Dire Straits - Love Over Gold [180G] (SYEOR)

With a new rhythm guitarist in the fold, Dire Straits expands its sound as well as continues its glorious string of studio successes on 1982's Love Over Gold. Per usual, it's Mark Knopfler's crisp guitar playing and warm raspy voice, combined with Alan Clark's gorgeous keyboard runs, that anchor the sweeping affair which put the band in position for the commercial breakout Brothers In Arms. Anchored by the 14-minute-plus opener "Telegraph Road," and Knopfler's atmospheric leads and head-turning tonalities, Love Over Gold is a modern classic. Part of the reason for the band's uniqueness owes to its clean, vibrant sound. Just as Knopfler's narratives reflect poetic and surrealist texts, the group's arrangements – an intoxicating combination of easygoing shuffles, bluesy boogies, and pop-honed ballads – mirror the old-fashioned soulfulness and spaciousness inherent in the classic recordings of the late 50s and early 60s.