Truly fitting that Mark Knopfler would soon branch out into writing film soundtracks, as his compositional approach on Making Movies successfully completes a transition from small screen vignettes to full blown Cinemascope. He had hinted at these abilities with "Sultans of Swing". You can see the faces of the weary pros onstage in the club, playing because of a long standing passion, the dismissive kids in the crowd who don't have the capacity to embrace or understand the music. There is a bit of backstory on the musicians, though the focus is on Knopfler's dazzling technique as he peels off a number of monster solos. Kitchen sink drama with virtuoso chops.
With Dire Straits third outing the musicianship remains intact, while song craft and production values take a huge stride forward. Jimmy Iovine was brought in to to co-produce, who in turn coaxed E-Street Band keyboardist Roy Bittan to add his nimble fingers to the proceedings. The lyrical subject matter of all three tracks on side one deal with (loosely) love and disappointment. "Tunnel of Love" is a masterclass in how to build mood with a series of guitar breaks that set a bar and then vault over it effortlessly with each new passage. The outro salvos are as close to perfection as you can possibly achieve. Bittan finds space to weave in his parts, always complimenting and never distracting from the melody. Over eight minutes, Knopfler takes you on an emotional journey that ends in a gut-punch as the protagonist realizes, belatedly, what has actually been lost.
She took off a silver locket. She said remember me by this.
She put her hand in my pocket. I got a keepsake and a kiss.
And in the roar of dust and diesel I stood and watched her walk away.
I could have caught up with her easy enough, but something must have made me stay.
Utilizing the amusement park as a backdrop is inspired and as the piece downshifts, there is yet another veiled reference. The Spanish City in question is actually an English fairground in Whitley Bay.
And girl it looks so pretty to me, like it always did,
Like the Spanish City to me when we were kids.
There is a depth to the writing that allows the listener to easily get swept into the narrative, yet it doesn't cross the line into pathos. What comes next is the very clever "Romeo and Juliet", which outlines a relationship doomed by poor timing. Framing the overall storyline with regret over an inability to maintain what was initially a strong bond, the updated version of Shakespeare's star-crossed lovers suggests that the narrator was there in full support of "Juliet" as she aspired to make it in showbiz and was unceremoniously dropped as a partner when that dream was achieved.
Come up on different streets they both were streets of shame
Both dirty both mean yes and the dream was just the same
And I dreamed your dream for you and now your dream is real
How can you look at me as I was just another one of your deals?
One of his best songs, bar none. The stutter-stop "Skateaway" closes out an absolutely spotless 22 minutes of music. Nothing less than a crowning achievement in their recorded legacy.
There is also a second side.
Anticlimactic after being bowled over by what precedes it, the back nine of this remarkable LP is marred only by the closer ("Les Boys") which has no business sitting alongside the other material here. Apparently, they had "Twisting by the Pool" in the can at this point. It would have made a far better substitute. "Expresso Love" and "Solid Rock" are definite highlights of the pack, though both return the set to earth without compromising the high standard that makes this disc so compelling. I would rank it at the very top of their discography in terms of substance and sheer brilliance across the board. Brothers in Arms would be a commercial bonanza for the band a few years later, though this is Knopfler's finest hour. Spin it again, as it has aged beautifully with enough nuance to keep you coming back for repeated listens.
