Wikipedia

Dire Straits(album)

Dire Straitsis the debut studio album by the British rock bandDire Straits,released on 9 June 1978 byVertigo Recordsinternationally,Warner Bros. Recordsin the United States andMercury Recordsin Canada.[4]The album features the hit single "Sultans of Swing",which reached number 4 on theBillboardHot 100chart and number 8 on theUK Singles Chart.The album reached the top of the album charts in Germany, Australia and France, number 2 in the United States and number 5 in the United Kingdom.Dire Straitswas later certified double platinum in both the United States and the United Kingdom by theRecording Industry Association of America(RIAA) and theBritish Phonographic Industry(BPI) respectively.

Dire Straits
Studio albumby
Dire Straits
Released9 June 1978(1978-06-09)(UK)[1]
Recorded13 February – 5 March 1978
StudioBasing Street,Notting Hill, London
Genre
Length41:34
Label
ProducerMuff Winwood
Dire Straitschronology
Dire Straits
(1978) 		Communiqué
(1979)
SinglesfromDire Straits
  1. "Sultans of Swing"
    Released: May 1978 (UK)
  2. "Water of Love"
    Released: October 1978 (NL)[3]

Recording

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Dire Straitswas recorded atBasing Street Studiosin London from 13 February to 5 March 1978.Knopflerused a few guitars for the recording, including a pair of redFenderStratocasters—one from 1961 (serial number 68354) and one from 1962 (serial number 80470). He played his 1938 National Style O 14 fret guitar (serial number B1844)[nb 1]on "Water of Love" and "Wild West End". He also used a blackTelecasterThinline (serial number 226254) on "Setting Me Up".Davidplayed a black Fender Stratocaster and a Harmony Sovereign acoustic guitar. The album was produced by Muff Winwood, and engineered by Rhett Davies, assisted by Greg Cobb.

Release

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The album was released in the US on 20 October 1978.[6]The first single released was "Sultans of Swing"which first broke into the United States top five early in the spring of 1979, becoming a hit a full five months after the album was released there, and then reached number eight in theUK Singles Chart."Water of Love"was also released as a single in some countries, and charted in Australia, reaching number 54, and in the Netherlands, reaching number 28.[7]

"Sultans of Swing"was re-released as a single in the UK in November 1988 to promote the greatest hits compilationMoney for Nothing,released in October that year.[8]

The album was remastered and reissued with the rest of the Dire Straits catalogue in 1996 to most of the world excluding the U.S. and on 19 September 2000 in the United States.[9]

Artwork

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The album cover artwork is designed by Hothouse, who commissioned the cover painting from Chuck Loyola. The Dire Straits Fender logo, which appears on the back cover, was designed by Geoff Halpern.

Touring

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Main article:Dire Straits Tour

Dire Straits promoted the release of their first single and album with theDire Straits Tour,which started on 6 June 1978 at the Lafayette Club in Wolverhampton, included 55 shows, ending on 18 November 1978 at the College of Education in Hitchin.[10]The European tour included concerts in the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. These concerts presented Dire Straits with their largest audiences to that date. The first leg of the tour promoted their first single, "Sultans of Swing".This first leg took the band around Great Britain in June and July 1978, performing in England, Scotland and Wales. The band typically performed in small halls with a maximum capacity of 1,000. The second leg of the tour promoted the band's debut album. This leg took the band to several European countries, where they met journalists and performed on television programmes.[10]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
Christgau's Record GuideB[12]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[13]
The Great Rock Discography8/10[14]
MusicHound4/5[15]
Pitchfork8.2/10[16]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[17]
Sputnikmusic5/5[18]

In a retrospective review forAllMusic,Stephen Thomas Erlewine called the album "remarkably accomplished for a debut".[11]Erlewine praised Knopfler's "spare, tasteful guitar lines and his husky warbling" and his "inclination toward Dylanesque imagery, which enhances the smoky, low-key atmosphere of the album".[11]

In his review forRolling Stone,Ken Tucker wrote that the band "plays tight, spare mixtures of rock, folk and country music with a serene spirit and witty irony. It's almost as if they were aware that their forte has nothing to do with what's currently happening in the industry, but couldn't care less."[19]Tucker singled out "Sultans of Swing" for its "inescapable hook" and "Bob Dylan-like snarl in its vocal".[19]He also praised "Setting Me Up" as a "heavenly number, funny and bitter".[19]

Track listing

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All tracks are written by Mark Knopfler

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Down to the Waterline"3:55
2."Water of Love"5:23
3."Setting Me Up"3:18
4."Six Blade Knife"4:10
5."Southbound Again"2:58
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."Sultans of Swing"5:47
2."In the Gallery"6:16
3."Wild West End"4:42
4."Lions"5:05
Total length:41:34
  • "Sultans of Swing" fades out early on some CD pressings before 1996. (05:36)

Personnel

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Dire Straits

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Production

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Charts

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Dire Straitsspent 132 weeks on the UK Albums Chart.[22]

Certifications and sales

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia — 47,000[43]
Austria (IFPIAustria)[44] Gold 25,000*
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[45] Gold 150,000[45]
Canada (Music Canada)[46] 4× Platinum 400,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[47] Platinum 20,000‡
France (SNEP)[48] Platinum 400,000*
Germany (BVMI)[50] Platinum 540,000[49]
Greece (IFPI Greece)[51] Gold 50,000[52]
Italy (FIMI)[53]
sales since 2009 		Platinum 50,000‡
Netherlands (NVPI)[55] Platinum 407,633[54]
New Zealand (RMNZ)[56] Platinum 15,000^
Sweden (GLF)[57] Silver
Switzerland (IFPISwitzerland)[58] 2× Platinum 100,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[59] 2× Platinum 600,000^
United States (RIAA)[60] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^

*Sales figures based on certification alone.
^Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Notes

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  1. ^Knopfler's 1938 National Style O 14 fret guitar — famously used for theBrothers in Armscover artwork — is a 1937 model and was purchased in the early 1970s from Steve Phillips. Knopfler has used it on all Dire Straits albums and on all of his solo albums.[5]

References

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  1. ^"Dire Straits: The Timeline".Dire Straits.Archived fromthe originalon 28 January 2023.Retrieved29 January2022.
  2. ^abAll Music Guide: The Definitive Guide to Popular Music(4th ed.). Hal Leonard Corporation. 2001. p. 120.ISBN0879309237.
  3. ^"Dire straits singles".
  4. ^"Dire Straits".Discogs.Retrieved4 December2012.
  5. ^"National Style O".Mark Knopfler Info.Archived fromthe originalon 30 August 2011.Retrieved4 December2012.
  6. ^"RIAA certifications".Recording Industry Association of America.
  7. ^"Dire Straits".Dutch Charts.Retrieved17 August2011.
  8. ^"Dire Straits | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company".Officialcharts.com.Retrieved17 May2021.
  9. ^"30 years of Dire Straits!".16 January 2010. Archived fromthe originalon 9 March 2010.Retrieved3 February2010.{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal=(help)
  10. ^ab"Dire Straits tour 1978".Mark Knopfler Info.Archived fromthe originalon 4 September 2012.Retrieved4 December2012.
  11. ^abcErlewine, Stephen Thomas."Dire Straits".AllMusic.Retrieved4 December2012.
  12. ^Christgau, Robert(1981)."Consumer Guide '70s: D".Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies.Ticknor & Fields.ISBN089919026X.Retrieved24 February2019– via robertchristgau.com.
  13. ^Larkin, Colin(2011)."Dire Straits".Encyclopedia of Popular Music.Omnibus Press.ISBN9780857125958– via Google Books.
  14. ^Strong, Martin C.(2004). "Dire Straits".The Great Rock Discography(7 ed.).Canongate Books.pp.424-425.ISBN1-84195-615-5.
  15. ^Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). "Dire Straits".MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide.Visible Ink Press. p.342-344.ISBN1-57859-061-2.
  16. ^Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (23 September 2020)."Dire Straits: Dire Straits Album Review".Pitchfork.Retrieved23 September2020.
  17. ^Considine, J. D.(2004). "Dire Straits". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.).The Rolling Stone Album Guide(4th ed.).Simon & Schuster.p.242–243.ISBN0-7432-0169-8.
  18. ^Sunnyvale (1 November 2015)."Review: Dire Straits – Dire Straits".Retrieved15 September2024.
  19. ^abcTucker, Ken (25 January 1979)."Dire Straits".Rolling Stone.Retrieved4 December2012.
  20. ^Dire Straits(booklet). Dire Straits. Burbank, California: Warner Bros. Records. 1978. pp.11–12. 947769-2.{{cite AV media notes}}:CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  21. ^"How a Slow-Building Debut Eventually Vindicated Dire Straits".Ultimate Classic Rock.7 October 2015.Retrieved17 May2021.
  22. ^"Dire Straits - Albums".Official Charts.Retrieved21 August2018.
  23. ^"Austriancharts.at – Dire Straits – Dire Straits"(in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  24. ^"Top RPM Albums: Issue 4742a".RPM.Library and Archives Canada.Retrieved 28 December 2024.
  25. ^"Dutchcharts.nl – Dire Straits – Dire Straits"(in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  26. ^"Lescharts.com – Dire Straits – Dire Straits".Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  27. ^"Offiziellecharts.de – Dire Straits – Dire Straits"(in German).GfK Entertainment Charts.Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  28. ^"Italiancharts.com – Dire Straits – Dire Straits".Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  29. ^"Charts.nz – Dire Straits – Dire Straits".Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  30. ^"Norwegiancharts.com – Dire Straits – Dire Straits".Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  31. ^"Hits of the World - Spain".Billboard.Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 21 July 1979. p. 69.
  32. ^"Swedishcharts.com – Dire Straits – Dire Straits".Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  33. ^"Dire Straits | Artist | Official Charts".UK Albums Chart.Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  34. ^"Dire Straits Chart History (Billboard200) ".Billboard.Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  35. ^"Jaaroverzichten – Album 1978".dutchcharts.nl.Retrieved7 March2021.
  36. ^"Top RPM Albums: Issue 6920".RPM.Library and Archives Canada.Retrieved 28 December 2024.
  37. ^"Jaaroverzichten – Album 1979".dutchcharts.nl.Retrieved7 March2021.
  38. ^"Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts"(in German).GfK Entertainment.Retrieved7 March2021.
  39. ^"Top Selling Albums of 1979".Recorded Music NZ.Retrieved25 August2021.
  40. ^"Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1979".Billboard.2 January 2013.Retrieved7 March2021.
  41. ^"Top Selling Albums of 1981".Recorded Music NZ.Retrieved25 August2021.
  42. ^"Jaaroverzichten – Album 2024".dutchcharts.nl(in Dutch).Retrieved3 January2025.
  43. ^Baker, Glenn (17 March 1979)."Australia - Down Under in Oz"(PDF).Billboard. p. SA-4.Retrieved5 December2021.
  44. ^"Gold & Platinum Awards 1987"(PDF).Music & Media.26 December 1987. pp.42–46.Retrieved19 October2020.
  45. ^abTarik de Souza (12 September 1991)."Volta os campeões de audiência".Jornal do Brasil(in Portuguese). p. 38.Retrieved23 October2023– viaNational Library of Brazil.Alam da platina tripla pelos 750 mil copias de Brothers in Arms, a banda de Mark Knopfler garimpou entre nos duas platina dimples de 250 mil cada (Alchemy, o primeiro que estourou, em 84, e coletânea Money for Nothing, de 8) e um disco de ouro (no LP de estreia Dire Straits, de 79)
  46. ^"Canadian album certifications – Dire Straits – Dire Straits".Music Canada.
  47. ^"Danish album certifications – Dire Straits – Dire Straits".IFPI Danmark.Retrieved30 May2024.
  48. ^"Les Certifications depuis 1973: Albums".Infodisc.fr.Retrieved19 October2020.(select "Dire Straits" from drop-down list)
  49. ^"Resilient Year".Billboard.8 December 1979. p. G-6.Retrieved24 June2023– via Google Books.
  50. ^"Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Dire Straits;'Dire Straits') "(in German).Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  51. ^"Dire Straits in Greece"(PDF).Cash Box.5 January 1980. p. 21 – via American Radio History.
  52. ^Carr, John (3 November 1979)."Greece: Rock and Roll Is The Word"(PDF).Billboard.p. 77.Retrieved17 February2020.
  53. ^"Italian album certifications – Dire Straits – Dire Straits"(in Italian).Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana.
  54. ^Hoos, Willem (16 December 1989)."Group Has Sold More Than 2 Mil Disks - Dutch Delight In Dire Straits - Dutch Delight in Dire Straits"(PDF).Billboard.p. 67.Retrieved23 October2023.
  55. ^"Dutch album certifications – Dire Straits – Dire Straits"(in Dutch).Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers.EnterDire Straitsin the "Artiest of titel" box.Select1978in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  56. ^"New Zealand album certifications – Dire Straits – Dire Straits".Recorded Music NZ.Retrieved20 November2024.
  57. ^"Swedish Gold For Straits"(PDF).Cash Box.12 January 1980. p. 26.Retrieved17 February2020– via American Radio History.
  58. ^"The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Dire Straits') ".IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  59. ^"British album certifications – Dire Straits – Dire Straits".British Phonographic Industry.
  60. ^"American album certifications – Dire Straits – Dire Straits".Recording Industry Association of America.
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