It seems like ages since we last explored how a live version of a song can differ so radically from the studio version --- oh, wait! It
has been: last time we did this was last October! Wow! Certainly let that one slip. Must be time to delve in again then.
Known for their excellent live sets, Dire Straits produced one of the seminal live albums of the mid-eighties in “Alchemy”, and from that double-live recording came a song which originally appeared on their second album, 1979's “Communique”. It's a great song even studio, but live on “Alchemy” Dire Straits more than doubled the length of “Once upon a time in the west”, without making it overlong or boring. Just have a listen to the two versions here and see what you think.