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Communiqué (Dire Straits album)

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Communiqué
Studio album by
Dire Straits
Released5 June 1979
Recorded28 November – 12 December 1978
StudioCompass Point (Nassau)
GenreRoots rock
Length42:44
Label
Producer
Dire Straits chronology
Dire Straits
(1978) 		Communiqué
(1979) 		Making Movies
(1980)
Singles from Communiqué
  1. "Lady Writer"
    Released: 20 July 1979[1]
  2. "Once Upon a Time in the West"
    Released: October 1979 (US)[2]

Communiqué is the second studio album by British rock band Dire Straits, released on 5 June 1979[3] by Vertigo Records internationally, Warner Bros. Records in the United States and Mercury Records in Canada. The album featured the single "Lady Writer," which reached number 45 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 51 on the UK Singles Chart. The album reached number one on album charts in Germany, Spain, New Zealand, and Sweden, number 11 in the United States and number 5 in the United Kingdom. Communiqué was later certified gold in the United States, platinum in the United Kingdom and double-platinum in France.

It is the last album to feature David Knopfler, who departed from the band during the making of their following album, and the last with the original lineup.

Recording

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After the Dire Straits Tour finished in Hitchin on 18 November 1978, Dire Straits set to work on recording their second album. The recording sessions for Communiqué took place from 28 November to 12 December 1978 at Compass Point Studios in Nassau. The album was mixed in January 1979 at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Alabama. The album was produced by Jerry Wexler and Barry Beckett, veteran producers from Muscle Shoals Sound Studio. Beckett (credited as B. Bear) also contributed keyboards to some of the album's nine tracks.

Release

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Communiqué was released on vinyl LP and cassette on 5 June 1979, eight months after the release of the band's self-titled debut. It entered the German charts at number one, while its predecessor was still at number three.

"Lady Writer" was the first single released from Communiqué. Communiqué was remastered and reissued with the rest of the Dire Straits catalogue in 1996 for most of the world outside the United States and on 19 September 2000 in the United States.

Dire Straits toured throughout 1979 after the recording sessions were completed. The Communiqué Tour started in February 1979 in Rotterdam, four months before the album's release in June. Dire Straits would play a total of 116 concerts in Europe and North America, the final concert taking place on 21 December 1979 in London.

Communiqué was the last album to feature David Knopfler, who left the band over creative differences with his brother during the recording of their third album in August 1980.[4] It is the only Dire Straits album not represented on the compilation Private Investigations: The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler.

Artwork

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The album cover was designed by Hothouse, art directed by Alan Schmidt with the cover illustration by Geoff Halpin.

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[5]
Christgau's Record GuideB−[6]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[7]
Pitchfork6.2/10[8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[9]

In a 1979 review for the Birmingham Daily Post, Jonathan Daümler-Ford called it a "competent record", but wrote that "the songs sound like pale imitations, or the cuts which were not good enough for Dire Straits".[10] Record World said of "Once Upon a Time in the West" that Knopfler's "unique and super-sensitive vocals evoke vivid imagery that's totally enhanced by the Wexler-Beckett production team."[11] The Tucson Citizen called the album "an appealing production," writing that "a combination of country and reggae can be substantial."[12]

In his retrospective review for AllMusic, William Ruhlmann wrote that the second album "seemed little more than a carbon copy of its predecessor with less compelling material."[5]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Mark Knopfler

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Once Upon a Time in the West"5:14
2."News"4:11
3."Where Do You Think You're Going?"3:43
4."Communiqué"5:42
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."Lady Writer"3:38
2."Angel of Mercy"4:29
3."Portobello Belle"4:21
4."Single-Handed Sailor"4:42
5."Follow Me Home"5:42
Total length:41:42

Personnel

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Dire Straits

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Additional musician

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Production

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  • Jerry Wexler and Barry Beckett (credited as B. Bear) – producers
  • Gregg Hamm – mix engineer
  • Jack Nuber – engineer
  • Bobby Hata – mastering
  • Paul Wexler – mastering supervisor
  • Bob Ludwig – remastering
  • Thelbert Rigby – tape operator
  • Alan Schmidt – art direction[13]
  • Geoff Halpin – illustrations

Charts

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Communiqué spent 32 weeks on the UK Albums Chart.[14]

Sales and certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Austria (IFPI Austria)[30] Gold 25,000*
Brazil — 90,000[31]
Canada (Music Canada)[32] 2× Platinum 200,000^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[33] Gold 25,000[33]
France (SNEP)[34] 2× Platinum 600,000*
Germany (BVMI)[35] Platinum 500,000^
Italy (FIMI)[36]
sales since 2009 		Gold 25,000‡
Netherlands (NVPI)[38] Platinum 217,080[37]
New Zealand (RMNZ)[39] Gold 7,500^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[40] Platinum 100,000^
Sweden (GLF)[41] Gold 50,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[42] 3× Platinum 150,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[43] Platinum 300,000^
United States (RIAA)[44] Gold 500,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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Notes
Citations
  1. ^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 38.
  2. ^ "Dire straits single US cat no".
  3. ^ "Timeline | DireStraits.com". www.direstraits.com. Archived from the original on 28 January 2023. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  4. ^ Genzel, Christian. "David Knopfler". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
  5. ^ a b Ruhlmann, William. "Communiqué". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 December 2012.
  6. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: D". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 24 February 2019 – via robertchristgau.com.
  7. ^ MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1996. p. 206.
  8. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (23 September 2020). "Dire Straits: Dire Straits Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  9. ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 200.
  10. ^ Daümler-Ford, Jonathan (18 August 1979). "Spin Off". Birmingham Daily Post. Retrieved 30 November 2018 – via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. ^ "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. 29 September 1979. p. 130. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  12. ^ Graham, Chuck (4 August 1979). "Album Reviews". Tucson Citizen. p. 11.
  13. ^ Communiqué (booklet). Dire Straits. Burbank, California: Warner Bros. Records. 1979. p. 11. 947770-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ^ "Dire Straits - Albums". Official Charts. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  15. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Dire Straits – Communiqu�" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  16. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Dire Straits – Communiqu�" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  17. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Dire Straits – Communiqu�" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  18. ^ "Album Top 40 slágerlista – 1992. 22. hét" (in Hungarian). MAHASZ. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  19. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Dire Straits – Communiqu�". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  20. ^ "Charts.nz – Dire Straits – Communiqu�". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  21. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Dire Straits – Communiqu�". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  22. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959-2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  23. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Dire Straits – Communiqu�". Hung Medien. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  24. ^ "Dire Straits | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  25. ^ "Dire Straits Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  26. ^ "Jahreshitparade Alben 1979". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  27. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1979". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  28. ^ "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
  29. ^ "Top Selling Albums of 1979 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
  30. ^ "Gold & Platinum Awards 1987" (PDF). Music & Media. 26 December 1987. pp. 42–46. Retrieved 28 October 2020.
  31. ^ Tarik de Souza (12 September 1991). "Volta os campeões de audiência". Jornal do Brasil (in Portuguese). p. 38. Retrieved 23 October 2023 – via National Library of Brazil. Alam da platina tripla pelos 750 mil copias de Brothers in Arms, a banda de Mark Knopfler garimpou entre nos duas platina dimples de 250 mil cada (Alchemy, o primeiro que estourou, em 84, e coletânea Money for Nothing, de 8) e um disco de ouro (no LP de estreia Dire Straits, de 79)
  32. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Dire Straits – Communique". Music Canada.
  33. ^ a b "Dire Straits" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  34. ^ "French album certifications – Dire Straits – Communiqué" (in French). InfoDisc. Select DIRE STRAITS and click OK. 
  35. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Dire Straits; 'Communiqué')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  36. ^ "Italian album certifications – Dire Straits – Communiqué" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Select "2021" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Communiqué" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".
  37. ^ Hoos, Willem (16 December 1989). "Group Has Sold More Than 2 Mil Disks - Dutch Delight In Dire Straits - Dutch Delight in Dire Straits" (PDF). Billboard. p. 67. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
  38. ^ "Dutch album certifications – Dire Straits – Communiqué" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter Communiqué in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1979 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  39. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Dire Straits – Communique". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
  40. ^ Sólo Éxitos 1959-2002 Año A Año: Certificados 1979-1990 (in Spanish). Iberautor Promociones Culturales. 2005. ISBN 8480486392.
  41. ^ "Swedish Gold For Straits" (PDF). Cash Box. 12 January 1980. p. 26. Retrieved 17 February 2020 – via American Radio History.
  42. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Communique')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  43. ^ "British album certifications – Dire Straits – Communique". British Phonographic Industry.
  44. ^ "American album certifications – Dire Straits – Communique". Recording Industry Association of America.
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