Alchemy: Dire Straits Live

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***Alchemy: Dire Straits Live*** is a double album and the first live album by the British rock band Dire Straits, released on 16 March 1984 by Vertigo Records internationally, and by Warner Bros. Records in the United States. Recorded at the Hammersmith Odeon in London on 22–23 July 1983, the album features the band's best-known and fan-favourite songs from their first four albums, the ExtendedancEPlay EP, and the *Local Hero* soundtrack (composed by Mark Knopfler); many of the songs have reworked arrangements and/or extended improvisational segments. The album cover is taken from a painting by Brett Whiteley. *Alchemy: Dire Straits Live* was remastered and re-released on 8 May 2001.

## Recording

*Alchemy: Dire Straits Live* was recorded live at the Hammersmith Odeon in London on 22–23 July 1983, the final two concerts of Dire Straits' eight-month Love Over Gold Tour promoting their album Love Over Gold. The concerts were recorded by Mike McKenna using the Rolling Stones Mobile unit. Nigel Walker was the recording engineer. The recording was mixed at AIR Studios in London in November 1983.

"Tunnel of Love" is preceded by a roughly four-minute jam sequence that incorporates elements of the song, followed by the brief "Carousel Waltz" intro and standard version of the song (with improvisation sections).

## Cover artwork

The album cover artwork was adapted from a section of a painting by Brett Whiteley titled *Alchemy 1974*. Alchemy is a hypothetical process once believed to turn ordinary elements into gold. The image of a guitar with lips held by a hand was added for the album design. The original painting, done between 1972 and 1973, was composed of many different elements and on 18 wood panels 203 cm x 1615 cm x 9 cm. In terms of media it used everything from feathers and part of a bird's nest to a glass eye, shell, plugs and brain in a work that becomes a transmutation of sexual organic landscapes and mindscapes. It has been regarded as a self-portrait, a giant outpouring of energy and ideas brought forth over a long period of time.

## Critical reception

Reviewing for AllMusic, critic William Ruhlmann wrote of the album "There is an interesting contrast .... between the music, much of which is slow and moody, with Mark Knopfler's muttered vocals and large helpings of his fingerpicking on what sounds like an amplified Spanish guitar, and the audience response. The arena-size crowd cheers wildly, and claps and sings along when given half a chance, as though each song were an up-tempo rocker." Ruhlmann concludes, "The CD version of the album contains one extra track, "Love Over Gold", which adds a needed change of pace to the otherwise slow-moving first disc."

## Track listing

All songs were written by Mark Knopfler, except where indicated.

### LP

Side one

Side two

Side three

Side four

### CD

"Love over Gold", which had been released as a separate single in 1984, was added into the track list for the CD release, and the fade outs between sides 1 and 2 and sides 3 and 4 have been removed. A number of tracks had their length increased for the CD releases, and the track order is slightly different: "Romeo and Juliet" and "Expresso Love" are in reversed order.

Disc one

Disc two

Three more songs were recorded live but not included on the official album releases: "Industrial Disease", "Twisting by the Pool", and "Portobello Belle" (an abbreviated version of which was included on the compilation *Money for Nothing*, released in 1988).

## Personnel

Dire Straits
* Mark Knopfler – guitar, vocals
* Alan Clark – keyboards
* John Illsley – bass guitar, backing vocals
* Hal Lindes – guitar, backing vocals
* Terry Williams – drums

Additional musicians
* Mel Collins – saxophone
* Tommy Mandel – keyboards
* Joop de Korte – percussion

Production
* Mark Knopfler – producer
* Mick McKenna – recording engineer
* Nigel Walker – engineer
* Jeremy Allom – assistant engineer
* Brett Whiteley – artwork (adapted from *Alchemy 1974*)
* C More Tone Studios – design

## Video release

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The concert film was originally released in Beta, VHS video cassette and Laserdisc formats, and digitally remastered in 1995. A DVD and Blu-ray Disc version with newly remixed 5.1 DTS-surround mixes were released in May 2010. The new mixes have been prepared by Chuck Ainlay in 2009. The original film itself was digitally enhanced. The song "Love over Gold" is not included in the video, just like the original album, but is available on the compilation *Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits*. It includes a mix of the live band footage with circus spectacle scenes.

The video opens with scenes of the band in a pub playing pool, interspersed with concert clips. Playing over this is the song *Saturday Night at the Movies* performed by The Drifters. The music changes to the instrumental "Stargazer", from the film *Local Hero*, over external shots of a sold-out Hammersmith Odeon. The scene switches to the inside of the venue as Dire Straits are announced and walk onstage for the concert. The closing credits again use the Drifters' "Saturday Night at the Movies".

* A Limelight Films Production
* Director – Peter Sinclair
* Film Editor – Peter Goddard
* Soundtrack produced by Mark Knopfler
* Recorded by Mick McKenna, Rolling Stones Mobile

## References

1. ↑ Ruhlmann, William. "Alchemy: Dire Straits Live – Dire Straits". *AllMusic*. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
2. ↑ "Record News". *NME*. London, England: IPC Media: 40. 10 March 1984.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 *Alchemy: Dire Straits Live* (booklet). Dire Straits. Burbank, California: Warner Bros. Records. 1984. 925085-2. Cite has empty unknown parameter: `|titlelink=` (help)CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
4. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/alchemy-dire-straits-live-mw0000189678
5. ↑ "Mark Knopfler News". *Mark Knopfler*. 4 August 2009. Retrieved 1 December 2011.
6. ↑ "Dire Straits – Alchemy – Dire Straits Live". *Austriancharts.at* (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
7. ↑ "100 Albums". *RPM*. **40** (11): 8. 19 May 1984. ISSN 0033-7064. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
8. ↑ "Dire Straits – Alchemy – Dire Straits Live". *GfK Dutch Charts* (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
9. ↑ "Top 100 Longplay". *Charts.de* (in German). Media Control. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
10. ↑ "Dire Straits – Alchemy – Dire Straits Live". *Charts.org.nz*. Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
11. ↑ "Dire Straits – Alchemy – Dire Straits Live". *Norwegiancharts.com*. Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
12. ↑ "Dire Straits – Alchemy – Dire Straits Live". *Swedishcharts.com*. Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
13. ↑ "Dire Straits – Alchemy – Dire Straits Live". *Hitparade.ch* (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
14. ↑ "1984-03-24 Top 40 Official UK Albums Archive | Official Charts". *Official Charts Company*. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
15. ↑ "Alchemy: Dire Straits Live – Dire Straits: Awards". *Allmusic*. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 "ARIA Top 40 Music DVD" (PDF). *The ARIA Report* (1056): 23. 24 May 2010. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
17. ↑ "Austria Top 40 – Musik-DVDs Top 10 04.06.2010". *Austriancharts.at* (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
18. ↑ "Ultratop 10 Muziek-DVD". *Ultratop* (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 25 October 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2013. Unknown parameter `|deadurl=` ignored (`|url-status=` suggested) (help)
19. ↑ "Ultratop 10 DVD Musicaux". *Ultratop* (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
20. ↑ "Musik DVD Top-10". *Hitlisten.nu* (in Danish). IFPI Denmark. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
21. ↑ "DVD Music Top 30". *GfK Dutch Charts* (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
22. ↑ "Suomen Virallinen Lista – Musiikki DVD:t 20/2010". *Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland* (in Finnish). Retrieved 7 March 2013.
23. ↑ "Top 10 Music DVDs". *RIANZ*. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
24. ↑ "2010-05-22 Top 40 Music Video Archive | Official Charts". *Official Charts Company*. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
25. ↑ [[[:Template:Certification Cite/URL]] "[[:Template:Certification Cite/Title]]"] Check `|url=` value (help). Music Canada. Retrieved 6 March 2013. URL–wikilink conflict (help)
26. ↑ [[[:Template:Certification Cite/URL]] "[[:Template:Certification Cite/Title]]"] Check `|url=` value (help) (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 6 March 2013. URL–wikilink conflict (help) *Select* DIRESTRAITS *and click* OK*.*
27. ↑ [[[:Template:Certification Cite/URL]] "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Dire Straits; 'Alchemy')"] Check `|url=` value (help) (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
28. ↑ [[[:Template:Certification Cite/URL]] "[[:Template:Certification Cite/Title]]"] Check `|url=` value (help). British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 6 March 2013. URL–wikilink conflict (help) *Select* albums *in the Format field.* *Select* Platinum *in the Certification field.* *Type* Alchemy *in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.*
29. ↑ [[[:Template:Certification Cite/URL]] "[[:Template:Certification Cite/Title]]"] Check `|url=` value (help). Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 6 March 2013. URL–wikilink conflict (help) *If necessary, click* Advanced*, then click* Format*, then select* Album*, then click* SEARCH*.*
30. ↑ [[[:Template:Certification Cite/URL]] "[[:Template:Certification Cite/Title]]"] Check `|url=` value (help) (in Portuguese). Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos. URL–wikilink conflict (help)
31. ↑ "Top Oficial AFP". *Artistas & Espectáculos* (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Archived from the original on 15 July 2010. Retrieved 7 March 2013. Unknown parameter `|dead-url=` ignored (`|url-status=` suggested) (help)

## External links

* *Alchemy* at Mark Knopfler official website
* *Alchemy Live* (TV, 1984) at IMDb

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