Dire Straights - Private Investigations

domtheone · 10-11-2005, 9:56 PM

Howdy

Anyone have this Best of Yet?

If so, what's it sound like? Is it availabe in SACD?

Also, how can it be called the Best of when it doesn't even contain their best ever (not to mention best song of all time) song ***

steve1056 · 10-11-2005, 11:01 PM

I got the 2CD version last weekend. The sound is excellent, but I agree that the track listing fell short on the Dire Straits material. They would have been better leaving the Mark Knopfler material off completely or adding a 3rd CD with his solo stuff.

As far as I know there is no SACD version, only standard CD versions.

rich tee · 11-11-2005, 1:33 AM

I saw Dire Straits in Auckland New Zealand in 1991 at Eden Park.
Until then, I wasn't really a fan of them I went out of curiosity.
As a unit they were outstanding, MK was awesome on guitar, the sax just gelled the whole show together.
Heavy fuel, calling Elvis, money for nothing were fab.

Floodedstatue · 11-11-2005, 10:39 AM

Surely the 'Sultans of Swing' Best Of is better because it contains less Knopfler material?

overkill · 11-11-2005, 11:12 AM

Just get the first three albums............ after that it goes downhill rapidly anyway. Since Knopfler wrote all the songs anyway (apart from co-writing 'money for nothing'), and treated the band increasingly as a backing group (read Pick Withers comments) the solo stuff doesn't really either add or detract.

danvitale · 11-11-2005, 11:47 AM

Give me "Money For Nothing" as the best Best Of anyday.

I hate bands releasing countless Greatest Hits in time for Christmas...

Floodedstatue · 11-11-2005, 1:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by danvitale

I hate bands releasing countless Greatest Hits in time for Christmas...

I agree....I hate this time of year for that! Money-grabbing bast*rds

huwg · 11-11-2005, 1:28 PM

surely Alchemy (live 2 cd set) is the best showcase of their talents

per-Sony-fied · 11-11-2005, 8:56 PM

Haven't heard the CD version of Alchemy but the vinyl version is a disastrous effort at an attempt to record a live show. A very very poor show

per-Sony-fied · 11-11-2005, 9:04 PM

I think if you like Dire starits forget the 'best of' CD's go out and buy their albums. Much of their finest efforts lay on these.

As for all time concerts go..... Dire Straits are exceptional if a little inconsistant in the sound quality stakes from venue to venue. Birmingham NEC rocked it for me as their best effort on thier second tour. Helped by more modern digital? equipment.

huwg · 11-11-2005, 9:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by per-Sony-fied

Haven't heard the CD version of Alchemy but the vinyl version is a disastrous effort at an attempt to record a live show. A very very poor show

A disastrous recording (sound/mix) or performance?

Whilst I only have a few of their albums, I prefer the Alchemy versions to some of the songs as they have more pace and life to them. I owned Alchemy before the other albums, so I am no expert and am probably talking out of my ....

domtheone · 11-11-2005, 9:28 PM

I would have bought it in an instant, probalby, had it contained Telegraph Road.

I don't like the sound on the Love Over Gold CD. The Vinyl was much better IIRC.

I have the SACD of Brothers In Arms and that sounds pretty good even on the standard CD layer and i'd like a CD with a remastered Telegraph Road..

per-Sony-fied · 12-11-2005, 12:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by huwg

A disastrous recording (sound/mix) or performance?

A disastrous recording. The album is not worth tuppence IMV. If you'd ever been to any of their concerts you'd know that this album is way way below the quality they achieve Live on stage. The Love over Gold Vinyl album is a very good indicator of their achievable sound quality.

Although I am an avid Dire Straits fan.... I seem to be having an loss of memory.... did they not bring out a much later Live album? that was much more fitting of their stage capability.

per-Sony-fied · 12-11-2005, 12:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by domtheone

I have the SACD of Brothers In Arms and that sounds pretty good even on the standard CD layer and i'd like a CD with a remastered Telegraph Road..

The Brothers in Arms album was always a notch up in recording stakes. I believe Digitaly mastered from the out set.

I have both the Vinyl and JVC XRCD2 versions. The vinyl having tremendous clarity easily approaching CD standard to that end sounding more like a CD than a vinyl record!

overkill · 12-11-2005, 3:03 PM

Quote:

Haven't heard the CD version of Alchemy but the vinyl version is a disastrous effort at an attempt to record a live show. A very very poor show

It is poorly recorded, and the CD is even worse. A crap recording with all the life sucked out of it. CD isn't a good medium for live shows anyway, hence the live album has become rarer in the last 10-15 years. Apart from Pearl Jam that is............

Quote:

I don't like the sound on the Love Over Gold CD. The Vinyl was much better IIRC.

Agreed. It sounds flat by comparison.

Quote:

The Brothers in Arms album was always a notch up in recording stakes. I believe Digitaly mastered from the out set.

It was. The album, while not their best musicaly, was one of the albums that really launched the digital medium into orbit due to its excellent recording quality. You could flog any old rubbish (and we did!) if you stuck that disc in..........

Ironicaly the vinyl album was just as good clarity wise, and is better in terms of overall reproduction. But no-one was interested........

Brothers in arms is an excellent recording on all media. As above, the SACD is a fine effort even on the CD layer.

sue_hall · 13-11-2005, 7:09 PM

Hello :-)

Other half looked at getting it but already has the Sultans of Swing - best of album and decided against it. I quite like the sultans compliation, we thought it sounded good in HDCD until we played it through on the Unison Reasearch, sounded very good now :-)

Sue

per-Sony-fied · 13-11-2005, 7:20 PM

Quote:

we thought it sounded good in HDCD until we played it through on the Unison Reasearch

Ah a valve fanatic!

domtheone · 24-12-2005, 1:14 PM

Bump.

Anyone have the 2 dsic set of Pirvate Investigations?

It has Telegraph road on it (my fave song) but I read on amazon that it was 6minutes long

Shirely it should be closer to 13mins.

Also, how does it sound?

TIA

steve1056 · 24-12-2005, 9:14 PM

I have the 2-disc version and can confirm that Telegraph Road is the full length version running at 14m20s. Sounds fantastic!

domtheone · 25-12-2005, 7:56 PM

OK thanks for that. going to order

Needless to say, i'll post back with my comment sometime to see if I agree with you.

steve1056 · 25-12-2005, 10:24 PM

I think you'll be very happy with the sound quality.

domtheone · 26-12-2005, 12:57 AM

I've only 2 experiences with the Sound quality of that song.

Vinyl - absolutely awesome.

CD (from Love Over gold CD several years ago so not counting re-masters and anything like that) - not that great.

As long as it's somewhere in between, i'll be happy.

Glad that it's the full version though. Not sure what the poster on amazon was on about then. Unless I read it wrong...

edit: upon checking again, I did

Another thign that puzzles me. some sites list track 6 as Private Investigations (guess it has to be on!) but othre sites list track 6 as Skateaway

one o fmy favourites no less. Can you confirm which track it actually is?

steve1056 · 26-12-2005, 1:31 PM

Track 6 is Private Investigations. Skateaway is not on it. Note that the track is slightly edited (doesn't have the gradual intro that the version on Love Over Gold has).

I have original and remastered version of Love Over Gold and compared the CD's. New "Best Of" version has the best sound by far! Better than the Vinyl version sounded IIRC (I also have this, but no longer have a turntable to play it on).)

domtheone · 26-12-2005, 4:59 PM

Thanks for the reply Steve. Gonna pic it up in the shops tomorrow if the price aint outrageous

Pity about Skateaway. Love the song, more so than PI.

Glad to hear about the sound though

Background hiss was terrible on the old LOG CD. (Recording level so high?).

My turntable is archived away somewhere (Rega 2) but very few CD's came near it with a good sounding record (as LOG was).

domtheone · 30-12-2005, 1:18 AM

Picked it up today.

Only had it on in the car and sounds pretty good.

God I love those last 5 minutes of Telegraph Road. Incredible