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Communiqué
Rock · 1979 · 9 tracks

Communiqué

Dire Straits

A masterclass in restraint and tone. Knopfler's clean, fingerpicked guitar weaves through nine tracks of noir-ish storytelling and laid-back, tropical rock.

April 1979 · Takt Music

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Communiqué feels like the humid, salt-air counterpart to Dire Straits' self-titled debut. Recorded in the Bahamas, the album sheds the grey London fog for a sound that is warmer, slower, and more spacious. It is an album that refuses to hurry, leaning into the 'Sultans' groove with a more relaxed, almost tropical confidence. Mark Knopfler's guitar work remains the focal point: a crystalline, effects-free Stratocaster tone that defines the late-seventies guitar hero as a minimalist rather than a shredder.

Tracklist · 9 Tracks
01
Once Upon a Time in the West
5:18
02
News
4:16
03
Where Do You Think You’re Going?
3:48
04
Communiqué
5:45
05
Lady Writer
3:42
06
Angel of Mercy
4:32
07
Portobello Belle
4:27
08
Single‐Handed Sailor
4:45
09
Follow Me Home
5:42
Moments Worth Listening For
The opening reggae-tinged shuffle of Once Upon a Time in the West where the guitar enters like a cool breeze.
The urgent, staccato guitar chirps in Lady Writer that mimic the rhythm of a typewriter.
The way the drums and bass lock into a hypnotic, effortless groove on the title track Communiqué.
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Where This Album DepartsEach spoke is a trait. The orange shape shows where this album pulls away from — or holds to — the rest of the artist’s catalogue. Tap for more.

How does Communiqué sound next to the rest of Dire Straits's catalogue?

Dusk+1.6σ

Dusk saturates this record notably more than the artist's norm.

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