Brothers In Arms

megalist

Dire Straits has such an easily-dated sound, but captures some of the best of what came out of 80's pop music. I love Mark Knoppfler's voice and guitar playing. The hook for "Money for Nothing" is maybe the most iconic guitar riff from my entire childhood; that song will never be played out for me. "Walk of Life" has an organ riff and boogie-woogie guitar combo that is near impossible to not bop my head to. "Ride of the River" has almost an Oingo Boingo-like lead in with the various synths, percussion and horns. Some of the slower songs are instantly forgettable, but the album ends pretty strong with "Brother in Arms".

kristoffer-witt

Liked this quite a lot actually. Start out fantastically with 3 back to back bangers with great guitar and synth work. Stumbles a little with some of the softer material (namely "Your Latest Trick", "Why Worry?") and even though Knopfler's vocals aren't exactly amazing, his guitar playing certainly is.

rattboi1001

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.

kcik666

eric-murphy

kevin-zecchel

-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

erik-ebsen

Not really vibing with it. Forgot to listen to it until today on the way to work. Money for Nothing has a great riff but I forgot about the F bomb in it. Some classic songs but two that I've definitely heard way too often

avaitor

Mark Knopfler's songwriting skills cannot be overstated. Obviously the guy can shred like nobody's business, but he has just as strong of an ear for hooks and melody. Even songs that seem as simple and quiet as "Why Worry" have a couple little surprises that make them stand out. But what really make an impact are when Knopfler and co go big, like when he turns up the guitar in "The Man's Too Strong" or the all-timer riff on "Money for Nothing". It's funny that I keep mentioning the guitar work on this album, because this is otherwise quite synth-heavy. I personally preferred the band's earlier work which focused more on Knopfler's passion for blues and jazz. There are still hints of that here, but you can otherwise hear plenty of compromises for the MTV era, ie all of "Walk of Life", which I understand is beloved by many, but I've never been able to stomach. But when the band goes all out, they really hit. The last two songs, "One World" and the title track, I think are near-perfect, and I would have loved if the whole album sounded like those. Still, this is a fun 80's classic, one I enjoy coming back to even if it's hardly a first choice. B

kevin-b

lucid-pasta

peter-williams

Far more atmospheric than I thought. A couple of great tracks and other good musical experiences. Mark Knopfler is a true troubadour.

nathaniel-johnson

Really unexpected beyond the singles I had heard but I really enjoyed it.

gianni-antonaccio

kyle-listening-list

Did not realize Walk of Life was a Dire Straits song until today. Much more of a diverse album than Money for Nothing would indicate. Favorite tracks are Ride Across the River and One World

1001-listening-project

Money for Nothin’ riff still slaps for being a kinda dumb song. Guitars overall are pretty damn clean and tasty. The synths and extra instruments often feel out of place initially, but end up working out really well in the end. The closer was a snore. Overall not bad bad, but the singles are the highlights. This band does not sound like they’re from England, whatsoever, figured these dudes were from Florida. It’s aight.