Dire Straits have a very special release for a National Album Day

Making Movies is one of my favorite Dire Straits albums. So when there is news of a limited edition special release of it my ears prick up. When released in 1980 it was their third album. It followed their outstanding and self-titled 1978 debut album which really launched the band and the somewhat overlooked, but still excellent, Communique from 1979.

That's a lot to live up to. By the time a band gets to their third release, it can often be a difficult period. Making Movies though was a step forward. The songwriting and arrangements by Mark Knopfler had deepened and become more complex. Making Movies has great songs throughout and suggests, as was very much the case, that this band had much more to offer.

Their latest offering is to help mark National Album Day on October 19 in the UK. Dire Straits is making a half-speed mastered version of Making Movies on black 180g vinyl. Half speed means the vinyl cutting is carried out at a slower speed than usual and the sound recording is fed into that process at the same slower speed.

Dire Straits Making Movies album special release

Why bother? Well, that slower process can improve the sound quality of the album, especially around higher frequencies. Normally they can be more difficult to capture.  Using the slower speed reduces the frequency and mitigates that issue. 

Putting the technical aspects to one side for a moment, this special edition will also feature a slightly different sleeve cover with reversed artwork coloring. Expect a pale blue cover with a red tab on the right-hand side rather than the original mainly red with a blue tab sleeve.  There’s also an Abbey Road half-speed mastering strip down the left-hand side, all making it look very collectible.

National Album Day is very much a UK feature and the theme of ‘Great British Bands’ likewise. The Dire Straits release will be available to order overseas too. And it’s just one of a long list of special Great British Band releases that day. An extensive list includes the likes of Babyshambles, Judas Priest, Siouxsie And The Banshees, Simple Minds, Simply Red, and The Rolling Stones alongside pop acts like The Spice Girls, Sugarbabes, and a whole lot more. 

You can see the whole list online at National Album Day. That site has more specific details on the various albums, colored vinyl, and many more special features. Quite a collector's treasure trove if you are into the bands listed there. Plus of course that special Dire Straits album and cover from above too.

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