Brothers In Arms

Dire Straits is another one of those bands that seem to have so many popular hit songs that I’ve just never heard. I was vaguely familiar with who they are before listening to this. My biggest takeaway? Brothers in Arms is unfortunately more generic than not. For every song that really succeeds in doing something interesting, there is another song that falls short. The Eagles are an enjoyable group to listen to, but even I can admit they border on being a little too traditional for me. This album feels even more like that, just for a different decade and with more experimental edge. At least this band has a better vocalist that actually sounds unique compared to the rest of the 80’s male singers. What this album excels at best is creating some really great ambiance. The synth work is unexpectedly really admirable. Obviously you can’t really have a review of this album without mentioning what is objectively the best song. Even if you have never listened to the song yourself, I’m sure everyone has heard the intro to Money for Nothing before, especially with the legendary guitar solo in said intro. In an album filled with some duds, this goes above and beyond. I feel as if this album wants so badly to be something it isn’t. Some of these songs are so popular, and I’m just not sure why. Rating: 6/10

Nije da mi se povraća od ovog kao nekad. Ali i dalje mi je ovo skupi preproducirani šrot. Ton knoflerove gitare je jedino što izvlači ovaj dosadni bend, a produkcija i aranžmani su najveća 80s apoteka koju mogu zamislit. patrick bateman sigurno obožava ovaj album 😃

Better than I expected. Pretty well produced strong 80's sound. Mark Knopfler is a pretty impressive dude. 3.5/5

Super fun. Made me get into the music even though I didn't really feel like it

The first 3 tracks are perfect, but they are followed up by a list of boring songs.

That guitar riff!

Very good album. Almost every song is a hit. Guitarist Mark Knopfler is dynamic and bold in writing a late 70's pop album with so much outside influence. However, even the hits don't resonate with me all that much. Its good music but I don't get what all the fuss is.

Inte lyssnat alls på Dire Straits. Ganska tråkigt sound från 80-talet. Tycker inte direkt att någon låt sticker ut. Saxofon i Your Latest Trick drar ner betyget.

Några hits. Två. Svinbra. Sen har vi lite mellanlåtar som, handen på hjärtat, inte är så värst bra, tex your latest trick, why worry (som avslutar kanske skönt), ride across the river (låter som en låt från monkey island). Sen en del sköna. Svårt.

Uppvuxen med och lyssnat på denna hundratals gånger. Älskar den rakt igenom.

The album is timeless, but too pleasing for me, and unfortunately it doesn't even come close to the debut album with its inspiring melodies and rhythms

own

Loved listening to this! It was so interesting.

Dire Straits/Mark Knopfler seemed destined to be remembered as competent journeymen until a couple of well timed/placed videos in the newish MTV format rocketed them into the stratosphere (see also, ZZ Top). Pleasant enough listening, though nothing earth shattering or that really moves the needle (see instead, Prince).

A diverse and tasteful pop rock album from Dire Straights that builds on their previous work, but still feels solidly true to the band. Their tone evolved pretty drastically from the blues-rock of their debut to the synthy, echoing 80's production displayed here, but a myriad of instruments like jazz trumpet, synth pan flute, Latin percussion, and resonator guitar provide a really cool timelessness to the record. Pretty much every song is unique, and there are a couple really beautiful slow moments to contrast from the harder rock moments. As always, Knopfler is in peak form with his lyrics and effortless guitar work, trading phrases with himself and ripping iconic solos. Stand out tracks include "Money For Nothing", "Walk Of Life", "Your Latest Trick", "Why Worry?", "Ride Across The River", "The Man's Too Strong", and "Brothers In Arms".

Solid and superecognizable

Years after it's release, I still can't listen to "Money For Nothing" since it was played ad nauseam for years. The less well known songs on here are actually pretty good, but they almost seem like they're from another band/album alongside the bigger hit songs here.

Damn, I knew 2/3 of the songs and I don't even go out of my way to listen to Dire Straits. I always find them instrumentally really good, but I'm not a fan of Mark Knopfler's vocal style. Thankfully there were a few songs that aren't very vocally rich. I'd say the best song is Your Latest Trick.

Definitely a very solid classic album. Some moments were a bit too slow for me, but there are so many bangers on here. I should definitely get this on second hand vinyl. 9/10.

This album is much more than the song with the hit video from MTV. Pretty good album overall. I especially liked the final, title track, Brothers in Arms

Great voice, great guitar, good writing makes this a very good album. I enjoyed hearing some of those that weren't destroyed by MTV and radio saturation.

If you’re in the right mood

Title track is the only one worth listening to. Rest is boring dad-rock or overplayed hits. “Your latest trick” isn’t terrible.

ouve-se aqui boa música

It's nice enough, and it's not too offensive. There's some quite good songs in here, more so on the first half. There's some nice variation in music, instruments and so on. I'm not excited by any of it, but it's nice. The second half all goes a bit slow and the length of the tracks start to wear on you a little bit more. Side note: It's a rubbish album cover, but I won't hold that against it. A perfectly acceptable, middle of the road 3.

Impressive how awful you can make guitars sound

Dad rock in its most concentrated form.

Started with some classics, but tailed off

Fantastic. Money for nothing is a absolute classic and walk of life following it up makes this album a classic

Every song on the is enjoyable and fun. However, I don't see myself going back to listen to the full album in the future.

Great album, unique sound and can understand lyrics

Classic 80s music.

Long and ponderous in places, symphonic in others. Overall, far too long.

One of those albums that everyone bought for their parents. Only now I'm a parent and I'm old and this is good and the songs are good and the production is that lovely 80s open sheen of sound. This is what a great album sounds like.

Gotta hand it to Dire Straits for truly creating their own sound here. This sounds like new wave/yact/70’s classic rock all melted into one.

One of my favorites from the 80’s. Loved this!!’

Not perfect, but damn close. DS & MK rule!

A perfect blend of dylan, soundtrack music and sophisti pop.

Iconic album. The sound of Newcastle last century

really enjoyed this album I recognized 2-3 songs that are classics--I simply had no idea they were from Dire Straights.

Money For Nothing and Brothers In Arms are great songs, and there are a couple of other good tracks here. The middle is just slow and boring though.

Nostalgic album. Some bangers for sure. Some cheesy ones like Your latest Trick. Not sure I ever actually listened to this back to front even though Dad had this on vinyl growing up. It felt a little dated but overall a solid album.

It wasn't bad, but wasn't my favourite either

Never heard the entire album before—put me to sleep. Guess I’m not a huge fan, but classic “dad rock”.

Ok

Strong start with VH1 heavy rotation singles, and also gorgeously produced throughout - but then it kind of tapers off into wishwashy-ness. While strangely it was nice to hear some of these tracks - as a record it’s bland.

Meh

Dad's favorite band, has some good songs on it Money For Nothin holds a special place, Walk of Life is another banger

Starts strong. Ends strong. Forgettable in the middle, but four hits out of ten songs is pretty elite.

This is so soft rock I felt the lead drain from my pencil and I’m worried I’ll never rise to the occasion again. Couple of very iconic tracks on here, possibly overplayed, and there is some interesting moments but theyre surrounded by beige knitwear. His voice is canny, sometimes a bit Springsteeny. Hated Your Latest Trick. Why Worry was a pointless waste of time. Lost 1/2 a star for possibly making me impotent. A total flop on of a record. 1.5

I feel like this is Dire Straits trying to be experimental, but they appear to have no idea what to do outside of soft guitar rock. The pan pipes, the funk bass, the organ, there isnt anything they can turn their particular flavour of bland to. The vocals are just about okay in soft rock but they sound completely out of place on most of this. Money for nothing is the most soft rock and so the best song, but even then the long intro is uncalled for. Really didn't like this, a proper stinker.

Have to agree with Jack, first three tracks were superb. Listening to them made me feel strong and confident, ready to take on the world. Almost like an attack. The middle of the album was middling.

After listening to this album I think I'm in dire straits!

Bit of a strange album....First 3 tracks are great, the next 4 leave a lot to be desired, the final track is brilliant. I do like dire straits, but probably more of a greatest hits type fan. This album hasn't persuaded me that I need to hear anything but the hits. I went through a phase of really liking the track brothers in arms. Highlights: So far away Money for nothing Walk of life Brothers in arms Probably could've halved this album and it would've been considerably better, but when it's good it's great. 3.5

Straight up snooze fest literally built on one guitar riff.

Oooh I really like this one! Vibey reverb guitars, nice jazz trumpet and FAT IKEA MAN SONG!!!

One of the best albums I've ever heard.

If you'd asked me to name a Dire Straits album before today, I'd have had no idea. If you'd asked me to name a song, I would have said Romeo and Juliet (and likely forgotten about the gems on this album). So far away is super chill, the build up to the guitar coming in on Money for Nothing is cool, and Walk of Life is just really pleasant to listen to with those soothing organ(?) sounds. Mark Knopfler's voice isn't my favorite but it doesn't take away from the songs I enjoyed. Overall not an album I'd come back to aside from the few songs I liked.

Really confusing genre. Rock? Country? Rockabilly? Either way, it has a cool sound. “Money for Nothing” and “Walk of Life” are great.

The first three songs were all over the radio, when this came out. The record benefited from the performance they did at Live-Aid with Sting. All it took was the phrase, “I want my MTV”, and this was solidified as a classic. People lost their minds. It’s okay. Clearly well played, good musicians, standard composition. Definitely has its roots in the British pub rock scene. But it’s pretty dated by today’s standard. 80s saxophone, liteFM, lullaby blues guitar. It’s good for what it is.

Pas mal

This album is a weird one. I've heard some Dire Straits songs before and I can see why those i knew got all the radio play. This album was good but I was finding myself tired of listening to it about halfway through.

Wasn't as into it as I thought I would be, instrumentals are very pretty though.

Not the best Dire Straits album IMO But still very good

I really liked this more when I was younger. It has some good hits but the rest is just average dad rock.

The first half is so amazing I could maybe squeak out a fiver just on its strength. The back half though I think falls right off a cliff.

:( I don't think I had heard the unedited Money for Nothing iteration. Yikes. I looked it up and there was a whole debate on whether it was appropriate to air the unedited song. You can look into it more but it's an interesting aside to whether it should be viewed from the point of a working class stiff talking or whether the audience will find it appropriate to use that particular slur.

you know something this was pretty good. Money for Nothing is a jam

Homophobia

Enjoyed the album some fantastic 80s riffs and production. A dip in the middle with a few top tracks. Lacking consistent quality but still good. Light 7

1985 me gives this 5 stars. 2024 me found it boring and plodding. He needed someone to edit all that noodling out. I still like their first two albums but there's a reason why I skip any of these songs on a playlist.

Felt like I was in ice age, and after the third 3 minute jam break I expected "produced by Dick Wolfe" to appear in front of me. 3.7/5

Adorei principalmente a primeira metade!!

Back in the '80s a lot of things were happening in music. MTV played music videos, CDs were coming on strong. Hip-hop was in its infancy and it seemed like everybody was putting out an album. A lot of it was crap, but producing an album was cheap. The break even point was low enough that a label could gamble on what would have previously been passed over. "Money for nothing" captured the time perfectly. Unfortunately, Dire Straits acted the part of Rock's older (and in hindsight, wiser) brother. Too cool to hang with the youngsters and seemingly out of touch. Some music is good without context. Some music provides context for its time. This album is a bit of both.

i get this feeling im gonna hate this so far away- 3 or 4 money for nothing- enough. the little what. 2 walk of life- 5 your latest trick- 3 or 4 why worry- 1 im not doing this anymore

I've been looking for this vinyl.

Look, the hits are hits and everyone knows those songs. But the other stuff - way too long and boring. 6min, 7min tracks. I hate long songs! 3 stars cos the hits are just too damn iconic.

Not my thing. First three are classics, last two were okay. Rest was meh

I always think I don’t really like Dire Straits but then I listen and I’m like “oh yeah this song is good. Oh yeah, this one too.” and on and on for most of the album. Brothers in Arms definitely has its best songs near the beginning, and gets weaker as it goes along until the final track which is solid. I feel like there’s too much of a synth sound in everything by Dire Straits or Knopfler (e.g. The Princess Bride soundtrack), when they could have easily excelled as a hard rock act. I think the biggest problem is the synthesized drum sounds, which just sound so weak on these tracks. I guess they seemed to do alright for themselves though. Side note: I’ve heard “Money for Nothing” dozens if not hundreds of times, and somehow today was the first time that I thought “wait… is that Sting singing backup vocals?” and looked it up, and yes, it is Sting. Can’t believe it took me that long to realize that.

Discazo. Clásico atemporal.

Phone's ringing

Was very ready to give this album a five. The first four songs are absolute bangers start to finish. Money for Nothing intro is like top 5 intro's of all time, Walk of Life is the catchiest most uplifting tracks one can imagine. The last half of this album DRAGS though. What gives? There's no return to anything we heard in the first half. Such a shame I thought I was ready to give my first 5 in like 50 albums. So close.

A favorite.

What a great album. It's so well composed and the performances are spot on. I used to get so frustrated when my Dad would put this record on when I was a kid, but now I love it. Great album, the only reason I am not giving it 4 stars is that it is slightly out of my taste.

So, the 1-2-3 punch of songs at the beginning of Brothers In Arms is arguably THE most impressive of any album from the classic rock era--and easily among the best from any album in modern music. Let's just get that out of the way first. Thanks to some drug commercial from the 00s that I cannot even remember the name of the drug itself (I Googled it, it was Farxiga! To treat high blood pressure!), Walk of Life will now always be associated with a commercial to me. But that doesn't take away from its awesomeness. I'd never heard Your Latest Trick before listening to this album (apparently it was another single?). Smooth jazz vibes up the wazoo (that sax!) and that's a good thing. Outside of the mega singles, this album sports a relatively contemplative tone (especially on tracks Why Worry, Ride Across the River, and the title track), exploring quieter synth and guitar riffs and themes about war and what's left behind after it ends. Interesting Wikipedia factoids: *The music video for "Money for Nothing" received heavy rotation on MTV, and it was the first to be aired on MTV Europe when the network launched on 1 August 1987. It is one of only two Dire Straits songs on a studio album not to be solely credited to Knopfler (the other being "The Carousel Waltz", which opens Making Movies), with guest vocalist Sting given a co-writing credit due to the melody of the repeated "I want my MTV" (sung by Sting) in the song's fadeout echoing the melody of the Police's "Don't Stand So Close to Me."...The music video for the song features early 3D computer animation illustrating the lyrics. The video was one of the first uses of computer-animated human characters and was groundbreaking at the time of its release. *Mark Knopfler described the writing of (Money For Nothing) in a 1984 interview with critic Bill Flanagan: "The lead character in "Money for Nothing" is a guy who works in the hardware department in a television/​custom kitchen/​refrigerator/​microwave appliance store. He's singing the song. I wrote the song when I was actually in the store. I borrowed a bit of paper and started to write the song down in the store. I wanted to use a lot of the language that the real guy actually used when I heard him, because it was more real...." *"Walk of Life" was a number two hit on the UK Singles Chart in early 1986 and a number seven hit on the US Billboard Hot 100 later that year. The song was nearly left off the album but was included after the band out-voted producer Neil Dorfsman. *Written during the 1982 Falklands War, "Brothers in Arms" deals with the senselessness of war. In 2007, the 25th anniversary of the war, Knopfler recorded a new version of the song at Abbey Road Studios to raise funds for British veterans who he said "are still suffering from the effects of that conflict." *The guitar featured on the front of the album cover is Mark Knopfler's 1937 14-fret National Style "O" Resonator. The Style "O" line of guitars was introduced in 1930 and discontinued in 1941. *Brothers in Arms was one of the first albums directed at the CD market, and it was a full digital recording (DDD) at a time when most popular music was recorded on analog equipment. Standouts: So Far Away, Money For Nothing, Walk of Life, Your Latest Trick, Brothers in Arms

I love the first 5 songs on this album…and while I enjoy the rest, this is one of my favorite sides of an album. It’s hard to have a consistently great album for 8 to 12 songs…there are only a few of them. But I could sit down and listen to this album any day of the week.

Pretty good. Really enjoyed the horn usage and solos. Overall a reasonable album.

Every cut is interesting listening. I love Knopfler's understated guitar.

Mooi album

Honestly, just a lot of very solid pop-rock and new-wave-inspired tunes throughout this thing. Rather than a coherent flow between all the tracks, in both subject matter and theme, it feels more like the greatest hit collection from the band. It's certainly a product of its time (like on the song "Walk of Life) with rasped vocals delivered by Mark over a cutesy and cheesy synth lead melody. Despite it being an 80s pop-rock staple that I've heard many times before, I can safely say it still holds up. Just as cheesy is the saxophone melody that kicks off "Your Latest Trick", maybe less to its benefit though. I can't say I enjoyed the more subdued and intimate sound presented in this song. "Why Worry?" is one of my favorite tracks on here. Something about it reminds me of a later-era VU track (probably because I see many similarities between Mark and Reed's vocals). It's a track with a comforting message but above all else, it's the incredible sounding instrumentation and the patient build-up over its 8-and-a-half-minute runtime. There's almost an ambient element to the serene latter half with the dusty drum loop, guitar plucking, and dreamy synth work. My favourite song though has to be the title track. It's a slow-building, synth-backed song with probably my favorite lyrics by Mark here. Mark's tribute about recovering war-torn individuals or battle-ravaged lands is marked with surreal astronomic imagery relating to the difficulty of overcoming one's self. It's also sprinkled with messages calling for peace in the world by putting everyone's sense of individualism into a grand-scheme perspective. Nothing to dislike about this track, it's a gorgeous closer. Some other favorite production moments are the strange tribal drums on "Ride Across the River" and the sudden crashing guitar chords on "The Man's Too Strong". I will say though, listening to this thing, you tend to notice all the worst tropes and staples of 80s popular music. I also feel like a lot of the songs after the first three tend to be less memorable (aside from the couple I mentioned). Aside from that though, this was still a highly enjoyable first listen.

I will never understand why Mark had to put a slur in Money for Nothing. Yes, I know the backstory. Still doesn't make sense. That aside, it's the Dire Straits.

The intro to some of these songs is solid, but every song is over produced and about twice as long as it needs to be if it needs to exist at all. Lowlight: There were a lot of songs on this I disliked, but Why Worry being as bad as it is and as long as it is offends me.

Absolutely phenomenal album. Knopfler can really make a guitar wail in such a moving and distinct way.

Money for Nothing was tough to listen to. The rest was fine

I feel like Mark Knopfler's playing is a little subdued for the flashy synths on this one. Still, covers a good range, from their standard rockabilly to jazz. Favorite tracks: "Money For Nothing", "Brothers In On"

Apart from some bigoted lyrics, the music has held up well. The guitars (including bass) have always been quite enjoyable to me.

I thought this would be one of those albums that are 2-3 really good singles and then a bunch of boring filler nobody cares about, but it was actually srupsingly really good all the way through. I love "Money for Nothing" so much. That's one of those songs I could listen to for 24 hours strai.ght without it getting old. And even the songs I've never heard in my life bang. Ride Across The Rive reminded me of the Donkey Kong Country soundtrack and that's like the biggest compliment you can ever give to anything. Good ass dad rock hell yeah. Strong 4/5, you already know how it be. I'm drunk as fuck while writing this by the way so sorry if you had an aneursym while reading this, I don't know if what I wrote makes any sense and I refuse to rewrite it tomorrow

Two words. Mark. Knoepfler.

Fun

I liked that one song

I mean it's dire straits AND it's has money for nothing. 5 stars

Эталонный батя-рок. Есть ощущение, что эта группа не очень ценится в кругах музыкальных илитистов, и, честно сказать, я с вами, ребята. Приятно ли это звучит? Да. Но чем эта музыка отличается от всех вот этих лаунжей из изи листенинг плейлистов? Кроме ностальгической ценности мне трудно здесь что-то рассмотреть. Лучшая песня - Brothers In Arms.

Mai sopportati

some fun songs but wouldn’t really return to this i don’t think

Some fun musical moments but regardless of the intent they just say faggot too many times for me.

Quite ok, knew it. One of my ex's favourite.

A great album... not their best,but the standard is high! Brothers in Arms (song) is my all time top 10.

Good music but not great music. I found it ultimately uninspiring. But still, good music.

Excellent but kind of dated now. Also not the best DS album.

The amount of hits on this album is crazy

I thought Walk Of Life was a John Mellencamp song

I thought this album was very eclectic in a way that made it easy to listen through without getting bored. I didn’t feel like I wanted to skip any songs. There was reggae style and other.

Really enjoyed it. A few tracks I didn't know were theirs. 4/5

Pretty good. That’s pretty much all I have to say.

Back in the day I loved this album! Great songs! MTV (with it's problematic lyrics that were so true to the way people talked at the time), Walk of life, So far away, Why Worry. It feels so good to listen to this one again! I forgot how gorgeously moody it is, how complex, how satisfying, not to mention Mark Knofler's perfect laid back guitar playing. Thanks for this one!

I wished the electric guitar sound was grittier in Money for Nothing, it seemed to be toned down to fit that smooth 80s production. But I’m strangely enjoying the smooth saxophone of Your Latest Trick.

Zomerse-lange-autoritten-door-zonnig-buitenland-muziek. Relaxt, sfeervol, niet al te gedateerd, af en toe een lekker mopje gitaar. Niks mis mee.

Bij het eerste nummer staat 'full version' en het is inderdaad veel te lang. Geërgerd kijk ik hoe lang het duurt. Slechts 5 minuten blijkbaar. de meeste andere nummers op het album duren langer. Het volgende nummer is Money for Nothing. Daar staat niets bij. Maar dat duurt meer dan 8 minuten en kan ik gemakkelijk gelijk nog eens aanzetten. Het is al duidelijk. Dit is binnen de grenzen van de jaren '80 een album met veel variatie. Het ene nummer past bij jou, het andere past een ander beter. Al met al staat er voormij te veel rustige muziek op. Al houden ze het album in balans. Zou ik vanuit mijn eigen luistergenot uitgaan, dan zou het zich middelen naar een 3. Maar dan doe ik geweldige nummers als Ride Across The River tekort. En dan negeer ik de creativiteit en kwaliteit. Nee, dat kan ik niet over mijn hart verkrijgen. Ik noteer 4 sterren.

Prachtig om te lezen op de wiki dat er dus een recensent dit album 1 ster gaf. Nu delen de beste recensenten wel eens een 1 uit natuurlijk, je hebt ze niet voor niets gekregen. Maar het album behoort inmiddels tot de best verkopende albums aller tijden. Althans, dat was allemaal voor de spotify era, want Taylor Swift staat niet in die lijsten. Niet dat verkoopcijfers altijd wat zeggen, maar laten we zeggen dat deze recensent er achteraf een beetje naast zat. Anyway, als we naar de muziek luisteren, dan horen we een aantal kneiters van hits met Money for Nothing en Brothers in Arms. Maar ook typische jaren 80 synths, vermengd met drumcomputers en wat experimentele wereldmuziek. Maar Mark Knoflook komt er allemaal mee weg met zijn lijzige gitaarspel, ondanks zijn theedoek in zijn haar. Of het het beste Dire Straits album is, daar kun je bij de pool over twisten. De monsterhits en de verkoopcijfers zullen het wel onderbouwen. En ik kan hier ook moeiteloos 5 sterren voor uitdelen. Want Dire Straits kan ik altijd opzetten.

An album I always liked, but never loved. I appreciated the music, but it's not quite the type I like. Perhaps it's a little too restrained? ...too soft? ...too top 30 / radio play? Best tracks... So far away (bit too gentle and twee though) Money for nothing - too overplayed You latest trick - probably the best track Why worry - a very decent track Brothers in arms - overplayed

I found this mostly pretty boring. Their few hits are OK, the rest I'd rather have skipped.

bekannt

Pretty middle of the road. Nothing special for me

My all-time favourite album. Just.Perfect.

A big influence on my youth and holds up well I feel

It is one of my favorite albums. Masterpiece!

Got to hand it to Knopfler; the guy can obviously play like an absolute beast but he's also capable of something more: the exercise of restraint. This record is stacked with riffs and the songs ain't half bad. Even the 80s production sound hasn't agreed badly; just sounds appropriate to its era and mostly fairly tasteful. Must be the right kind of fame as well: create a multimillion-selling monster then return to a low profile life. Respect

Listening to boomer rock is my business and business is a BOOMIN.

Good album

This is one of the soundtracks of my childhood although at the time, I didn't realize you weren't supposed to say f4gg0t, even if he was getting his money for nothing and his chicks for free and you were jealous. All I knew as a kid was that yes, I did want my MTV.

This was an absolute bop. Big big fan, even though they did say some wordy dirds.

4 hits and lots of other good tunes too. Always enjoyed their music.

This was the first CD I ever bought. It had the new markings of DDD on the liner notes indicating it was produced completely Digital, no analog processes. I love this album. Much like the previous days offering (The Police - Synchronicity), each song tells a story and draws you in as it unfolds. Great mixing as well. You can almost pick out every different instrument that is playing. 5 stars.

If new music was half this good I'd actually pay for Spotify.

Brothers in Arms was the album that propelled Dire Straits to international stardom. Propelled by some of the band's biggest hit songs, like "Money for Nothing" and "Walk of Life," this album set sales records all over the world, including a note as the first CD to sell over a million copies. Brothers in Arms is more pop-oriented that the band's previous albums, but the band maintained its distinct sound based on Mark Knopfler's technical, precise guitar solos and his deep, rich voice.

This is a solid record from a band that had been doing things a certain way for a while. It is hard to argue against this being the peak, but everything prior had been leading to it. It is masterfully produced and well executed. 8/8/10

Fine, again good singles but very much of its time.

Pretty cool Not really my vibe

Of the Best

Great album, a classic favourite of my father's

Zuerst mit René H. gehört.

Overall -technically, it’s phenomenal, compositions and everything but it feels as tho there is something left to be desired -it isn’t a skip but I’m not running back to it So Far Away -ooo that’s a beautiful bodied guitar -damn what kind of pedal? Not a wah wah? -maybe a slide too? -lovely and smooth Money for Nothing -a gentle synth, I dig -I don’t think I’ve ever really listener to the intro of this song -hot hot hot hot hot -the guitar is cloudy yet crystal ??? -is it a Les Paul ???? Walk of Life -YUP -makes me wanna fucking square dance and hit a god damn dosey doh -not notes Your Latest Trick -OK TRUMPET -OH -feels a little tropical bluesy Why Worry -so soft and gentle Ride Across the River -ok experimental the man’s too strong -ooh country -oh fuck One world -I like the melody Brothers in Arms -v haunting

I’m not exactly sure what to make of this album. It felt like I went from listening to the Beetles to Phil Collins to Neil Diamond to George Michaels all in the course of four tracks. I liked their least popular songs on this album the best, maybe because there was a sense of honesty about them that you don’t hear on something like Walk of Life. And for me, I think that’s the crux of this album. It feels like they wrote it for someone else rather than writing the kind of album they wanted to make. There’s a lot of great songs and some real stinkers too, but I think a lack of focus and authenticity is what makes me rate this one down a bit.

Not a fan of Dire Straits

Great Album!!

A classic album if ever there was one. Brothers in Arms still gets to me when I hear it.

This is the ultimate ”dad rock” album, because it’s my dad’s favorite album and I’ve heard it maaaany times.

Knew it would be a 5 and still is a 5

Sure

As a Desire Straits fan, I love this album.

Nice music to listen and relax

Classic rock

Walk of Life is a Classic

3 bangers to start, but quality dropped off fast after that. I expect more from albums here.

Nice album, heard of ‘money for nothing’ and ‘walk of life’ but the others were easy listening.

Pretty gooooood. Very crisp and beautifully mixed. Just under a 4, but way more than a 3.0.

Classic from start to finish!

One of the great guitar players. Money for nothing is one of the best riffs of all time. 4.6

3.8

Decent.

I enjoyed listening to everything. I would say “Why Worry” is one that doesn’t add much but it’s not a bad song, just mainly an instrumental. Pretty good overall

Terribles vicios sonoros de los ochenta, pero buen disco a pesar de todo. 4

So Far Away From Me Why Worry? This Man's Too Strong Brother in Arms Love this album.

I like the music!

Not my favorite…. just a little boring… money for nothing is the best tho

I get that Knopfler is technically good at guitar. But there are a few things I don’t like about this. It’s cornball. And I can’t believe I never noticed the f-slur being used in Money For Nothing! Not cool, but it was a different time. I’m just not into this. That Kenny G-style clarinet solo was excruciating too. Glad this is over.

Top heavy but great

On se kova!

Solid from start to finish.

was ok as background music. nothing really grabbed my attention

Damals schon gut, auch weil die erste CD in DDD. Mir gefällt sie noch immer, weil rockige und feine (Zwischen-)töne sich abwechseln - dynamisch, präzise, kristallklar. Ein Klassiker!

Meine allererste CD. Immer noch sehr gut.

Super Album welches einfach gefällt, auch wenn es manchmal fast zu lieblich wirkt. Aber habe mich gefreut, es wieder mal zu hören.

Woow!

Dire Straits— Solid smooth listening experience! Even though the genre switches up, the vibe is all cool dudes leaning against the wall and smoking the same cigarette while people watching. Also, I’ve never read the lyrics to Money for Nothing, so I was shocked and amazed to see them dropping slurs in the middle of it lol (it’s all playing a character, so it’s good) Favorite songs: the Man’s Too Strong, Money for Nothing

Such a great album.

Lots of fun, takes me back to the 80s.

Ooo walk of life! An excellent song. This song alone puts this album in 3+ territory. Love how so far away starts the album, love the twangy guitar. Enjoyed the sax in your latest trick -- brings me back to grocery shopping with my mom in the early 90s. Why worry is so chill and lovely Enjoyed overall, 4*, although I wonder how much I like this because I *should*.

Great classic rock

This album is pretty strange, but not bad. It has, like, super radio hits on it, but then also weird space out jam songs. I don't love it but I didn't hate it, either.

Great album. Of course, I like the two big hits from this album, but the rest of the songs are awesome as well.

Meh. Just meh.

Pretty chill album, there's a lot of songs I recognize on here. The first 3 tracks for sure: So Far Away, Money for Nothing, and Walk of Life. The middle songs weren't as good, but it finished with Brothers in Arms, which I really liked.

This is a phenomenal album full of all-time classics. Mark Knopfler is possibly my second favorite guitarist of all-time, and he shines again on this album. The trumpet and sax playing on the intro to Your Latest Trick are also out of this world. An album that everyone should listen to at least once in their lives. Favorite tracks: ALL OF THEM.

Walk of Life is probably the first song so far that has stuck out to me. First album so far I really like. Probably shows my indoctrination to conventional pop.

Excellent! Their best since "Making Movies" and probably their Best overall. Chick full oof hits, but actually some of the other (Especially "Why Worry") are Soooo overlooked! Sit back and enjoy. Knofler was genius one this

Always liked Dire Straights. It was a treat to,listen to them again. Loved it!

I’ve been listening to the hits pretty often (money for nothing, walk of life etc. ) but had never listened to the whole album. Really liking the different vibes throughout.

It was fine. I had problems paying attention through the whole album.

MTV video vibes! Classic "Walk of Life" video. Non-new music during the new-music 1980's era.

Walk Of Life oli unohdettu klassikko. Bängereitä ja herkkiä kappaleita. Money For Nothing alku on kyllä siisti. Parhaat: Money For Nothing, Your Latest Trick, Brothers In Arms

Its a reasonably good album with some nice hits, but the Dire Straights genre isn't really my favorite. I don't even know what to call it, maybe smooth rock of the 80's. The 80's has some silly iconic sound effects that are present in many tracks. The album didn't really suck me in, and I found myself zoning out just waiting for it to be over at some point.

Solid album, with classic songs and some filler middle

80’s Nostalgic vibes!

Clasicardos com ja m'imaginava que seria sent dire straits, coneixia totes les però mai m'havia posat a escoltar l'album com a tal. Les desconegudes en la meva opinio massa intrunentals que comparant amb les bones no arriben 9/10 degut a que no totes son bones però les bones ho són molt

Crazy how front loaded this is.

Classic! Not really for me though, I'll put it on to chill

Ok this was different, but not bad by any means. What genre is this? Soft rock? Groove rock? It wasn't the best workout track, which is when listened to it, but it was a vibe. Favorite track was the man's too strong.

As the opening luck starts up, I have fond memories of this album. Great, clean production values, despite being 55 minutes on a single piece of wax. This album contains many intricate compositions played expertly. Must be played over headphones. A key point in the evolution/blossoming of Mark Knopfler. Really, from here, he produced, played session, wrote/performed soundtracks in a variety of genres. ______________________ Number of albums reviewed: 7 Number of albums left to review: 993 Number of albums from the list I found relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 3 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 6 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine: 1

Totally ‘80’s — Money For Nothing, reminds me of airshows & being abruptly awoken at papa’s house lol

Last track is the best

One of the best albums of all time

Some songs are great and some are so unlistenable.

Has all the hits, great listen

This album, besides being a bit overproduced, holds up very well and sounds as good today as it did 39 years ago!

Solid album, lots of history and replay value.

One of my favs!

First three songs are absolute classics. Love that the beginnings od songs are so atmospheric and different from the body of the song. Fourth song is snooze but I like the saxophone. Would re-listen to select songs, probs not

omg, yes, absolutely g.o.a.t. Mark Knopfler is a giant!!

I remember it from my youth. I used to hate this record. But I know it so well... Now I like it: or I like me remembering that period of my life.

A pretty lame, uninspired album. The only good songs are the guitar-forward ones, which I can't believe is a big ask on a Dire Straits album. The only 3 things keeping this from being a one-star album is the riff from Money For Nothing, the song Walk of Life for being catchy, and One World for some much-welcome guitar stuff. It's crazy that this album is considered a classic.

I didn’t hate it, but it bored me. I liked the music more than the vocals.

A great guitar album, but doesn’t really hit my taste.

A little too poppy to be considered rock, imo

up until recently, i thought walk of life was a Springsteen tune. what a fantastic album. if what im seeing is correct, they only spent $175 on their demo. which would translate to $1750 in today's money lol

Meh. I prefer 80s metal. Jeremy’s more into the poppy “yacht rock” than me. I did appreciate the jazzy notes sprinkled in. the hits, track 2&3 I’ve heard WAY TOO MANY times from serving while the restaurant played 80s rock hits. Now I know the band name. ✌️

Fine. I don’t happen to live Knopfler’s voice, but Money for Nothing sure captures a moment in time with early MTV.

Fun pop-ey rock to start with, then delves into jazz and prog rock influence. Drags a bit towards the middle in prog-land

A number of great songs, but a too many I hit skip on so it get’s 3 stars. Would be cool if we could give half stars.

Not my taste

Este fue, si no el primero, sí de los primeros que escuche, en casa de la abuela con mis primos en un radiocasete de los de antes y en cinta, de esas que tenían cara A y cara B. Es un album que está bien, las tres primeras canciones son las mejores, después baja el listón, no musicalmente, que suenan genial pero no tienen tanta fuerza.

Wonderful mix of timeless happy and also melancholic songs

I've been listening to this album for a while, first on a cassette tape in the car, then on CD in the car, then on an iPod in the car, and now steaming in the car, and it never disappoints. Excellent throughout.

Money for Nothing is obviously a classic. I was not expecting the rest of the album to be so low key. The Mans Too Strong was interesting, started out with some cool country vides and had some rock thrown in for good measure. The rest was just meh. Somewhere between a three and four for me.

This album made me really happy and grateful. I danced through my chores.

definitely an album for "my island"

10/5 .one of my all time favorites ,been in my collection since day one. Knopflers guitar plying unparalleled.

Money for Nothing has on of the greatest intros of all time, but I prefer the shorter version. 8 minutes is too long. Brothers in Arms, Walk of Life, and So Far Away are all decent too

Amazing.

Some of the instrument effects sound corny, especially in the faster paced songs early in the album. I actually enjoyed the slower, moodier songs on the back half. They front-loaded with their some of their biggest singles it seems.

One of my favorite albums.

I haven't listened to Dire Straits since the 80's. It definitely took me back to my late teens and early 20s.

Not a fan

So Far Away - Catchy bass line, catchy guitar riff and lyrics. Feels like I should be in a coming of age film Money for Nothing - Questionable lyric but the other lyrics very fun. Classic really Walk of Life - Insane song. Bouncy, up-beat rock and roll. Your Latest Tricks - Gentle, slow, nice relaxing song. Feels sexy, especially with Knopfler's Ooohs Why Worry - Slow, relaxing, dreamy song. Liking this a lot. Nice instrumental to end the song. Ride Across the River - Cool, different tune. Feels like I'm in the jungle The Man's Too Strong - Great lyrics, great guitar. Nick Cave sequel in a weird sort of happier way One World - Cool bass very catchy. Different song I'm liking it, feels like a powerful listen Brothers in Arms - Another classic this. Very smooth, catchy guitar. Lyrics felt like they were being whispered and I liked that a lot.

Classic album has aged ok, beautiful guitar work

Nostalgic!

A few bangers, very groovy. knopfler really shines here. the issue is the songwriting (outside of a few songs) doesn't do it for me all the time. also a tad too low-energy (which could be influenced by mood on my end when i listened.) biggest disappointment, though, was that the singles were the best songs on the album

Technically proficient and well-produced AOR music. I find this rather unengaging. Money for Nothing came at just the right moment with the advent of digital music, MTV and the like. A smash album.

Fabelhaft

I found this to be much better than I remembered it.

Hits were alright, deep cuts were too long and just okay. The definition of mid.

Long time no hear but still Great

Good

Very nice surprise. Very quiet songs and a very chill style. The kind of rock that I like So Far Away: 9.3 Money For Nothing: 9.4 Walk Of Life: 9.3 Your Latest Trick: 8.9 Why Worry?: 9.4 Ride Across The River: 8.9 The Man’s Too Strong: 7.8 One World: 8.3 Brothers In Arms: 9.2

Looking at the whole musical activity of Dire Straits, this album is a definite magnum opus for them. So many great songs packed in 55 minutes. Very close to 5/5. 4.5/5.

Dire Straits meets MTV. Not the best Dire Straits album in my view, but I get why it’s on this list.

Dire Straits are an important band for me - a constant, beautiful companion over the last 40 years. However, I personally prefer the band's live albums. Nevertheless, a safe 4 stars!

Did not like. Good guitar playing, but little else. Also, Money for Nothing is a gay slur in it multiple times. I know it's of the era, but uncomfortable nonetheless.

This is one of those 80s rock albums like Born in the USA or Sports that was extremely popular without sitting comfortably in any of the more popular rock genres of the time. It is pretty decent, but it sounds so, so dated now.

This is a great jazz influenced pop record. The second side drags a bit, but it is still amazing. Now here is a play I wrote. All the band members except Mark Knopler: “Fine Mark, you can play your weird 1920’s metal guitar on all the songs. Now it’s time to come up with the cover art. What do we want to put on it?” Mark Knopler: 👉👈

Enjoyed a few songs, but a bit too strange for me at times.

I’ve always loved the sound of Knopfler’s guitar. He plays so effortlessly! It’s a great record, with one or two less impressive tracks that maybe didn’t age too well. [0096/1001]

Fantastic album. My first 5 star rating. Loved it for years haven't listened in a long time

Classic, going with a 4 as I think a couple of the tracks are weak.

The hits are great, the non hits are less great

This wasn't bad. I of course knew a few of the songs. Money for Nothing, classic. Overall the album was pretty good.

46/100

Really loved this album, even thought I have listened to it before. I don't think there is a bad track on it.

Generally quite liked it, didn’t feel too samey but stick to its theme

I like the ZZ Top song (Money for Nothing) and the Springsteen song (Walk of Life). Go get paid, boys! But I LOVE the 2nd half of any Dire Straits album. It's like slipping into a warm bath.

Blah

Very funky rock album. Lots of different tones and ideas bonded together.

That’s a classic masterpiece. 5 stars

Ugh no

Banger. Mark Knopfler is a genius on the ole guitar

Love this album, reminds me of dad and family vacation

Wonderful album. Brilliant songs. Hold out still after all these years.

wow

I listened to this twice because I felt like there were a few nice moments in the first listen but hadn't really paid enough attention. Then I did the same thing on the second listen. So maybe not enough to grab my attention here.

love Dire Straits

love these guys

Classic

Awesome guitar!

Nice album

Very good album, most songs are interesting.

Amazing album. Do tend to fall asleep around "Why Worry?"

Hot garbage.

It's got some solid radio hits. The deep cuts were pretty okay. A 3.5 but I don't think it earns the 4. Whatevs.

I was not a fan of the songs themselves -- sorta boring! -- but was fairly swept away by the instrumentation, especially on the back half of the album.

Classic album, full of great hits. 4.2/5

O que falar dessa pedrada? 5/5 fodaaaa

It was really boring to me

Favorite Tracks: Money For Nothing Walk of Life Brothers in Arms

This album means a lot to me. It's the band with which my father introduced me to rock. This album was also given to me in a vinyl shop on a long trip to Spain. Dire Straits are so manic in the way they produce music, I love that kind of creation so much.

When I listen to this album, it reminds me of high school, mostly around playing billiards with my friends, philosophizing on world events, watching Miami Vice, and occasionally watching MTV back when it had music videos. To me it's a very good album due to the variety of tunes, mostly unrushed in tempo and often ironic lyrics.

So many awesome classics!

Reading about this album made me really excited, among the best selling albums of all time and I'd never heard of it? Sadly I was a bit underwhelmed. It was enjoyable but there wasn't anything particularly iconic about it, even on my second listen it just fell a bit flat.

I checked this out from the library as a teenager, and recorded it to tape. In the end it’s not really my favorite music, but it’s pretty solid and nostalgic so it’s at the top end of 4 stars but doesn’t make it to 5.

I don't have to listen to this album. I know it by heart. Might be the best of Dire Straits on display here. A guitarist buddy of mine hates Knopfler's voice, so he isn't willing to even listen to Knopfler – one of the guitar greats of all time. Even the filler is great, BUT... Sultans of Swing and Romeo and Juliet appear on other albums. Album is still significant. The digital recording techniques and mastering that were bleeding edge at the time, the seamless cut between the drum solo and the main song on Money For Nothing, so much amazing stuff happening on this video, completely invisible.

1. So Far Away (5:06) => Honestly, as far as Mark Knopfler riffs go, it's fairly boring. In general, the song is pretty underwhelming. A disappointing opener. I had high hopes, having listened to songs like "Sultans of Swing" and "Money For Nothing", but the album needed to open with a bang. (3/5) 2. Money For Nothing (8:25) => I already know the song, and I love it. What more can I say? (5/5) 3. Walk Of Life (4:08) => It was okay. Nothing good nor bad to say about it. (3.5/5) 4. Your Latest Trick (6:29) => I like the jazzy opening. It's a nice laid back song; reminds me of Billy Joel. (4.5/5) 5. Why Worry? (8:24) => Another nice slow ballad. (4.5/5) 6. Ride Across The River (6:58) => It was good, nothing stood out though. (4/5) 7. The Man's Too Strong (4:38) => The fingerstyle guitar's pretty cool. I really like the Wild West sound. (4.5/5) 8. One World (3:37) => This should have been the opener. Mark Knopfler at his finest. (5/5) 9. Brothers In Arms (7:00) =>The titular track. A nice, slow song to close out the album. Lovely guitar parts from Knopfler. (5/5) Overall =>It was a bit slow to start, but picked it up at the end. Could have been worse, but was still very hit or miss. 2 of the three songs I gave a full 5/5 to - "Money For Nothing" and "One World" - feel out of place on the album, but are still really good. Final Thoughts => A decent album with amazing songs. However, the lack of tonal consistency and the lacklustre start lead to an album that could have been great, but ultimately falls short. (4/5)

I recognized two songs from the radio, only one of which i knew was by Dire Straits. the rest of the album was slow and felt disjointed, and even though it's fairly short, i kept hoping each song would be the last. definitely didn't seem like it would be THE first record to sell one million CDs. But the power of wanting MTV is great, i guess.

The bangers are banging, the bops are bopping I've never listened to this album all the way through, so I did not expect a Chuck Mangione joint on track 4

I love the musicianship in this band. A coupon of the songs were a little boring and too jazzy for my taste, but the ones that were great were really great.

this one barely stands out in my memory

1-3: bangers 4-on: ??? slow. no bangering at all.

It got range, money for nothing is such a jam

Always solid

Really good album. Amazing mixing, stellar guitar performance and great lyrics and vocals

Impressive production.

Too slow. A couple good songs.