Alchemy: Dire Straits Live

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Alchemy: Dire Straits Live
Live album by Dire Straits
Released	March 1, 1984
Recorded	July 22, 1983 – July 23, 1983, Hammersmith Odeon, London
Genre	Hard Rock, Rock
Length	93:59
Label	Vertigo Warner Bros. (US)
Producer	Mark Knopfler
Professional reviews
All Music Guide link
Dire Straits chronology
ExtendedancEPlay (1983) Alchemy: Dire Straits Live (1984) Brothers in Arms (1985)

Alchemy: Dire Straits Live is the first live album by British rock band Dire Straits, released in 1984 (see 1984 in music). It features their best-known tracks up to that point, but significantly different in sound from the studio versions. It features extended improvisations showcasing Mark Knopfler's guitar playing and drumming by Terry Williams.

It was remastered and released (in the UK only) on May 8, 2001. The cover image is taken from a painting by Brett Whiteley. The Australian artist has personalized an opera of him with a collage of the faces of the band members. The result is used for the back cover.

Contents 1 Track listing 1.1 Original release 1.1.1 Side one 1.1.2 Side two 1.1.3 Side three 1.1.4 Side four 1.2 CD release 1.2.1 Disc one 1.2.2 Disc two 1.3 Video release 2 Personnel 2.1 Additional personnel 3 Charts 3.1 Album 4 Certifications

[edit] Track listing

All songs written by Mark Knopfler except as indicated.

[edit] Original release

[edit] Side one

1. "Once Upon a Time in the West" – 13:01
   • "Intro: Stargazer" (instrumental from the Local Hero soundtrack)
2. "Romeo and Juliet" – 8:17

[edit] Side two

1. "Expresso Love" – 5:45
2. "Private Investigations" – 7:34
3. "Sultans of Swing" – 10:54

[edit] Side three

1. "Two Young Lovers" – 4:49
2. "Tunnel of Love" – 14:29
   • includes excerpt from "The Carousel Waltz" (Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II) – 4.13-4:30 of "Tunnel of Love"

[edit] Side four

1. "Telegraph Road" – 13:37
2. "Solid Rock" – 6:01
3. "Going Home – Theme from 'Local Hero'" – 6:05

[edit] CD release

"Love Over Gold", released as a separate single in 1984, has been added into the track list, and the fade outs between sides 1 and 2 and sides 3 and 4 have been removed.

[edit] Disc one

1. "Once Upon a Time in the West" – 13:01
   • "Intro: Stargazer" (instrumental from the Local Hero soundtrack)
2. "Expresso Love" – 5:45
   • Includes outro to "Industrial Disease"
3. "Romeo and Juliet" – 8:17
4. "Love over Gold" – 3:27
5. "Private Investigations" – 7:34
6. "Sultans of Swing" – 10:54

[edit] Disc two

1. "Two Young Lovers" – 4:49
2. "Tunnel of Love" – 14:29
   • includes excerpt from "The Carousel Waltz" (Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II) – 4.13-4:30 of "Tunnel of Love"
3. "Telegraph Road" – 13:37
4. "Solid Rock" – 6:01
5. "Going Home – Theme from 'Local Hero'" – 6:05

[edit] Video release

Alchemy: Dire Straits Live
Video by Dire Straits
Released	1984, 1995 (Digitally remastered)
Length	90 minutes
Label	PolyGram Video
Producer	Limelight Films

Although originally released in both Beta and VHS video cassette formats, and digitally remastered in 1995, the video has yet to be released on DVD. The song "Love Over Gold" is not included in this video, just like the original album, but is contrarily the one performance available on DVD, being included in the compilation Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits.

The video opens with scenes of the band in a pub playing pool; Geordies (MK & AC) vs. the rest (JI & TW), while the fifth member (HL) plays a video game, 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. A quick switch brings us inside as Dire Straits are announced and walk onstage for the concert; "Once Upon a Time in the West", "Expresso Love", "Romeo and Juliet" and "Private Investigations", which fades into the fog before the band blows it away with "Sultans of Swing". Mel Collins joins the band for "Two Young Lovers" and plays the bridge into "Tunnel of Love". The epic "Telegraph Road" and shorter up tempo "Solid Rock" are played as an encore and predictably the show finally winds down with "Going Home", the instrumental theme from 'Local Hero'.
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

[edit] Personnel

• Mark Knopfler – guitar, vocals
• Alan Clark – keyboard
• John Illsley – bass
• Hal Lindes – guitar
• Terry Williams – drums

[edit] Additional personnel

• Mel Collins – saxophone
• Joop de Korte – percussion
• Tommy Mandel – keyboards

[edit] Charts

[edit] Album

Year	Chart	Position
1984	The Billboard 200	46

[edit] Certifications

Organisation	Level	Date
BPI – UK	Gold	March 15, 1984
RIAA – U.S.	Gold	July 27, 2001

v • d • e Dire Straits Mark Knopfler · John Illsley Alan Clark · Guy Fletcher · David Knopfler · Pick Withers · Hal Lindes · Terry Williams · Jack Sonni Albums and EPs Dire Straits · Communiqué · Making Movies · Love over Gold · ExtendedancEPlay · Alchemy · Brothers in Arms · Money for Nothing · On Every Street · On the Night · Encores · Live at the BBC · Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits · The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler: Private Investigations Hit singles "Sultans of Swing" · "Lady Writer" · "Romeo and Juliet" · "Skateaway" · "Tunnel of Love · "Private Investigations" · "Twisting by the Pool" · "So Far Away" · "Money for Nothing" · "Brothers in Arms" · "Walk of Life" · "Your Latest Trick" · "Calling Elvis" · "Heavy Fuel" · "On Every Street" · "The Bug"