Rocks In The Attic #106: Dire Straits - ‘Making Movies’ (1980)

I’m as much a fan of minimalism as the next man, but I sincerely hope that the person who designed this album cover was fired immediately for being incredibly lazy. What an opportunity: to design something - a piece of art, even - that will be consumed by many people; and the best you can manage is a blank red cover with a blue edge which makes the album look like an office file.

Musos tend to dislike Dire Straits, and they have good reason to, as they’re the very definition of Dad Rock; but this album comes a whole five years before the global hit Brothers In Arms and it doesn’t have the disadvantage of sounding like it belongs in the 80s, like its successors commonly do.

Hit: Romeo And Juliet

Hidden Gem: Solid Rock