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“Communiqué is, in fact, almost a mirror image of 'Dire Straits', from the enigmatic painting on the jacket cover to the spacing of the cuts. Hubert Bauch from the Montreal Gazette commented on the similarities between the two records. Many critics however, enjoyed Communiqué, noting the sometimes laid-back, spacious and cinematic sound. They accused the band of simply remaking their debut album. Mark’s initial fears and doubts that he’d expressed were partly justified, as first reviews of Communiqué were mixed with some remarking that Communiqué sounded too similar to ‘Dire Straits’. The bass and drums have been recorded differently, and the tracks are a bit more solid in that sense.”Īs a former music journalist, Mark Knopfler knew how savage music critics could be. Knopfler described the album in an interview with Melody Maker's Richard Williams as “just another bunch of songs.” Pressed by Williams to speak about the differences between the first and second album, Knopfler just said, “It’s different. Had he been stuck in his comfort zone? Was Communiqué too similar to the debut album? Surely though, the Barry Beckett and Jerry Wexler production partnership would’ve pointed this out? With all these unanswered questions flying around his head, Mark approached the release of Communiqué with a degree of trepidation. He was worried that having written and recorded Communiqué in such balmy and luxurious surroundings, that it had perhaps made his song writing lazy. Produced by Muscle Shoals Sound Studio veterans, Jerry Wexler (the man who had signed Led Zeppelin and recorded Ray Charles) and Barry Beckett, Communiqué picked up where Dire Straits’ debut album left off. So just eight weeks after the release of Dire Straits, the band flew to the Bahamas to record their second album. While "Sultans of Swing" was rocketing to the top of the charts in Australia and Germany, Warner Brothers wanted a quick follow-up to build on the success of the debut.
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Mark Knopfler – vocals, lead and rhythm guitarsĭavid Knopfler – rhythm guitar and vocals It varies in colour, depending on release, format and country, from a very light almost turquoise blue, to darker stormy blue (as above)ģ. It won album cover of the year in the NME awards in 1979. The album cover was designed by Phonogram's advertising agency, Grant Advertising UK. Recorded November 28 - December 12, 1978, Compass Point Studios, Nassau, Bahamas.Ĭommuniqué is the second studio album by the band, released by Vertigo Records internationally and by Warner Bros.