Live at the BBC (Dire Straits album)
Encyclopedia
Live at the BBC is a live album by Dire Straits
Dire Straits
Dire Straits were a British rock band active from 1977 to 1995, composed of Mark Knopfler , his younger brother David Knopfler , John Illsley , and Pick Withers .Dire Straits' sound drew from a variety of musical influences, including jazz, folk, blues, and came closest...

, recorded in-between Dire Straits
Dire Straits (album)
Dire Straits is the self-titled debut album by British rock band Dire Straits, released in October 1978 by Phonogram Records.-History:...

, Communiqué and Making Movies
Making Movies
Making Movies is the third album by English rock band Dire Straits, released in 1980.- History :The title of the album comes from a line in the song "Skateaway" and the unreleased song "Making Movies". Rolling Stone ranked the album #52 in their survey of the "100 Best Albums of the 80s"...

. The studio version of first six songs were released on Dire Straits
Dire Straits (album)
Dire Straits is the self-titled debut album by British rock band Dire Straits, released in October 1978 by Phonogram Records.-History:...

.

History

The album was released in 1995, the year in which the group officially disbanded.
From Mark Knopfler's own words, this album was released because the defunct Dire Straits still owed an album to PolyGram
PolyGram
PolyGram was the name of the major label recording company started by Philips from as a holding company for its music interests in 1945. In 1999 it was sold to Seagram and merged into Universal Music Group.-Hollandsche Decca Distributie , 1929-1950:...

 (now Mercury
Mercury Records
Mercury Records is a record label operating as a standalone company in the UK and as part of the Island Def Jam Motown Music Group in the US; both are subsidiaries of Universal Music Group. There is also a Mercury Records in Australia, which is a local artist and repertoire division of Universal...

). This album was a means to end the legal contract, before Mark Knopfler began his solo career (still signed to Mercury).

The first seven tracks were recorded for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 Live in Concert series on 22 July 1978.
Track 8, "Tunnel of Love" was recorded for the BBC TV program The Old Grey Whistle Test on 31 January 1981.

This record features one unreleased song, a co-written track with brother David
David Knopfler
David Knopfler is a British singer-songwriter, rhythm guitarist, pianist and cofounder of the critically acclaimed rock band Dire Straits....

, "What's The Matter Baby?" It is the only co-written song in Dire Straits history. (There are two other Dire Straits songs on which Mark Knopfler shared writing credits -- "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...

" and "Tunnel of Love" - but in each case the song itself is entirely by Knopfler with only a small contribution to the backing or arrangement by the other credited artist.)

Track listing

(all songs by Mark Knopfler
Mark Knopfler
Mark 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...

, except where noted)
  1. "Down to the Waterline" – 4:10
  2. "Six Blade Knife" – 3:47
  3. "Water of Love
    Water of Love
    "Water of Love" is a song written by Mark Knopfler and originally released on Dire Straits' self-titled debut album. It was also released as a single in some countries, backed by "Down to the Waterline," as a follow-up to the band's first single from the album, "Sultans of Swing." The single...

    " – 5:29
  4. "Wild West End" – 5:12
  5. "Sultans of Swing
    Sultans of Swing
    "Sultans of Swing" was the first single release of the British rock band Dire Straits. First released in 1978, its 1979 re-release caused it to become a hit in both the UK and USA....

    " – 6:38
  6. "Lions" – 5:26
  7. "What's the Matter Baby?" (D. Knopfler, M. Knopfler) – 3:20
  8. "Tunnel of Love" (Intro: "Carousel Waltz" by Rodgers & Hammerstein) – 11:56

Personnel

  • Mark Knopfler
    Mark Knopfler
    Mark 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...

     – guitar
    Guitar
    The 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, vocals
    Singing
    Singing 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...

  • David Knopfler
    David Knopfler
    David Knopfler is a British singer-songwriter, rhythm guitarist, pianist and cofounder of the critically acclaimed rock band Dire Straits....

     – guitars, vocals
  • John Illsley
    John Illsley
    John Illsley is an English musician who rose to fame as the bass guitarist of the critically acclaimed rock band, Dire Straits...

     – bass guitar
    Bass guitar
    The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

    s, vocals
  • Pick Withers
    Pick Withers
    David "Pick" Withers was the original drummer for the rock band Dire Straits and played on their first four albums, which included hit singles such as "Sultans of Swing," "Romeo and Juliet" and "Private Investigations."...

     – drums
    Drum kit
    A 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 ....

  • Alan Clark
    Alan Clark (keyboardist)
    Alan Clark is an English musician who was the first and main keyboardist for the British rock band Dire Straits.- Biography :...

     – keyboards
    Keyboard instrument
    A 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...


Album

Year Chart Position
1995 Dutch Albums Chart
MegaCharts
MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top...

15
1995 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...

45
1995 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...

71
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