Adding a new rhythm guitarist,
Dire Straits expands its sounds and ambitions on the sprawling
Love Over Gold. In a sense, the album is their prog rock effort, containing only five songs, including the 14-minute opener "Telegraph Road." 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. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine