The Police Edinburgh Playhouse 8 12 1983 flac, a very average but very hard to find if you want it to be genuine recording and not just an idiot uploading another copy of the second night as it is on youtube. Transferred from cassettes of the same age and I've no doubt millions of people could do a better job.
Dire Straits
February 2, 1992
Oakland Coliseum Arena
Oakland, California
Walt K. master tape
Walt K. Master Series, Vol. IV
via JEMS Archive and slipkid68
Recording Equipment: Sony ECM-150 mics > Sony WM-D6C
2021 JEMS Transfer: Master cassettes > Nakamichi CR-7A (azimuth adjustment) > Sound Devices USBPre 2 > Audacity 2.4.2 24/96 .wav capture > iZotope RX7 > downsample to 16/44 > FLAC> Audacity 2.4.2 (tracking and finishing with RX7 and TLH)
Run time: 2:13:43
Musicians:
Alan Clark (keyboards)
Danny Cummings (percussion)
Guy Fletcher (keyboards)
Paul Franklin (pedal steel guitar)
John Illsley (bass)
Mark Knopfler (guitar, vocals)
Phil Palmer (guitar)
Chris White (saxophone)
Chris Whitten (drums)
01. Calling Elvis
02. Walk of Life
03. Heavy Fuel
04. Romeo and Juliet
05. Planet of New Orleans
06. The Bug
07. Private Investigations
08. Sultans of Swing
09. On Every Street
10. Fade To Black
11. I Think I Love You Too Much
12. Two Young Lovers
13. interlude
14. Tunnel of Love
15. encore break
16. false start
17. Money For Nothing
18. Brothers In Arms
Known faults: due to a tape change, track 11 is incomplete.
The Walt K. Master Series returns with Dire Straits, recorded live in Oakland, California in 1992. It features the clarity that typifies Walt’s recordings. He was like a tractor beam for sound waves — if you’ve heard his tapes of The Pretenders and Bruce Springsteen (both made in 1984) or Eric Clapton (from 1990), you're familiar with the high quality of his captures.
Being a Grateful Dead enthusiast, Walt probably saw more shows at the Oakland Coliseum Arena than at any other venue, where the band gigged 66 times. As a result, he had a sense for where the better taping ticket was located, which pays a handsome dividend in this instance. Very little of the enthusiastic arena crowd bleeds into a rich, dynamic soundscape.
While the 15-song set presents mainstays like “Walk of Life,” “Sultans of Swing,” and “Money For Nothing,” its “night two” variety should appeal to the more discerning Dire Straits fan. Mark Knopfler implied that his blues composition “I Think I Love You Too Much” (recorded in 1990 by Jeff Healey) didn’t get played often; “Planet of New Orleans” and “Fade to Black” fall into the lesser-played category for sure. On those, the band leaned in and the audience did, too.
The 229-date tour behind “On Every Street” was the final one for Dire Straits. Whatever the vibe off stage, the band remained focused on the music. And what good fortune to have an amazing master tape to work with: my old pal BK handled the transfer and post-production. I followed up, removing scores of extraneous noises and applying fades. It plays beautfiully and we hope you enjoy it.
Walt passed away in 2006. Always resourceful, he guided me into the world of the Grateful Dead and mapped out the fundamentals of jazz music. Later, we shared a great fondness for Pearl Jam. Whether imparting a life lesson or loaning me his D6 so I could record U2, Walt was a terrific friend and ally. His wife Helen survives him, and she graciously allowed me to share his work. Thank you, Helen.
And as Walt himself said, share it freely, and for free!