DIRE STRAITS

Despite the fact that LOVE OVER GOLD contains only five songs, the powerful effect of these selections makes this Dire Straits' most underrated record. Building on the ambitious arrangements and more sophisticated story-songs that made up the prior MAKING MOVIES, Mark Knopfler audaciously composed "Telegraph Road," a near-15-minute cut that traces society's technological evolution. Although this kind of subject matter might sound ostensibly dry, Knopfler's crisp playing and warm raspy voice, combined with Alan Clark's gorgeous keyboard runs, makes for a sweeping experience. Elsewhere, Knopfler uses the satirical romp "Industrial Disease" to turn a lesson on international economics and bureaucratic red tape into an infectious shuffle. Rounding out this unusual pop album are the atmospheric piano-driven title track, the ominously film-noir-flavored "Private Investigations," and "It Never Rains," the story of a hard-luck lover that comes off with an optimistic air thanks to Clark's pulsing organ playing and Knopfler's robust delivery.

Estimated despatch 5-10 days after ordering.