Love over Gold
Encyclopedia
Love Over Gold is the fourth album
by British
rock band Dire Straits
.
.
"Private Investigations
" was released as the lead single
from the album in Europe
, which reached #2 in the UK. "Industrial Disease
" was, instead, the lead single in USA, only reaching #75 on the Billboard Hot 100
in 1983.
In 1986, Love Over Gold had sold 4.4 million copies in Europe, whereas the album had only reached gold status in the United States by that stage.
It was remastered and released with the rest of the Dire Straits catalogue in 1996 for most of the world on Vertigo Records outside the US and in 2000 in the United States. The remastered CD also features slightly altered cover art; the album title is rendered underneath the band name, both in larger type, rather than arranged across the top. The image of lightning is also somewhat zoomed in and made brighter, making for a more purple colour. It is the only remastered Dire Straits CD with altered cover art.
The album was the last on which drummer Pick Withers
played.
"Private Dancer
", a song originally planned for the album, was recorded by the band except for the vocals. Mark Knopfler
decided that a female voice would be more appropriate and handed the song to Tina Turner
for her comeback album of the same name
.
"The Way It Always Starts", another song written during the Love Over Gold sessions, ended up on Knopfler's soundtrack to "Local Hero
" with vocals sung by Gerry Rafferty
.
"Badges, Posters, Stickers and T-Shirts" was cut from the album, released in the UK as a B-side, and subsequently released in the U.S. as the fourth track on the ExtendedancEPlay
EP.
.
Side one
Side two
. In Australia, the album was the twelfth best-selling album in 1982 and the sixth best-selling in 1983.
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
by British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
rock band 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...
.
History
Due to its lengthy atmospheric instrumental passages, the album has been cited as the band's attempt at progressive rockProgressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
.
"Private Investigations
Private Investigations
"Private Investigations" is a popular song by Dire Straits from their album Love Over Gold. Although it was not released as a single in the US, it reached the number 2 position in the UK , and is one of their biggest chart successes in the United Kingdom, on a par with "Walk of Life"...
" was released as the lead single
Lead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
from the album in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, which reached #2 in the UK. "Industrial Disease
Industrial Disease (song)
"Industrial Disease" is a song by the British rock band Dire Straits and written by Mark Knopfler. It appeared on their 1982 album Love over Gold....
" was, instead, the lead single in USA, only reaching #75 on the 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...
in 1983.
In 1986, Love Over Gold had sold 4.4 million copies in Europe, whereas the album had only reached gold status in the United States by that stage.
It was remastered and released with the rest of the Dire Straits catalogue in 1996 for most of the world on Vertigo Records outside the US and in 2000 in the United States. The remastered CD also features slightly altered cover art; the album title is rendered underneath the band name, both in larger type, rather than arranged across the top. The image of lightning is also somewhat zoomed in and made brighter, making for a more purple colour. It is the only remastered Dire Straits CD with altered cover art.
The album was the last on which drummer 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."...
played.
"Private Dancer
Private Dancer (song)
"Private Dancer" is a hit song recorded by Tina Turner, and written by Mark Knopfler. It is the title track of Tina Turner's most successful album, Private Dancer. The song is viewed from the prospective of a high-class prostitute, and it reached number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number...
", a song originally planned for the album, was recorded by the band except for the vocals. 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...
decided that a female voice would be more appropriate and handed the song to Tina Turner
Tina Turner
Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...
for her comeback album of the same name
Private Dancer
Private Dancer is the fifth solo album by Tina Turner, released on Capitol Records in 1984, which became her breakthrough solo album. Turner's success with the album came after several challenging years of going solo after a public divorce from husband and performing partner Ike Turner. It is her...
.
"The Way It Always Starts", another song written during the Love Over Gold sessions, ended up on Knopfler's soundtrack to "Local Hero
Local Hero
Local Hero is a 1983 Scottish comedy-drama film starring Peter Riegert and Burt Lancaster. It was directed by Bill Forsyth and produced by David Puttnam....
" with vocals sung by Gerry Rafferty
Gerry Rafferty
Gerald "Gerry" Rafferty was a Scottish singer songwriter best known for his solo hits "Baker Street", "Right Down the Line", "Days Gone Down", "Night Owl", "Get It Right Next Time", and with the band Stealers Wheel, "Stuck in the Middle with You". Rafferty was born into a working-class family in...
.
"Badges, Posters, Stickers and T-Shirts" was cut from the album, released in the UK as a B-side, and subsequently released in the U.S. as the fourth track on the ExtendedancEPlay
ExtendedancEPlay
ExtendedancEPlay is a three-track 12" EP by the British rock band Dire Straits, released in 1983. It is commonly called Twisting by the Pool, after the minor hit song of the same name on its first track....
EP.
Track listings
All songs written by Mark KnopflerMark 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...
.
Side one
- "Telegraph RoadTelegraph Road (song)"Telegraph Road" is a song by British rock band Dire Straits and written by Mark Knopfler. It appeared on their 1982 album Love over Gold. Clocking in at 14:18 minutes long, it is rarely played by radio stations, yet has remained highly regarded over the years.It was first played live at the...
" – 14:18 - "Private InvestigationsPrivate Investigations"Private Investigations" is a popular song by Dire Straits from their album Love Over Gold. Although it was not released as a single in the US, it reached the number 2 position in the UK , and is one of their biggest chart successes in the United Kingdom, on a par with "Walk of Life"...
" – 6:45
Side two
- "Industrial DiseaseIndustrial Disease (song)"Industrial Disease" is a song by the British rock band Dire Straits and written by Mark Knopfler. It appeared on their 1982 album Love over Gold....
" – 5:50 - "Love Over Gold" – 6:15
- "It Never Rains" – 7:59
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...
, 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... - 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 :...
– organOrgan (music)The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...
, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones... - 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.... - Hal LindesHal LindesHal Andrew Lindes is an English-American guitarist and film score composer.In 1980 he began recording a solo album with producer Al Kooper, along with Herbie Flowers on bass and John Bradbury on drums...
– rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together... - Pick WithersPick WithersDavid "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."...
– drumsDrum 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 ....
Additional personnel
- Mike MainieriMike MainieriMichael T. Mainieri, Jr. is a vibraphonist best known for his work with the jazz fusion group Steps Ahead....
– marimbaMarimbaThe marimba is a musical instrument in the percussion family. It consists of a set of wooden keys or bars with resonators. The bars are struck with mallets to produce musical tones. The keys are arranged as those of a piano, with the accidentals raised vertically and overlapping the natural keys ...
, vibraphoneVibraphoneThe vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
on 2 and 4 - Ed Walsh – synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
Charts
The album spent 200 weeks in the UK Albums ChartUK 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...
. In Australia, the album was the twelfth best-selling album in 1982 and the sixth best-selling in 1983.
Album
| Year | Chart | Peak position |
|---|---|---|
| 1982 | Australian Albums Chart Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998... |
1 |
| 1982 | 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 |
| 1982 | 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.... |
1 |
| 1982 | 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 |
| 1982 | 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 |
| 1982 | 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 .... |
2 |
| 1982 | Billboard Pop Albums 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... |
19 |
| 1983 | Australian Albums Chart Kent Music Report The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998... |
1 |
Singles
| Year | Song | Peak positions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US 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... |
US Rock | AUT 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... |
ITA 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.... |
SWI 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 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 ... |
||
| 1982 | "Private Investigations Private Investigations "Private Investigations" is a popular song by Dire Straits from their album Love Over Gold. Although it was not released as a single in the US, it reached the number 2 position in the UK , and is one of their biggest chart successes in the United Kingdom, on a par with "Walk of Life"... " |
- | - | 19 | 28 | 4 | 2 |
| "Industrial Disease Industrial Disease (song) "Industrial Disease" is a song by the British rock band Dire Straits and written by Mark Knopfler. It appeared on their 1982 album Love over Gold.... " |
- | 9 | - | - | - | - | |
| 1983 | 75 | - | - | - | - | - |
Certifications
| Organisation | Level | Date |
|---|---|---|
| BPI – UK | Silver | 27 September 1982 |
| BPI – UK | Gold | 27 September 1982 |
| CRIA – Canada | Gold | 1 November 1982 |
| CRIA – Canada | Platinum | 1 November 1982 |
| BPI – UK | Platinum | 15 November 1982 |
| IFPI – Germany | Gold | 1982 |
| SNEP – France | Platinum | 1984 |
| BPI – UK | Double Platinum | 5 August 1985 |
| CRIA – Canada | Double Platinum | 12 November 1985 |
| RIAA – U.S. | Gold | 1 April 1986 |
| IFPI – Germany | Platinum | 1987 |