“Sultans of Swing” dominated the airwaves during my youth, but Communiqué was my first Dire Straits record. My uncle Mark had a copy, and we listened to it frequently.
I initially loved “Sultans of Swing,” but radio eventually wore it out for me. Dire Straits’ self-titled debut sat untouched in my collection for years.
Then one day, random play in my digital music library brought me back to “Wild West End.” It became my favorite track on the album, and my favorite Dire Straits song.
Rediscovering “Wild West End”
I’ve always loved Mark Knopfler’s guitar playing, and “Wild West End” is my favorite example of it.
There Are Places I Remember: Songs About Places describes the song’s “lazy summer mood” and compares the atmosphere created by Knopfler’s National guitar to a stroll through a small North Carolina town. It’s an evocative description of a song set in London.
“Six Blade Knife” deserves an honorable mention, too.
“Sultans of Swing” may have been the song I heard everywhere, but “Wild West End” is the one that brought me back to Dire Straits.
