Dire Straits – Dire Straits

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Label:	Warner Bros. Records – BSK 3266
Format:	Vinyl, LP, Album, Winchester Pressing
Country:	US
Released:	1978
Genre:	Rock
Style:	AOR, Rock & Roll

Tracklist

A1	Down To The Waterline	3:55
A2	Water Of Love	5:23
A3	Setting Me Up	3:18
A4	Six Blade Knife	4:10
A5	Southbound Again	2:58
B1	Sultans Of Swing	5:47
B2	In The Gallery	6:16
B3	Wild West End	4:42
B4	Lions	5:05

Companies, etc.

Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Warner Bros. Records Inc.
Copyright © – Warner Bros. Records Inc.
Recorded At – Basing Street Studios
Pressed By – Capitol Records Pressing Plant, Winchester
Record Company – Warner Bros. Records Inc.
Published By – Straitjacket Songs Ltd.
Published By – Rondor Music (London) Ltd.
Published By – Almo Music

Credits

Art Direction – Alan Schmidt
Bass – John Illsley
Design, Artwork – Hothouse (2)
Drums – Pick Withers
Engineer – Rhett Davies
Painting [Cover] – Chuck Loyola
Photography By – Paddy Eckersley
Producer – Muff Winwood
Rhythm Guitar – David Knopfler
Vocals, Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar – Mark Knopfler
Written-By [All Selections] – Mark Knopfler

Notes

Capitol Records Pressing Plant, Winchester pressing. Issued with photo/lyric inner sleeve.

For Charlie Gillett.

Warner Bros. Records Inc., a subsidiary and licensee of Warner Bros. Inc., a Warner Communications Company.
℗1978 Warner Bros. Records Inc. ©1978 Warner Bros. Records Inc. Made in U.S.A. Printed in U.S.A.

Recorded at Basing St. Studios, London, Feb. 1978.
Cover painting by Chuck Loyola at Hothouse.

All selections published by Straightjacket Songs LTD. All rights administered by Rondor Music (London) LTD, controlled in the U.S. by Almo Music - ASCAP.

Barcode and Other Identifiers

Rights Society: ASCAP
Matrix / Runout (Runout A, variant 1): BSK-1-3266 WW2 #5 ---◁
Matrix / Runout (Runout B, variant 1): BSK-2-3266 WW1 M̶ #9 ---◁
Matrix / Runout (Runout A, variant 2): BSK-1-3266 WW4 ---◁
Matrix / Runout (Runout B, variant 2): BSK-2-3266 WW1 #8H ---◁
Matrix / Runout (Runout A, variant 3): BSK-1-3266 WW1 M̶ ---◁
Matrix / Runout (Runout B, variant 3): BSK-2-3266 WW1 #2 M̶ ---◁
Matrix / Runout (Runout A, variant 4): BSK-1-3266 WW4 #3 ---◁
Matrix / Runout (Runout B, variant 4): BSK-2-3266 WW3 #2 ---◁
Matrix / Runout (Runout A, variant 5): BSK-1-3266 WW4 ---◁
Matrix / Runout (Runout B, variant 5): BSK-2-3266 WW1 M̶ ---◁ #9
Matrix / Runout (Runout A, variant 6): BSK-1-3266 WW4 ---◁
Matrix / Runout (Runout B, variant 6): BSK-1-3266 WW3 #3 ---◁
Matrix / Runout (Runout A, variant 7): BSK-1-3266 WW2 #8 ---◁
Matrix / Runout (Runout B, variant 7): BSK-2-3266 WW1#7 # ---◁
Matrix / Runout (Runout A, variant 8): BSK-1-3266 WW4 ---◁
Matrix / Runout (Runout B, variant 8): BSK-2-3266 WW3 #2 ---◁
Matrix / Runout (Runout A, variant 9): BSK-1-3266 WW11 ---◁
Matrix / Runout (Runout B, variant 9): BSK-2-3266 WW5 #2 ---◁
Matrix / Runout (Runout A, variant 10): BSK-1-3266 WW2 #7 ---◁
Matrix / Runout (Runout B, variant 10): BSK-2-3266 WW4 ---◁
Matrix / Runout (Runout A, variant 11): BSK-1-3266 WW2 #2 ---◁
Matrix / Runout (Runout B, variant 11): BSK-2-3266 WW1 #7 # ---◁
Matrix / Runout (Runout A, variant 12): BSK-1-3266 WW1 #2 M̶ ---◁
Matrix / Runout (Runout B, variant 12): BSK-2-3266 WW1 #2 M̶ ---◁
Matrix / Runout (Runout A, variant 13): BSK-1-3266 WW2 #4 ---◁
Matrix / Runout (Runout B, variant 13): BSK-2-3266 WW1 M #9 ---◁
Matrix / Runout (Runout A, variant 14): BSK-1-3266-WW11 ---◁
Matrix / Runout (Runout B, variant 14): BSK-2-3266-WW5 ---◁
Matrix / Runout (Runout A, variant 15): BSK-1-3266 WW2 #8 ---◁
Matrix / Runout (Runout B, variant 15): BSK-1-3266 WW3 #3 ---◁
Matrix / Runout (Runout A, variant 16): BSK-2-3266 ww2 #8 ---◁
Matrix / Runout (Runout B, variant 16): BSK-2-3266 ww4 ---◁
Matrix / Runout (Runout A, variant 17): BSK-2-3266 WW2 #2 ---◁
Matrix / Runout (Runout B, variant 17): BSK-2-3266 WW2 ---◁
Matrix / Runout (Runout A, variant 18): BSK-1-3266 WW2 #4 ---◁
Matrix / Runout (Runout B, variant 18): BSK-2-3266 WW1 #6 M̶ ---◁

Other Versions (5 of 402)

View All

	Title (Format)	Label	Cat#	Country	Year
	Dire Straits (LP, Album, Stereo, Red Guitar On Rear)	Vertigo	6360 162	Germany	1978
Recently Edited	Dire Straits (Cassette, Album, Club Edition)	Vertigo, Bertelsmann Club	33 594 3	Germany	1978
Recently Edited	Dire Straits (LP, Album)	Vertigo	6360 162	Netherlands	1978
	Dire Straits (LP, Album, Stereo, Quality Records Pressing)	Mercury	SRM-1-1197	Canada	1978
	Dire Straits (LP, Album)	Vertigo	9102 021	UK	1978

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Reviews

martinez101 Sep 17, 2023
After reading the reviews I went into this with low expectations… but this thing slaps just like all the others. Maybe there’s a TINY bit of Sibilance but overall, this is a well balanced & detailed pressing for the price.
Mackle May 28, 2023
To the people complaining about the sound: have you ever owned a single record from the late 70s?
Vinyl-TP Mar 26, 2022
This pressing is WEAK! No bass and sounds like a cheap K-Tel record. It’s not even worthy of playing on a good system. Absolutely nothing good to say about this. Shocking too cuz I thought being Dire Straits that it would sound great. But nope. Pure crap
flightrisk1231 Feb 12, 2022
Picked my copy up for cheap. Sounds good but I do not have another copy to compare it to. I'm gonna keep an eye out for another. In the meantime I'm enjoying this one.
AnalogRx Jun 16, 2021
Bought this pressing just to compare to the other one I own. This one is missing much of the low end punch and not nearly as crisp and open/airy as the one below. It doesn’t sound bad but If you’re looking for an excellent sounding pressing of this terrific album check this one out.
https://www.discogs.com/Dire-Straits-Dire-Straits/release/2699975
Tinnox Nov 5, 2019
My matrix matches this pressing and mine is also on Quiex vinyl where I can shine a strong light through the vinyl and see an orange light on the other side.
magritesbowler Mar 12, 2019
Edited 4 years ago
My copy has matrix runout variant on B Side- BSK-1-3266 WW4 -------◁
A Side- BSK-1-3266 WW2 #5 -------◁
ahonion Apr 15, 2018
I have 2 versions of vinyl BSK 3266, but one is missing the intro to "Down to the Waterline." Anyone know anything about this version?
LeonTP Jun 13, 2017
Edited 4 years ago
If you can find this delightful release in good quality it wont dissapoint. Rather quiet pressing and well mastered. Going from my youtube playlist to this set a whole new stage.

Update:
With much more experience these days and after just having played my other later Dire Straits albums this one sticks out a bit.
The sound seems more low end favored and less crisp. This could be down to the recording but I think its more so just the EQ set for this mastering. Will seek out an original UK to try someday. Still very listenable though as most Dire Strait pressings are.

Equipment Used:
Rega RP1 with Nagaoka MP-200 Cartridge
Cyrus 2 Amplifier
System Fidelity SF-3050 Tower Speakers
Custom made HQ Speaker Cables
CopperBlue Jun 8, 2015
Mine has WW1 on both sides followed by #2 on side two and the Winchester rifle/flyswatter symbol, and what looks like an M with a line through it.