"…Water To Be Found…"
Dire Straits by DIRE STRAITS (2013 Japan-Only
Platinum SHM-CD Remaster)
What with Blu Spec 2, Blu Ray Audio and SHM - it's hard to know your
formats anymore (I remember when Quadrophonic LPs bothered my Garrard). Well
here comes another format to replace the 30-year old basic CD - the PLATINUM
SHM-CD as championed by Universal in Japan. And they might actually have
something this time to genuinely rave about because this disc has beautiful
sound quality (if not a little too clinically clean for some ears). Here are
the gory digital/technical details...
The debut vinyl album was originally issued in the UK on Vertigo 9102
021 in June 1978 with a CD remaster in June 1996 and a further Japan-Only
remaster onto SHM-CD in 2010. This Platinum SHM-CD version of "Dire
Straits" by DIRE STRAITS was released 25 September 2013 in Japan on Universal/Vertigo
UICY-40008 (Barcode 4988005782182). It's listed as up for deletion in April
2014.
PETER MATTHEWS did the Tape Research while RICHARD WHITTAKER carried out
the DSD flat transfer in 2013 from original UK master tapes at FX Copyroom
Studios in London. MANABU MATSUMURA then edited this into DSD after which
YUMETOKI SUZUKI transferred that at Universal's Studios in Tokyo (176
4kHZ/24bit). The disc is a HR cut (High Resolution) and comes in an outer
presentation box that has the album's artwork and a full box-sized wraparound
Obi strip. Inside the box is a 5" card repro of the album artwork (itself
with an Obi) with the album's original inner lyric sleeve.
The 16-page booklet is the usual plain white Japanese affair with liner
notes in Japanese and the lyrics in English with some mastering details. The CD
itself as you see from the photo is a garish almost blue-ice colour kept in a
gauze sleeve (a list of other titles in this series is below). The repro is
beautifully done - even down to the texture of the sleeve and inner bag. Their
Japanese price is 3800 yen so they're not cheap - about £26 to £30 depending on
exchange rates. Even though they won't fit on a conventional CD shelf,
aesthetically you'd have to say that these 'mini box sets' are a very sweet
thing to look at indeed - luxurious even (I've uploaded photos above) and
concentrating at the moment on hugely collectable titles and classic rock
bands.
I owned the 2010 SHM-CD of "Dire Straits" which has fabulous
sound quality - but I'd have to say that this 2013 version is better with
incredibly clean sound - the rhythm section particularly pronounced on almost
every track to a clarity that its never had before.
1. Down To The Waterline [Side 1]
2. Water Of Love
3. Setting Me Up
4. Six Blade Knife
5. Southbound Again
6. Sultans Of Swing [Side 2]
7. In the Gallery
8. Wild West End
9. Lions
The opening misty horn on "Down To The Waterline" is eerie and
when the track hits 2:50 minutes you'd swear the bass and drums are going to
kick your speakers in. There is the hiss that was there before but its not so
pronounced that it would detract. Then you get the first of two slices of audio
and musical heaven - "Water Of Love" is the first - the other is
"Wild West End" (lyrics from it title this review). You can hear the
squeaking of Dobro strings and the rhythm guitar is definitely more pronounced
on "Water" and the steel guitar on "Wild West End" is
simply glorious. What a beautiful song it is - and here it finally gets the
sonic muscle and clarity its always deserved.
Again on the slick "Six Blade Knife" (such a great track) -
the rhythm section of bass and drums seem suddenly alive. I always thought it
was my vinyl album that made "Southbound Again" so gruff (being at
the end of Side 1) - but here its even gruffer - so it was on the tapes all
along. The big hit "Sultans Of Swing" sounds amazing - as does the
left-side rhythm guitar on the slinky "In The Gallery" (another album
highlight). My only real criticism is that at times I found it all a little
'too' clinically clean and even restrained in places. I had to give some tracks
a bit of welly on my Marantz CD and Amp combo and when I did - wow!
Having said that - I suspect that you will not need high-end gear to
hear the very real difference here - quality all the way. And like many – I’ve
overlooked this album in place of its more famous successors ‘Love Over Gold’
and ‘Brothers In Arms’. I’d genuinely forgotten how utterly brilliant the Dire
Straits debut album was and still is...and this gorgeous version of it brings
that out. A must own if you’re a fan...
So to sum up - it's a must own if you're a fan of this superb debut
album. Part of me hates this because now they've got me thinking I need
"Sticky Fingers", "What's Going On", "Who's
Next", "Every Picture Tells A Story"...the list goes on (most
remastered in 2013 for this format). As you can see from the list below,
Platinum SHM-CD reissues are already gathering pace.
My bank manager will be pleased...
For info purposes, some titles released in Japan on the
PLATINUM SHM-CD format:
At Fillmore East - THE ALLMAN BROTHERS (25 Sep 2013, 2013 remaster
from US tapes)
Asia - ASIA (30 Oct 2013)
Blind Faith - BLIND FAITH (30 Oct 2013)
Doc At Radar Station - CAPTAIN BEEFHEART (27 May 2015)
Ice Cream For Crow - CAPTAIN BEEFHEART (27 May 2015)
Singles 1969-1973 - THE CARPENTERS (due 26 Mar 2014)
A Love Supreme - JOHN COLTRANE (27 Nov 2013)
Ballads - JOHN COLTRANE (27 Nov 2013)
Disraeli Gears - CREAM (1 disc, Mono & Stereo Mixes + 6 Bonus,
27 Nov 2013)
Fresh Cream - CREAM (2 disc set, Mono & Stereo mixes + 12
bonus, 18 Dec 2013)
Wheels Of Fire - CREAM (2 disc set + 4 bonus tracks, 18 Dec 2013)
Relaxin’ With The Miles Davis Quintet - MILES DAVIS (30 Oct 2013)
Layla... - DEREK & THE DOMINOES (25 Sep 2013, 2013 remaster
from US tapes)
Dire Straits - DIRE STRAITS (24 Sep 2013)
Love Over Gold - DIRE STRAITS (27 Nov 2013)
Communiqué - DIRE STRAITS (27 August 2014)
Brothers In Arms - DIRE STRAITS (23 April 2014)
Pictures At An Exhibition - EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER (23 April
2014)
Waltz For Debby - BILL EVANS (30 Oct 2013)
Let's Stick Together - BRYAN FERRY (29 April 2015)
Boys & Girls - BRYAN FERRY (29 April 2015)
Ella and Louis - ELLA FITZGERALD and LOUIS ARMSTRONG (27 Nov 2013)
What’s Going On - MARVIN GAYE (25 Sep 2013 plus 6 bonus tracks)
The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway - GENESIS (27 November 2014)
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - ELTON JOHN (2 disc set, 27 Nov 2013)
The Look Of Love - DIANA KRALL (27 Nov 2013)
Imagine - JOHN LENNON (3 December 2014)
Carmen Fantasie - ANNE-SOPHIE MUTTER (27 Nov 2013)
Tubular Bells - MIKE OLDFIELD (Plus 2 Bonus Tracks, 30 Oct 2013)
Meets The Rhythm Section - ART PEPPER (30 Oct 2013)
We Get Requests - OSCAR PETERSON (27 Nov 2013)
Regatta De Blanc - THE POLICE (27 Nov 2013)
Synchronicity - THE POLICE (18 Dec 2013 with “Murder By Numbers”
bonus track)
Queen 2 - QUEEN (18 Dec 2013)
A Night At The Opera - QUEEN (25 Sep 2013)
News Of The World - QUEEN (30 Oct 2013)
Difficult To Care - RAINBOW (18 Dec 2013)
Saxophone Colossus - SONNY ROLLINS (30 Oct 2013)
Sticky Fingers - THE ROLLING STONES (30 Oct 2013)
Exile On Main St. - THE ROLLING STONES (25 Sep 2013, 2LP set on
1CD)
Goat’s Head Soup - THE ROLLING STONES (27 Nov 2013)
It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll - THE ROLLING STONES (18 Dec 2013)
Black And Blue - THE ROLLING STONES (27 Nov 2013)
Love You Live - THE ROLLING STONES (2 disc set, 18 Dec 2013)
Some Girls - THE ROLLING STONES (30 Oct 2013)
Tattoo You - THE ROLLING STONES (25 Sep 2013)
Avalon - ROXY MUSIC (28 Jan 2015)
Never Mind The Bollocks... - SEX PISTOLS (12-track version, 2013
remaster, 27 Nov 2013)
The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle - SEX PISTOLS (18 Dec 2013)
Aja - STEELY DAN (25 Sep 2013)
Gaucho - STEELY DAN (30 Oct 2013)
Every Picture Tells A Story - ROD STEWART (27 Nov 2013)
Breakfast In America - SUPERTRAMP (27 Nov 2013)
Phaedra - TANGERINE DREAM (25 February 2015)
The Original Soundtrack - 10cc (Plus 4 Bonus Tracks, 30 Oct 2013)
Tommy - THE WHO (27 August 2014)
Who’s Next - THE WHO (25 Sep 2013 - no bonus tracks - 2010
remaster)
Quadrophenia - THE WHO (2 disc set, 18 Dec 2013)
Argus - WISHBONE ASH (Plus 4 Bonus Tracks, 30 Oct 2013)
Talking Book - STEVIE WONDER (25 Sep 2013)
Innervisions - STEVIE WONDER (30 Oct 2013)
Fulfillingness First Finale - STEVIE WONDER (27 Nov 2013)
Songs In The Key Of Life - STEVIE WONDER (2 disc set, 18 Dec 2013)
