Love over Gold

Following the end of the On Location Tour on 6 July 1981 in Luxembourg, Mark Knopfler began writing songs for Dire Straits' next album. Keyboard player Alan Clark and Californian guitarist Hal Lindes, who both joined the band at the end of 1980 for the On Location Tour, would also be involved with the new album. This was also the last album to feature drummer Pick Withers.

Knopfler was inspired to write "Telegraph Road" after Dire Straits' tour bus drove for miles along Telegraph Road in Detroit:{{cite web |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/dire-straits-alan-clark-2014/ |title=Dire Straits Keyboardist Alan Clark On His New Project, The Straits |last=Wardlaw |first=Matt |date=2014-05-12 |website=Ultimate Classic Rock |publisher=Townsquare Media |access-date=2020-12-09 |quote=We were driving up that road and it's a big, long, straight road and I recall it had one slight kink in it, but other than that it was perfectly straight and it went on for miles and miles and miles into the city of Detroit. The whole song was based around that journey and how somebody else might be making that journey in the early days when the road wasn't there and how the road came about. So it just fired Mark’s imagination, sitting in the front of the tour bus.}}

{{blockquote|I was reading a book at the time called The Growth of the Soil and I just put the two together...it's the same road, and it just went on and on and on forever, it's like what they call linear development, and I just started to think. I wondered how that road must have been when it started, what it must have first been...I was actually sitting in the front of the tour bus at the time.{{cite web |url=https://www.superseventies.com/faq_direstraits.html |title=Dire Straits FAQ Listing |version=1.1 |date=1994-04-06 |website=Super Seventies RockSite |access-date=2021-02-14}}}}

Love over Gold was recorded at the Power Station in New York from 8 March to 11 June 1982.{{cn|date=May 2024}} Knopfler produced the album, with Neil Dorfsman as his engineer—the first in a long line of collaborations between the two.

Knopfler used several guitars during the sessions, including four Schecter Stratocasters—two red, one blue, and one sunburst—a black Schecter Telecaster, an Ovation classical guitar on "Private Investigations" and "Love over Gold", a custom Erlewine Automatic on "Industrial Disease" and his 1937 National steel guitar on "Telegraph Road". Knopfler also used Ovation twelve- and six-string acoustic guitars during the recording.{{cn|date=May 2024}}

A few songs were written and recorded during the Love over Gold sessions that were not released on the album. "Private Dancer" was originally planned for the album, with all but the vocal tracks being recorded. Knopfler decided that a female voice would be more appropriate and handed the song to Tina Turner for her comeback album, Private Dancer.[https://www.mark-knopfler.co.uk/affiliated/turner.aspx Official Community of Mark Knopfler]{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} Accessed 3 June 2007 "The Way It Always Starts" ended up on Knopfler's soundtrack to the film Local Hero, with vocals sung by Gerry Rafferty. "Badges, Posters, Stickers and T-Shirts" was cut from the album and later released in the UK as a B-side to "Private Investigations" and in the United States as the B-side to "Industrial Disease". It was subsequently released in the United States as the third track on the ExtendedancEPlay EP.

Love over Gold was released on 24 September 1982 initially on vinyl LP and cassette, and later on compact disc. "Private Investigations" was released as the lead single from the album in Europe. It reached the number 2 position in the United Kingdom, despite its almost seven minute length, and was Dire Straits’ first single in the UK to reach the top 5. In the United States the shortest track "Industrial Disease" was released as a single, reaching the 75 position on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1983.

The album was remastered and reissued with the rest of the Dire Straits catalogue in 1996 by Vertigo Records internationally, and in 2000 by Warner Bros. records in the United States. The remastered CD features slightly altered cover art; the album title is rendered underneath the band name, both in larger type, rather than arranged across the top. The image of lightning is also somewhat zoomed in and made brighter, making for a more purple color. It remains the only remastered Dire Straits CD with altered cover art (the U.S. remastered CD still retains the original vinyl LP art).

Love over Gold was the final album to feature original drummer Pick Withers, who was replaced by former Dave Edmunds / Rockpile drummer Terry Williams. Dire Straits then embarked on the eight-month-long Love Over Gold Tour which finished with two sold-out concerts at London's Hammersmith Odeon on 22 and 23 July 1983. In January 1983 a four-song EP titled ExtendedancEPlay was released while Love over Gold was still in the album charts. The double album Alchemy Live was a recording of excerpts from the final two concerts of the tour and was reportedly released without studio overdubs.David Drucker (1991) [https://books.google.com/books?id=0rF6bYzmQCUC&q=dire+straits+alchemy Billboard's Complete Book of Audio] Billboard Books Retrieved: 29 December 2010. The concert was also issued on VHS and Laserdisc, and was remastered and released on DVD and Blu-ray in 2010.

"Private Investigations" continued to be played throughout the Brothers in Arms and On Every Street tours, while "Telegraph Road" returned to the band's set list in 1992 during the last half of Dire Straits' final tour, and Knopfler continued to play the track during his tours as a solo artist.

{{Album ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}

| rev2 = Christgau's Record Guide

| rev2score = C+{{cite book |last=Christgau |first=Robert |author-link=Robert Christgau |year=1990 |chapter=Dire Straits |title=Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s |publisher=Pantheon Books |isbn=0-679-73015-X |chapter-url=https://robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=Dire+Straits |access-date=14 September 2024 |via=robertchristgau.com}}

| rev3 = Encyclopedia of Popular Music

| rev3score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite book|first=Colin|last=Larkin|author-link=Colin Larkin|chapter=Dire Straits|title=Encyclopedia of Popular Music|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_NNmFiUnSmUC&q=dire+straits|publisher=Omnibus Press|year=2011|isbn=9780857125958|via=Google Books}}

| rev4 = The Great Rock Discography

| rev4score = 6/10{{cite book|last=Strong |first=Martin C.|author-link=Martin C. Strong|chapter=Dire Straits|title=The Great Rock Discography|date=2004|publisher=Canongate Books|isbn=1-84195-615-5|edition=7|pages=[https://archive.org/details/greatrockdiscogr0000stro_r9o1/page/425/mode/1up 424-425]}}

| rev5 = Mojo

| rev5score = {{Rating|5|5}}{{cite magazine|title=The Work of Life|url=https://archive.org/details/mojo-may-2015/page/47/mode/1up|magazine=Mojo|issue=258|date=May 2015|last=Sheehan|first=Tom|page=47|access-date=25 August 2024}}

| rev6 = MusicHound

| rev6score = 3.5/5{{cite book|title=MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide|publisher=Visible Ink Press|year=1999|isbn=1-57859-061-2|editor1-last=Graff|editor1-first=Gary|page=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9781578590612/page/343/mode/1up 342-344]|chapter=Dire Straits|editor2-last=Durchholz|editor2-first=Daniel}}

| rev7 = Pitchfork

| rev7score = 8.7/10{{Cite web |last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |date=23 September 2020 |title=Dire Straits: Dire Straits Album Review |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/dire-straits-the-studio-albums-1978-1991/ |access-date=23 September 2020 |website=Pitchfork}}

| rev8 = Rolling Stone

| rev8score = {{Rating|4|5}}

| rev9 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide

| rev9score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite book|chapter=Dire Straits|last=Considine|first=J. D.|author-link=J. D. Considine|title=The New Rolling Stone Album Guide|year=2004|publisher=Simon & Schuster|edition=4th|editor1-last=Brackett|editor1-first=Nathan |editor2-last=Hoard|editor2-first=Christian|isbn=0-7432-0169-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/242/mode/2up 242–243]}}

| rev10 = Smash Hits

| rev10score = 7/10{{cite magazine|last=Hepworth|first=David|magazine=Smash Hits|title=Dire Straits: Love over Gold|url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/57779449@N02/51106090117/|issue=101|date=14 October 1982|access-date=14 September 2024}}

}}

In a contemporary review for Rolling Stone, David Fricke called Love over Gold "an ambitious, sometimes difficult record that is exhilarating in its successes and, at the very least, fascinating in its indulgences." Fricke remarked that the album more deeply and at times more dramatically explores a dichotomy present on Dire Straits' earlier albums, between fiery angst and soft sensitivity. He concluded that "in a period when most pop music is conceived purely as product, Love over Gold dares to put art before airplay."{{cite magazine|last=Fricke |first=David |title=Dire Straits: Love Over Gold |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=11 November 1982 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/love-over-gold-19821111 |access-date=5 December 2012}}

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine said that the addition of a new rhythm guitarist "expands [Dire Straits'] sounds and ambitions". Erlewine added, "Since Mark Knopfler is a skilled, tasteful guitarist, he can sustain interest even throughout the languid stretches, but the long, atmospheric, instrumental passages aren't as effective as the group's tight blues-rock, leaving Love over Gold only a fitfully engaging listen."{{cite web|last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |title=Love Over Gold |work=AllMusic |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/love-over-gold-mw0000189679 |access-date=5 December 2012}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Side one

| all_writing = Mark Knopfler

| title1 = Telegraph Road

| length1 = 14:18

| title2 = Private Investigations

| length2 = 6:46

}}

{{Track listing

| headline = Side two

| title3 = Industrial Disease

| length3 = 5:50

| title4 = Love over Gold

| length4 = 6:17

| title5 = It Never Rains

| length5 = 7:59

| total_length = 41:10

}}

Dire Straits

• Mark Knopfler – vocals, guitars
• Hal Lindes – guitars
• John Illsley – bass
• Alan Clark – keyboards
• Pick Withers – drums

Additional musicians

• Ed Walsh – synthesizer programming
• Mike Mainieri – vibraphone and marimba (2, 4)

Production

• Mark Knopfler – producer
• Neil Dorfsman – engineer
• Barry Bongiovi – assistant engineer
• Bob Ludwig – mastering at Masterdisk (New York City, New York, USA)
• Peter Cunningham – photography{{cite AV media notes |title=Love over Gold |others=Dire Straits |year=1982 |pages=2, 11 |type=booklet |publisher=Warner Bros. Records |id=947772-2 |location=Burbank, California}}
• Alan Lobel – photography
• Michae Rowe – sleeve design
• Damage Management – management

{{col-start}}

{{col-2}}

Love over Gold spent 200 weeks in the UK Albums Chart.{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/archive/official-albums-chart/ |title=Love over Gold |work=Official Charts Company |date=22 June 1996 |access-date=19 January 2012 }}

{{col-2}}

{{col-end}}

{{Certification Table Top}}

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{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Austria|artist=Dire Straits|title=Love Over Gold|award=Platinum|relyear=1982|certref={{cite magazine|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Music-and-Media/80s/1987/M&M-1987-12-26.pdf|title=Gold & Platinum Awards 1987|magazine=Music & Media|pages=42–46|date=26 December 1987|access-date=7 July 2020}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Belgium|award=Gold|relyear=1982|certyear=1983|certref={{cite magazine|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Billboard-Index/IDX/1983/1983-03-12-Billboard-Page-0008.pdf|title=An album so electric it's taken the world by storm - Dire Straits Lover Over Gold|magazine=Billboard|date=March 12, 1983|page=8}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Brazil|artist=Dire Straits|title=Love Over Gold|nocert=true|salesamount=60,000|salesref={{cite news|author=Tarik de Souza|url=http://memoria.bn.br/DocReader/docreader.aspx?bib=030015_11&pasta=ano%20199&pesq=communique%20dire%20straits&pagfis=52567|newspaper=Jornal do Brasil|title=Volta os campeões de audiência|language=pt|date=12 September 1991|page=38|via=National Library of Brazil|quote=Alam da platina tripla pelos 750 mil copias de Brothers in Arms, a banda de Mark Knopfler garimpou entre nos duas platina dimples de 250 mil cada (Alchemy, o primeiro que estourou, em 84, e coletânea Money for Nothing, de 8) e um disco de ouro (no LP de estreia Dire Straits, de 79)|access-date=23 October 2023}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Canada|artist=Dire Straits|title=Love Over Gold|award=Platinum|number=2|certyear=1985|relyear=1982|access-date=July 13, 2022}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Denmark|award=Silver|relyear=1982|certyear=1983|certref=|salesamount=25,000|salesref={{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1990/MM-1990-01-13.pdf|access-date=August 30, 2024|title=Scandinavian Statistics-Norway|magazine=Music & Media|date=January 13, 1990|page=28}}}}

{{certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Finland|artist=Dire Straits|title=Love Over Gold|award=Platinum|certyear=1982|relyear=1982|salesamount=64,912}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=France|artist=Dire Straits|title=Love Over|award=Platinum|relyear=1982|certyear=1984|certref={{cite web|title=Les Certifications depuis 1973: Albums|url=http://www.infodisc.fr/Album_Certifications.php |publisher=Infodisc.fr |access-date=2 March 2019}} (select "Dire Straits" from drop-down list)}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Germany|artist=Dire Straits|title=Love Over Gold|award=Platinum|certyear=1987|relyear=1982}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Israel|award=Silver|nosales=true|relyear=1982|certyear=1983|certref=}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Italy|award=Gold|relyear=1982|certyear=1983|certref=|salesamount=100,000|salesref={{cite magazine|url=http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Music-and-Media/80s/1987/M&M-1987-12-26.pdf|title=Gold & Platinum Awards 1987|magazine=Music & Media|page=44|date=26 December 1987|access-date=23 September 2021}}|note=original release}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Italy|artist=Dire Straits|title=Love Over Gold|award=Gold|certyear=2020|relyear=1982|note=sales since 2009|accessdate=26 October 2020}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Netherlands|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=1982|certyear=1983|certref=|salesamount=364,501|salesref={{cite web|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-Business/Music/Billboard-Index/IDX/1989/1989-soul-Billboard-Page-0143.pdf|title=Group Has Sold More Than 2 Mil Disks - Dutch Delight In Dire Straits - Dutch Delight in Dire Straits|publisher=Billboard|page=67|first=Willem|last=Hoos|date=16 December 1989|access-date=23 October 2023}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=New Zealand|award=Platinum|number=3|relyear=1982|certyear=1983|certref=}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Norway|award=Gold|relyear=1982|certyear=1983|certref=|salesamount=50,000|salesref=}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=South Africa|award=Platinum|relyear=1982|certyear=1983|certref=}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Spain|artist=Dire Straits|title=Love over Gold|award=Gold|relyear=1982|certyear=1983|certref={{cite book|first= Fernando |last= Salaverri |title= Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 |url= http://www.mediafire.com/view/x263f6daopkswo8 |edition= 1st |date= September 2005 |publisher= Fundación Autor-SGAE |location= Spain |isbn= 84-8048-639-2}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Sweden|award=Gold|relyear=1982|certyear=1983|certref=}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=Switzerland|award=Platinum|relyear=1982|certyear=1983|certref=}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=United Kingdom|artist=Dire Straits|title=Love Over Gold|award=Platinum|number=2|certyear=1985|relyear=1982|id=4049-641-2}}

{{Certification Table Entry|type=album|region=United States|artist=Dire Straits|title=Love Over Gold|award=Gold|certyear=1986|relyear=1982}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Yugoslavia|type=album|title=Love Over Gold|artist=Dire Straits|nocert=true|salesamount=21,979|relyear=1982|salesref={{cite web|url=http://www.yugopapir.com/2014/08/pred-izlogom-stranih-ploca-2deo.html|title=Rang-lista licencnih izdanja|publisher=Yugopapir|first=Darko|last=Hudelist|date=1 October 1984|access-date=4 November 2019}}}}

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{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.markknopfler.com/music/discography/cd/MK_DireStraitsDetails.aspx?AlbumId=fab8ba89-9923-48d3-8622-2eb354418a44 Love over Gold] at Mark Knopfler's website

{{Dire Straits}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Love Over Gold}}

Category:1982 albums

Category:Albums produced by Mark Knopfler

Category:Dire Straits albums

Category:Vertigo Records albums

Category:Warner Records albums