling Elvis: this track is simply fantastic, using names of certain Elvis tracks to make up some of the lyrics, this is abrilliant opener to the album, and instantly tells you that you are in for something good. 9/10
02.On Every Street: the Second track starts off slow, and builds up to a fantastic verse and chorus, this is another brilliant song, and it really does mean something. 9.5/10
03.When It Comes To You: this song is good, but it never seems to get going, its a shame it doesnt, because I think this could have been a very good song, but it doesnt have anything that really grabs you. 7.5/10
04.Fade To Black: this is similar to the last track, but maybe more so, however, I feel that this song works in that way, whereas the last one does not. But it is still not as interesting as some of the other tracks. 7/10
05.The Bug: back on form with this track, this is a fun, upbeat track which is genuinly fun to listen to, the guitar is a perticular highlight of this song. 8/10
06.You And Your Friend: I personally feel this is one of the least memorable tracks on the album, as it doesn't really have any parts which are very interesting, this is usually a track I skip. 5.5/10
07.Heavy Fuel: this song is simply put, a masterpiece, everything about it is great, and it is a song which I feel anybody can listen to and enjoy it, this is probably my favorite track on this album. 10/10
08.Iron Hand: a good song, but a bit of a letdown after the brilliance of Heavy Fuel, perhaps because it follows after such a good song, which allows you to see its weaknesses, this is a so-so track. 7.5/10
09.Ticket To Heaven: a very good track, a nice calming song which is great to listen to whatever the mood, although not a real highlight of the album, it is still a good song. 8/10
10.My Parties: another highlight, this song is great musically, whilst being funny at the same time, the lyrics on this song are, in my opinion, some of the best on the album. 8.5/10
11.Planet Of New Orleans: this is probably the "least best" track, (I say least best as none of the songs are bad, just some not as good as others) and as the penultimate track, it disappoints. 5/10
12.How Long: the final track is pretty good and provides a suitable closer for an overall great album, although I can't help feeling that On every Street would have been better as a closing track. 8/10
Overall, the songs on this album are very good, with only a few slip ups here and there, but nothing major. // 7
Lyrics and Singing: The lyrics on this album are a Really strong point, even on the lesser tracks, the lyrics are very good, as I said, "My Parties" has some fantastic lyrics, and all of the songs show Mark Knopfler's lyrical brilliance, the lyrics are easily the best part of the album, and really show some genius skills. // 10
Impression: This album is personally my favorite Dire Straits album, as it has the most varied tracks and, the best tracks as well, compared to the other Dire Straits albums, this is the one that I always keep coming back to listen to. The only problem is that some of the tracks are either shadowed by the others, or are simply not as good, which is a shame, but despite this, I would recommend it to anybody who wants to get into Dire Straits, as I think it really shows the band's skill.
And if this album was stolen, I would go out right away and buy a new copy, or hunt down the person who stole it, either way, I would make sure I had a copy. In short, this album is brilliant. // 9
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