Product 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.

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: #1854 in Music
• Released on: 1999-06-18
• Number of discs: 1

Customer Reviews

"He's got a daytime job, he's doing alright...."
If you had stood up in front of the punks of 1977 and declared that the next ten years of mainstream British guitar based music would be dominated by a Geordie bloke influenced by American Folk\R+B and Country and Western, and wearing a headband and a dopey grin, you would have been showered with spit and bottled out of the room, but that is exactly what happened.

From the late 70's through to the late 80's mark Knopfler and his 'uncool' band Dire Straits were the benchmark of success, and filled Stadiums around the world selling tens of millions of Albums. Brothers in Arms to date remains the best selling album of all time in the UK, with the British record industry estimating at one point, that 1 in 3 households had a copy of the album in various formats.

The classics are all here including amongst others, the predictable opener but still jaw-dropping display of lightning-speed finger-picking that is Sultans of Swing, the sentimental and wistful yearning about the North East that is Tunnel of Love, the melodic young love mini-movie portrait that is Romeo and Juliet, the brooding meditation with sharp reply that is Private Investigations and the aching ode to comradeship, Brothers in Arms.

This collection is a decent representation of Dire Straits but does not quite qualify as `the very best of'. This is because of the inclusion of inferior live versions of `Love over gold' and `your latest trick' (Why not the originals?), and also edited versions of money for nothing, brothers in arms, calling elvis and private investigations (Why not the album versions as this isn't a `singles' collection?), and where is Telegraph road? (I would happily have sacrificed the plodding 'Heavy Fuel' and the irrepressibly cheesy and always skipped 'twisting by the pool' for this to be included)

It is not often that I comment on the actual sonic attributes of an album, but the clarity and quality of this CD (especially if your CD player can decode HDCD) is incredible. `Re-mastering' will of course have taken place on some of the older recordings, but even taking that into account, some of the original recordings are now over 30 years ago, and the audio quality found here easily surpasses many recent releases. This CD will bring out the best in your HiFi system.

So there you have it, a quality recording providing an excellent introduction to one the UK's most successful bands of all time. Not the quite the very best of, but not far off, recommended.

dire straits greatest hits
this sultans of swing compilation is a great cd. dire straits have always been one of my favorite bands for years since my dad introduced me to mark knopfler. mark knopfler is an excellent singer. my favorite songs on this compilation are heavy fuel, money for nothing, tunnel of love, and sultans of swing. so far away, romeo and juliet, walk of life, lady writer, twistiing by the pool, calling elvis, and on every street are other great songs on this cd! if they included telegraph road, expresso love, and skateaway, this would be a complete collection! but brothers in arms is sad! if you wanna great dire straits collection, you need this cd, love over gold, and making movies. the worst song on this cd is brothers in arms which is too sad for me.

That's what I call music
Although not a Dire Straights loyal fun, when I heard this CD I realised what makes this band so special. It's not only the classic quality rock tunes, nor the deep and warm texture of the lead vocals. This CD rocks because you literally feel the songs. The quitar inputs and the general orchestration of this collection are simply exquisite, the melodies so symmetrically beautiful that you keep repeating the song inside you even when you're not listening to it. My favourite track is the 'Tunnel of love', so full of youth and nostalgia, I almost cry when I replay it, over and over again.
Do not hesitate. This is good rock material.