Brothers In Arms

This is pretty great, if a bit safe at times, with fantastic playing and a cohesive and comprehensive sonic vision. Money for nothing is one of the best rock songs of all time

The Money For Nothing riff is the main attraction here, and while it is a very very good riff (all-time Great, even), the song’s still scuffed up by how badly the slurs aged. The rest of the album’s pretty mellow, contextually good listening

"Brothers in Arms" is the fifth studio album by Dire Straits. This album was a huge success (#1 in UK-14 Weeks, #1 in US- 9 weeks). I think MTV and a song might have contributed to that. The album was recorded in Montserrat on a Sony 24-track digital recorder, mixed on an analog board and was geared toward the CD market. (There was some additional recordings in NYC due to tapes being lost). I do remember that back then and the album sounding really good. There have been many reissues and re-mixes of the album from the original digital and analog tapes. At this point, Mark Knopler (lead singer, guitarist) and John Illsey (bass player) were the only band members remaining from their first album. They added a couple of keyboardists, a drummer and additional guitarists. Classified as pop rock which fits. Initial UK reviews were negative citing Dire Straits as selling out for stadiums. US reviews were more positive. Yeah, I guess I have a mixed view on this album too; I appreciate the technicality and nothing offends me even though it was played a lot...a lot. But, I can't say I've gone back to listen to it. This album also won multiple Grammy's. Five singles were released on this album with the first being the first song "So Far Away." Clean guitar, keyboards added in a slightly slower rock pace. About missing someone. Simple. Enjoyable enough. And then we come to the MTV mega-hit "Money For Nothing" written and performed with Sting. Knopfler got the lyrics being in a NYC appliance listening to an employee comment while watching MTV. Some of these lyrics would obviously have to be changed if released today. I think I bought the album because of this song. I've always kind of liked "Walk of Life," a happy song. Organ/synth-keyboard melody. It's about a musician busking and an ode to the oldies. I think "Your Latest Trick" might be my favorite song on the album. The last single released too. Trumpet. Sax. Jazzy. A sort of bossa nova beat. It almost sounds like Sade. The song was intended for their previous album "Love Over Gold." The second side gets a little more serious with three of the four songs about war/soliders. "Ride Across the River" has a tropical beat, pan flute and horns. A bluesy guitar. About a solider mercenary. "The Man's too Strong" goes country with its guitar. The story is about a soldier having fear of showing any weakness. "Brothers in Arms" was the third single released and is the last song on the album. The keyboards, organ and guitar again give a blues feel. This song is a commentary on the senselessness of the Falkland War. My favorite Dire Straits is probably their previous two albums, "Love Over Gold'" and "Making Movies." This particular album was so big, all over the radio and MTV. I got the album when it came out and really haven't listened to it since. Nothing wrong with it. I guess it is surprising how big it was and the last of anything really significant from Dire Straits; they initially broke up a few years after the release of this album.

Totally fine. Listen. I’m not a Dire Straits fan but I respect their musicianship. That said there’s some ICONIC stuff on here bogged down by way too much filler.

A delightful flashback

Great blues rock, money for nothing and the walk of life were hits off this album. Overall decent album

Niet goed niet slecht. Leuk eerste lieke

A couple of good classic songs and a bunch of long, slow instrumental pieces. Listened to it while on a road trip and about fell asleep and drove off the road. Not my favorite.

Some interesting lyrics, especially the ones in the song "One World" caught my attention. However, all in all, the album did not do much for me sonically or musically, it's rather a bit monotone, which makes the words being sung fall flat. 2/5

I always thought Money for Nothing was the coolest song---that guitar tone is so great. I don't think I'd ever heard the full version with the 'faggot' verse. The keyboards in Walk of Life are great but once the album hits the unrestrained saxophone in Your Latest Trick it really drops off.

Starts off strong, nothing to write to home about after track 4

Está bueno, 3/5

Gets better second half, still pretty tired.

Weee ooooo this sounds just like Buddy Holly.

I knew the hits were fine, but the rest of the album is a bit too slow

Last tracks intro sounds more like 2022 then 1985. Wow

Some great songs on here - Brothers in Arms and Walk of Life - but it's a bit slower of an album than I'd like

All in all a pretty good album. A little slower at times but it was enjoyable.

Better than expected. Mellow and relaxing with good flow.

The album was fine...just fine. At various points I found myself hoping the band would break out into a classic rock song, but more often than not, they'd shift to a more pop, blues, or country inspired direction. I'm amazed this band is British, as they sound very American in their influences.

For me they weren’t able to replicate the lightning in a bottle of Sultans of swing. This album has quite a few singles but I find them all to be tepid and bland.

Never knew Walk of Life prior but that music was so familiar, I know I've heard it probably everywhere. This was an interesting album, rock, but a variety of it and not exactly guitars but a good mix of instruments and beats. But I will always think of Dire Straights as the message Grandfather Disguisey passes to Pistachio when giving him the Disguisey ball of knowledge.

Some ups and downs, overall solid

Your latest trick - big jump from the poppy well known walk of life - more like a hazy jazz bar when quiet or lift music Some poppy well known tunes then random jazz bar late night cofffe shop fodder

In my personal opinion, I get why it's here, the album has some amazing vocals from Mark Knopfler and guitar riffs, but it's just not my stuff. Only liked about 3 songs and found the rest kind of long and boring. Maybe in the future I might change my mind.

Frat dudes co-opted this album, and it's a shame. Nostalgic sounds, really hard to picture outside of the mid 80's. Love the instrumental on "Why Worry" – a track built for headphones. I'll definitely return to some tracks that I've never previously heard.

Walk of Life is a great tune but the album as a whole was a bit unexciting.

This album has been popular for a long time and Mark Knopfler's voice and those screaming guitars are the reason why. I think there are better Dire Sraits songs elsewhere, but there are still a couple of tracks here that are my jam. Without the title track though, the album would come up short. I love Brothers in Arms specifically. The mournful notes before the swinging and soulful drop with its tempered drums. Finally, that Hammond B-3 that comes in is just terrific. Take me to church.

6/10. Had a couple good songs

i’d only heard money for nothing off this album before, and the rest was pleasantly surprising. the instrumentation was excellent, the lyrics were generally good, but there were some really heinous ones which knock this down to a 3. would be a 4 otherwise.

A 3.5 probably. Money for Nothing is a weird song, catchy but not my favorite. Walk of Life I like. Rest of the album was pretty forgettable.

3.5, almost 4

Clear distinct pretty sound. Lyrics poor. Uninteresting vocals. Great guitar and synths. Few stand out songs but most are average at best.

Dire Straits 'Brothers In Arms' was an album that didn't do too much for me when it was released. Money for Nothing was a monster hit that ruled the airwaves and of course MTV. Looking back on it now, Mark Knopfler's genius for the guitar shines and produces and fantastic album with several hits. 3.5/5.

An eclectic mix of country twang, soft rock and 80’s pop. The album is held together by an easygoing energy, clean production and Mark Knopfler’s Dylanesque vocals. Some of these songs I know from growing up with classic rock radio but never thought much about who sang them. I particularly liked “Why Worry,” which starts like a lullaby and extends into a power ballad jam. The dusty cowboy style of “The Man’s Too Strong” stood out to me too.

Don't love the language in Money for Nothing - made me listen to Weird Al's take Money for Nothing / Beverly Hillbillies instead. Total 80's rock sounds.

Really doesn't hold a candle to Sultans of Swing. I like Money for Nothing obviously, but the rest I could really just leave.

Ehh

Utter disappointment, Dire Straits, considering how it started! This is an album of three, three songs acts. Act I - You had me hooked you magnificent bastards! So Far Away, Money For Nothing, and Walk Of Life are 80s as hell and engaging. A solid 4 ⭐️ performance. Act 2 - WTF? Did Mike McDonald arrive in alien, body snatcher form and take over all band members? Ugh 2 ⭐️. Act 3 - The Man’s Too Strong brings something back, with the timely aggressive guitar passages. One World and Brothers In Arms are songs I could take or leave, but wouldn’t mind hearing from time to time. 3 ⭐️.

I enjoyed this more than I wanted to and more than I expected.

kinda all over the place genre wise also holy shit the lyrics of "money for nothing" are not okay 3.5

Até surpreendeu por eu consegui perceber a qualidade do instrumental e melodias apesar dos hits que incomodam bastante.

Thought I was going to have heard all these already when it started. The ones I hadn't weren't memorable. Did not know about the controversial version of MFN!

Nice album. The stars of the album are the first three songs. Though Money for Nothing never did anything for me, Walk of Life and So far Away are both excellent. But the 4th song...yech! Elevator music ballad, complete with sax that sounds like Kenny G is playing. The balance of the album is pretty uneventful with the exception of the title track. All in all a pretty ordinary album with 2 or 3 stellar tunes. 3.5 🌟

Fav song: So Far Away

Money for nothing y Walk of Life son temas fijos en cualquier lista ochentera

Dire Straits are a band I’ve somehow escaped listening to really but this album is pretty enjoyable and very well-produced.

Bueno

Never been a big fan

Dire Straits has some great tunes, but most of those aren’t on this album. Liked “One World” and even though it’s overplayed, I’m still not sick of “Money for Nothing”. Other minor hits: “Walk of Life” and “So far Away” are lame. Rest is boring.

80's were a rough time for rock. Brothers on Arms is a very good album but it's pretty far removed from modern rock. It's not a bad thing by itself but it most likely means that I won't be returning much to this album.

How did I not know that’s Sting on Money for Nothing? What a wally.

This was the record that made DS so popular that no one liked them anymore. Like everything they did, it’s of very high quality, but this one lacks life and edge. Serious points off for becoming ubiquitous (and thus annoying) in my first painful year of college (not entirely Knopfler’s fault it was painful) and generally being too polished, slick and too big a hit. Demerits also for using state-of-the-art (also smug) ‘80s production effects (keys and synths especially, Sting backing vocals). And for parodying MTV while being totally of it … by design and in execution. They wanted it both ways, I suppose, and got it. Trigger warning on the homophobic language, too – oh, that shameful go-go decade. The “Money for Nothing” hook is great, if obvious. “So Far Away” and “Walk of Life” are pretty good, too. “Your Latest Trick” and “One World” are tops to my ears, and the more considered non-hits in the middle and back stand up better than the chart-toppers. It’s interesting to me that the record ends very quietly, in contrast to the very loud opening hook of its most famous song. As a whole, it’s all far below (less artful, less serious, way too obviously reaching for mainstream acceptance) than the previous work – the first record, Love Over Gold and Making Movies especially. I like that it freed Knopfler to do what he wanted but he never got his mojo back (commercially or artistically) and has mostly noodled since. Sorry, book editors, but the production here makes this anything but “timeless” – who can hear this and not think mid- to late ‘80s? You want timeless, try “Water of Love,” “WIld West End,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “Skateaway” or “Telegraph Road.” One must be careful not dismiss things just because they’re popular, but, while this deserves a 4, I’m protesting and penalizing with a 3 because everyone (even the authors) still overrates this at the expense of the earlier, simpler and superior efforts.

Honestly? Pleasant

Bit boring overall but some nice tracks in there and good guitars.

It was okay

Far more easy listening than I remember it. A good album but hardly justifying the 60m+ in album sales.

the sound of young MTV

Not a huge fan of the vocals. Music is good. Kind of sounds like rock and roll Bob Dylan.

Not super into this aside from Walk of Life, but there's still a lot of impressive song writing and musicianship on display, so gotta respect that.

Several classic tracks, can even hear some of the stylings that would show up in The Princess Bride. And Brothers in Arms, just a great tune, also used to great effect in the episode "Two Cathedrals" in The West Wing. Title track far surpasses those that were the big hits. And an early jump into computer animation on Money For Nothing and Sting's I want My MTV are still iconic albeit dated.

A huge album at the time, cementing Dire Straits’ status as one of the top global acts. Heard the first half of this album SO MUCH, one way or another, that even now it’s hard to be objective, so I’ll flip to the second half and say I enjoyed these tracks, a fair bit of variety and tasteful instrumentation and production (perhaps over compressed for my ears now) but overall this was played ALL THE TIME on MTV and became so embedded that I can’t quite take it now…

Released at the mid-point of the 1980s, "Brothers in Arms" is one in a long line of albums which saw talented musicians taking smooth-edged soft-rock to the max, shooting for commercial gain they might never have anticipated but yielding decidedly mixed results in the long-term. Alongside Mark Knopfler's instantly recognisable, brittle Strat playing (all finger-work and no plectrum, still deserving to be the focus here) and semi-spoken vocal delivery, the sound is finished off by synth pads that float over the top of every damn song, ultra-polished, plodding drums, lounging jazz keyboards and the occasional intricate lead melody (woodwind synth or saxophone). If it sounds pleasant, it is. If it sounds boring, it also is. Knopfler is not a striking lyricist in this case, and the music stays mainly on the side of brooding atmospherics in HD. It's not always a bad thing and in the right mood, I can let it sweep me away. But it's quite frustrating knowing that Knopfler is capable of playing exquisite guitar (seen in glimpses across many of these instrumental passages) or writing a pop hit. At least two of these three stars belong to "Walk of Life", the standout single, for cutting through the introspection and succeeding in being effortlessly bright, breezy and catchy. Knopfler's vocal style really works here, as do the increased presence of synthesisers in Dire Straits' sound as they add the classic keyboard riff. "Money for Nothing" is another winner, contributing the only riff with any backbone. It even manages to earn its length, paying off the iconic long introduction with a cynical lyric and delivery (including a badly judged slur... if you're reading this, you know what it is) and its major key chorus, breaking through like an occasional ray of sunshine. While I'm on the subject of "Money for Nothing", one of the record's three great songs, it is NONSENSE that the band chose not to open "Brothers in Arms" with it. It is known for having one of the most majestic introductions of all time, beloved by audiophiles testing out new hi-fis the world over... but instead we begin with "So Far Away", a completely by-the-numbers soft rock opening with its oh-so-inspiring central lyric "you're so far away from me; so far I just can't see". It sums up my main gripe with "Brothers in Arms": it has occasional greatness which is casually tossed out hand-in-hand with dross. "Your Latest Trick" constitutes the doldrums of easy-listening, saxophone and all. "Why Worry" has a nursery rhyme melody and a hackneyed-but-nice sentiment poorly expressed, before breaking into a four minute noodly coda which adds nothing. "One World" tries to inject a shot of adrenaline in the album's home stretch with some nice lead guitar and slapped bass in a Tony Levin cameo, but there's not much going on beyond it. That said, it's worth finishing my review as the album goes out, with the lovely "Brothers In Arms." It's the main ballad here which works: a heartfelt message delivered alongside a winning melody, it sits in the right place at the end of the record and serves a final reminder that the band can deliver their songs with pathos and immediacy. Along with "Walk of Life" and "Money for Nothing", it proves that this album still deserves its place on this list, even if it is greater than the sum of its parts.

eh

I was proven pleasantly wrong by the first Dire Straits album. It had some good songs on it, and retained a sense of place as an album by a band from the North East of England. I'm 50/50 on this, and I can't stand Money For Nothing but love Walk of Life going in. Hoping that this album leans more towards the joyous pop of the latter than the mixing desk stodge rawk of the former. So Far Away is nice, if slight. It's been so long since I heard Money For Nothing, I have actually warmed to it. It's clearly tongue in cheek, heat saying 'The MTV' in the same way I say 'The TikToks' to my daughter, isn't he. Walk of Life Still slaps. Your Latest Trick is all the worst things about the 80s distilled into a bottle of undiluted piss. Saxophone? Shmoove? Bleurgh.

Cool

Was not all that taken with this album on first listen. There were the singles I was already familiar with and they were still good. Near the end, I was warming to it, so I relistened and realized that most of my negativity were around "Your Latest Trick" and "Why Worry", which were both snoozefests. I like the end of the album quite a bit. If it were all like that, I'd give it a 4. As it is with the snoozefests, I'll give it a 3.

-Money For Nothing kind of goes on for too long -Walk of Life is nice -This is a lot more soft rock than I expected -why is there an 8-minute-long soft rock love ballad?! -The synth pan flute is odd but not necessarily bad -The Man's Too Strong and One World were pretty good

Puro rock nostálgico que me transporta al coche de mi padre. Está wapo.

Nice laid back sound and great musicianship. And of course Mark Knopfflers guitar taking it to a different level

This album frustrated me a bit. I really liked parts of it, but it's all the 80s production that puts me off. I think if this album had been recorded and released 10 years earlier, I would've liked it more.

2.5-3/5 Decent old pop rock. “Money For Nothing” and “Walk Of Life” are fun tracks and it’s interesting how the opening hooks of each are almost more recognizable than the tracks themselves. The band seems to have a pattern of leaving the last 1:30 to 2 minutes for an instrumental section and on some songs such as “Ride Across The River” and “Why Worry?” its just too much for me to want to sit around and listen to. I appreciate that they try to fit in more messages into the album than just songs about love and I do like the song “Brothers In Arms” though I know of a cover I’d rather listen to. Fav Songs: Money For Nothing, Walk Of Life

This album has me very torn. Two very successful songs on the top of the album, to have it just fade away into overly processed rather ho-hum songs at the end. And where is that Knopfler guitar on those ending songs? I remember buying the album as soon as it came out. Also remember that it almost never got pulled out for play. "Money for nothing" and "Walk of Life" were so overplayed on the radios that there is not interest/reason to play. And the rest of the album just does not excite. I categorize this album as their mid-life crisis. After the power and creativity of "Love Over Gold", to follow with this is just a bit of a disappointment. So I really give this a 3.5 stars. But based on how little I actually have played this, I have to round down.

I enjoyed the guitar. Got slow in the middle but a solid entry.

should have started off with Money for Nothing. But this song is just about them being movers/contractors??

Really good

Too much cheese but the title track is a stone cold classic.

Miellyttävää, yks pääs bassolistallekin. Ei silti ui suosikkeihin, kun vähän häiritsee se leima setien lempibändinä. Ja no toki muistakin syistä. Mutta voisin kuunnella lisää.

Kinda meh

So far away starts off strong for me. A little twangy, charming, easy to listen to. Money for Nothing is a classic!

Good one :)

Man the beginning of Money for Nothing is great. Walk of Life is strong. And the mid-80s vibe is second to none. Knopfler is a great player. Even when I don't really love the song, I like how he plays. Fun for the whole family.

Starts off with a trio of bangers and then kind of peters out to a weak little trickle of forgettable blandness doesn't it? Sounds about right for an album with a dobro on the cover. Why the fuck is there a dobro on the cover? Why is the dobro floating in the sky? Who thought that was an interesting concept for album artwork? I need to talk to these people.

More Phil Collins then Led Zeppelin in the end. I was expecting ‘Brothers In Arms’ to rock more. Mark Knopfler can’t sing, and murders every song, but what he can do is play guitar very well and his (and the bands) work here is often languid, but seductive with the music getting under your skin and the resulting tunes sounding like the soundtrack to an episode of Miami Vice. Herein lies the albums charm.

Decent atmosphere, some of the songs did drag though

I checked "history" and this and the previous album definitely were never suggested to me. Wtf dont try to hold out on me.

The hits this time are the stentorian boogie of Money For Nothing and the hard-hitting rockabilly of Walk Of Life. A little bit generic and banal rock , but nice Guitar solos and riffs. (6/10) FT: See above

meh? omg so 80s. 3 stars.

Good stuff, but runs out of steam.

Not bad. Solid 80s soft rock. Not really my style, but not bad.

Quintessential 80s sound, classic pop-rock. Album was easy to listen to with a slight melancholic vibe at times. Songs are cohesive but nothing particularly stands out for me (I do like Your Latest Trick and Money for Nothing). I think this is the type of album that would grow on me after several re-listens.

Highs and lows - some towering tracks here, but also a few that were fine, I guess, but really lacking in comparison to their neighbours. I just want more guitar solos!

First 3 tracks were brilliant. The rest was bullcrap.

Easy listening, couple of good tracks

Lot blusier than I remember . The tracks that were big are the weaker ones now

Liker ikke helt sounden

Not entirely my type of music, but an enjoyable listen nonetheless. Smooth vocals and nice guitar.

Didn’t hate it. Definitely an 80s album.

Not my favorite piece, for sure. And I also like to listen to Knopfler solo. But it really made my day, as I listened to it on a very appropriate time. Not sure if any other 80's band could do that.

While I was very familiar with the singles from this album that were released in the US, this is the first time that I remember hearing the full album. I found most tracks on this record just OK. I can't deny that the opening riff of Money for Nothing is pretty great and I really liked The Man's Too Strong and the bass-heavy One World. The one track that I actively disliked was Your Latest Trick which seemed quite dated with all its 80s saxophone and reminded me of the theme from LA Law...and not in a good way.

Nothing much to say here. Melodies are chill, but the oldschool country vibe gets old after a while.

Cool intros and I liked "Your Latest Trick" a lot, but not much else.

Big Fan of Money For Nothing, great sound. Could do without the falsetto "I want my MTV". Sorry stinger. Walk of Life is very commercial jingle-y. Guess that's why it was in some insurance commercial last year? All in all very frontloaded and the backhalf is kind of dire(straits) outside of the title song. 2 mics feels too low but 3 mics feels too high. ehhhh 3 mics

Money for nothing is good, but those lyrics Jesus. Walk of life is like an old person wedding song. The rest of it very slow and not what I thought it would be. Generous three

I only really have Sultans of Swing to go off of prior to hearing this album, but Brothers in Arms feels like a Graceland-esque mid-life crisis moment for the band, with then-modern, pop-adjacent instrumentation cognizant of a world constantly in flux accompanying lyrics about a world that never changes. Working class "tribute" Money for Nothing is the obvious standout here, but Your Latest Trick was a pleasant, jazzy surprise (if only the other musical divergences were anywhere near as good). The rest of the album is a little too cloying for my tastes—Why Worry is the overlong nadir of the album, and if I had to point to just one song as being made solely for old white dudes, Walk of Life is the one—but it's thematically sound and an easy enough listen for the most part. Key Tracks: Money for Nothing, Your Latest Trick, One World

this should be the textbook definition for "front-loaded," holy crap. the depths this album plumbs in the second half are only marginally raised by the title track but giving it a 3 instead of a 2 is a mercy

This was alright. Prety easy listening. I felt like a few songs dragged on for a bit. The only song I knew off here was 'Walk Of Life', which everyone probably knows.

Started off strong then went all retro 80s surf yacht chill. I wasn’t into that the first time around, but on deeper listen it was actually quite decent.

never really listened to dire straits. but knew money for nothing and walk of life - great songs. the rest was a bit meh and boring

I'm never sure how to feel about this album. I recall when it was released (aside from the "controversial" Money For Nothing track and state of the art video) frankly being terribly bored by it all. And listening to it again...part of me doesn't feel that much different. It's just so damned laid back and smooth, even on more uptempo songs like "Walk of Life." But then again, that's sort of what Dire Straits is (was). Can I really enjoy Making Movies that much more than this album, and if I really do was it only because this was hugely "popular" - so much so that 3 or 4 songs were absolutely unavoidable on radio for a year. Is this album that much different? It sort of feels that way to me - there's nothing inherently wrong with being commercial or poppy, and this album has that in abundance, especially in the first half (Side 1!). The positives though - "Money For Nothing" is an undeniably fantastic song; that main guitar riff is legendary and the extended haunting intro is perfect. And Sting you arrogant and talented bastard: you completely nailed it with the background vocals here (and of *course* got co-writing credit). "The Man's Too Strong" is my personal favourite; the powerful contrast between the acoustic backing and the heavy power chords in the chorus set a commanding mood. Dire Straits is a band that takes some time to sink in - in the end I do like this more than I used to, and perhaps the lesser-known second half a bit more than the poppier first. Overall the album *sounds* good - especially the guitar tones - although I do waver on that a bit as there is a very mid-80s sound to it. Again - not inherently bad at all (plenty of albums I like are very dated-sounding), but there's not anything like a timelessness about it that makes it rise up for me either. 6/10 3 stars - very listenable overall with a few big highlights but suffers from a sameness of sound that may either be 80s syndrome or simply über-Dire Straits.

Good variety. Some got me hyped, others mellowed me out. 2RS

This British pop rock album by Dire Straits is one of the best selling albums of all time - selling more than 30 million copies worldwide. Its music is calming, but easy to get lost in it as well and just jam/dance. For the first few songs, I didn't think I'd like this type of music, but it grows on you and after repeated listens you will love it. There's a reason this album is so popular, all you have to do is give it a chance.

Three great tracks on an average album. Money for Nothing is worth three stars alone though 👌

Brilliant start with two classics and ends brilliantly with brothers in arms but totally loses its way in the middle which makes it impossible to score higher

Never listened to this before and DS never really apprised to me in the 80s. Too AOR. But enjoyed it more than I thought I would, with the exception of the big hits which (a) are overplayed and (b) don’t really fit in with the rest of the album with its laid-back sound

Good songs, a tad slow

Borderline rating, but good enough to listen to.

Some songs are really good. I felt the middle part was a bit weak.

Pretty good. All in all a nice listen without being overly memorable

Solid rock album

Starts off great with a few bangers and the end of the album is decent but there’s a few songs in the middle that really suck.

Ovo je po svim pravilima jednostavno klasika od albuma. Daleko poznat sa super hitovima. Divna atmosfera na albumu, lagano može biti i u pozadini. Ne traži puno koncentracije, a nagradi te. Svakako obavezno štivo za svakog muzikoljupca.

The album has a really strong start, but gets really mediocre after the first three songs. 7.5/10

Pretty good, not something I’d listen to personally but was still alright to listen to, latter half was a little slow though, and some songs were long for no reason.

Got the job (walk) done.

Норм брит роцк

Not a bad album, some slower filler songs which drag it down a bit. Highlights = So Far Away, Money For Nothing, Your Latest Trick, Brothers In Arms Lowlights = Why Worry?, Ride Across The River, The Man's Too Strong. 6 out of 10.

I apparently know more songs by Dire Straits than I thought. This feels like an album I would put on during a road trip as good background music while I’m driving with a friend. I don’t know if I would put this on at home but it was enjoyable to listen to.

"Southern Rock" has always been hit or miss with me. More misses than hits

haha you've got to be kidding. Anyway its ok, but come on

I'm not a massive fan but I can tell this album is good

Deemed this album "boring" when it was first released. Now I realize it has some great mellow tunes.

Love Mark and the first 3 songs. But I do not like the ballads and moody synth trash that follows. The heavy alto sax and pan flute are epitome if bad 80's song. And I love the pan flute! Mark needs to leave the 80's snyth ballads to Sting and Don Henley

using word faggot in "money for nothing" ... but sentiment of working class to people who get money for nothing... didn't finish

This is really hitting the spot. I like that there are some quieter songs that I like, and then straight into some hit that I didn't realize was dire straits. I'm digging the western sound on "The Man's Too Strong." Actually, on a re listen, their sound is all over the place. It's fun for me since I'm not familiar with any particular genre that they are hitting.

Nothing but bangers to open up. This reminds me of going to the beach as a kid. I think it was on The Fox a lot and Kath had it blasting as I was about to shred some waves with my boogie board. The back half of the album drags until One World. Then it gets hard 80's. Then back to music that makes me think of the sex scene from Top Gun. Gimme the first three tracks and I'm good. The song Brothers in Arms doesn't do it for me.

I started this album knowing the name "Dire Straits", but without any reference to any song, however almost all the songs are very familiar to me, actually. It's the type of album that every song has a kind of "I know this one from 'Guitar Hero'", "I know this one from that movie", etc... So, many songs are very famous but it is something very common, just the simple and old hard rock. It deserves a chance, but the songs are better as the soundtrack for movies and games instead of a complete album.

buen album, pero le faltó un poco mas de power. Creo que esta banda tiene discos mejores

First three tracks came in like a wrecking ball (shout out Miley). Things slowed down after that. Slight remnants of 80s cheese on the crusts of Your Latest Trick and Why Worry. Not necessarily a bad thing. There's something likeable about this American sounding English band. I like-a the juice.

Veldig mye nydelig spilling på dette albumet. Låtskrivingen var ikke like fenomenal. Tekstene og melodiene på noen av sangene var enten irriterende eller kjedelige. Ikke dårlig album, men ikke nok for meg.

3.5 | Muy distinto al primer disco de ellos que nos tocó, pero igualmente muy muy agradable. Creo lo que más me sorprende es la temática del disco, nunca lo había escuchado completo y la primer mitad parece hablar de relaciones y descontento social y toda la segunda mitad son canciones sobre la guerra. No se si entiendo el concepto pero las canciones con letras en general buenas y con sentido. Esperaba también que fuera mucho más movido, resulta que las dos canciones que conocía son realmente las únicas dos movidas (Money for Nothing y Walk of Life), y aunque son dos canciones muy buenas y el resto del disco baja muchísimo de tempo y tonalidad, todas esas canciones tranquilas también son bastante buenas. Mucha instrumentación muy variada, obviamente mucho sintetizador, sin quitar el central de la guitarra siempre. Excelente bajo y batería, saxofones, trompetas, sonidos hasta rayando en un caso en el folk (The Man's Too Strong). Muy disfrutable aunque lo que siento lo detiene de ser excelente es que a veces se siente un poquito sobreproducido, indulgente o poco moderado... varias canciones estan en la raya de ser demasiado largas (de hecho SON demasiado largas, es un logro que no se vuelvan TAN molestas), ese intro de sax larguísimo esta de más... detalles de ese tipo que se sienten como si Mark Knopfler no hubiera tenido ningún freno o alguien que le editara un poquito. No lo hace mal disco pero si se siente un poco exagerado a ratos. PD. El mejor descubrimiento Ride Across the River suena perfectamente a soundtrack de Monkey Island y me hace feliz pensar en Guybrush Threepwood.

Not my style

It's a little too country for me, but there are a couple of good songs. 2.75

Este disco, pese a tener varias medio conocidas, me costó mucho trabajo. La mezcla de sintetizadores ochenteros con su rock tradicional no siempre fue la mejor. Calificación arribita del promedio lo deja en 3.

Ok outside of hits. Very 80s

There's some real beauty in this album. Noodling doesn't always do it for me, however tracks like 'Why Worry' and 'So Far Away' really surprised me.

Walk of life is dope lol

Las únicas 2 canciones que conocía del disco son las únicas movidas, todo lo demás es lento pero escuchando las letras todo tiene sentido. Supongo está en la lista por todo el trasfondo y no solo por walk of life o money for nothing (chiks por free, baby quiero queso roñoso)

No esperaba otro disco de los Dire Straits. Siento que este es mucho menos dinámico que su debut, pero también tiene un par de cosas legendarias. Siento que la primera mitad es muy buena y luego la segunda parte se vuelve un tanto plana. 'Walk of Life' me gusta mucho (y es lo que le gana la tercera estrella). De 'Money for Nothing', pensé que la voz que suena como a Sting era una especie de parodia y hoy descubrí que no, Sting de hecho está en la grabación.

Good album. Not really blown away but it was enjoyable. Two hits I recognized immediately. Really dug the title track.

Uthørt

Didn’t listen to all of it but I enjoyed it.

some bangers

Also a bit meh. Wasn't anything special music-wise in my opinion.

false

3

I don't get it. I read a lot of reviews, trying to understand it, and the consensus seems to be that this is their best album. For me, it's a million miles away from their self-titled album, and they moved in the wrong direction. Best track: So Far Away

2/4

I think it faded with age but Mark Knopfler always seemed so arrogant and smug in the 80s. The big hit is quite a petty little caricature of working men. Other than that it's all a bit antiseptic and dull.

If there's one realisation I've come to whilst undertaking this list, it's that no matter how hard I try to like them, these highly-rated pop rock albums are really not my thing. There's nothing on this that's overtly bad or unlistenable but the emotionless vocals and overly clean, polished production lead to the album as a whole feeling dull and, at risk of using buzzwords, corporate. The kind of album you tolerate while it's playing and then immediately forget everything you've just heard.

Yes there are the couple of hits I knew from when I was a kid. They are still good. The rest of these songs are just kind of odd. They drone on and on after the lyrics are done so the album might not be long but the songs are. The music isn’t overly good. I don’t think he is a great player. It just kind of sounds like every other dude who plays guitar. He’s not exceptional. He’s not a good songwriter boy but those hits were hitting back in the 80s.

This album just didn't do it for me. I can recognize some truly inspired production and amazing guitar playing, but I get almost no emotional depth. Mark Knopfler's voice never rises beyond mezzo-forte and the album really struggles to get its lyrics across with such a middling performance. His voice sounds good and fits within the album, but just lacks any emotion I could get. Even a song about the futility and reality of war feels like something you could turn on at a barbeque and not turn a head, because no one feels the emotion the lyrics are ostensibly trying to convey. Many of the songs seemed to stretch, only to repeat a chorus or riff and get it stuck in your head. I know I'm not the biggest fan of blues-rock, but this album was really just boring to me. It fell into the background and never really got out. However, there are some moments where that boredom was broken. Specifically "Your Latest Trick" did take me on a good ride, and the incredible muted guitar meshed with the saxophone well. But then I come right back to the boredom in Why Worry. It just didn't move me at all.

Sounds like music you’d hear at a campaign rally in the mid-2000s

Bland there is nothing really interesting but it is not bad but not good

Oh wow this guy can’t sing at all. Was going to say I liked money for nothing but then you know the lyrics of the song happened. Why do people like this

Again, I feel like I recognize the voice of this person singing but the name Dire Straits means nothing to me. I have a feeling I will like this album though. Its giving pop rock with its first song and I love me some pop rock. Wow, the words "I want my MTV" are a throwback for sure. OMG wow.... the f-slur is like a lot... yuck. i get it was a different time but still ew. Well, walk of life just came on and now i know why i recognize their voices... and i hate this song. I will try and listen objectively... i will say, i always thought he was saying do the walk on by. I guess its good to know its Walk of Life. lol but i still don't like it. Its just way overplayed. Gotta say, I love a trumpet. Realized several songs have gone by without me even noticing them. Well, this was my least favorite album so far... looking forward to whats next though.

Enjoyed the final track, that's about it.

This sounds like a record for middle-aged dads who still think they're cool.

good tunes, they have other really good albums so not rating this as high

dadrock

Often applauded for their minimalism, there isn't enough doing on in any of their songs bar Money for Nothing. That is the only reasonable song on the Album.

Didn't realize I knew the song "Money for Nothing"

not for me

One word: dated. That doesn't necessarily mean bad, but everything about this screams 80s. I don't think the production has aged the best. The drums sound thin and synthetic and the guitars are clearly engineered to sound as accessible as possible. In general it is a pretty safe sounding album. Funnily enough I think the hits are not all that. Money For Nothing has a super cool intro but the song doesn't really build much on it and Walk of Life is one of the blandest songs here with that really cheesy synth lead. Not that I really love the rest of the album either, it's all very soft and ultimately forgettable. Doesn't help that all the songs are stretched out beyond what they need to be. The last song is easily my favorite, a heart-felt ballad that is held together by these awesome cinematic guitar passages. I don't think this album is awful, but most of it just doesn't move me much and feels like pastiche.

Angsty jazz

I look forward to getting their first album. I'm glad that they made bank with this but it is a tough listen.

Despite Mark Knopfler's guitar playing, this doesn't have anything going for it beyond Walk of Life and Money for Nothing.

Unbelievable how dull this is, given the hugeness of the hits. Like listening to a dripping faucet.

Boy did MTV loved this album. Despite the fact they, and many of their artists archetypes, were being made fun of. It’s an ok album with some nostalgic tunes.

All I thought when I looked at the title was the BANGER DAgames songs by the same name

I bought this when it came out, never played side 2. I wasn’t missing out

aight 2.5

I wanted to like this more but it’s just so cheesy sounding to me now.

So Dad, so 80s. Starts off cheesy but bearable but ends up sounding like B movie score cut scene music from that era.

I like the guitar sound but overall this didn't click for me. Just a bit too cheesy

Not sure I understand the success of dire straits outside of Sultan of Swing…

Dire straits first record is sick, and outside of the odd track, that makes this poncy shite such a disappointment.

A couple classic tracks. The rest is boring sax and lyrics I’m not about

Si ça aurais été fait dans les 70’s au lieu des 80’ ça aurais été banger

All the hits front-loaded! The rest of the album is pretty meh, so sadly that brings down the score quite a bit.

This was a conflicting album to listen to. First of all, "Money for Nothing" absolutely carries this album. No other song even comes close to how iconic that song is. It also stands out as the only song on the album with any energy. This genre of rock has become synonymous with rich white men on lake yachts and sailboats. It's Yacht Rock to the core and honestly, I couldn't care less. It's a sugar cookie with a single M&M. It's a Bloody Mary with a single pickle. It's Subaru Outback with a single bumper sticker. It's just carried so hard by "Money for Nothing" that the rest of the album pales in comparison. I dare to say without "Money for Nothing", this album would have not made this list. 4/10

like the singles, the others puke

Dire Straits are fine, but I can't now, nor will I ever be able to, separate this from Weird Al's "Beverly Hillbillies," and so I cannot take it seriously. Sorry, Knopfler. "Move-a move-a movie stars." And honestly, isn't everything better if it's followed by an ad for Gandhi 2 and "Attack of the Radioactive Hamsters from a Planet Near Mars"?

So American I feel the grease in my lungs. Yes, I know they are not American. 2/5

Never been a big Dire Straits fan. Now, I'll admit "Money For Nothing" is a fantastic track. Also, "Walk of Life" is catchy as hell. I don't really vibe with anything else, though. Rest of the album is a bit of a soft-rock snoozefest.

512/1089 - The musicians are all extremely good, esp. Michael Brecker, he's on a lot more albums on this list than I thought, I wish some Brecker Brothers stuff was on the list too. Unfortunately to me, it sounds like generic 80s music + rock guitar noodling. I liked the Sting feature. Completely unrelated to the music but the album art looks really cool.

Money for nothing is fantastic. The rest of this album is duller than the dullest dishwater. A total snoozefest. 2/5 but only because I want my MTV

Nå vet jeg hvordan Pink Floyd høres ut for de som ikke liker Pink Floyd.

This should've been a 20-minute EP.

This was a popular choice for my function DJ father to play at yuppie seminars for boomers in the 90’s/early 00’s

interesante supongo

Wasn’t quite mine I just like sad music and it was just too much American

No. Totally not for me. Pop rock is an anathema.

So Far Away is nice I guess. Not doing Walk Of Life 'cause I'm not trying to watch sports right now or ever. This is classic Boomer shit. This is mid-80s chilling at the river on a weekend getaway with parents and their friends. It's being at my dad's friend's house while he shows off his new CD player that costs hundreds of 80s dollars. This is the Boomer life, a dream life that existed for a brief time and for a limited amount of people. Glad I was there to enjoy some of it, to see what the spoils were like before all that "prosperity" evaporated. It was cool being out with family and family friends riding ATCs and quads, having fun until the sunset took us home to some Dire Straits or whatever. It was nice and it doesn't exist anymore because it wasn't predicated on any sort of equitable distribution of wealth, so future generations wouldn't see much of it, with each generation getting less and less. In a short time following, we find ourselves without homes, pensions, healthcare, so many one paycheck away from total calamity. Oh, actually I didn't mention but my parents just sold the house they were in and bought a new, more expensive house. It's 3 bedroom, 2 living rooms, yard, got the HOA and a community pool and pickleball courts which is super-cool. Both post-retirement, just 2 people in a big ol' 3 bedroom house. I don't expect anything from my folks, they can spend their money and wealth however they please. Just saying the mere idea of downsizing (or right-sizing if you ask me) is so anathema to their values. Of course their gonna buy a new house with maybe 10 years to live. I am happy they aren't homeless or something like that. I'm happy they're safe and comfortable. The last of the Americans to spend their final days in relative luxury. The album's really not that interesting.

pas du tout mon truc, les trois dernières pas mal, your latest trick ma préférée, en général ça sonne pas tellement années 80 ce qui est bien, j'ai l'impression d'entendre un mix de plein de genres, de styles, album original et recherché, mais ça ne me touche pas

Too one dimensional for me. I’ve mentioned this about DS before and it rings true in this album: I appreciate and respect the virtuoso guitar playing, but the music just doesn’t do anything for me.

This album didn’t really speak to me that much, and some of the songs started to feel a bit repetitive after a while. I also honestly don’t know enough about the impact of this album to fully “get” it, but does sound like a classic to me(what ever that means).Whether sounding like a classic is a good thing or not… I haven't decided yet. I did really like the saxophone on Your Latest Trick though. That part sounded great! Overall, the album was slightly boring to my ears, but maybe that’s just part of the experience. This is exactly the kind of music I imagine people mean when they talk about “dad music”. Although to be fair, my dad only listened to death and doom metal when I was growing up, so my understanding of dad music might be completely off.

Hatte die besser in Erinnerung.

This is hard first one to listen to. Glad I gave it a chance but when you don't like a singer's voice it's hard to move past it. I am not a fan of Mark Knopfler's voice and the melodies and production don't really interest me either. And there's the issue of some of the lyrics...

Boring

Another "Boring ahh" rock album

it just felt so long. I like money for nothing

this is the 1980s but all the bad stuff for the most part 2/5

Easy listening that verges on too easy. Nothing really stood out to me. Music I would hear in a dilapidated Macy's. Great mood setting for wandering a mall fighting a losing battle, but not so much fun to listen to for leisure. 1.5 rounded up to 2.

An overrated album marking the turn from solid rock to saccharine pop, of its time I guess. The hits are at the front, mediocre in the middle, and the only strongish song at the end. But… it reminds me to play the Dire Straits & Making Movies albums more often to remember how brilliant they were.

daora

Uh 🤷‍♂️

"Hey I know that song" - me about 5 times. Other than that, this album did nothing for me. The songs dragged on for too long and were never great to begin with.

This album was massive at the time. I never saw the attraction then, and don't now. Mark Knopfler can't sing very well, and his guitar playing is apparently technically amazing, then end result is too middle of the road for me. I honestly can't understand why this was a big success. "The Man's Too Strong" on Side B is probably the best one, but all the singles are cheesy (even, if we're honest, by 1980s standards). The final track of the album - Brothers in Arms - is dirge.

I kept trying to enjoy this and kept failing. This just bored the hell out of me, to be honest.

These are the albums that I hope to find on this list where I’m like “I know that song” but then I’m like “holy crap their other stuff is amazing” but it didn’t happen here.

Alright.

not as good as Joni Mitchell’s Blue

Too slow for my tastes

I suppose

I liked this one more than I liked the last dire straits album

That one iconic song that they play at the end of a growing of age movie when everyone goes down their own paths

I bought the Money For Nothing 7” as a kid when it came out. Aside from that, Sultans Of Swing and Walk Of Life I was unfamiliar with anything else Dire Straits had done. I had higher expectations for this. It’s such a rated album, and it was incredibly dull. The first thing I thought was So Far Away should never have been the opener. Obviously, MFN is a banger, but the album falls significantly after it. Struggled to a 2 for me.

Nice riffs, sexy saxofon, but hering the whole album now in 2026 was a bit of an efford.

I don’t like Knopfler’s voice. I don’t like Knopfler’s guitar tone. I always felt like the guitar playing is soulless. I really don’t like a lot of this, especially the sweatbands everywhere. But the bass player slaps.

I have tried with this album before but it doesn't do it for me. Money for nothing has a great intro and the musicianship throughout is solid. But I don't like Mark Knopflers voice, much of it is boring and there is a song with fucking panpipes on it. And I really dislike Walk of Life and the keyboard synth riff. It sounds like it's being played by the club band in Phoenix Nights.

mid. points lost for wasting the sick band name that is dire straits

me parecio un album interesante, sonidos alegres, pero melanciolicos a la vez, la verdad me aburrio, pero la portada me parece increible, pero la verdad admirable trabajo sin embargo no conecte con este album

I have to say I much prefer other albums from them, but this isn’t bad! Fav song is ‘Walk Of Life’

No me gustó

Various reliable sources promised a revelation when I finally listened to Brothers in Arms. And I suppose they were right. I had previously been baffled by the hit singles. Money for Nothing is Zappa in intent, if not execution. Walk of Life is goofy observational comedy. The title track is sincere balladry that should keep the other two modes at arms length. Yet, on the album, they all sound of a piece. It is a coherent musical statement: Knopfler's guitars are all beautiful, even on the songs were beauty feels inappropriate; his snoozy voice snores similarly over everything; the clean 80s production corales all the songs into a very well-defined catchment area, even when they run on for over 8 minutes. Why would Money for Nothing need to last that long? I have the feeling that, if I asked Mark Knopfler, he wouldn't know, because I think the contradiction here - musical constancy mixed with lyrical incontinence - suggests Mark Knopfler has no particular artistic vision. The songs themselves reveal nothing of an artistic position, even while the music itself displays both proficiency and a delicacy of touch. If Money for Nothing lasts over 8 minutes, it is not because the song needs it, but because he enjoyed playing it. There is playing here. There is some songwriting too. There is no artistry. Artistry is hard work and Knopfler ain't working. But that's the way to do it. 2 I have always felt that Dire Straits are unfairly maligned as the sound of tired, decadent, white middle-age. This week I am on my holidays. My first ever resort holiday! I have been listening to Brothers in Arms sat in the shade on the ‘Adult Terrace’, sipping an Americano, white linen trousered and slightly hungover, staring out at the Mediterranean. This music made the whole experience feel entirely grotesque. 2/5

f slur wasn’t necessary

Conocía un montón de canciones sin saber que eran de ellos, más de las que me esperaba. El álbum en sí me aburrió un poco.

Partially known. Liked the hits, really didn't like the rest.

not my thing

Well!! My second dire straits album. And wow they’re way less cool now! I mean the concept isn’t necessarily bad, so far away alone should justify the switch to this softer, poppier rock landscape, but the second I saw the genre tags I knew this wasn’t going to surpass their debut (which, fun fact, was the first album I ever got on this site, which I awarded a 9.7/10, or on this site’s more restrictive rating scale, a 5/5). Money for nothing is cool but then mark says the f-slur so it’s less cool. He also tries to have this swagger that he just cannot pull off realistically. Actually his voice is pretty annoying throughout this whole thing, like really annoying. Also why is every song like a billion years long? This thing is fifty-five whole minutes. It should not be that long. I don’t even know the point of this. In fact I don’t even think this is a good album. There’s one actually good song and everything else is worthless. 5.2/10

Guitar carries the whole thing. They got the drummer for 20 minutes and looped his beat. The singer was holding everyone hostage and ran out of material 5 minutes into recording. Started reading off his to do list and instruction manuals

This is not the 80s I enjoy sorry. Money for Nothing is a fun song but then he also dropped a surprise homophobic bit in there so come on guys can't we have any fun? I blame Thatcher (genuinely). The rest is just naff pop and really icky sax ballads. No thanks tbh, this is lame. Two stars because I guess it's listenable and the country one was kind of ok.

It seems like they did get their MTV.

easy listening, wouldn't necessarily be a go-to.

Today I learned Dire Straits has a song other than Money For Nothing. That song is not called Walk On By. Saw the album and rolled my eyes at more boring, bland, nothing classic rock. Was pleasantly surprised at a few random sounds that came out. Learned the title and artist of a song I've been mis-hearing my whole life. Yep. No impressions. No nothing. Why did the entire rock genre spend 15 years writing the exact same songs over and over and over over and over and over over and over and over? +1 for Saxophone.

The album that made Dire Straits popstars and MTV regulars. The track that broke them “Money For Nothing” features a nearly two-minute intro from Sting warbling on about wanting his MTV, before the guitars hit like an electric shock. Unfortunately, the lyrics, with lots of references to “faggots” and “chicks,” haven’t exactly aged like fine wine, and in fact, didn’t sit particularly well for many in 1985. My main problem with Brothers In Arms is it’s just not as good as their earlier records. Both the debut and Making Movies feel far more essential - but there’s no doubting Brothers In Arms captured a mood, and their timing (and the record label’s) was impeccable. 6/10

I know this album is a technical marvel and basically introduced the CD to the world, but almost every song is 2 minutes too long and there’s way too much noodling. Couple of bangers yes, but not enough to save it for me. Just not a Dire Straits fan.

I do dig Knofler guitar but there was not enough of it on this album. Too many synths and even horns. Much prefer Sultan's A Swing.

2.5

not for me

“Money For Nothing” has a truly scorching riff at the center of it - I don’t know if it needed to be over eight minutes long, but I guess it was plenty of time for ear candy. I didn’t love the vocal performances across the album and the hooks weren’t sticky enough to support the album’s length. You can also really hear the year. I had no idea “Walk of Life” was a Dire Straits song. I got a full-on jumpscare from that. I guess I thought I’d like it more. I found it mushy and meandering.

Music for people who like guitars more than they like music. There's some turgid stuff on here, and Your Latest Trick sounds like daytime tv background music. And that is where I bailed...

Love money for Nothing, Walk of Life is a made for radio banger, the rest I could take or leave

Not so much for me. Occasionally interesting guitar but melodies and singing doesn't hit.

#50/1001 🇬🇧 Famously, the first CD to sell 1 million copies. I didn't buy one, but had a taped copy and i can't say that i remember many of the tracks here. Money For Nothing is obviously the big hit here and whilst its a song of epic proportions, it doesn't speak to me on any level. Walk of Life has always grated on me too. The songs that i enjoyed most were the more low key numbers like The Mans Too Strong and Brothers In Arms. I can see why it was the spearhead for CD quality sound whilst i've been playing it through my speakers, but i think that there is just a bit too much in the production to distract me from what is good in there, for example: Ride Across The River and the Bass wankery in One World. Best Tracks: Brothers in Arms, The Mans Too Strong.

Awful

Very 80's classic rock. Got the twangy guitar, under the breath singing, bluesy flow to the notes. I wouldn't put anything on the rotation, but I can definitely see the appeal. It isn't as flat as many of these albums can be, but it definitely feels like one long, single song. Sometimes these kinds of albums are hard to tell if they are a classic, or just derivative. Like, did they influence everyone else, or just sound like everyone else?

Not as bad as I initially thought. The less vocals the better it felt

I actually didnt know Dire Straits made music like this. I thought it all sounded like Sultans of Swing. Not bad but not my style

Mehh

Dire Straits' fifth studio album. I was recently assigned their first album – found it better than I had expected. This one is what I had been expecting (or even worse). A 'polished' sound (not one but two keyboard players), but astoundingly bland arrangements, apparently aiming for middle of the road inoffensive put you to sleep. Money for Nothing does have a crunchy guitar line, but bass and drums are boring as batshit, and the chorus and video still offend me (lyricist won the music industry lottery, but outraged at idea he doesn't have to work for his money – digs at blue collar workers who happen to be distributing microwaves and TVs – what, lyricist doesn't use those products?). I kept hoping for something I could like. Your Latest Trick is more engaging – until vocals start. Why Worry, I would like if the plodding drums were just left out. One World has a bit of slap bass, which does lift the vibe, but not enough to get this album above Really Poor, 2/10.

Every song felt like the bog standard vanilla 80s in a different way. "Money for Nothing" is Foreigner, "Why Worry" is Kenny Rogers, "One World" is Stevie Wonder. All imperfect comparisons but close enough to get across how bland most of the album was. Highlights: "Walk of Life"

Some classics but the rest were 80s sound, cringey rock songs.. Used to love it but didn't age well (me or this album I'm not sure yet)

Great musicians, well produced, dull

To me, Dire Straits are usually just kind of boring. They have a pop rock sound and, on Brothers In Arms, some vaguely 80's production. And on some level, it's too bad, because I *do* think that Mark Knopfler is a cool guitarist. Although, a lot of his high skill and cool phrasing techniques just seem to end up in the middle of decent rock songs that don't grab me. I will say that the riff on Money For Nothing is cool, but I don't love the melodies of that song, and I don't think it needs to be like 9 minutes long. The Man's Too Strong is also decent, But honestly, my favorite song is the title track at the very end. It feels like after nearly 50 minutes of dad rock, the veil is lifted a little bit and it feels like a moment of real beauty and vulnerability. The 80's sound works well, the guitar is super dynamic, and the vocals feel pretty genuinely vulnerable. That being said, aside from these, I don't really get much from this album. There are neat moments throughout, but a lot of these songs are overlong, I don't think the sound has aged well, and I don't really like the songs as they are written. There's enough to save Dire Straits from the 1/5, but I didn't really get much out of this.

Has some nostalgic hits, but overall it’s a terribly mid album. Why are the songs so long while being so boring?

2/5 - As much as I love their debut album, this really didn't do it for me. Really enjoyed Money for Nothing and Your Latest Trick but apart from that really not for me, I was getting pretty bored during the second half.

top 3 - Your Latest Trick, Why Worry, Brothers In Arms. Don't know how to really feel, was a little bored. Might relisten.

Music that sounds this 80's is always going to have a bit of an uphill climb as far as my enjoyment of it, but I found most of these songs to be pretty boring even outside of how extremely 80's they sounded. I recognized 'Walk of Life' - that song is pretty good; I had no idea what that song was called or who it was by before I listened to this. Also: I was surprised to find out that these guys are British

dajksldksaldjas

How does an album that contains as unique a song as ‘Money For Nothing’ manage to be so aggressively boring otherwise? This record sounds like the whole band is on downers- everything is mid tempo, the arrangements are non-existent and the energy approaches narcolepsy. ‘Money for Nothing’, on the other hand, is decidedly progressive- it has multiple interesting production choices (including a downright fascinating guitar tone) and legit hilarious lyrics. What happened here? One good song and two other decent ones on the whole record. The rest is bizarrely staid. I will admit it sounds very good- but Knopfler’s perfectionism with audio fidelity apparently does not extend to songwriting.

- This Dire Straits album is better than the other one that I got on this list. This one has four of their hits. At their best, Dire Straits has great songwriting - the songs are catchy, melodic, and infinitely singable (even though Mark's voice isn't really anything special). - And, I can't talk about Dire Straits without complimenting the guitar playing. - On the other hand, the majority of the songs (even the hits) are on the dated side, but since I grew up with them, the nostalgia overrides that for me. I wonder what I would have thought if I just heard them for the first time now. - Also, like the other one, this album is mainly filler - basically starting at song 4, Your Latest Trick. And all the worst songs are so long. After the hits are over, this album really feels "Adult Contemporary", and that's obviously not a compliment. - Their "Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits" album is the way to go so you don't have to wade through the boring stuff.

Ya know I was digging this til the f slurs.

Ok

Overall, I found it fine but a little boring. Two songs jumped out to me, but the rest sort of blurred together unfortunately.

First album I bought as a kid. Didn't age well, except maybe the title track

Ok, enjoyable enough

Felt like they put all there effort into Money for Nothing and Walk of Life and the rest are just filler tracks

The album grew on me l

Listened to this a lot when I was 13. Didn't age well for me. Jammed out 'Money For Nothing'....

This makes me feel incredibly old. When I was a kid I’d have called it dad rock. Now that I’m a dad I guess I’ll call it grandpa rock. Some good solos but way too long and boring.

they just kinda gave up after the first three songs

1. so far away - i liked it at first but it just was really repetitive. not bad. (also this album is almost an hour long for 9 songs like what) 2. money for nothing - it says some real crazy things i like the beat and music and all but it’s super long 3. walk of life - may i say my favorite one so far? it reminds me of another song though. 4. your latest trick - nice softer slower jazzy like track i think would be so nice for like background music when ur just doing something chill like a nice dinner party or something. 5. why worry - another very long track. and it’s slow in a way i could put it on my time to snooze playlist and it’ll sing me to sleep. 6. ride across the river - not sure how i feel about this one yet. the albums definitely gotten slower though i hear lots of the same instruments happening. 7. the man’s too strong - this one’s interesting (kinda) idk if i like it though not my fav at all. 8. one world - another one of my more favorite ones and also the shortest track on this album yet. 9. brothers in arms - another slowed down song it’s alright. this album was just ok though i don’t hate it but most likely wouldn’t circle back to it myself.

The kid from school who was first to have a Tamagotchi's white collar dad ROCKS COCK to these guys. There are some nice dynamics and tenderness here that appeal, but it never quite gets "real" enough. Too tidy. Too composed. Like the judgy girl in high school that doesn't participate in anything but has some real big opinions. I'd water my garden to this.

Some classic tracks here early - money for nothing, walk of life. Kind of got bored in the middle. Money for nothing has some pretty dated lyrics.

So bored. Boooooooooooooooooored.

Some classic songs. Meh overall.

Some of the most gorgeous and evocative guitar playing of all time, and some quite lovely song writing, are crushed beneath mind numbingly boring arrangements and production. Too long, too slow, too sparse, too spineless by half

This was impossible to avoid when it came out. It sounds great technically and there is some great playing on it - it’s so dull though. Suffers from the overly clean 80s sound. Knopfler can’t sing either.

It was Ok for me. Like 2,8.

Dire Straits were British? Not sure I knew that. Money For Nothing a seminal song of the Decade but the rest does Less Than Nothing for me.

First song is Not my cup of tea.. Too American and too daddyish. I felt kind of bored through the first song, as if I was a kid sleeping in between two chairs at mom and dad’s friends wedding at 4am. I skipped cause : booriiiiiing. Second one is Money For Nothing and it is the most Man🦅🍺🏍️🚬 song I’ve ever heard and I hated it. I’m sorry, I sound so harsh and brutal but I am completely honest here ;-; also a skip because there are no surprises. Third one, Walk Of Life is a little bit more bearable, but very.. country meets rockabilly. Next, Your Latest Trick. I really like this intro, very soul with a beautiful synth sound and then… that fuckass sexy trumpet ruins it all. Not bad but skipped cause boring. Why Worry ? The fifth song on the album has a pretty intro and I like the melody and the sound of his voice on this one. It is a pretty love song I might agree. The Outro otherwise, is boring and so fucking 80s with these fucking marimbas and that reverb on the drum… Next, Ride Across The River. I liiiiike the synth melody, then when the guitar and drum are introduced, a mystic vibe is created, I like it. His voice, the lyrics and melody is so U2 meets Sting and meets The Police idk how to explain. This one isn’t bad at all. Bearable for the most part. The next tune is The Man’s Too Strong. I think this is my favorite one so far. It is the country folky sound I loooove. But the mastering is soooo 80s it ruins it a little, but my ears liked this one more than the others. Next one is One World and I wanna kms already•-• this bass sound is for funk and funk only. Fusion is also accepted but not whatever genre this song is. Didn’t like it at all and skipped. The last one is Brothers in Arms. I like the intro so far.. scared of what could happen right after. And there it goes. A mom and dad love song. In overall, this album is clearly not made for me. But it was fun to listen to something I ain’t used to. I think this album did not age well as it smells 1985 from very far away.. But I understand it could have left a cultural print onto the American rock scene of the 80s but don’t think it is revolutionary or extraordinary either.. I rate this album a 3.5/10.

Meh, it's okay - not really my thing. Those lyrics to Money For Nothing really didn't age well, but it remains annoyingly catchy and I'll give some props for the groundbreaking music video

an album I have never understood the hype about and I don't think I ever will. starts off with three good songs (strictly good, not great) and the rest of the album is boring as sin. musicianship is good, but good lord is this a slog and a half.

Bra komponerade gitarrdelar, men låtarna är rätt tråkiga (förutom Money For Nothing men den är också för långdragen, vi fattar det är ett bra riff...). Lasse-Stefans hade lika gärna kunnat gjort Walk Of Life men inte fan hade folk hyllat den då. Sammanfattning: Bra gitarrist, men svag sång och låtarna är bara meh.

Borderline 3

Less good than I thought it would be. droning and cheesy.

Why would anyone make this? It's oh so perfect, and oh so well produced but lacks all that matters to me in music: soul, sentiment, groove. A complete bore.

The vocals just kill me...not in the good way.