Dire Straits”Making Movies” (1980) Warner Bros.”Making Movies”...

Dire Straits

“Making Movies” (1980)

Warner Bros.

“Making Movies” proved an apt and prophetic title for Dire Straits’ most accomplished and memorable work. The English band’s third album, marked by some richly cinematic characteristics, helped lay the groundwork for leader Mark Knopfler’s successful leap three years later into film scoring (including “Local Hero” and “The Princess Bride”).

Touchingly lyrical and dramatic in feel, the first three tracks (or, Side One) seem to connect like songs from a bittersweet romance film. The album begins innocently enough, with a snippet of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Carousel Waltz.” But the mood shifts when this lilting intro segues abruptly into the electrically charged, eight-minute epic “Tunnel of Love,” a nostalgic number that flows beautifully via Knopfler’s expressive Dylanesque voice and tough/tender guitar work. Encompassing a wide range of emotions, from sexual excitement to mournful regret, it captures a rock ‘n’ roll auteur at his creative peak.

“Tunnel of Love” is followed by the heartbreaking acoustic ballad “Romeo and Juliet.” An ‘80s update of the Shakespearean tragedy, this lengthy and stirring tale includes the unforgettable lyric: “Juliet, the dice was loaded from the start.” “Skateaway” closes Knopfler’s mini-rock opera. Simmering rhythmic tension and a spirited chorus energize this song about a girl who fantasizes a rich and romantic life while roller skating through the streets to the rock ‘n’ roll on her Walkman.

The four tracks that make up the second half of “Making Movies” are more traditionally conceived rock and pop numbers. Instrumentally, the album packs plenty of panache and passion. Whether he is burning down the house with some raunchy riffs or executing a sensitive solo, Knopfler exhibits all the skills that made him one of the premier guitarists of his era.