The Daily Sentinel from Grand Junction, Colorado • 20

4 As debut records go, it's a Dire situation this day! "In the Gallery" is up next. It's a personal tribute from Knopfler to Harry Phillips, the father of Steve Phillips, who would later play with Knopfler in the Notting Hillbillies. "Wild West End" is a wonderful tune about a fella out on a Western town falling instantly in love with a lady he spots during his excursion. It's syrupy slow with excellent acoustic guitar from Knopfler. "Lions" is the final and fitting closing song to this great record.

I'm not sure what the jazzy tune is about, but it has a great groove, just like the rest of the record. One of the greatest debut recordings of all time! Rock Cesario owns Triple Play Records, 530 Main and hosts "Acoustic Sunday "from 9 a. m. to noon on 103. 9 FM The Planet.

Email him at rockacsol.net. about his lover and the control that she has over him. "Your six blade knife can do anything for you. Anything you want it to. One blade for breaking my heart.

One blade for tearing it apart." Side one's closing song, "Southbound Again," is a short guitar shuffle that follows the storyline of side one. It is about the unhappy lover leaving the relationship for greener pastures. Side two of "Dire Straits" opens with what is arguably Dire Straits' most famous song. At the least, it is the song that made everything else possible for them. I am talking, of course, about "Sultans of Swing." None of my roommates or I had ever heard anything like the guitar work on this classic.

It wasn't far from Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana, Duane Allman or anyone else, for that matter. I witnessed Knopfler play it for over 13 minutes live during a show at Red Rocks in 2005. It still amazes me to It was a Saturday in February or March of 1978, if I remember correctly, when I went downtown to Smokestack Records to see what was on the "new release" wall. Franco and Mike used to tape personal comments, written on construction paper, to the front of an LP in an attempt to facilitate sales. That day a certain quote caught my eye: "This band's music is a mix of Bob Dylan and J.J.

Cale." Dire Straits was the name of the band and the record. Being a big fan of both Cale and Dylan, I bought the LP and took it home to listen to. At that time, I lived in a house with three of my friends. Everybody was home when we listened to the record that night and we were all pretty much blown away by what we heard. Mike and Franco were right.

It did sound like a mix of Dylan and Cale. There was something more to it, though. They were more like Cale stylistically. More like Dylan lyrically. However, Dire Straits pretty much starts and ends with the band's lead guitar player, lead vocalist and principal songwriter, Mark Knopfler.

Knopfler is a world-class guitar player and storyteller, as well as a student of world history. "Dire Straits" opens with "Down To The Waterline," a pub-style rocker with an ending guitar break that is just a small sample of things to come. "Water Of Love" is a Cale-style slow grooving rocker with lines like. "Water of love. Deep in the ground.

But there ain't no water here to be found." "Setting Me Up" is a rocking guitar boogie about mistrust in a relationship with a warning about the consequences, with some excellent guitar work from Knopfler. Up next is "Six Blade Knife." Another Cale-style, laid-back, melancholy lament THE DAIIY SENTINEL'S APRIL 11, 2019-5-7PM BEST OF THE WEST CELEBRATION TWO RIVERS CONVENTION CENTER CASUAL FUN HAPPY HOUR 5-6pm WINNERS REVEALED 6-7pm $15 Tickets $20 after April 4th COLORAMO FEDERAL CREDIT UNION.