Identify the Dire Straits record by Vertigo label

Vertigo Records is a British record label — a subsidiary of Philips/Phonogram — launched in the autumn of 1969 to specialise in progressive rock and other sounds far outside the mainstream. The label was the creation of Olav Wyper, then Marketing Manager at Philips/Phonogram, who was given virtually unlimited freedom: full control over A&R, marketing and visual identity. Wyper worked closely with manager and producer Gerry Bron, whose roster — Colosseum, Uriah Heep and Juicy Lucy — provided the bedrock of the new label’s early catalogue. Tony Reeves, often listed alongside them as a co-founder, was in fact Colosseum’s bassist and co-producer of their debut; he was quick to deny any founding role when asked, pointing firmly to Wyper. Bron went on to establish his own Bronze Records.

Vertigo was conceived as a direct challenge to EMI’s Harvest imprint and Decca’s Deram — the two labels that had carved out the progressive market before Vertigo arrived. The first release was Colosseum’s Valentyne Suite (Vertigo VO 1, November 1969). Wyper left the label as early as 1971, recruited away by RCA — a full two years before the label’s most recognisable visual identity arrived.

Like every label of the era, Vertigo’s label design evolved continuously, and for anyone buying Dire Straits records on the second-hand market — where pressings from a dozen different countries circulate freely — knowing which label belongs to which era is the difference between a genuine UK original and an educated guess. This guide covers only the British label variants from the years Dire Straits were actively releasing.

The Swirl Label (1969–1973)

Before Dire Straits existed, Vertigo had already produced its most iconic visual artefact. The original label design — created by in-house art team Linda Glover and Mike Stanford, from a concept by Wyper himself — was a hypnotic black-and-white spiral that covered the entire A-side of the record. Spin it on your turntable and the effect is immediate; it was, by design, disorienting in the best possible way. Fewer than 90 UK albums were pressed with the swirl label between 1969 and 1973, and original copies now command serious money. Dire Straits formed five years too late to appear on one. Still, knowing this era matters: it explains the cult around Vertigo pressings, and why a spaceship label from 1978 is already considered a collector’s item.

The Spaceship Label (1973–c.1980)

When the swirl era ended, Roger Dean — already becoming known for his work with Yes — designed a replacement: two interlocking spacecraft set against a deep cosmic backdrop, rendered in shifting shades of green and blue. The label became known as the Spaceship (or UFO) label, and it arrived in early 1973, just as the label’s musical focus was broadening beyond prog into harder rock territory.

It is on this label that Dire Straits made their recorded debut. Both of the band’s first two UK albums appeared with the spaceship design: the self-titled Dire Straits (catalogue number 9102 021, released 9 June 1978) and Communiqué (9102 031, 1979). These are the pressings serious collectors seek out — not only for their rarity relative to later editions, but because many listeners maintain they represent the best-sounding versions of both records. Original UK spaceship pressings of the debut in particular can be identified by the distinctive cosmic label and the ℗ 1978 Phonogram Ltd. credit.

The Orange-Yellow Label (from c.1980)

Around 1980–81, UK Vertigo pressings switched to a simpler design: a plain orange-to-yellow background with the Vertigo swirl reduced to a small decorative logo. Other European markets — Australia and New Zealand among them — continued using the spaceship design for some time, which is precisely why label identification matters when buying internationally.

In the UK, Making Movies (catalogue 6359 034, 17 October 1980) was the first Dire Straits album to appear with the orange-yellow label. Love Over Gold (6359 109, 1982) followed suit. Later UK reissues of the first two albums also carry this label, which is the quickest way to identify them as reissues rather than originals.

A straightforward rule: if you find a copy of Making Movies or Love Over Gold with a spaceship label, it is not a UK pressing — full stop.

The Individual Label (from 1984)

From 1984 onwards, Vertigo began commissioning bespoke label artwork for certain releases, abandoning the standard template entirely. Both Brothers in Arms (VERH 25, 1985) — the band’s commercial peak, with over 30 million copies sold worldwide — and the compilation Money for Nothing (1988) carry entirely unique label designs specific to those releases.