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.
It’s a bit early to roll out New Year’s resolutions, but I know one of mine will be to do more Deep (and Shallow) Dives on the blog. So far this year I’ve given that treatment to just one musical artist: Jason Isbell (I also explored the filmographies of David Lynch and Vincente Minnelli).
Last year, I dove into the five-album catalog of Jim Croce and did my first Shallow Dive, covering selected works by Barbra Streisand. Those were all rewarding (for me, at least) and I’m determined to add several other names to the list over the next year.
The week of December 7, 1985, found Phoenix-based band Mr. Mister having a moment. ‘Broken Wings,’ the first single from their sophomore album Welcome to the Real World, reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks.
The album’s next single, ‘Kyrie,’ would have its own two-week stint atop the chart the following March. And third single ‘Is It Love’ would reach the top ten in the summer of 1986. That trio of songs is pretty much the extent of most people’s knowledge of the quartet.
Throwing back to the week of December 6, 1975, we find German disco trio Silver Convention atop the Billboard Hot 100 with their biggest hit, ‘Fly, Robin, Fly.’
This song held the #1 spot for three weeks, and was both preceded and followed by KC & the Sunshine Band’s ‘That’s the Way (I Like It).’ It was a good time to be a disco fan.
Meet Me In Montauk 