Tag Archives: Brothers in Arms

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Song of the Day #6,372: ‘The Man’s Too Strong’ – Dire Straits

I’ve wrapped up my brief deep dive into Dire Straits six-album discography, and my biggest takeaway is that this is one of the most consistent artists I’ve given the treatment.

Granted, I’m sure they’d have some soft spots if they had put out a dozen or more albums, but I do think there is something about the band’s sound that just works. It’s the tone of Mark Knopfler’s guitar, the comforting rasp of his voice, the expansive but welcoming soundscapes of his production. And while Knopfler is the primary creative force behind Dire Straits, I also must shout out the expert musicianship of his various bandmates.

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Song of the Day #6,368: ‘Why Worry’ – Dire Straits

Dire Straits waited three years after 1982’s Love Over Gold to release their next album, dropping an EP and live album in the meantime. Then, in 1985, came Brothers in Arms.

This nine-song collection is a perfect synthesis of the band’s pop sensibility and artistic proclivities, boasting both radio-friendly hits and jazzy art pop. Brothers in Arms is one of the first albums recorded digitally and the first smash hit of the CD era (it sold more than a million copies on CD, topping its vinyl and cassette sales).

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Song of the Day #6,293: ‘Money For Nothing’ – Dire Straits

Topping the charts the week of September 28, 1985, was the Dire Straits classic ‘Money For Nothing,’ the second single from their album Brothers in Arms.

The song spent three weeks at #1 and gave the band their only chart-topping hit in either the U.S. or their native UK (where it peaked at #4).

Mark Knopfler got the idea for the song while shopping at a New York City appliance store. He overheard one of the workers commenting on televisions tuned to MTV. Several of the song’s lyrics are the man’s direct quotes.

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Song of the Day #5,619: ‘One World’ – Dire Straits

Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 1985…

#2 – Brothers in Arms – Dire Straits

More than a decade ago, I counted down my favorite albums of the 1980s. On that list, Tom Petty’s Southern Accents appeared at #17 with Dire Straits’ Brothers in Arms just below it at #18.

Now they’ve swapped places, which is as good an indication as any of the arbitrary nature of these rankings.

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Song of the Day #1,383: ‘Money For Nothing’ – Dire Straits

Best Albums of the 80s – #18
Brothers in Arms – Dire Straits (1985)

Almost all of the albums on this list belong to artists whose careers I’ve followed obsessively. Dire Straits’ Brothers in Arms is the first exception.

It’s not that I’m not a fan of the Knopfler brothers’ British rock band — on the contrary, I’ve liked pretty much everything of theirs I’ve heard. But they just never made their way onto my radar in a way that would line their six albums up on my shelf.

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