Dire Straits
was a British rock band, formed in 1977 by David Knopfler (guitar), his brother Mark Knopfler (guitar and vocals), John Illsley (bass) and Pick Withers (drums), and managed by Ed Bicknell. Although the band was formed in an era when punk rock reigned, Dire Straits worked within the conventions of classic rock, albeit with a stripped-down sound that appealed to modern audiences weary of the overproduced stadium rock of the 1970s (see 1970s in music). Unusually, in their early days Mark and David used small low wattage combo amps, allowing pub patrons to converse while the band played. Despite this oddly self-effacing approach to rock and roll, Dire Straits soon became hugely successful with their first album going multi-platinum globally..
Their most famous songs include: "Sultans of Swing", "Romeo and Juliet", "Private Investigations", "Money for Nothing", "Walk of Life", and "Brothers in Arms".
History
Early history
Dire Straits recorded and released their first, self-titled album in 1978 initially, within the UK, to little fanfare but to number one platinum success in the rest of Europe and then the US. Later a single release, "Sultans of Swing" became an unlikely UK chart hit, making the UK top 10 . The group's second album, Communiqué, followed in 1979. Both albums are characterized by a stripped-down sound. This would change with the following albums. The band's line-up changed over the years, with only Mark Knopfler and John Illsley the only two remaining founding members. Mark Knopfler was increasingly the driving force behind the band throughout it's career.
Increased complexity
In 1980 Dire Straits released their third album, Making Movies. This marked a move towards more complex arrangements and production which would continue for the remainder of the band's career until the group's dissolution in the 1990s. Featuring "Romeo and Juliet", which became one of the band's best known chart hits, Making Movies saw the departure of David Knopfler while the recording of the album was still in progress; Sid McGinnis filled in on rhythm guitar as the sessions continued. The album also featured keyboardist Roy Bittan from Bruce Springsteen's "E Street" band and was produced by Jimmy Iovine.
Keyboardist Alan Clark and Californian guitarist Hal Lindes joined the lineup of Dire Straits for their fourth studio album, Love Over Gold, which was released in 1982 and was the first Dire Straits album produced by Mark Knopfler. Its main chart hit, "Private Investigations", gave Dire Straits their first UK top 5 hit single, peaking at number two despite its almost 7 minute length. In other territories, the single "Industrial Disease" was the album's calling card, particularly in Canada where it was a top 10 hit.
Shortly after the release of "Love Over Gold," drummer Pick Withers left the band for a jazz career. His replacement was Terry Williams, formerly of Rockpile.
In 1983 a four-song Extended Play record was released, featuring the hit single "Twisting By the Pool". This was followed by the double live album Alchemy, in 1984. During this time Mark Knopfler also wrote the music score for the films Local Hero and Cal. Meanwhile, Dire Straits' biggest hit was yet to come.
The Brothers In Arms era
Brothers in Arms was released in 1985 and went on to become the biggest selling album in the UK of that year and a huge hit internationally. It spawned several chart singles, including the US number one hit "Money for Nothing", which was the first video ever to be played on MTV in Britain. There were further personnel changes, with the addition of a second keyboardist, Guy Fletcher. Brothers in Arms also saw the departure of Hal Lindes from the band during the recording sessions. His place was taken by Jack Sonni, though Lindes was still credited an offical band member for the album's release, while Sonni was not. Terry Williams was also joined on drums by Omar Hakim; both are credited as band members for this release.
The 1985-86 world tour was phenomenally successful. While playing a thirteen-night residency at Wembley Arena, the band moved down the road to Wembley Stadium on the afternoon of 13th July 1985 to appear in Live Aid; their set included "Money For Nothing" with Sting as guest vocalist. The tour ended at the Entertainment Centre in Sydney, Australia, where Dire Straits still holds the record for consecutive appearances (twenty-one nights).
The commercial success of Brothers in Arms was greatly aided by being one of the first fully digitally recorded and produced albums available in the then new Compact Disc format, leading early adopters of the new technology to consider it a "must buy" album in a limited landscape of available music in CD format. "Brothers in Arms" is also reported to be the world's first CD Single, issued in the UK in two separate Singles as a promotional item, one distinguished with a logo for the tour live in `85 and a second to commemorate the Australian leg of the tour marked live in `86; containing just 4 tracks this CD had a very limited print run. Furthermore, the new format offered an excellent showcase for Knopfler's meticulous production values on the earlier albums, leading many existing fans to repurchase the whole back catalogue.
As a result of this situation - and the Live Aid appearance and world tour - Dire Straits were the world's biggest selling band in the mid 1980s. The popularity of the band extends beyond the UK and US: in many parts of the world including India, Southeast Asia and Africa, Dire Straits has remained one of the most well-known and admired Western bands.
After Brothers In Arms
After the Brothers In Arms tour ended in 1986, Dire Straits went on a lengthy hiatus and Mark Knopfler concentrated on solo projects and film soundtracks. Dire Straits regrouped for the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Concert in 1988 where they were joined by Eric Clapton. Also in 1988 drummer Terry Williams left the band.
After Mark Knopfler worked and toured with the Notting Hillbillies, Dire Straits regrouped again in 1990. By this time the band comprised four key members: Knopfler, John Illsley, and keyboardists Alan Clark and Guy Fletcher. Accompanied by other part-time members or session musicians, including the highly respected American drummer Jeff Porcaro from Toto, the group began recording tracks for a new album. The result was the band's final original studio album, On Every Street released in 1991, six years after the release of Brothers In Arms. A widely anticipated release, On Every Street met with mixed reviews and moderate success. It was regarded by some reviewers as an underwhelming follow up and didn't sell as well as its predecessor. The song "The Bug", taken from that album, contains backing vocals by Vince Gill who turned down an invitation to join the band full time.
The 1991-1993 world tour that followed On Every Street was not as successful as the previous 1985-86 tour. A live album On The Night, released in 1993, documented that tour, in which Chris Whitten played drums.
Following the release of Live at the BBC, a collection of live recordings from their early years, Dire Straits disbanded quietly in 1995, after Knopfler expressed a desire to give up touring on a large scale and he immediately went onto work full time on solo material and film soundtracks, while the other group members pursued their own careers. Guy Fletcher has, however, continued to be associated with almost every single piece of work concerning Mark Knopfler's solo career.
Three 'best of' albums have been released, the most recent being the compilation The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler: Private Investigations in November 2005, which consisted of material from most of Dire Straits' studio albums and Mark Knopfler's solo and soundtrack material.
Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler have sold in excess of 118 million albums to date.
Dire Straits Members
Members at dissolution of band
Former members
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Hal Lindes - guitar and background vocals (1980–1985)
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Auxiliary touring members
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Mel Collins - saxophone (1983–1984)
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Tommy Mandel - keyboards (1983–1984)
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Joop de Korte - percussion (1983–1984)
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Paul Franklin - pedal steel guitar (1991–1995)
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Chris White - saxophone (1985–1995)
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Danny Cummings - percussion (1991–1995)
Discography
Main albums
Live albums
Compilations
Hit singles
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"Skateaway" (1981) #37 UK
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"Twisting by the Pool" (1983) #14 UK
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"So Far Away" (1985) #20 UK; #19 US
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"Your Latest Trick" (1986) #26 UK
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"Encores EP" (1993) #31 UK
See also
External links
