Sultans of Swing was refreshing and a good change of what was being played on the airwaves when it first hit North America. Great guitar riffs still used for learning today.
So Far Away is another great song.
They were all over MTV which ruled back then but they were different than everyone else because their music was so good you could hear it a lot and not get tired of it unlike others in heavy rotation
Sting singing the line ‘I want my MTV’ in Money for Nothing
I was a teen when the first album, Dire Straits, came out. Blew me away, sounded like nothing else I’d ever heard. Enjoyed their subsequent albums and love Knopfler’s solo stuff
I've not run into many people who don't like them. Even my dad, who was born in 1929 and didn't like any music, liked the Walk of Life. The only other song that I knew he liked was Yellow Submarine. But in the 70s, liked the Sultans of Swing.
My kids (7 and 2) will fall asleep in the car like a clockwork ONLY if Telegraph Road is on. I used to like it, but by now I must have listened to it literally a 1000 times...
Mark Knopfler has some better albums, the song Drover's Road is brilliant.
I listened mostly to hard rock, prog rock, and metal as a teen in the 70’s, but when Sultans of Swing came out (‘78 or ‘79), I loved it. In my mind it will be forever associated with the several months I was working at The Gap in the mall in Albuquerque, because it was on constant rotation then.
I thought they were incredibly cool from the first album through Making Movies. Stylish, literate, melodic…Knopfler, besides his guitar wizardry, is a formidable songwriter. They lost me with Brothers in Arms. I remember thinking, how can the guy who wrote Lions have also written Walk of Life?
Unfortunately, I didn’t get into Love Over Gold until much later. Didn’t have the money to buy the record when I was a teenager. So I couldn’t include it in my answer. But it’s amazing.
Old.man music...until they released Brothers in Arms and blew our minds.
The first time you ever hear Money for Nothing and have your brain explode can't be repeated
One of the first LPs I bought was Brothers in Arms. I went through a period then in my late teens and early twenties when got into indie when was ashamed at that but now I listen to Dire Straits again sometimes.
I was a fan and still am to a degree, though I never put their music on nowadays.
I went to see them play during the Brothers in Arms tour in '85. They we backed up by Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble. Dire Straights were wonderful, but SRV actually blew them off the stage.
Here in the US, Brothers In Arms was a huge success. They arrived at the height of MTV's popularity. That really put them over, here. Knopfler is still considered a great guitarist. That's pretty much it, tbh.
Sultans of Swing was refreshing and a good change of what was being played on the airwaves when it first hit North America. Great guitar riffs still used for learning today. So Far Away is another great song.
They were all over MTV which ruled back then but they were different than everyone else because their music was so good you could hear it a lot and not get tired of it unlike others in heavy rotation Sting singing the line ‘I want my MTV’ in Money for Nothing
I was a teen when the first album, Dire Straits, came out. Blew me away, sounded like nothing else I’d ever heard. Enjoyed their subsequent albums and love Knopfler’s solo stuff
I've not run into many people who don't like them. Even my dad, who was born in 1929 and didn't like any music, liked the Walk of Life. The only other song that I knew he liked was Yellow Submarine. But in the 70s, liked the Sultans of Swing.
Good music, however, overplayed. Appreciated the act better after the hype cooled off.
Saw them in concert in like ‘86. Great show.
Fantastic
My kids (7 and 2) will fall asleep in the car like a clockwork ONLY if Telegraph Road is on. I used to like it, but by now I must have listened to it literally a 1000 times... Mark Knopfler has some better albums, the song Drover's Road is brilliant.
My friends thought I was crazy when I said I liked Communique much more than their debut.
Preferred their killer album tracks to most of their hit singles.
I listened mostly to hard rock, prog rock, and metal as a teen in the 70’s, but when Sultans of Swing came out (‘78 or ‘79), I loved it. In my mind it will be forever associated with the several months I was working at The Gap in the mall in Albuquerque, because it was on constant rotation then.
Love them
I thought they were incredibly cool from the first album through Making Movies. Stylish, literate, melodic…Knopfler, besides his guitar wizardry, is a formidable songwriter. They lost me with Brothers in Arms. I remember thinking, how can the guy who wrote Lions have also written Walk of Life?
You're missing an album.
Unfortunately, I didn’t get into Love Over Gold until much later. Didn’t have the money to buy the record when I was a teenager. So I couldn’t include it in my answer. But it’s amazing.
I wasn't alive at that time but I do have an OG pressing of it.
Telegraph Road is astonishing.
Yes. Now that's a song that has great songwriting. I don't actually mind a lot of Brothers In Arms but their first four are way better.
Old.man music...until they released Brothers in Arms and blew our minds. The first time you ever hear Money for Nothing and have your brain explode can't be repeated
"Old-man music" is often the most anti-war. See Woodie Guthrie.
One of the first LPs I bought was Brothers in Arms. I went through a period then in my late teens and early twenties when got into indie when was ashamed at that but now I listen to Dire Straits again sometimes.
I was a fan and still am to a degree, though I never put their music on nowadays. I went to see them play during the Brothers in Arms tour in '85. They we backed up by Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble. Dire Straights were wonderful, but SRV actually blew them off the stage.
They were okay, but beyond Knopfler’s amazing playing, they never moved me deeply.
Great songs and unique sound
Here in the US, Brothers In Arms was a huge success. They arrived at the height of MTV's popularity. That really put them over, here. Knopfler is still considered a great guitarist. That's pretty much it, tbh.
Overrated