Dire Straits – Live 1978-1992

Compared to my original UK of Alchemy, the remix on here sounds so much better. Buy with confidence

Was a lot of money but well worth it and one way to get a copy of “on the night”. Clean and quiet pressing, nice balance and a must if you like the band. Well worth it.

To be played LOUD... awesome. My vinyl is perfectly flat and sounds phenom. Great extra songs.

Mine are quiet and flat.
I would recommend this collection if you are a Dire Straits fan.

No issues with On the night 2nd record ( side 3&4 ) as other have reported. Play thru without distortion or sibilance. Wish Romeo and Juliet and Private Investigations were on the same side as their sedge-way into each other flowed nicely together on the CD. Not so here. That aside R&J and BIA are perhaps their best live versions of these songs ever.

This is a great set with (almost) no “buts” about it. I’m not experiencing any standout audio anomalies, mastering issues, or distortion. All vinyl is flat and dead quiet. I started with the BBC LP. Within the first minute there were a few loud pops. I cleaned the disc and it was still there. This was the only anomaly in the set. I ordered a second copy, swapped out the BBC disc (which fortunately didn’t pop like the first) and processed a return. If the set wasn’t so expensive I don’t know that I would have gone through that trouble. But I can see myself spinning these discs with great frequency. Very pleased. No regrets. (Purchased in U.S. made in .)

This is a review for the US Warner version because there is no release page on Discogs for it yet (I do not have the time to add it yet). Everything I say should still apply to this European because it's the same cut pressed at the same plant as the US.

Wow. This box sounds amazing. BG's work is fantastic. Much more lively and rich than the CD version of this box, especially on the new Rainbow live album which I didn't really care for on the CD version but love now. The energy added to the album on this vinyl mastering makes it so much better and more engaging to listen to. As for the pressing quality, mine is dead quiet and the packaging is very nice with plastic-lined inner sleeves.

The only disappointing thing with this box is the Encores LP, which re-uses the same cut from the 2021 RSD release. It's mastered very poorly. Even though it was cut by BG like the rest of this set, it was mastered by Bob Ludwig (who did not master the rest of the records in this box). Bob's vinyl mastering in the last few years has had very sharply bright high end which severely detracts from the listening experience. However, the rest of the box makes up for it. Also, there is really bad distortion throughout Side 4 and 7 of On The Night which I suspect may just be my cartridge having issues with the cut. This probably wont affect you if you have a really good system but it might considering it happened to me.

In short, get this box while it's still available and you won't regret it!

All in all a great set, but there is a "BUT" - to my ears all parts of Alchemy sound very weak/trebly, with very little dynamic and almost no bass/lower end, all parts but side six, which sounds absolutely "normal" i. e. does not show these issues.
I compared also with a 1980s pressing and none of the issues were present at that (old) pressing of Alchemy. Very surprised to hear the weak sound now on the new set, especially as the rest of the concerts/LPs in the collection sound quite nice to amazing.
Anybody else having the same or is it just a faulty pressing on my end?

Bought this expensive boxset from Amazon just in case there are any issues, and lo and behold there are issues aplenty. This is the European Mercury/Vertigo edition that is also available in Canada.

The first record set I put on was the Rainbow 3LP set. I noticed on both sides of record 1 and 2 that there was a (no pun intended!) rainbow like film baked into the vinyl. It somehow produces a “whooshing” sound that was especially audible during quieter ages. And just my luck, record 3 side 5 has some unmelted vinyl spec that is greatly indebted and impossible to play.

There is also a very major problem with “On The Night”. Record 2 both sides 3 & 4 suffer from horrible distortion throughout that is very noticeable once the bass and drums kick in. Side 3 is especially bad on “Sultans Of Swing”. It sounds like a very poorly cut LP and almost makes it sound mono with distortion. Kinda like a stylus with tons of gunk on it. I received a replacement but with the same exact problem. The copies I have are so bad that they are pretty much unlistenable especially with all the other discs sounding immaculate. What a crying shame!

And sadly, on “Alchemy” there is a significant amount of “non-fill” on “Private Investigations” which just destroys the ambience of this song. On both copies this appeared! So now both versions of PI that appear in the boxset are sonically defective!

Another major fuck up by Universal that has gone unnoticed by their quality control if they even have one. I urge anyone to check their copy for this fault right away. You can especially hear it with headphones on.

I'm just starting to listen to these - couple opportunities missed: first is they haven't removed the unintended nuisance buzz from early in Alchemy's Local Hero; second to not have a Brothers In Arms concert is a travesty - e.g., give us an official Syney 1986-04-26 or similar - the energy on those is just a step higher than the Every Street concert, where Mark's vocals seem less enthused on the old numbers.