FIRST PICTURES / Dire Straits: The Studios Albums 1978-1991 vinyl box
Universal/Mercury release their Dire Straits Studio Albums 1978-1991 vinyl box set today and here we bring you some great photos of the package.
The set contains all six albums, two of which (Brothers In Arms and On Every Street) are double LPs. The former is of course the 1985 blockbuster, which features the US number one Money For Nothing. The vinyl version of Brothers In Arms in this box features the full CD running times (the original contained edited versions of many tracks).
All the records are pressed on 180g vinyl, mastered by Bob Ludwig with lacquers cut by Chris Bellman and Bernie Grundman. This 8LP box includes a code for MP3 downloads.
- • UK Order: Dire Straits: Studio Albums 1978-1991 [VINYL box]
- • USA Order: Dire Straits: Studio Albums 1978-1991 [Vinyl box]
- • GERMANY Order: Dire Straits: Studio Albums 1978-1991 [Vinyl box]
- • FRANCE Order: Dire Straits – Studio Albums 1978-1991 [Vinyl box]
- • Order from Universal’s Box Set Store and receive a free print.
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I wonder why they want it to resemble a standard Blu-ray disc case? :-)
Vinyl is far from dead, it co-exists with digital. I like the fact that a lot of vinyl releases now give you a free download of it on MP3. Giving people the best of both worlds, portability as well as quality. Which sort of makes CD’s obsolete. I’m not sure of the Dire Straits release is offering that though.
Vinyl now though is slightly better than the old vinyl I had in teh 80’s for the fact it’s generally 180gm. I’m sure the music industry deliberately lessened the quality of vinyl in the 80’s to make people turn to CDs….just saying.
The current price for the boxset is £69.07
For anyone who still believes Brothers in Arms is superior on analogue vinyl, here is an excerpt from Mark Knopfler’s biography:
“Dire Straits’ biggest studio album by far was their fifth, Brothers in Arms, released in 1985. It became an international hit and spawned several chart singles including the US # 1 hit “Money for Nothing,” which was the first video ever to be played on MTV in Britain. It was also the first compact disc to sell a million copies and is largely credited for launching the CD format as it was also one of the first DDD CDs ever released”
That was then, this is now. The 80’s and the era of the CD is over. I agree that the music industry, desperate to boost income derived from sales of physical product, has jumped on the ‘resurgence of vinyl’ bandwagon, and buyers should beware of being shafted (Provogue releases being a prime example). But these DS releases are amazing, they blow the CD versions out of the water. You have to play them on a high end system of course, but then vinyl only ever shone on high end systems. I remember a friend of mine turning back to vinyl (in the 80’s!) after listening to the standard vinyl release of Brothers in a hi-fi shop, against the CD! Look at what Tom Petty is doing – new 180g vinyl releases pressed from bespoke analogue masters, different to the digital CD masters used for the CD version. MOJO and the Mudcrutch albums have to be heard to be believed. Vinyl will never again be the leading format but my God it’s proved it’s worth to people who listen.
Wait fot the bonus t-shirt with a condom edition, ha, ha.
Paul, Love Over Gold was recorded on Analogue in 1982 before CD’s were launched. However, Mark Knopfler was a strong advocate for digital and the CD format, and as part of the promotional campaign for Brothers in Arms a few years alter, he advised his fans to listen to ALL his work on CD.
“Who needs the dire straits on vinyl now?”
Me for one! This is simply amazing. The sound is just beautiful and without a doubt THE way to hear these albums. I find them to be far more enjoyable than the CD remasters. The detail and warmth of the sound makes them a sheer pleasure to hear. Of course, the fact that they are some of the best albums EVER makes the set even more enjoyable.
James, you simply don’t get it! The way you want to hear these albums on analogue vinyl is NOT the way the creator of the music, Mark Knopfler, intended for you to hear it. I suggest you find all the old articles and interviews from the mid 80’s. Knopfler found vinyl to be limiting and archaic, and was relieved to be rid of it, when he recorded Love over Gold and Brothers in Arms. It’s nice to reminisce about the vinyl of our youth, but, as the Eagles sang, you need to “get over it” !!. The current “vinyl resurgence”, as they call it, is merely the recording industry’s attempt to make a few extra dollars by convincing consumers an old and outdated technology is still viable. As with all old technologies, analogue vinyl is obsolete, and shall remain so forever.
Love Over Gold was definitely recorded on analog tape and it even states that on the back of the original CD release.
[…] FIRST PICTURES / Dire Straits: The Studios Albums 1978-1991 vinyl box […]
Ironic, considering 30 years ago Mark Knopfler was one of the biggest advocates of making the switch from analogue vinyl to digital CD’s, in interviews and in the media. Who needs the dire straits on vinyl now?
Mine was waiting for me when I got home from work. Sleeves, inners & vinyl look fantastic. All the discs nice and flat. Currently playing the debut album and it sounds great, even better than the original which I have in near mint condition. In fact the debut album is the only DS album I owned before today so I`m looking forward to playing them all. From what I`ve heard the first 4 were sourced from the original analog tapes. BIA & OES were of course recorded digitally. Oh and thanks Paul for a great site it`s of great help to me and has saved be £s & £s. Oh yeah and it`s bloody cost me a fortune but in an enjoyable way!
Indeed – in fact the same label did it with On Every Street several years later!
55 minutes vs 47 minutes.
They could have crammed it onto one LP – certainly didn’t stop major labels doing it a few years later in the BAD VINYL DAYS [1990 – 1993]
All this time and I never realised that Brothers in Arms was edited on vinyl.
Brothers In Arms was the first album to take advantage of the extended playing time of CDs, versus LPs. It was also the first title to sell one million units on CD.
I didn’t know when I bought the LP either, Gary. Found out when I borrowed the CD from a mate shortly after getting my first CD player and felt a bit short-changed!
Give me these new Bob Ludwig remasters on CD! But apart from that: this is a beautiful box set.
Lot of folk love to comment by letting everyone know which bands they don’t like eh? :-/
I can’t see myself springing for these given the quality of my original vinyl. I am tempted by Brothers and On Every Street but even so…
That said, I am surprised that the Twisting by the Pool EP wasn’t included.
Looks awesome! Shame I don’t like Dire Straits!!
Don’t let that stop you! ;-)
They look nice. How do they sound?
Haven’t had a chance to play yet, but have read very positive reports on various forums…