Dire Straits - Making Movies (NAD24) - Available from 19/10/24

One of the most iconic groups of the late 20th century, Dire Straits established their timeless sound from the moment they first appeared on the London gig circuit, in 1977. With faultless musicianship and memorable songs that quickly connected with music lovers, it was clear the group would set their own path, proving that, even amid the new-wave era, classic songwriting would never go out of fashion. After three years of relentless hard work, touring, writing and recording their music, the group entered the 1980s well on their way to becoming the biggest-selling band in the world. That year’s Making Movies album would also make its presence felt on the silver screen, thanks to the inclusion of the UK No.8 single ‘Romeo And Juliet’ – later used in films such as Empire Records, Hot Fuzz and I, Tonya – and live favourite ‘Tunnel Of Love’, which featured in the 1982 Richard Gere film, An Officer and a Gentleman. Dire Straits’ frontman, Mark Knopfler, would later explain to The Times how satisfying it was to write ‘Tunnel Of Love’: “It’s the moment when you know you’re really on to something,” he said. “There’s a certain part of the song that I call the breakdown and when I got there I could feel the drums, the piano, all the things that I wanted all the instruments to do. When you get to that state, there’s a strange sense of one thing following another, of elements falling into place quite naturally.” Paying extra attention to those elements, this half-speed master of Making Movies has been overseen by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios, in London, resulting in a cut that has a superior high-frequency response (treble) and very solid and stable stereo images. Pressed on 180g vinyl, it comes with alternative artwork that swaps the red and the blue of the original album sleeve, plus a printed inner sleeve, a “Half-Speed Master”-branded obi-strip and an Abbey Road certificate of authenticity.