Dire Straits were a British rock band formed in London in 1977 by Mark Knopfler, David Knopfler, John Illsley and Pick Withers. They were active from 1977 to 1988 and again from 1990 to 1995.
Dire Straits is the debut studio album by the British rock band Dire Straits, released on 9 June 1978 by Vertigo Records internationally, Warner Bros. Records in the United States and Mercury Records in Canada. The album has the hit single "Sultans of Swing", which reached number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 8 on the UK Singles Chart. The album reached the top of the album charts in Germany, Australia and France, number 2 in the United States and number 5 in the United Kingdom. Dire Straits was later certified double platinum in both the United States and the United Kingdom.
Brothers in Arms is the fifth studio album by the British rock band Dire Straits, released on 13 May 1985 through Vertigo Records internationally and Warner Bros. Records in the United States. It is credited with being the first album in recorded history to sell over one million copies in CD format.
Making Movies is the third studio album by British rock band Dire Straits, released on 17 October 1980 by Vertigo Records internationally, Warner Bros. Records in the United States and Mercury Records in Canada. The album includes the single "Romeo and Juliet", which reached #8 on the UK Singles Chart, as well as “Tunnel of Love,” featured in the 1982 Richard Gere film An Officer and a Gentleman.
On Every Street is the sixth and final studio album by British rock band Dire Straits, released on 9 September 1991 by Vertigo Records internationally, and by Warner Bros. Records in the United States. The follow-up to the band's massively successful album Brothers in Arms, On Every Street reached the top of the UK Albums Chart and was also certified platinum by the RIAA.
Love over Gold is the fourth studio album by British rock band Dire Straits, released on 24 September 1982 by Vertigo Records internationally and by Warner Bros. Records in the United States. The album featured two singles: "Private Investigations," which reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart, and "Industrial Disease," which reached No. 9 on Billboard's Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in the United States. The title track was released as a single two years later in its live version, and reached #15 in France, #29 in New Zealand, #43 in Netherlands and #50 in the band's native United Kingdom. The album reached number one on album charts in Australia, Austria, Italy, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom, as well as number 19 in the United States. Love over Gold was later certified gold in the United States, platinum in France and Germany and double-platinum in Canada and the United Kingdom.
"Money for Nothing" is a song by British rock band Dire Straits, the second track on their fifth studio album, Brothers in Arms (1985). It was released as the album's second single on 28 June 1985 through Vertigo Records. The song's lyrics are written from the point of view of two working-class men watching music videos and commenting on what they see. The song features a guest appearance by Sting who sings the signature falsetto introduction, background vocals and a backing chorus of "I want my MTV". The groundbreaking video was the first to be aired on MTV Europe when the network launched on 1 August 1987.
"The Fly" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the seventh track from their 1991 album, Achtung Baby, and it was released as the album's first single on 21 October 1991. "The Fly" introduced a more abrasive-sounding U2, as the song featured danceable hip-hop beats, industrial textures, distorted vocals, and an elaborate guitar solo. Lead vocalist Bono described the song as "the sound of four men chopping down The Joshua Tree", due to its departure from the sound that had traditionally characterised the band in the 1980s.
On the Night is the second live album by the British rock band Dire Straits, released on 10 May 1993 by Vertigo Records internationally, and by Warner Bros. Records in the United States. The album features many of the band's later hits, including the singles "Walk of Life" and "Money for Nothing". The cover art of the album features dishes of the Very Large Array in central New Mexico.
"Walk of Life" is a song by the British rock band Dire Straits, the third track on their fifth studio album Brothers in Arms (1985). It subsequently appeared on their live album On the Night (1993). It was released as a single October 1985 but had first been available as the B-side of "So Far Away" released in advance of Brothers in Arms.
"Hold on My Heart" is a song by English rock band Genesis from their 14th studio album, We Can't Dance (1991). The ballad was released as the album's third single on 6 April 1992. The song reached number one on the Canadian RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart, the RPM Adult Contemporary chart, and the US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, as well as number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. In the band's home country, the song peaked at number 16 on the UK Singles Chart.
"America" is a song by English indie rock band Razorlight, included as the fourth track on their self-titled second studio album (2006). It was written by Johnny Borrell and Andy Burrows and was also released as the second single from that album on 2 October 2006.
Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits is the second greatest hits compilation by the British rock band Dire Straits, released on 19 October 1998 by Mercury Records internationally, and by Warner Bros. Records in the United States. The album was originally released, featuring liner notes by Robert Sandall, as both a single CD and a limited edition double CD, with the second CD containing live recordings from Mark Knopfler's first solo tour in 1996. A DVD of the same name was also released, featuring the music videos of all the songs on the single CD version, in addition to short interviews with Mark Knopfler about each song. The album is named after the band's 1978 hit single of the same name. In 2002, a limited edition box set, comprising the two CDs and the DVD, was released as part of Universal's "Sight and Sound" series.
"The Promise of a New Day" is the opening track and second single from American artist Paula Abdul's second studio album, Spellbound (1991). The song was written by Paula Abdul, Peter Lord and V. Jeffrey Smith. It became Abdul's sixth and final number-one hit on the US Billboard Hot 100.
"Heavy Fuel" is a song by British rock band Dire Straits from its 1991 album On Every Street. The song was also released as a single and reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart, making it the band's second song to do so.
"When Smokey Sings" is a song by English pop band ABC, released as the first single from their fourth studio album Alphabet City (1987). The lyrics and title of the song are a tribute to R&B and soul singer Smokey Robinson. In the United States, Robinson's single "One Heartbeat" and ABC's "When Smokey Sings" were ranked in the Billboard 100 pop chart simultaneously for several weeks, including the week ending 3 October 1987, in which both songs ranked in the top 10.
"Hard to Handle" is a 1968 song written by American soul singer Otis Redding along with Al Bell and Allen Jones. Originally recorded by Redding, it was released in 1968 as the B-side to "Amen". The song also appears on the 1968 album The Immortal Otis Redding. Redding's version reached number 38 on the Billboard R&B chart and number 51 on the pop chart.
"Couple Days Off" is a song performed by Huey Lewis and the News and released as a single from the album Hard at Play in 1991. The single peaked at No. 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 4 on the Canadian RPM Top Singles chart, and it reached the top 40 on the charts of Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, and New Zealand. "Couple Days Off" was the band's final top-20 single on the Hot 100.
"I Wonder Why" is a song by American singer and songwriter Curtis Stigers, released as the first single from his eponymous debut album on August 12, 1991, in the United States. The song reached number four on the Danish and Irish singles charts, number five on the UK Singles Chart, and number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100. It also reached the top 10 in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, and Norway.
"Auberge" is a song by British singer-songwriter Chris Rea, which was released in February 1991 as the lead single from his eleventh studio album, Auberge. It was written by Rea and produced by Jon Kelly. "Auberge" reached No. 16 in the United Kingdom and remained on the UK Singles Chart for six weeks. A music video was filmed to promote the single. It was directed by Nigel Dick and shot at Bray Studios, Berkshire.
