Album - Sultans of Swing, The Best of Dire Straits
Band - Dire Straits
Year - 1998
Ratings - 9/10
I have been a huge fan of Dire Straits and especially Sir Mark Knopfler since I heard Brothers in Arms when I was 13.
Dire Straits are one of my all time favourites, mainly due to Mark Knopfler’s expert guitar playing.
Dire Straits never were very popular among critics but amazingly were very successful and not only in Britain but in many other countries too. Even in India, where Nickelback and Counting Crows are virtually unknown, Dire Straits were very popular. This album is a really superb work, not least because of the fact its a collection of their best songs.
What I like about Dire Straits is their amazingly clean guitar riffs (eg Lady Writer) and the lyrics from a narrator’s point of view (Eg Sultans of Swing, Walk of Life).
Maybe Dire Straits wont be ranked as the best band of all times, or even of their era, but they did make some really good music for which they should be respected tremendously.
Sultans of swing
The best song of the album. I must have heard this at least a thousand times, out of which nine hundred times would be when I was learning how to play it on the guitar. It begins with a decent enough guitar intro and Knopfler sings about a cold, rainy winter night in London where a small time jazz band ’’The Sultans of Swing’’ is struggling to compete with the emerging Rock n Roll trend. ’’They don’t give a damn, about any trumpet playing band... It ain’t what they call, Rock n Roll.’’
The best parts in the songs are - the chorus (especially the guitar and also the vocals), the first solo, in which Knopfler seems to be at his best until he plays the final solo, where he seems to have reached invincible heights.
Lady Writer
Another song testimony to the fact that Knopfler is one of the greatest guitarist. The music is superb. Maybe the lyrics aren’t that great, but Knopfler more than makes up for it.
Romeo and Juliet
Its a soft romantic ballad. It has a nice guitar riff in the middle part and the solo is quite good.
Tunnel of Love
Its one of the better songs of the album.
Private Investigations
Twisting by the Pool
Love Over Gold (live)
This is a beautiful song with good piano music.
So Far Away
Its a soft rock song. I like the music, but I will only call it an average song.
Money for Nothing
One of Dire Straits’ acknowledged best songs, but I prefer a couple of others of the album. You can call this song a perfect example of Rock. Maybe the lyrics aren’t great but the music is good.
Brothers in Arms
Its a very slow and soft song about war and the soldiers want to return to their homes in the ’’lowlands’’ though they find that ’’the mist covered moutains are their home now’’.
It has a decent enough Rock feel to it and at times seems a bit like a vocal solo.
Walk of Life
A typical Rock n Roll song. It has superb synth music and Knopfler sings in a manner which suits the song. The lyrics are OK. The video was quite funny with a lot of sports blunders.
Calling Elvis
Heavy Fuel
This is another decent song. I don’t think much of the lyrics, but the music is decent.
On Every Street
Your Latest Trick (live)
Brilliant sax music which continues till the end.
Local Hero - Wild Theme (live)
This is an amazing instrumental. One of the best slow instrumentals I have heard. Its really soft and much better than the ’’Going Home’’ theme of Local Hero which is also quite similar to this one
Arranging the songs in the order in which I like them -
Sultans of Swing
Brothers In Arms
Walk Of Life
Money For Nothing
Tunnel Of Love
Lady Writer
Romeo and Juliet
Local Hero (wild theme)
Your Latest Trick
Private Investigations
On Every Street
Private Investigations
Heavy Fuel
Twisting by the Pool
Calling Elvis
Love Over Gold
So Far Away