DIRE STRAITS Communique (Original Master Recording 2019 limited edition Mobile Fidelity Sound Lab 5-track 2-LP mastered by Krieg Wunderlich on the Gain 2 Ultra Analog System specially plated and pressed on 180-gram High-DefinitionVinyl at 45RPM. Heavyweight gatefold picture sleeve with original album art individually gold-foil numbered and still sealed inside its perforated loose bag. The ultimate analogue reference of their 1979 second album!) Track Listing: 180-gram 45 RPM double LP set pressed at RTI Communiqué reissue elevates Dire Straits sophomore album to a higher plane! Collectors 45 RPM version wider grooves allow for greater detail musical insight. The performances on Dire Straits Communiqué are so smooth and effortless they were originally criticized for replicating the blueprints of the bands breakout debut. Time however has a way of changing perspectives and exposing the truth. More than 35 years after its original release in June 1979 Communiqué rightfully takes its place as the groups most underrated record — a nine-track set spiked with engaging storytelling relaxed vibes and deceiving simplicity. Mastered from the original master tapes and pressed at RTI Mobile Fidelitys 180-gram 45 RPM 2LP set of Communiqué elevates Dire Straits sophomore album to an even higher plane. Recorded in the Bahamas by Muscle Shoals veterans Barry Beckett and Jerry Wexler the songs benefit from a laidback approach that makes guitarist/vocalist Mark Knopfler and companys stellar playing seem even more fluent — particularly when experienced on this collectors 45 RPM version on which the wider grooves allow for more detail retrieval and deeper musical insight. Knopflers mesmerizing guitar textures and composed vocals appear as if theyre right in front of you holding court amidst expansive soundstages and deep-black backgrounds. Details imaging and presence are on a level associated with the finest audiophile recordings. Youll be hard-pressed to find another LP with cleaner pinpoint-accurate tones. Mobile Fidelitys LP also brings into transparent view Knopflers seemingly perfect intricate lines as well as the simpatico accompaniment from his band mates. Whole lively and balanced the bass and drums arrive with a solidity rarely heard on albums of this era. Communiqué has truly never sounded better. Of course the audiophile sonics mean little if the artistic content is lacking. Needless to say Dire Straits technical perfectionism and creative elan prevail throughout. Knopflers penchant for sketching cynical characters is further developed on moody tracks like Where Do You Think Youre Going and News while Wexlers presence at the boards ensures the band keeps the rhythms extra tight. The quartets low-key blues and swampy Southern-styled grooves turn every song into an exercise in understated virtuosity. Refusing to give into excess magnetic tunes such as Lady Writer and Angel of Mercy split a fine line between insinuating and insisting. The group shows off a combination of control virtuosity and tunefulness that harkens back to a rock n rolls classic period while also pointing the way ahead. Need indisputable evidence of Dire Straits compositional strengths? Cue up the closing Follow Me Home on this pressing and get lost amid the peacefulness of the gentle surf and chirping crickets that frame the song. Heavenly. Side 1 1. Once Upon a Time in the West 2. News Side 2 3. Where Do You Think Youre Going? 4. Communique Side 3 5. Lady Writer 6. Angel of Mercy 7. Portobello Belle Side 4 8. Single-Handed Sailor 9. Follow Me Home