Dire Straits / Live 1978-1992

A new CD and vinyl box set called Live 1978-1992 focuses on the live recordings of Dire Straits.

These packages spotlight four main concerts (or live albums): Alchemy (1983), On The Night (1993), the Live at the BBC compilation from 1995 and Live from the Rainbow Theatre, a 1979 gig which is previously unreleased.

Alchemy and On The Night are both newly remastered, with neither having been available on vinyl for ages. Talking of vinyl, in what is a 12LP vinyl box set version of Live 1978-1992, Alchemy is expanded to 3LPs and includes ‘Love Over Gold’ and the extended versions of ‘Telegraph Road’, ‘Solid Rock’ and ‘Going Home’, with the addition of the full length version of ‘Portobello Belle’ (an edit of which is on the 1988 Money For Nothing compilation). ‘Industrial Disease’ and ‘Twisting By The Pool’ are also new to the CD edition.

On The Night is also expanded (on CD and vinyl) to include tracks performed during the tour which have never been released, taken from multitrack recordings of shows in Nimes, Rotterdam and Paris. The seven extra tracks are: ‘Tunnel Of Love, ‘Telegraph Road’, ‘Sultans Of Swing’, ‘Two Young Lovers’, ‘When it Comes To You’, ‘I Think I Love You Too Much’ and ‘Fade to Black’.

The On The Night ‘Encores EP‘ (which was issued on CD and vinyl back in 1993) is included as an extra disc in both the vinyl and CD box set. Same four tracks as before, although this new box uses the Black Friday 2021 remastering. Despite On The Night and the Encores release being issued in 1993, the performances and recordings were made in 1992, hence the 1978-1992 box set title is accurate!

The Live at the BBC selection features the same eight tracks on the 1995 release, seven of which are from a July 1978 BBC ‘In Concert’ performance, although Tunnel of Love is taken from a January 1981 Old Grey Whistle Test.

Finally, the Live from the Rainbow Theatre show from 1979 has been newly mixed by Guy Fletcher and features guest performances from Phil Lynott and Tony de Meur on the last four tracks of the set.

The CD box is eight discs, while as stated earlier, the vinyl box is a massive 12LPs, with a price tag that is not going to appeal to the casual fan. Alchemy and On The Night alone take up EIGHT of these records (if you include the Encores EP). However, the CD box will be a tempting companion to the Studio Albums CD box of 2020. Both live box sets come with a booklet featuring a new essay by Paul Sexton, with the alliterative title: ‘Making Milestones: The Momentous Road Years Of Dire Straits’.

Live 1978-1992 will be released on 3 November 2023, via UMR/Mercury.

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Dire Straits

Live 1978-1992 - 8CD box set

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Dire Straits

Live 1978-1992 - 12LP vinyl box

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Tracklisting

The Live Albums 1978-1992 Dire Straits /

• 12LP vinyl box set
  • LP 1: Alchemy

    Side A

    1. ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST
    2. INDUSTRIAL DISEASE

    Side B

    1. EXPRESSO LOVE
    2. ROMEO AND JULIET
    3. LOVE OVER GOLD
  • LP 2: Alchemy

    Side C

    1. PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS
    2. SULTANS OF SWING
    3. TWISTING BY THE POOL

    Side D

    1. TWO YOUNG LOVERS
    2. PORTOBELLO BELLE
  • LP 3: Alchemy

    Side E

    1. TUNNEL OF LOVE
    2. SOLID ROCK

    Side F

    1. TELEGRAPH ROAD
    2. GOING HOME – THEME FROM ‘LOCAL HERO’
  • LP 4: On The Night

    Side A

    1. CALLING ELVIS
    2. WALK OF LIFE

    Side B

    1. HEAVY FUEL
    2. ROMEO AND JULIET
  • LP 5: On The Night

    Side C

    1. PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS
    2. SULTANS OF SWING

    Side D

    1. FADE TO BLACK
    2. YOUR LATEST TRICK
    3. WHEN IT COMES TO YOU
    4. I THINK I LOVE YOU TOO MUCH
  • LP 6: On The Night

    Side E

    1. YOU AND YOUR FRIEND
    2. ON EVERY STREET
    3. TWO YOUNG LOVERS

    Side F

    1. TUNNEL OF LOVE
  • LP 7: On The Night

    Side G

    1. TELEGRAPH ROAD

    Side H

    1. MONEY FOR NOTHING
    2. BROTHERS IN ARMS
  • LP 8: Encores

    Side A

    1. YOUR LATEST TRICK
    2. THE BUG

    Side B

    1. SOLID ROCK
    2. LOCAL HERO – WILD THEME
  • LP 9: Live at the BBC

    Side A

    1. DOWN TO THE WATERLINE
    2. SIX BLADE KNIFE
    3. WATER OF LOVE
    4. WILD WEST END
    5. SULTANS OF SWING

    Side B

    1. LIONS
    2. WHAT’S THE MATTER BABY?
    3. TUNNEL OF LOVE
  • LP 10: Live at the Rainbow

    Side A

    1. DOWN TO THE WATERLINE
    2. SIX BLADE KNIFE
    3. ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST
    4. LADY WRITER

    Side B

    1. LIONS
    2. SULTANS OF SWING
    3. LES BOYS
    4. PORTOBELLO BELLE
  • LP 11: Live at the Rainbow

    Side C

    1. NEWS
    2. WHAT’S THE MATTER BABY?
    3. SETTING ME UP
    4. IN THE GALLERY

    Side D

    1. SOLID ROCK
    2. SOUTHBOUND AGAIN
    3. WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING?
  • LP 12: Live at the Rainbow

    Side E

    1. WILD WEST END
    2. TWISTING BY THE POOL
    3. GOOD MORNING LITTLE SCHOOLGIRL*

    Side F

    1. THAT’S ALRIGHT MAMA*
    2. NADINE*
    3. KEEP ON KNOCKING*

    * WITH PHIL LYNOTT AND TONY DE MEUR