Track Listing

1. Sultans Of Swing
2. Lady Writer
3. Romeo And Juliet
4. Tunnel Of Love
5. Private Investigations
6. Twisting By The Pool
7. Love Over Gold
8. So Far Away
9. Money For Nothing
10. Brothers In Arms
11. Walk Of Life
12. Calling Elvis
13. Heavy Fuel
14. On Every Street
15. Your Latest Trick
16. Local Hero/Wild Theme

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3390 in Music
• Released on: 1999-06-18
• Number of discs: 1

CD Description
This solid collection is a compelling career overview of one of rock's most distinctive groups. Led by Mark Knopfler, whose deadpan vocal style and stunning guitar technique characterise the band's sound, Dire Straits burst on the scene in1978 with "Sultans of Swing". This VERY BEST OF begins there (even amid the ensemble's later hits, the lead-off track'sclean shuffle rhythm and minor-key melody still dazzles) and continues all the way to cuts from the group's 1991 release, ON EVERY STREET, and their 1993 live outing, ON THE NIGHT.
The Dylan-esque narrative of "Romeo and Juliet", from MAKING MOVIES, is one of the early highlights here. At the collection's heart are the tracks from the 1985 blockbuster BROTHERS IN ARMS, including the lamenting "So Far Away", bopping "Walk of Life", and the irrepressible "Money for Nothing". Beyond showcasing Knopfler's excellent songwriting, this album is graced by his light, technically precise guitar technique (he finger-picks all of his electric leads). More comprehensive than their previous greatest-hits package, MONEY FOR NOTHING, SULTANS OF SWING is an excellent introduction toDire Straits.

Customer Reviews

Disappointing and too many edits...
Instead of issuing a 2-CD collection, they decided on one, and hence the edited versions of some of the greatest songs of the era have been included. And this collection has got too many live renditions of songs which were superior in their original studio format ('Love Over Gold' in particular). Other songs such as 'Telegraph Road' (an epic) and 'Skateaway' are not featured. This CD does not provide a good perspective of Dire Straits; you're better to stick to the original studio albums, or better still, try 'Private Investigations: The Best of Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler', the new compilation which is a much better disc (available on 1 CD or 2 CD version).

Superb intro' to one of the finest bands in history.
When Mark Knopfler started out with Dire Straits, he must have had two ambitions: to defeat punk and make rock history. He achieved both. Knopfler and Dire Straits may not be the most fondly remembered band Britain has produced, but this CD alone speaks volumes for their quality, which was almost unrivalled during the eighties. It features almost all of their chart hits in some form or other, brilliant live versions of 'Love Over Gold', 'Your Latest Trick' and Knopfler's 'Wild Theme' guitar solo. The versions of 'Money For Nothing' and 'Brothers in Arms' are edited and lose some of their original atmosphere, but any drawbacks are negligible compared to what this one CD can offer you. If you like this, buy all of Dire Straits' studio albums - you will not be disappointed!

Not all the best from this band...
This best of collection does contain most of the best known tunes from the supergroup from all their albums, but falls short.

On the plus side, the classics we all know and love such as 'Sultans of Swing', 'Romeo and Juliet' and 'Tunnel of Love' are all here in their full-length versions.

However this is where I start subtracting the stars: The one cut from 'Alchemy' is the worst track on the CD (the original studio version of 'Love Over Gold' is far superior to the live rendition here). One of the best tracks Knopfler ever wrote, 'Telegraph Road', is absent; 'Brothers In Arms' has been cut so the superb guitar solo at the end of that track is absent; 'Money For Nothing' and 'On Every Street' have also been edited. As a result this compilation does not provide a full perspective of some of the band's most superb work. A double 'best of CD' (like Billy Joel and many others have done for their greatest hits) is probably the only answer...

Buy this though and you will want to collect all of the band's work, but the albums 'Making Movies', 'Love Over Gold' and 'Brothers In Arms' are the best buys when it comes to personal choice.