Product Description
Rare Actual 1978 High Quality First Japanese Pressing! Includes Insert With Lyrics In English, Labels Are Clean. Original Pressings Of Early Dire Straits Albums From Japan Really Are Something To Behold ~ Audiophile Analog Clarity!
The Confident & Tasteful Eponymous Debut LP From Dire Straits Features “Down To The Waterline”, “Sultans Of Swing”, “Wild West End” & More.
Condition – Vinyl: EXCELLENT! Very light surface mark on Side 2, which does not affect play at all. Superb sound quality!
Condition – Cover: EXCELLENT! Minor age spots. Still white after 46 years!
Japanese vinyl pressings are highly sought after by audiophiles and collectors, due to their premium sound quality and beautifully presented packaging. The sonic quality of Japanese records is regarded as the best in the world. No wonder all the original Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab records were pressed in Japan! The covers are printed on better quality heavy stock paper too. Top condition original Japanese pressings are becoming scarcer ~ and therefore more collectable and valuable every year.
Side 1:
Down To The Waterline
Water Of Love
Settin’ Me Up
Six Blade Knife
Southbound Again
Side 2:
Sultans Of Swing
In The Gallery
Wild West End
Lions
Geoff –
The pure analog production shines through, making it the best sounding Dire Straits album on vinyl! From the lone guitar intro of “Down To The Waterline”, through to the final notes of “Lions”, the debut Dire Straits LP was destined to be a classic! The magic of this record is that it sounds very much like the band recorded the songs live in the studio and the pure analog production shines through, making it the best sounding Dire Straits album on vinyl! All hail the sultans of swing!
AMG –
The album is remarkably accomplished for a debut, and Dire Straits had difficulty surpassing it throughout their career. Dire Straits’ minimalist interpretation of pub rock had already crystallized by the time they released their eponymous debut. Driven by Mark Knopfler’s spare, tasteful guitar lines and his husky warbling, the album is a set of bluesy rockers. And while the bar band mentality of pub-rock is at the core of Dire Straits — even the group’s breakthrough single, “Sultans of Swing,” offered a lament for a neglected pub rock band — their music is already beyond the simple boogies and shuffles of their forefathers, occasionally dipping into jazz and country. Knopfler also shows an inclination toward Dylanesque imagery, which enhances the smoky, low-key atmosphere of the album. The album is remarkably accomplished for a debut, and Dire Straits had difficulty surpassing it throughout their career.