Dire Straits followed up their successful debut album with another release just a year later. That album, Communiqué, didn’t make as big a splash as its predecessor but it did go Platinum in the UK and Gold in the U.S.

Recorded in Nassau, Communiqué offers an interesting blend of blues rock and what can only be described as reggae. That island flair doesn’t show up on every track but when it does it gives a new and unexpected dimension to the record.

While the band’s debut boasted a big hit in ‘Sultans of Swing,’ this one lacked a monster single. Lead-off single ‘Lady Writer’ stalled at #45 while the next one, ‘Once Upon a Time in the West,’ failed to chart at all. The album’s better known tracks are ‘Portobello Belle’ and ‘Where Do You Think You’re Going?,’ which were included (in alternate forms) on a future compilation.

Despite the softer footprint, Communiqué is a stronger album than the debut. The songs are delicate and thoughtful and feel less like bluesy filler than some of the first album’s tracks. I particularly took to today’s SOTD, ‘News,’ a slinkily sad ballad about a reckless motorcyclist.

Communiqué was the last Dire Straits album to feature founding member David Knopfler. Tensions between David and brother Mark came to head during the early recording sessions of their next album and he left the band to pursue a solo career.