The worst DS songs

[vgonis]

Agree with all... But it was a single!
https://www.discogs.com/master/23993-Dire-Straits-Skateaway

Yep, there is even an official video for it:
https://youtu.be/vcwl-Q7pAtY?si=Q0wawjjou_hP-oms

Rollergirl was the daughter of the first President of Nigeria:

https://chancechambers.com/2010/03/16/goodbye-rollergirl-2/

Lovingly written with bits of interesting info for DS get a lifers. Thanks for bringing it to my attention Dusty

[iorch82]

Heavy Fuel & Millionaire Blues  -> Cringe Boomer Rock
Calling Elvis
Kingdom Come
Les Boys
Communique
So Far Away ( even though I quite like it live from Wembley 85 )
The Bug ( Same situation than above )
LOG
Solid Rock
Industrial Dissease
Whats The Matter Baby
Lady Writer

[dustyvalentino]

Heavy Fuel & Millionaire Blues  -> Cringe Boomer Rock

Ha ha ha. Brilliant. Kingdom Come falls into this category as well.

I like The Bug though, but I'm a country fan. Mary Chapin Carpenter does a good cover.

[JF]

Agree with all... But it was a single!
https://www.discogs.com/master/23993-Dire-Straits-Skateaway

Yep, there is even an official video for it:
https://youtu.be/vcwl-Q7pAtY?si=Q0wawjjou_hP-oms

it's the first time I notice 2 things :

- the strat on the guitar-stand is the maple Fender '62 Fender, not the schecter as it should have been, regarding the record
- Mark plays a bonde (?) Telectaster in the background 

[Ingrained]

Skateaway!   

Probably one of my top 5 all time DS songs. Sensational playing from Knopfler, Illsley, Withers, McGinnes and Bittan, production, lyrics and vibe top notch. In fact it's a stand out, because it wasn't a ballad, christ there are loads of them around, plus it wasn't a single... ultimately it was different.

I always liked what I think is a very short slap back echo/delay on Picks kick drum. It may even be a stereo pinged echo, but very short. It maybe just a room mic, far away. But I think that also helps to colour that song in a way and makes it sound quite different to other DS songs.

[Jimbo]

Heavy Fuel & Millionaire Blues  -> Cringe Boomer Rock
Calling Elvis
Kingdom Come
Les Boys
Communique
So Far Away ( even though I quite like it live from Wembley 85 )
The Bug ( Same situation than above )
LOG
Solid Rock
Industrial Dissease
Whats The Matter Baby
Lady Writer

It's half discography, but do you like DS? 

[Ingrained]

it's the first time I notice 2 things :

- the strat on the guitar-stand is the maple Fender '62 Fender, not the schecter as it should have been, regarding the record
- Mark plays a bonde (?) Telectaster in the background 

Is that Mark’s strat or just a prop the director bought? It could have taken a while to set up all those other shots and DS only came in for a few hours to do their bits, all whilst trying to keep that camera locked off in position. Not sure Mark would have been happy with someone doing cart wheels next to his strat?!

It does look like a blonde tele at some angles but I wonder if that is even the black Schecter tele as it could act like a mirror to the light and white walls and could maybe almost appear lighter. A shiny reflective surface, with black paint underneath acts as a mirror. He seems to have flooded the whole studio with light and the white walls. Is that tele even another one the director could have bought in possibly?

[Darling Pretty]

Two Young Lovers
Twisting by the Pool
Ticket to Heaven
My Parties
Badges maybe

[mariosboss]

Skateaway!   

Probably one of my top 5 all time DS songs. Sensational playing from Knopfler, Illsley, Withers, McGinnes and Bittan, production, lyrics and vibe top notch. In fact it's a stand out, because it wasn't a ballad, christ there are loads of them around, plus it wasn't a single... ultimately it was different.

I always liked what I think is a very short slap back echo/delay on Picks kick drum. It may even be a stereo pinged echo, but very short. It maybe just a room mic, far away. But I think that also helps to colour that song in a way and makes it sound quite different to other DS songs.

Yes! Exactly that regarding Pick's drums. It's weird because another poster claimed that they disliked the album partly because of the weak production/drum sound but I couldn't disagree more with that statement. They must surely be half tone deaf, bless them. This album has the perfect production with added keyboards/piano from a legend in Bittan and of course extra rhythm playing from Sid McGinnes. Along with Pick's bombastic drum sound it is a million miles better compared with the production off the first two albums. Apparently according to Pick in an interview a few years back the drum sounds took a lot of time to master. It makes sense. However i'm happy that finally someone else noticed the drum sound/production. Even Knopfler's vocals have quite a lot of echo/slapback. Thing is it just adds to the mystery. Skateway, Tunnel Of Love and Expresso Love were my top 3 songs as a kid of only 7 or 8. Solid Rock, It Never Rains and Telegraph Road also sneaked into my top 6, but mostly due to my father's set up with his technics player and super advance speakers I was always fasnicated by the sounds / production values of the likes of Dire Straits, along with Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, UFO, and another of my father's favourite bands/acts - The Police, many vinyl versions were Japanese collector items.

Of course in modern times with music software so accessible along with a saturation of artists - it does though mean even I can produce my own music just from a laptop, but I always adopt the attitude that I want it to sound like a proper band, a live electric sound. The Elegant Chasers. Many many other artists in my position are far better vocalists, or guitarists, but I often think their production values are limited.

Also the problem is many famous / acclaimed artists now bypass recording studios and top engineers as they are costly, and so they can do it in their home studios however that really lowers the standards, but to the layman it isn't really an issue. I mean if I can produce next to professional standard rock albums then you can imagine my dismay at fellow artists albeit relatively famous, and with a decent following who are making it yet in my opinion are producing bog standard albums.

[ds1984]

There are skippers for me but the idea of "worst" applied for DS is still better than a lot of musical stuff.

I can't find one bad enough to make a tier list.