Despite a relatively short-lived existence, Dire Straits remain one of the best-loved British bands in music history. Formed in 1977 by the Knopfler brothers alongside John Illsey and Pick Withers, they soon found success with their distinctive sound which paid no attention to what was happening in the music scene at the time.
As with my other rankings, I make my judgements based on a combination of how I feel the album flows overall, the number of excellent tracks, what the album means to me personally and how it stands up to repeated plays.
Feel free to add your own rankings and comments at the end!
6: Brothers In Arms (1985)
Placing Brothers In Arms (by far the band’s best selling and well-known album) last, will immediately irk some readers; however, when compared to the other five albums, this placement is justified. Some incredible moments (and indeed songs – the majesty of the title track for one) can be heard on Brothers In Arms but the fact that the album was deliberately aimed at the burgeoning CD market (which led to horrors such as the interminable coda on Why Worry) was a marked change from the perfectly constructed Love Over Gold.
Brothers In Arms was my first Dire Straits album and its success was ubiquitous. At the time, as a new teenager, I loved this album and played it regularly, initially owning it on cassette. Even then, I felt that Side Two was stronger and so it has proved to this day. This may have sold 30 million copies but one good side does not a great album make. Time has not been kind to this album (So Far Away for instance is dreary) and having discovered the treasures in their back catalogue, it was not to be long before the appeal of Brothers In Arms (as an entire album) began to wain.
Three favourite tracks : Ride Across The River, The Man’s Too Strong, Brothers In Arms
5: Dire Straits (1978)
From the opening moment of the debut album, Dire Straits set out their intentions clearly – a band that would require attention to enjoy. It would have been easy to put Sultans of Swing as the first track and let that do all the talking (which it would end up doing in some people’s minds anyway). Instead a gentle but impeccably structured 55 second introduction announces the arrival of a new guitar hero.
As a debut, it is an impressive album and everything that would come to make Dire Straits one of the great British bands can be found here: outstanding songwriting, lyrics which reflect everyday life and top quality musicianship. It is an album that has deceptively restrained, beautiful depths and is the album in their discography that most rewards the patient listener.
Three favourite tracks: Down To The Waterline, Sultans of Swing, In The Gallery
4: On Every Street (1991)
After the success of mega-hit Brothers In Arms (still one of the top best selling albums ever in the UK), it was perhaps inevitable that Knopfler might want to pursue other avenues of expression lest the commercial success could not be replicated. He had already begun to express himself outside of the confines of Dire Straits with the splendid soundtracks for Local Hero and Cal and during the period of hiatus, he made albums with Chet Atkins and The Notting Hillbillies.
On Every Street falls somewhere between the sound of Brothers In Arms (Heavy Fuel, The Bug), a return to the more mysterious moments of Love Over Gold (You and You Friend, Planet of New Orleans) and a continuation of Knopfler’s ability to write dark lyrics hidden behind a glossier sheen (Ticket To Heaven). It’s not a perfect album (it could be argued that there are a couple of superfluous tracks) but it is a far more satisfying journey than the behemoth that preceded it.
Three favourite tracks: On Every Street, You and Your Friend, Planet of New Orleans
3: Making Movies (1980)
Following the departure of brother David during the making of the album, Mark Knopfler re-recorded the guitar parts and due to the involvement of Jimmy Iovine, The E Street Band’s Roy Bittan was brought in to add some serious weight to the band’s overall performance. Knopfler continued his journey as a songwriter adding more intense rock influences alongside theatrical and cinematic inspirations while also adding different lyrical flavours to the mix.
The trio of love songs (although more songs of longing and heartbreak than they appear on the surface) on Side One might have a claim to being the best back-to-back trio of songs on any album. Save for the terribly misjudged Les Boys (one of the worst songs of their entire discography), Making Movies succeeds on almost every level.
Three favourite tracks: Tunnel Of Love, Skateaway, Expresso Love
2: Communiqué (1979)
There are claims that as Communiqué came out less than a year after the debut, it sounds rushed and unfinished – I find no such problem. Containing gems such as Once Upon In The West and Where Do You Think You’re Going? (one of my favourites from any album), it is difficult to understand why in many ways, it remains the band’s most overlooked album.
Knopfler was developing quickly as a songwriter and as a player while making the most of the sounds available to him at the time. Listen to the heavenly guitar tone on Single Handed Sailor and try to claim that thought had not gone into this undervalued opus.
Three favourite tracks: Once Upon In The West, Where Do You Think You’re Going?, Follow Me Home
1: Love Over Gold (1982)
After Making Movies, it must have been tempting for Dire Straits to head down a more straight-ahead rock route but instead they produced the most progressive, lyrically intense album of their career. Opening with the masterpiece Telegraph Road (the best song they ever produced), Love Over Gold is ambitious, expansive and exhilarating: even the album cover reflected the darkness within.
Not a moment is wasted across the album’s 41 minutes. The slow burn storytelling of Telegraph Road and Private Investigations perfectly balance the jollity (musically at least) of Industrial Disease – another example of Knopfler’s skill for social commentary.
Three favourite tracks: Telegraph Road, Private Investigations, Love Over Gold
Written: 12th November 2023
Listen to my Dire Straits Through the Years playlist featuring my three favourite songs from each album in chronological order.