#418 Dire Straits, 'Brothers in Arms' (1985)

Previously #352

It took me a long time to get Dire Straits. As a teen I was given their Greatest Hits album. I loved ‘Sultans Of Swing,’ but wasn’t all that impressed with the rest. As I grew up, I came to appreciate Mark Knopfler’s songwriting, voice and guitar playing. This, their fifth album, was their first to top the US charts, where it remained for 9 weeks. In the UK, it was the best-selling album of 1985, staying at #1 for 3 months & a staggering 34 weeks at #1 in Australia. For all you major trivia nerds, THIS was the first CD to sell more than one million copies.

The hits are aplenty on this one. It can almost be mistaken for a Great Hits collection. ‘So Far Away,’ ‘Walk Of Life,’ the beautiful ‘Brothers In Arms,’ and of course, ‘Money For Nothing,’ featuring the one and only Sting (I’ve spoken to a lot of people that didn’t know that Sting sang on this song, as well as co-writing it). The key giveaway is the end refrain of the song; “I want my, I want my, I want my MTV.” Substitute that with “Don’t stand so, don’t stand so, don’t stand so close to me,” and you’ll see what I mean.

#rs500albums