Dire Straits

I have always loved Sultans of Swing but this was the first time I'd really thought about why. Dire Straits has a way of making the guitar interact with the vocals that is really unique.

Nothing gets me in the mood for a corporate day at Twickenham like the Sultans of Swing (Low Sweet Chariot). Essential listening while getting ready for the game. Boot cut jeans, loafers, TM Lewin checked shirt (button cuff, it is the weekend), corporate branded fleece (its XL but doesn't fit too badly and I didn't declare it to Compliance and their gift register!). Then off to the game with the "lads" from work. They leave after the game but I stick around with some new mates I met in the Orange Tree. 20 pints (I'm paying)of the black stuff later. Wake up on my sofa in the middle of the night covered in take away to the crushing realisation the wife has left, taken the kids and I live in a flat about a pub. Will have to watch Top Gear reruns on Dave to lift the spirits!

Martyrs of Swing. This album feels so circular, slowly meandering through the songs and never getting to the point. It's as if Bob Dylan's 70's backing band got a free weekend in the studio and they just "jammed it out". Talented group, but they need some direction (which is hilarious, considering they're one of the best selling bands of their time). The music of Dire Straits just does not translate well, and has all of the hallmarks of guitar-driven dad rock that has become the butt of so many jokes. Fav Track: Wild West End

Shit slaps

The album that our Amsterdam Air BnB host left in his record player

Driven by Mark Knopfler's spare, tasteful guitar lines and his husky warbling, the album is a set of bluesy rockers. Knopfler also shows an inclination toward Dylanesque imagery, which enhances the smoky, low-key atmosphere of the album. While a few of the songs fall flat, the album is remarkably accomplished for a debut, and Dire Straits had difficulty surpassing it throughout their career.

Pretty drunk while listening but I think this is a favorite. Sultans of swing but 1hr long

What if "Country", but actually good. Update: Ok, I've had this album on repeat for about 10 times...

Wow. Silky smooth riffs and bitchin' solos abound. Can't believe this is a debut album. I think In The Gallery may be the weakest effort here, but every other track is gold. Sexy, groovy mix of sparse rock and roll mixed with country, folk, and blues. My knowledge of Dire Straits was Money for Nothing. This is at least 500x better than that.

Sultans of Swing was the best song, they should have written some more like that! Three stars, which means it’s better than American Idiot and Dark Side of the Moon.

Sometimes it's hard to believe how good a debut album can be. Absolute classic, a great listen almost any time.

Stellar debut album. I am an old.

Melodically muted, rhythmically stunted. They’re a guitar band, I get it. But then why aren’t the guitars more interesting?

GOAT

One of the best debut albums, the best guitar solo ever (though I prefer the live Alchemy version), and a great album that's always been there for me

THIS ALBUM HAS GROOVE FOR DAYS

Great first album to start 1001.

Knopf let is a smashing guitar player, but this slick mid-tempo rock just didn’t touch my soul.

Love Mark knopfler

Sehr gut. Schöne Songs.

Sultans of Swing is fantastic and the rest are good.

I really enjoy Mark Knopfler's guitar playing, and even more so his production talents (Aztec Camera's "Knife" is so great). Another reviewer astutely describes this record as if Dylan's '70s backing band made a solo album (see "Slow Train Coming" and "Infidels" for the nexus of these two ideas, both really good if advanced-level Bob). Oddly sedate for a debut album, this passes the time pleasantly. Obviously, "Sultans" is welcome anytime, the rest are a bit indistinguishable from each other.

A bit bland, but okay.

Disco was at it's greatest moment. Punk had just lost its biggest band before they even got a chance to begin. And rock was seeing the waning of Prog Rock, and the loud, brash, sounds of "Double Live Gonzo" and technical based heavy metal swing of Van Halen had just taken over The U.S. and growing world wide. So, out of nowhere, this small quiet blues and shuffle type of bar band from days gone by, appears, and left a huge mark on the music world, with the song, "Sultan's of Swing", a song which is a staple of every classic rock station.

Serenely shredding Guitar guides you through the blues With effortless cool

Honestly I dig this a lot more than I anticipated. Some really fantastic guitar playing and the vocals are catchy and bluesy. I'd definitely listen again.

Fantastic guitar solos!!!

It's just middle of the road music? I understand this is good guitar work, it just seems competent? like he's so good he doesn't have to try? It's just so boring background music to me.

I’d heard this before, but this time round only Waterline, Water of Love and Sultans were familiar, which makes sense as they’re the keepers. The rest washes past comfortably: they were a tight little band at this stage, and I have a thing for Knopfler’s voice, which makes me a common sort of fetishist. Dylan looms in several of the tracks, no bad thing in itself, but not flattering to the band either. Knopfler had not yet embraced his brown tone nor that flavour of Nordic fatalism I sniff out in BIA. I’ll mention once more that as a kid he shared an office with Basil Bunting - isn’t that something?

Music that seems to have been made for middle-aged dads with boring, corporate jobs to have a beer and say "they don't make 'em like they used to anymore" to. Despite it being utterly uninventive and frankly kind of dull, they pull it off pretty well I suppose. Down to the Waterline and Sultans of Swing are the real saving graces here.

I love finding new music and artists through this site. And I also love this type of scenario, becoming reacquainted with and artist/album that I absolutely loved when I first found them/it. In 1978 I was deeply into the standard classic rock of the day (Zep, Boston, Aerosmith, etc) and I was also exploring the newly emerging punk and electronic sounds in the background of the music world of the day. Along with Kraftwerk, Dire Straits absolutely blew me away with how different it was from anything I'd ever heard up to then. Of course I found out later about the music and artists that influenced Mark Knopfler, but for the longest time I couldn't listen to anything else, this album was as fresh and different as Duty Now For the Future, Autobahn, and Never Mind the Bollocks to me.

Hell yeah

I see Dire Straits - i give it 5

For me Dire Straits is always a pleasure to listen to

Brilliant.

Clean, like the genre Would listen to it outside of this

It one of the best albums with an acoustic guitar that I listened to with a very captivating voice.

Sehr bueno, chillig

Really good. This is the type of rock that lives on forever.

This a really solid LP. The variety of soft rock, folk, and country - while keeping the atmosphere as tight as it is - is very impressive. I’m also addicted to a lot of the guitar licks and riffs throughout. These guys seemed to have everything figured out for a debut album.

not an instant favorite or anything but honestly for being such a staple of "dad rock", there is something that is Still rly refreshing and bold about this band...sultans of swing is a funny anecdote made into something resembling a statement of meta-defiance in the face of what the expected face of rock music Was and Is. honestly this could prob come out near-unaltered today and get a fantano 7/10 or something. slick and quiet but also incredibly direct, its all in the licks. very cozy music tbh...instantly digestible in its musical information and just in general dedicated to not Overwhelming u. the solos especially are hugely likable. if u turn up the Complexity and Snark sliders i think thats how u get steely dan...also a great band, but a different itch then this, and tbh one i might be in the mood for slightly less often

Great first album. Torn between 4 and 5. Going to add this to my library even though I'm giving it 4.

This feels awfully modern and well-produced, I was surprised to find it's their debut album.

melow tunes. nice vocals. didn't really listen closely to lyrics some upbeat twangy beats. clean sound. i liked this album; mostly the melow low pace tracks.

- Two Dire Straits albums in one week? Cool. - Sultans of Swing and the opening track 🔥

Oh god, Dire Straits platen. Daar had ik mij nog niet helemaal op ingesteld. Maar daar komen er ook nog heel wat van langs de komende tijd natuurlijk. Tja en wat moet je er dan van vinden. Wat mij opvalt is dat dit debuutalbum nog niet zo sophisticated klinkt. Het klinkt nog wat rootsier, wat meer Americana en is wat swingerder en aanstekelijker (southbound again) dan die lange uitgesponnen gitaarplaten die zouden volgen. De sound is herkenbaar Dire Straits, maar nog zonder het pretentieuze gedoe. En Sultans of Swing is natuurlijk een banger. 7/10 Highlights Southbound Again Sultans of Swing

It was good. I’d listen to it again but probably wouldn’t seek it out.

Swingin'.

Just regular standard period music...

My friends mom always turns on Sultans of Swing at every fucking barbecue in the local fucking area and I'm so fucking tired of it please let me fucking skip it

Fantastic. Mark's guitar tone is immaculate.

I'd only heard Sultans of Swing before. Great album, every song sounds the same in the best way. Funnily enough, most of my exposure to Mark Knopfler has been listening to Dylan's Slow Train Coming.

One of my favorite bands

Ah, listen to that guitar sing and carry the top line melody. Ah, the bass is funky and smooth. Ah, the lyrics tell a story. So refreshing. Favorite songs: Down to the Waterline, Water of Love, Six Blade Knife, Sultans of Swing, In the Gallery.

These guys truly are the sultans.

Love Knopfler's guitar work...gets me every time.

Sultans of Swing is a classic, and the rest of the album is just as good.

Apparently I like Dire Straits. Great mellow listen front to back. sultans of Swing indeed.

Guitarras deliciosas al oído y un álbum impecable

Lots of memories. 1990, before graduation. The communist regime falls, free elections. Fresh air, love, and happiness. In my opinion, it is the most perfect Dire Straits album of all. *Water of Love* is one of my all-time favourites. Mark Knopfler is one of the kings of the guitar.

Großartiges Album. Mark Knopflers Gitarrenspiel ist unvergleichlich. Eines der besten Debütalben! Die Platte läuft seit zig Jahren immer wieder.

Fantastic album. Mix is great along with solid vocals and instrumental. For their first album, Dire Straits really sets the tone of their music and it shines through. A fantastic listen and enjoyable experience.

A really great album. A singular sound in a sea of rock music.

Amazing. Bangers from start to finish

Love Dire Straits. Their debut is not their best but still great.

Solid and unique

Redefined guitar and songwriting

wall to wall bangers per usual from the Dire Straits

never listened to this all the way through. much better all around than i expected. very very relistenable

👍 Love re-listening to music I forgot about! Been many years, so great to dance down memory lane with Dire Straits!

Sultans of swing, indeed

Immer noch gut, immer noch großartig. ☺️

fhuhh de hibátlan ez tejóég

Soothing album, has those 90's city vibes

Good.

I thought they did boring songs 😭 surprisingly it was better than I thought. A lot better. I really enjoyed many of the songs, they were fun and inviting. Gave me summer vibes. I also likes the fact the artists let the instrumentals kind of 'speak' for them, the record really shone the most when the band were just going to town (I.e Setting Me Up), even the moodier grounded songs had this very cool cadence to it. I also liked that the vocals were funky and fun, really emphasises the lyrics with the instrumentals. I felt the meat of the record was probably the best part from Setting Me Up to In The Gallery :) Loved cohesion, loved the way it moves and feels. I think this might be a 5. Faves: Down To The Waterline Water of Love Setting Me Up Six Blade Knife Southbound Again In The Gallery

I have always enjoyed Dire Straits, and Mark Knopfler certainly has one of the most distinctive guitar sounds ever. I really enjoyed this album then - and now.

Simply amazing, an all time classic

Just sweet groove and boogie. Love it love it.

Melodic album, soft rock is really good. Sultans of Swing is one of the best songs

I fell in love with this album when it came out, it felt more contemplative than other rock and the sophistication was in the musicianship so as a 12 year old it did not intimidate me thematically but awed me with the sound. I wish this had carried on to later albums but they seemed to get less interesting with each subsequent release. Communique is very good and overlooked.

Reminds me of another one of my favorites, JJ Cale. Not a bad track on here. Nothing special to mention, just good for casual listening.

5/5 Certified hood classic. Never given this a proper listen until now. Couple absolute ripper tunes. Down to the waterline and Sultans of swing both go hard. Clean crisp sharp guitar sounds with solid vocals from the 70s. Whats not to love

Surprisingly absolutely loved the vibe

Excellent album by excellent band!

Great album start to finish. Smooth rhythm and melodic blues guitar that’s never overdone (I’m looking at you Hendrix). Never thought “when will it end?” on any track.

cool blues/rock I have the LP from 1978

One of my top 5 favorite albums of all time. Just... so, so good. The guitar work is impeccable. Songs are a blast. It's so good.

Mark Knopfler fills space differently than other guitarists. It’s never messy or overdone. Perfect crisp clean riffs that demand your attention and often reaction. Rock, blues, country, undefinable. Even with the less than stellar vocals this album earns five stars.

I enjoy these songs greatly, and I'm sad I had not listened to them earlier. The intro really caught me by surprise, and listening to "In the Gallery" is really such a vibe. This album is looking to score high for me

Phenomenal.

All time classic here. A uniquely clean rock sound that immediately stood out from so many noisier players of their era. They occupied their own genre, and cut a fantastic album worth a spin any day of the week.

An absolute standout classic. Nothing sounded like it then.

Unfortunately this is nothing but straight heat and an absolute banger from start to finish. I wanted to not like it. I really wanted to not like it. I was ready to not like it. But it's perfection. It's fucked up. What can I do?

Sultan of Swing! 10/10. The whole album was kind of a vibe, nice to listen to while I was working.

>love the funky stuffs >always liked sultans of swing and dire straits' vibe, def have to listen to them more from now

So good. No filler and nary a misplaced note or lick. Great, understated playing. Maybe it’s a statement about what matters musically in a time of punk and disco hating on each other. The merging of classic and country rock (plus blues effects) seems to have helped set the stage for new wave and new kinds of guitar heroes. But whether that was intentional or not, it’s hard to say. There’s a modesty that underscores the quality. One gets the feeling that this band was just doing its thing and doing it at an extremely high level. One criticism would be the slight overreliance on a bouncy, carnivalesque feel to the keyboards. 4.6 for 5. (And still Making Movies and Love Over Gold [inexplicably not included in this list] are better.)

I really liked this. The video be is relaxing and bluesy. They make it sound effortless. The jam sessions were chill but top notch. I really like John Mayers live bluesy stuff from Where The Light Is, and this reminded me of that. Well vise versa I guess. This must've been an influence on him

The best of the best.

One of my favorites.