Dire Straits Communique

Nine months after their debut album, Dire Straits proved their well of material was deep. The shuffling groove of “Once Upon a Time in the West” sounded like the band had just gone out for a quick cuppa after the closing track on Dire Straits. Mark Knopfler’s stinging fingerpicking continued to stun on “Lady Writer,” but he and the band also impressed on slower acoustic-based songs such as “Where Do You Think You’re Going,” hitting a sweet spot between Dylan and J.J. Cale.