First off, the sound quality of this recording is great, not muddy like you find in a lot of live recordings. Each band member is clearly audible. 75% of the album consists of live versions of what I consider to be the best tracks off their debut album. Then there are two other songs--"What's the Matter Baby" and "Tunnel of Love." Good live versions of all these songs, but they're essentially play just like they are on the studio versions (with the exception of "What's the Matter Baby"...is there a studio version of that anywhere?). Nothing really special about them, just your run of the mill live album that happens to have exceptionally good sound quality. I will admit though that the version of "Sultans of Swing" on this recording is great, and Knopfler's guitar solo on it is amazing. I still like the "Alchemy" album better.

"Live at the BBC" is a decent, but not terribly memorable live album from Dire Straits. It contains a mere eight songs, most of them from their debut album, including the early hit "Sultans of Swing." Unfortunately, the recording are not substantially different from the originals and the versions on the studio album are more nuanced and therefore superior. Of the two songs included that are not from their first album, one is an obsurity called "What's the Matter Baby" and the other is an early version of "Tunnle of Love," that wouldn't make its studio debut until the band's third album, "Making Movies."

Overall, this one is strictly for diehard fans.

The BBC presents yet another great live set recorded just for them, along with the audience of that time and place. All of the selected songs, save two, are from the first Straits album, and the band doesn't deviate much from the studio arrangements. However, there's definitely a "live" feel to the proceedings.

Mark Knopfler's cool in-between verse mumblings and guitar stabs are an essential part of any Straits performance, and those elements are here in force. John Illsley's bass guitar is a little loud, but it reminds one that this is indeed a raw live recording, and not a polished studio production. "What's the Matter Baby," the previously unreleased Mark/David Knopfler composition, is essentially "Sultans of Swing" and "Lady Writer" combined, but still a very likable number.

Tacked on at the end from a performance in Dortmund, Germany, is "Tunnel of Love" from Making Movies, their third studio album. The arrangement is a really fine example of pre-Alchemy Straits (Alchemy being their first live album, released in 1983), where the song had indeed begun to breathe but had not yet expanded to its full on-stage glory. Another highlight for me is to hear the original Dire Straits drummer, the hugely underrated Pick Withers, play on a live arrangement of "Tunnel."

I would describe Live at the BBC as a must for hardcore Dire Straits fans, and I also would highly recommend it for the as yet uninitiated. If Warner Brothers unearths any more Dire Straits live recordings, particularly from the Communique and Making Movies periods, I sincerely hope they put them out. In the meantime, if I've made you curious, hesitate no longer. Go out to your favorite CD outlet, buy Live at the BBC, and pop it into your player as soon as possible. Time's a-wastin'!

Alchemy, the band's double live CD, is a bit too polished for my taste. I prefer this earlier recording with the original line up (on 7 of the 8 tracks). The material covered is primarily from the band's first two albums, so if you're not a fan of Dire Straits or Communique, you probably won't enjoy this set.

While Alchemy certainly has its moments, the album sounds like their studio recording with a lack of spontanity. This album, on the other hand, captures the band in their earlier, rawer incarnation.

I love Dire Straits, and this is one of my favorites. A great choice of songs, performed incredibly well. One of the few albums I could listen to over and over again indefinitely. You will not be disappointed.