Dire Straits: Brothers In Arms vinyl LP any good?

Guys,

I am looking to acquire a vinyl LP copy of Brothers In Arms (Dire Straights) but already it is clear that there are several pressings out there from the likes of Vertigo (a German label), Simply Vinyl & a Quiex version etc, etc. The one most accessible to me is the Simply Vinyl 180g double LP version so if you do have this version, what do you make of the recording quality? Simply Vinyl is not known for consistency when it comes to quality pressings so is the Brothers In Arms LP pressing any good?

Any comments you can pass on would be useful or if you have any of the other pressings (apart from Simply Vinyl), what's your opinion of them just in case I run into one of those. Cheers, guys!




Enjoy the music,

Lawrie.

 

Can't make sensible comments about the Simply Vinyl version (when have I ever made very sensible comments about anything to be honest). But I've got the vertigo pressing - which was the original. Pretty cheap to pick up secondhand and an excellent pressing.

This is the album which effectively launched CD upon the world big time back in the day. I remember going to see them on the Brothers in Arms tour at Wembley Arena and the foyer had huge displays promoting the album on Compact Disc. I think it was the first time I ever saw a CD.

Me and my mate Stan fell asleep during the concert. It was dull as dishwater - perked up a bit when Hank Marvin came on to do a guest turn though :MILD:

 

I have the original Vertigo pressing too. Never come across Quiex before though.

I'm not sure what the supply of second hand vinyl is like in France, but second hand copies of the Vertigo pressing are usally quite easy to locate here in the UK - they're cheap and usually easy to find in good condition too.

So I'd say, go for the the Vertigo if you can find one cheap. Otherwise go for Simply Vinyl (or both) if you're feeling a bit more flush with cash.

At the end of the day though, not sure if they'll be a vast difference seeing as this album (Brothers In Arms) is a totally digital recording. The earlier analog recorded albums are usually worth going for on remastered/re-released versions I reckon.

 

Can "Brothers in Arms" ever be any good, regardless of format?

TBH I did use to love the album but grotesque overplaying of it throughout the late 80s and early 90s ruined it forever for me It is now 100% pure cheese

Michael.

 

LOL!

Know exactly what you mean. I got so fed up with everyone playing it at our school that from 1987-90 I consciously choose never to listen to it at home. :inferno:

 

Chaps,

Thanks for all your comments. In my younger days (well, I'm still youngish anyway), I never use to like this genre of music preferring instead soul, jazz & disco. However, I must be in a retro mood at the moement for although I still listen to jazz (makes up 50% of my listening), I now very rarely listen to soul music but instead I have been tracking down music from the likes of Dire Straits, The Police, The Eagles, Eric Clapton, Chris Rea etc. I'm not sure why I've only just caught the bug for this style of music (is it soft rock?) but there you go: that's music and on that note …………………




Enjoy the music,

Lawrie.

 

Yes indeed it is. Those artists are also sometimes pigeon holed as AOR (Adult Oriented Rock).

 

Lawrie,

I notice you're listening to the Eagles. A few recommendations then:

+ Hell Freezes Over
+ The Complete Greatest Hits (latest double CD)
+ Hotel California (a classic)

Also, Glenn Frey - Live is excellent. It was released in 1993 and is of a concert he played in Dublin. Don Henley's Actual Miles - Henley's Greatest Hits is pretty good too. Both of course played in the Eagles.

Clapton Recommendations:

+ Journeyman
+ August
+ Pilgrim
+ Clapton Chronicles - The Best of Eric Clapton
+ One More Car, One More Rider (double live CD)

Dire Straits - all of their albums were pretty good, but the top five are:

+ Brothers in Arms
+ Making Movies
+ Love Over Gold
+ Alchemy
+ On The Night

Also check out Mark Knopfler's Golden Heart and Sailing to Philidelphia albums. On a more country-rock theme (and very difficult to find) is the Notting Hillbillies - Missing....Persumed Having a Good Time album - this also featurs Mark Knopfler.

Sting/The Police/Chris Rea - I've got a few of their Greatest Hits albums, but other than that, can't really recommend anything too specific, except 'Ten Summoners Tales' by Sting.

Hope this helps

 

Nsherin - if you like the hillbillies album, have you checked out the album knopfler did with chet atkins? I think you would like it. also if you havent got it already the 'o brother where art though?' soundtrack.

Lawrie, I got the 180g double LP of the stone roses 'second coming' from simply vinyl yesterday. They delivered in less than a week, the best packaging Ive ever seen.

Sound quality is good, although I have little to benchmark against - this being my only vinyl copy of the album.

Chris

 

Thankfully, I've managed to get hold of the Hillbillies album on CD and vinyl - a rare feat, I'd imagine!

Bottleneck - thanks mate, I've got Neck & Neck with Chet Atkins/Knopfler. Might have to add the 'O Brother Where Art Though' soundtrack to my list!

 

Hey Nsherin,

Thanks for the recommendations. Absolutely superb and I will check them out. I now have Hell Freezes Over on CD, vinyl and DVD and on all formats, it sounds fanstastic and contains their most popular hits including Hotel California. I've also got Eric Clapton's Unplugged on DVD and on vinyl. As for Sting, well I have most of his stuff including the latest, Sacred Love.

Bottleneck – I hear you on the quality of Simply Vinyl's packaging. It is first rate. I recently ordered something I'd wanted for a long time: More Than This – The Best of Bryan Ferry & Roxy Music on Simply Vinyl 180g double LP and it was on play duty last night. It certainly got my feet tapping. Yes, guys, I did say I was in 'Retro Mood' didn't I? On the back of this, I think I will go for the Brothers In Arms LP also from Simply Vinyl as the two second-hand Vertigo pressings that I saw yesterday had a quite a few scratch marks on them.

Now on LP play duty:

http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B00006316V.02.LZZZZZZZ



Enjoy the music,

Lawrie.

 

Lawrie,

A quick question - whereabouts did you get hold of 'Hell Freezes Over' on vinyl?

Thanks!

 

Nsherin,

You can get hold of that album here: http://www.diversevinyl.com/htm/results.php?sp=0&al=E&ca=1&rs=10000000&kw=+eagles

I hope this helps.




Enjoy the music,

Lawrie.

 

Thanks Lawrie - and very reasonable it is too - I was expecting it to be at least £30!

 

I beg to differ on both Brothers in arms AND On the night - you guys are missing out on the VERY well recorded first album, and of course Communique.

I basically reckon Dire Straits were great until and including Alchemy. BIA is worn out beyond belief (and I too reckon it'll not be worth owning on vinyl due to the early digital recording), On the night is them going through the motions, and we won't even start on On every street - though there are some OK tracks on there.

If you lose Communique you miss out on Single handed sailor and News, and Dire Straits includes Sultans of swing - an absolute classic! - and In the gallery, which rules.

Sorry to differ but as a long-term dIRE sTRAITS fan and all that (though I never did get to see them live).

 

Hell Freezes Over is indeed a great album. I had no idea it was available on vinyl, might have to get it as I can't find the CD copy anywhere In addition to that and Hotel California I highly recommend the first 3 albums;

The Eagles
Desperado
On The Border

The best of would provide the best tracks from the latter albums IMO without you missing too much.

As for Dire Straits, you've all missed their best live album out. Live At The BBC is superb, although Alchemy is no slouch. On The Night is, as Dom says, largely them on cruise control.

If you're going to buy one Chris Rea album then my choice would be Shamrock Diaries, although his latest one, Dancing Down The Stony Road (title something like that anyway) is meant to be really good.

 

Eh? Have they deleted the CD or something? I've got two copies of it on CD, one that I bought in San Francisco (California ) back in 1995 IIRC, and a second one that I bought more recently in 2002 because I thought I'd lost the one I bought in SF - the other one turned up so now I have two :shame: - fancy taking the second one off my hands?

I remember when the heavy double vinyl issue of HFO came out originally, it was over £40, so I passed! Nearly, but not quite as bad as Pink Floyd's Pulse on vinyl (brand new)...

Back on topic, I've never seen Dire Straits live, but have seen Mark Knopfler and his then backing band playing a mixture of old Dire Straits stuff and stuff from the (at that time new) album Sailing To Philadelphia (it was a promotional tour for that solo album). They were at the Albert Hall, this was back in 2000 I think. A thoroughly enjoyable evening out anyway, and it did feel very much like being at a modern remake of Alchemy in some ways.

 

On Every Street is quite good - some tracks show influence from Knopfler's solo works and The Notting Hillbillies.

I've got all their albums - the only one I'm trying to get hold of - just to complete the set is 'Money for Nothing'. I'm not as keen on their stuff pre-Making Movies.

Ooops - forgot the BBC album by 'Straits - another one to buy!

ilockyer - Hell Freezes Over is definately available on CD - I've saw several copies in HMV last week.

 

Yeah, but a'la that soliloqui in Trainspotting, it's "no bad, but you really know it's just sh1te". Well, I don't mind On Every Street - I bought it on vinyl on the day of release - but it's patchier than their other albums.

Brothers in arms was just too commercial - all the other albums are excellent. I own Brothers in arms on both CD album and CD single

 

I know it's available on CD, even though I haven't actually seen it in a store in the last 2-3 years. I've got the CD somewhere, it was that I was referring to, as in can't find my copy.