Any Dire Straits Fans In Here?

The thing about Dire Straits is, they made the huge mistake of recording the song "Walk of Life". Had it not been for that piece of kitsch, they might have been more accepted, because almost everything else is much more genuine. But it seems "Walk of Life" is the song that most people associate them with. It very often appears in retro 80's playlists.

I really like Dire Straits, except that song.

I'm probably shouting my age out here, but I'm a fan with a question for other Dire Straits fans.

Based on what you've listened to, what are the best and worst CD or SACD releases of the band's original studio albums from '78 to '91?

We own 5 out of 6 of the original albums created in this time period, so I'll comment on each of those releases both good and bad.

This is a pretty sweet sounding release with very respectable dynamic range (from 11 to 13) and good fidelity.  This also happens to be my favorite DS album, with about three of my all-time Knopfler faves on it: Southbound Again, In the Gallery and, of course, Down to the Waterline (in no particular order).

In short, if you like this album, try to find this release.  It sounds every bit as good as most SACDs I've listened to and its dynamic range numbers bear this out (from 12 to 14).  It has incredible fidelity and is, quite simply, a testament to high-quality recording techniques.

Unfotunately, this is the worst-sounding DS album we own and its dynamic range numbers really tell the tale (9 to 12 with an average of 10).  Quite frankly, it sounds like the master mold was nearly worn out when it was pressed, which is a real shame because it has a few really classic DS songs on it.

Although the dynamic range numbers are pretty varied here (from 9 to 14 with an average of 11), this release only has one really great sounding recording on it, Private Investigations (Track 2).  As Telegraph Road is a real testament to finger-picked guitar, I'm sorry to write that this release doesn't come close to doing it justice. 

As we don't presently have a way to actually test the dynamic range of this SACD, I can't attest to the DR numbers.  I can say, however, that it has pretty sweet fidelity for the most part.  I'm not crazy about the way that MK's unbelievably great finger-picking was mixed for the song that makes "strictly rhythm" an art form, the wonderful, Why Worry (with its classic instrumental ending).  It does have it highlights, however, especially if you're a fan of DS' ultra-pop songs like Money for Nothing and Walk of Life.

We don't presently own this album in any format, which is one of the reasons that I wanted to ask the General Music Discussions board for their thoughts on the CD and SACD recordings of the great original Dire Straits albums.

Many thanks to any and all Dire Straits fans who take the time to add to this discussion.