Dire Straits – “Brothers in Arms”

The Sleeve:

The Liner/Sleeve Notes:
None.

Personal Review:
 I know the Dire Straits from their song “Money for Nothing” (featured on this album.) and their amazing musicianship. Anyways, here’s the record. Kindly donated by a family friend.

 The album opens with “So Far Away” which like mentioned above, features the Straits signature musicianship, then comes Mark Knopfler’s amazing vocals. And the song is just awesome, it’s a slower one, but still good. I really like this song. Then comes one of the most widely known Straits songs, “Money for Nothing” which a few years ago was under fire for the use of the word ‘faggot’ and whole bunch of people got offended for it. Anyways, beyond that. The guitar playing rocks, and the drums are great. The vocals really make the song, Mark Knopfler is the greatest. Seriously, this song rocks. Next up comes my favorite Straits song, “Walk of Life” which firstly has great keyboard playing, then the drumming, Mark’s vocals simply rock. Everything is so perfect in this song. It’s harmonious. Then after that comes “Your Latest Trick” which starts off with some sax sounding instrument. Then we get into this really quiet slow song, kind of like a love ballad. Then the A-Side closes with the track “Why Worry” and it’s a slow chill song, pretty nice out to the A-Side.

 The B-Side opens with “Ride Across the River” and it’s a slow jam of a song, kind of has that Caribbean vibe to it. It’s kind of nice. Then comes the track “The Man’s Too Strong” and it’s not a bad track at all, it actually begins to pick up some and get really amazing, which is great. Holy, that guitar playing really sends a jolt down your spine, it is that great. This is just all around, I’m loving every minute, every second of this song. So great. We continue on with the song “One World” and I’m not really sure how to take it, it’s kind of this funk sounding pop song, and the musicianship is good and stuff, but something still feels off. Then album ends with the title track, “Brothers in Arms” and once more, it’s a slower, softer song. Not all that interesting at the moment as it plays, which is disappointing. Though the musicianship is astoundingly superb, so that is uplifting, and therefore this has been a great album.

Interesting Facts:
None.

Track Listing:
A1 – So Far Away
A2 – Money for Nothing
A3 – Walk of Life
A4 – Your Latest Trick
A5 – Why Worry

B1 – Ride Across the River
B2 – The Man’s Too Strong
B3 – One World
B4 – Brothers in Arms

Label:
Vertigo

Catalog Number:
VOG 1 3357

Studio Musicians & Other Album Credits:
Guitars & Vocals – Mark Knopfler
Keyboards – Alan Clark
Keyboards & Vocals – John Illsley
Drums – Omar Hakim & Terry Williams
Produced by Mark Knopfler & Neil Dorfsman
Engineered by Neil Dorfsman
Assisted by Steve Jackson (Air Montserrat) & Bruce Lampcov & David Greenberg (Power Station)
Recorded at Air Studios, Montserrat, West Indies
Mixed at Power Station, New York
Songs Written by Mark Knopfler
Sleeve – Sutton Cooper
Photography – Deborah Feingold
Painting – Thomas Steyer
Mastered by John Dent (The Sound Clinic, London) & Bob Ludwig (Masterdisk, New York)
Backing Vocals on “Money for Nothing” – Sting

Other Albums I Own by The Dire Straits:
None.

Released:
1985

Related Vinyls:

Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band – “Against the Wind” Julian Lennon – “Valotte” J.D. Brennan & Gold Fever with the Summer Street Gospel Group – “A Better Way / Driftin’ Away” Ronnie Dee & The Brothers III ‎– “Jody / Last Night I Dreamed”