Brothers in Arms (Dire Straits album)
Encyclopedia
Original LP track listing
2005 Re-Issue 2 LP track listing
The 2005 Limited Edition Deluxe 180 gram High Performance Vinyl reissue contained the full-length versions of all songs by spreading out the songs over two half speed mastered LPs.Side 1
"Money for NothingMoney for Nothing (song)
"Money for Nothing" is a single by British rock band Dire Straits, taken from their 1985 album Brothers in Arms. It was one of Dire Straits' most successful singles, peaking at number one for three weeks in the United States, and it also reached number one for three weeks on the U.S. Mainstream...
" was one of the most played music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
during the era. It is one of only two Dire Straits songs on a studio album to not be solely credited to Mark Knopfler - Sting was given a co-writing credit.
"Walk of Life
Walk of Life (Dire Straits song)
"Walk of Life" is a 1985 song by the British rock band Dire Straits. It appeared on their best-selling album Brothers in Arms. It subsequently appeared on their live album On the Night. It was released as a single in November 1985 but had first been available as the b-side of "So Far Away" released...
" was a number 2 hit for the band in the UK in early 1986 and a number 7 hit in the United States later that year. The song was nearly left off the album, but was included after the band out-voted producer Neil Dorfsman.
Side 2
On the second side of the album, three songs ("Ride Across the River", "The Man's Too Strong" and "Brothers in ArmsBrothers in Arms (song)
"Brothers in Arms" is a 1985 song by Dire Straits, appearing as the closing track on the album of the same name. It is in G# minor.-History:There are two studio recorded versions of this song: the album version which is 6:55 seconds, and the shorter version which is 6:05 seconds and features...
") are lyrically focused on militarism.
"Ride Across the River" uses immersive Latin American imagery, accompanied by synthesized pan flute
Pan flute
The pan flute or pan pipe is an ancient musical instrument based on the principle of the closed tube, consisting usually of five or more pipes of gradually increasing length...
,a reggae-influenced drum part and eerie background noises. "The Man's Too Strong" depicts the character of an ancient soldier (or war criminal) and his fear of showing feelings as a weakness. "Brothers in Arms" deals with the nonsense of war.
Cover
The guitar featured on the album cover is a NationalNational String Instrument Corporation
The National String Instrument Corporation was a guitar company that formed to manufacture the first resonator guitars.-National resonator guitar designs:...
Style 0 Resonator
Resonator guitar
A resonator guitar or resophonic guitar is an acoustic guitar whose sound is produced by one or more spun metal cones instead of the wooden sound board . Resonator guitars were originally designed to be louder than conventional acoustic guitars which were overwhelmed by horns and percussion...
. The Style 0 line of guitars was introduced in 1930 and discontinued in 1941. The guitar is now owned by a guitar shop in California called Fretted Americana.
Band personnel
- Mark KnopflerMark KnopflerMark Freuder Knopfler, OBE is a Scottish-born British guitarist, singer, songwriter, record producer and film score composer. He is best known as the lead guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for the British rock band Dire Straits, which he co-founded in 1977...
: guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - John IllsleyJohn IllsleyJohn Illsley is an English musician who rose to fame as the bass guitarist of the critically acclaimed rock band, Dire Straits...
: bassBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, vocals - Alan ClarkAlan Clark (keyboardist)Alan Clark is an English musician who was the first and main keyboardist for the British rock band Dire Straits.- Biography :...
: keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Guy FletcherGuy FletcherGuy Wilson Fletcher is an English multi-instrumentalist, best known for his position as the keyboardist in the British rock band Dire Straits from 1984 until the group's dissolution, and his involvement in nearly every part of Mark Knopfler's solo work to date.-Biography:Fletcher was born into a...
: keyboards, vocals
with
- Omar HakimOmar HakimOmar Hakim is an American jazz, jazz fusion and pop music drummer.Hakim credits jazz vibraphonist Mike Mainieri with giving him his first break in 1980; Hakim appeared in a video with Mainieri called The Jazz Life and began working with singer Carly Simon through Mainieri...
: drums - Terry WilliamsTerry Williams (drummer)Terrence "Terry" Williams is a Welsh rock drummer, whose resume includes work for Dire Straits, B. B. King, and Bob Dylan....
: drumDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
crescendoCrescendo-In music:*Crescendo, a passage of music during which the volume gradually increases, see Dynamics * Crescendo , a Liverpool-based electronic pop band* "Diminuendo and Crescendo in Blue", one of Duke Ellington's longer-form compositions...
intro on "Money for NothingMoney for NothingMoney for Nothing may refer to:In music:* "Money for Nothing" , a song by Dire Straits* Money for Nothing , an album by Dire Straits* "Money for Nothing" In film:...
"
Additional personnel
- Jack SonniJack SonniJack Sonni is a writer, musician, marketing executive with an emerging web presence as a cultural commentator and best known as "the other guitarist" in Dire Straits during the band's "Brothers In Arms" era.In the late 1970s Jack's band The Leisure Classhad become a Monday night fixture at Kenny's...
: guitar - Michael BreckerMichael BreckerMichael Leonard Brecker was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Acknowledged as "a quiet, gentle musician widely regarded as the most influential tenor saxophonist since John Coltrane," he has been awarded 15 Grammy Awards as both performer and composer and was inducted into Down Beat Jazz...
: saxophone - Randy BreckerRandy BreckerRandal "Randy" Brecker is an American trumpeter and flugelhornist. He is a highly sought after performer in the genres of jazz, rock, and R&B, and has performed or recorded with Stanley Turrentine, Billy Cobham, Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed, Sandip Burman, Charles Mingus, Blood, Sweat & Tears,...
: horn - Malcolm DuncanMalcolm Duncan (musician)Malcolm "Molly" Duncan is a tenor saxophonist and founding member of Average White Band.Duncan has recorded with Ray Charles, Tom Petty, Buddy Guy, Ben E...
: tenor saxophoneTenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble... - Neil Jason: bass
- Tony LevinTony LevinTony Levin is an American progressive rock musician, specializing in bass guitar, Chapman stick and upright bass ....
: bass - Michael MainieriMike MainieriMichael T. Mainieri, Jr. is a vibraphonist best known for his work with the jazz fusion group Steps Ahead....
: vibraphone - Dave Plews: horn
- Sting: backing vocals on "Money for Nothing"
According to a 2006 Sound on Sound
Sound on Sound
Sound on Sound is an independently-owned monthly music technology magazine published by SOS Publications Group, based in Cambridge, UK. The magazine includes product tests of electronic musical performance and recording devices, and interviews with industry professionals...
magazine interview with the co-producer/engineer of the album, Neil Dorfsman, then-permanent drummer Terry Williams
Terry Williams (drummer)
Terrence "Terry" Williams is a Welsh rock drummer, whose resume includes work for Dire Straits, B. B. King, and Bob Dylan....
' performance was found to be unsuitable for the desired sound of the album during the first month of the recording sessions. He was therefore temporarily replaced by one of the most popular jazz session drummers of the time, Omar Hakim
Omar Hakim
Omar Hakim is an American jazz, jazz fusion and pop music drummer.Hakim credits jazz vibraphonist Mike Mainieri with giving him his first break in 1980; Hakim appeared in a video with Mainieri called The Jazz Life and began working with singer Carly Simon through Mainieri...
, who recorded the whole album's drum parts in two days and then left. Terry Williams' only contribution is the improvised crescendo at the beginning of "Money for Nothing." Everything else features Hakim's drumming, although Williams would be back in the band for the music videos and the tour.
Charts
The album was a hit for the group:- In Australia, Brothers in Arms was the biggest selling album in 1985 and the second best selling album in 1986, behind Whitney HoustonWhitney HoustonWhitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
's eponymous albumWhitney Houston (album)Whitney Houston is the debut album of American R&B and pop singer Whitney Houston, released March 14, 1985 on Arista Records. The album initially had a slow commercial response but began getting more popular since the summer of 1985...
. It topped the albums chart for 34 (non-consecutive) weeks, and is the album with the second most weeks at number-one in ARIA Albums Chart. - In the Netherlands, the album broke the all-time longest chart history with (non-consecutive) 269 weeks.
- In the UK it reached #1 on the UK Albums Chart, and has achieved 228 weeks in the chart.
- In the United States reached #1 on the Billboard 200 and remained there for nine weeks.
- The album also topped the charts in Austria, Canada, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Yugoslavia, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Norway, New Zealand, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden and Turkey.
Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1986 | UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
1 |
| 1985 | Australian ARIA ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... Albums Chart |
1 |
| 1985 | Austrian Albums Chart Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
1 |
| 1985 | U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
1 |
| 1985 | Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
1 |
| 1985 | German Albums Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
1 |
| 1985 | French Albums Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
1 |
| 1985 | Norwegian Albums Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
1 |
| 1985 | Swedish Albums Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
1 |
| 1985 | Swiss Albums Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
1 |
| 1985 | Dutch Albums Chart | 2 |
| 1985 | Italian Albums Chart Federation of the Italian Music Industry The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy.... |
4 |
Singles
| Year | Song | Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks | Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
Austrian Singles Chart Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann... |
French Singles Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
Italian Singles Chart Federation of the Italian Music Industry The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy.... |
Norwegian Singles Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
Swiss Singles Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
UK Singles UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | "Money for Nothing Money for Nothing (song) "Money for Nothing" is a single by British rock band Dire Straits, taken from their 1985 album Brothers in Arms. It was one of Dire Straits' most successful singles, peaking at number one for three weeks in the United States, and it also reached number one for three weeks on the U.S. Mainstream... " |
- | #1 | #1 | #4 | #7 | #34 | - | - | - | - | #4 |
| 1985 | "One World" | - | - | #8 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1985 | "So Far Away So Far Away (Dire Straits song) "So Far Away" is a 1985 rock song by Dire Straits. It appears on the album Brothers in Arms. It became the band's fourth top 20 hit on the Billboard charts, peaking at #19... " |
- | - | #29 | #22 | - | - | #33 | #4 | #7 | #6 | #20 |
| 1985 | "Brothers in Arms Brothers in Arms (song) "Brothers in Arms" is a 1985 song by Dire Straits, appearing as the closing track on the album of the same name. It is in G# minor.-History:There are two studio recorded versions of this song: the album version which is 6:55 seconds, and the shorter version which is 6:05 seconds and features... " |
- | - | #29 | #57 | - | - | - | - | - | - | #16 |
| 1986 | "Walk of Life Walk of Life (Dire Straits song) "Walk of Life" is a 1985 song by the British rock band Dire Straits. It appeared on their best-selling album Brothers in Arms. It subsequently appeared on their live album On the Night. It was released as a single in November 1985 but had first been available as the b-side of "So Far Away" released... " |
#4 | #7 | #6 | #11 | #18 | - | - | - | - | #24 | #2 |
| 1986 | "Ride Across the River" | - | - | #21 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1986 | "So Far Away So Far Away (Dire Straits song) "So Far Away" is a 1985 rock song by Dire Straits. It appears on the album Brothers in Arms. It became the band's fourth top 20 hit on the Billboard charts, peaking at #19... " |
#3 | #19 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1986 | "Your Latest Trick Your Latest Trick "Your Latest Trick" is a rock song by Dire Straits that appeared on the studio album Brothers in Arms, and also on the live album On the Night; the same live version is on Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits... " |
- | - | - | - | - | #1 | - | - | - | - | #26 |
Awards
Grammy Awards| Year | Winner | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Brothers in Arms | Best Engineered Recording, Non-Classical |
| 1985 | "Money for Nothing" | Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal The Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal was awarded between 1980 and 2011.The award was discontinued after the 2011 award season in a major overhaul of Grammy categories... |
| 2006 | Brothers in Arms | Best Surround Sound Album Grammy Award for Best Surround Sound Album The Grammy Award for "Best Surround Sound Album" was first awarded in 2005, as the first category in a new "Surround Sound" field.-Nominees::*An Evening With Dave Grusin... |
Certifications
| Organisation | Level | Date |
|---|---|---|
| IFPI – Germany | Platinum | 1985 |
| CRIA – Canada | 10x Platinum (Diamond) | 23 April 1986 |
| SNEP – France | Diamond | 1988 |
| RIAA – U.S. | 9x Platinum | 7 August 1996 |
| BPI – UK | 13x Platinum (4,069,764) | 31 October 1997 |
| ARIA – Australia | 17x Platinum | 2009 |
| CAPIF – Argentina | Gold | 1 December 1989 |
See also
- List of best-selling albums worldwide
- List of best-selling albums in the United Kingdom
- List of best-selling albums in Australia