Dire Straits — Communiqué
So far in my writing, I haven’t had many albums which have succumbed to the sophomore slump, but Communiqué is the first to do so. I bought this record for one song thinking I’d enjoy the rest, but this is Straits’ weakest album.
Finishing the tour for their self-titled debut, Dire Straits re-entered the studio in late 1978 to begin production on Communiqué. Recorded at Compass Point Studios in the Bahamas the sessions took a mere two weeks to complete. The album was released June 1979 and reached no. 1 in several international markets. Communiqué spawned two singles with the first, “Lady Writer” reaching no. 45 on the billboard charts.
Opening with the sultry “Once Upon a Time in the West,” the album gets off to a smooth rock start. While this song may fail to impress on another album, in the sea of weak songs here, it’s a notable high point. The problem with this song is in its pacing and execution, the song stays more or less one note the whole way through. “Where Do You Think You’re Going” was a great one to re-listen to. While the lyrics may be a little creepy as Knopfler holds a woman captive as she tries to leave, the instrumentation is top notch here. The last minute of the song is classic Straits as the members jam off one another with laser precision. The outro of this song is evocative of “Sultans of Swing,” a track I’ll discuss in my next post. The title track which ends Side A is not horrible, but feels more like a b-side rather than a raison d’etre for an album. Side B begins in great form with “Lady Writer,” the reason I bought this album. The whining guitar licks which intro the track are pure blues bliss, while the song in general is a more pop-based fare. The song also breaks into three motifs musically, the more stripped back intro, the mid song chord change in the bridge, and the outro combination of all aspects. A perfect parcel on an imperfect album. “Angel of Mercy” is a catchy enough blues ditty. The following tracks are unremarkable and feel like possible outtakes from their debut album.
Must Listen To: Lady Writer
You’d be forgiven for skipping every other song on this album. Dire Straits can be so much better than the rest of this album, and “Lady Writer” is the exemplar. Biting yet catchy lyrics, slick guitar solos, tight harmonies, this is the prototype rock songs with pop minding should be based on.
