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Making Movies

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Making Movies
Studio albumby
Dire Straits
Released17 October 1980
Recorded20 June – 25 August 1980
StudioPower Station,New York City
Genre
Length37:39
LabelVertigo(UK) ·Warner Bros.(US) ·Mercury(Canada)
Producer
Dire Straitschronology
Communiqué
(1979) 		Making Movies
(1980) 		Love over Gold
(1982)
SinglesfromMaking Movies
  1. "Tunnel of Love"
    Released: 24 October 1980 (EU)[1]
  2. "Skateaway"
    Released: December 1980 (US)
  3. "Romeo and Juliet"
    Released: 9 January 1981

Making Moviesis the third studio album by BritishrockbandDire Straits,released on 17 October 1980 byVertigo Recordsinternationally,Warner Bros. Recordsin the United States andMercury Recordsin Canada. The album includes the single "Romeo and Juliet",which reached number 8 on theUK Singles Chart,as well as “Tunnel of Love,”featured in the 1982Richard GerefilmAn Officer and a Gentleman.

Making Moviesreached number one on the album charts in Italy and Norway, number 19 in the United States and number 4 in the United Kingdom.Making Movieswas later certified platinum in the United States and double-platinum in the United Kingdom by theRecording Industry Association of America(RIAA) and theBritish Phonographic Industry(BPI) respectively.

Background

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After Dire Straits'Communiqué Tourended on 21 December 1979 inLondon,Mark Knopfler spent the first half of 1980 writing the songs for the band's next album. He contactedJimmy Iovineafter hearing Iovine's production on the song "Because the Night"byPatti Smith,a song written by Smith andBruce Springsteen.Iovine had also worked on Springsteen'sBorn to RunandDarkness on the Edge of Townalbums, and was instrumental in recruiting E-Street Band keyboardistRoy Bittanfor theMaking Moviessessions.[2]

Making Movieswas recorded at thePower Stationin New York from 20 June to 25 August 1980.[citation needed]Jimmy IovineandMark Knopflerproduced the album.

David Knopflerleft Dire Straits in August 1980 during the recording of the album, following heated arguments with his brother[3]and almost immediately after the recording of aBBC2Arenadocumentary about the group featuring several individual interviews with the band members. His guitar tracks were almost complete for the album, but were re-recorded by Mark. David appears on video playing "Solid Rock" and "Les Boys" live in concert, but these performances preceded the recording. The album sessions continued withSid McGinnison rhythm guitar, although he was uncredited. Dire Straits expanded into a quintet when keyboard playerAlan Clarkand Californian guitaristHal Lindeswere recruited as full-time group members shortly after the album's release in October 1980.

Four songs were recorded during the sessions but not released on the album: "Making Movies," "Suicide Towers," "Twisting by the Pool"and" Sucker for Punishment. "" Twisting by the Pool "was released on theExtendedancEPlayEP on 10 January 1983 and reached the UK Top 20 when released as a single. The title of the album is taken from a line in the song "Skateaway"and from the outtake" Making Movies. "

Release

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Making Movieswas released on 17 October 1980 on LP and cassette formats. In 1981, an identically named short film was released on VHS and Beta, as well as screened in some theatrical venues, consisting of three music videos directed by fashion/commercial photographerLester Bookbinder,for "Romeo and Juliet," "Tunnel of Love" and "Skateaway." The original CD version was released in 1984.

The album was remastered and reissued on CD with the rest of the Dire Straits catalogue in 1996 internationally and on 19 September 2000 in the United States.[4]

The album's primary single was "Romeo and Juliet"which reached number 8 in theUK singles chartin early 1981. The second single release was "Skateaway,"and the third and final single from the album was the lengthy opening track,"Tunnel of Love",with its intro" The Carousel Waltz "byRichard RodgersandOscar Hammerstein II,which only reached the number 54 position in the UK.

With new group membersAlan ClarkandHal Lindeson board, Dire Straits embarked ontours of Europe, North America, and Oceania[5]from October 1980 until July 1981 to promote the album.

Three of the seven tracks fromMaking Moviescontinued to be played throughout theLove over Gold,Brothers in ArmsandOn Every Streettours: "Romeo and Juliet", "Tunnel of Love", and "Solid Rock", while "Expresso Love"was played in all concert tours until 1986.

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[6]
Christgau's Record GuideC+[7]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[8]
The Great Rock Discography6/10[9]
MusicHound5/5[10]
Pitchfork8.9/10[11]
Record Mirror[12]
Rolling Stone[13]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[14]
Smash Hits3/10[15]

In his review forRolling Stone,David Fricke wrote, "Making Moviesis the record on which Mark Knopfler comes out from behind his influences and Dire Straits come out from behind Mark Knopfler. The combination of the star's lyrical script, his intense vocal performances and the band's cutting-edge rock & roll soundtrack is breathtaking—everything the first two albums should have been but weren't. IfMaking Moviesreally were a film, it might win a flock of Academy Awards. "[13]

In his retrospective review forAllMusic,Stephen Thomas Erlewine said thatMaking Moviessaw Dire Straits chief songwriter Mark Knopfler increasing his ambitions by moving on from roots rock to country rock and folk rock, and that his songwriting skills were keeping pace. He was also complimentary towards the album's production and jazz leanings, though he opined that it runs out of steam towards the end.[6]

Rolling StonerankedMaking Moviesnumber 52 in their survey of the 100 Best Albums of the Eighties.[2]

Track listing

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All songs were written by Mark Knopfler, except where indicated.[16]

Side one
No.TitleLength
1."Tunnel of Love"(Extract from" The Carousel Waltz "byRichard RodgersandOscar Hammerstein II)8:11
2."Romeo and Juliet"6:00
3."Skateaway"6:40
Side two
No.TitleLength
1."Expresso Love"5:12
2."Hand in Hand"4:48
3."Solid Rock"3:19
4."Les Boys"4:07
Total length:37:39

Personnel

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Dire Straits

Additional musicians

Production

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  • Jimmy Iovine– producer
  • Mark Knopfler – producer
  • Shelly Yakus– engineer
  • Jeff Hendrickson – assistant engineer
  • Jon Mathias – assistant engineer
  • Greg Calbi– mastering at Sterling Sound (New York City, New York)
  • Bob Ludwig– remastering[16]
  • Neil Terk – original design and artwork
  • John Illsley – artwork
  • Brian Griffin– photography

Charts

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Certifications and sales

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia — 125,000[34]
Brazil — 65,000[35]
Canada (Music Canada)[36] 2× Platinum 200,000^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[37] Platinum 53,858[37]
France (SNEP)[38] Gold 100,000*
Germany (BVMI)[39] Gold 250,000^
Italy (FIMI)[40]
1980-1982 sales 		Gold 250,000[40]
Italy (FIMI)[41]
sales since 2009 		Platinum 50,000‡
Netherlands (NVPI)[43] Gold 178,231[42]
New Zealand (RMNZ)[44] Platinum 15,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[45] Gold 50,000^
Switzerland (IFPISwitzerland)[46] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[47] 2× Platinum 600,000^
United States (RIAA)[48] Platinum 1,000,000^

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

References

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Notes
Citations
  1. ^"Dire Straits singles".
  2. ^ab"100 Best Albums of the Eighties: 52: Making Movies".Rolling Stone.5 February 1980.Retrieved5 December2012.
  3. ^Genzel, Christian."David Knopfler".AllMusic.Retrieved17 April2011.
  4. ^"Making Movies".Discogs.Retrieved5 December2012.
  5. ^"Dire Straits Biography".Sing365.com. Archived fromthe originalon 3 March 2016.Retrieved27 August2017.
  6. ^abErlewine, Stephen Thomas."Making Movies".AllMusic.Retrieved5 December2012.
  7. ^Christgau, Robert(1990)."Dire Straits".Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s.Pantheon Books.ISBN0-679-73015-X.Retrieved14 September2024– via robertchristgau.com.
  8. ^Larkin, Colin(2011)."Dire Straits".Encyclopedia of Popular Music.Omnibus Press.ISBN9780857125958– via Google Books.
  9. ^Strong, Martin C.(2004). "Dire Straits".The Great Rock Discography(7 ed.).Canongate Books.pp.424-425.ISBN1-84195-615-5.
  10. ^Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). "Dire Straits".MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide.Visible Ink Press. p.342-344.ISBN1-57859-061-2.
  11. ^Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (23 September 2020)."Dire Straits: Dire Straits Album Review".Pitchfork.Retrieved23 September2020.
  12. ^Smith, Robin (25 October 1980)."Dire Straits: Making Movies".Record Mirror.Vol. 27, no. 43. p. 23.Retrieved15 September2024.
  13. ^abFricke, David (5 February 1980)."Dire Straits: Making Movies".Rolling Stone.Retrieved5 December2012.
  14. ^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.
  15. ^Ellen, Mark (30 October 1980)."Dire Straits: Making Movies".Smash Hits.No. 50. p. 33.Retrieved15 September2024.
  16. ^abMaking Movies(booklet). Dire Straits. Burbank, California: Warner Bros. Records. 1980. p. 2–4, 11. 947771-2.{{cite AV media notes}}:CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. ^"Sid McGinnis".AllMusic.Retrieved5 December2012.
  18. ^Kent, David(1993).Australian Chart Book 1970–1992(illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 260.ISBN0-646-11917-6.
  19. ^"Austriancharts.at – Dire Straits – Making Movies"(in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  20. ^"Top RPM Albums: Issue 0273".RPM.Library and Archives Canada.Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  21. ^"Dutchcharts.nl – Dire Straits – Making Movies"(in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  22. ^"Offiziellecharts.de – Dire Straits – Making Movies"(in German).GfK Entertainment Charts.Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  23. ^"Italiancharts.com – Dire Straits – Making Movies".Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  24. ^"Charts.nz – Dire Straits – Making Movies".Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  25. ^"Norwegiancharts.com – Dire Straits – Making Movies".Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  26. ^Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005).Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959-2002(1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE.ISBN84-8048-639-2.
  27. ^"Swedishcharts.com – Dire Straits – Making Movies".Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  28. ^"Official Albums Chart Top 100".Official Charts Company.Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  29. ^"Dire Straits Chart History (Billboard200) ".Billboard.Retrieved 1 February 2022.
  30. ^"Top Selling Albums of 1981 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart".Recorded Music New Zealand.Retrieved1 February2022.
  31. ^"Top Selling Albums of 1982 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart".Recorded Music New Zealand.Retrieved1 February2022.
  32. ^"Top Selling Albums of 1983 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart".Recorded Music New Zealand.Retrieved2 February2022.
  33. ^"Top Selling Albums of 1986 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart".Recorded Music New Zealand.Retrieved5 February2022.
  34. ^"Major fight economics with quirky rock originals".Billboard.12 June 1982.Retrieved22 September2018.
  35. ^Tarik 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)
  36. ^"Canadian album certifications – Dire Straits – Making Movies".Music Canada.Retrieved13 July2022.
  37. ^ab"Dire Straits"(in Finnish).Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.Retrieved28 August2013.
  38. ^"French album certifications – Dire Straits – Making Movies"(in French).Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  39. ^"Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Dire Straits;'Making Movies') "(in German).Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  40. ^abVenegoni, Marinella (15 December 1982)."Ai re del disco, oro, argento e platino".La Stampa(in Italian). p. 17.Retrieved5 December2020.
  41. ^"Italian album certifications – Dire Straits – Making Movies"(in Italian).Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana.Retrieved22 February2021.Select "2021" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Making Movies" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".
  42. ^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.
  43. ^"Dutch album certifications – Dire Straits – Making Movies"(in Dutch).Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers.EnterMaking Moviesin the "Artiest of titel" box.Select1980in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
  44. ^"New Zealand album certifications – Dire Straits – Making Movies".Recorded Music NZ.Retrieved1 June2019.
  45. ^Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005).Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002(1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE.ISBN84-8048-639-2.
  46. ^"The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Making Movies') ".IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.Retrieved13 July2022.
  47. ^"British album certifications – Dire Straits – Making Movies".British Phonographic Industry.
  48. ^"American album certifications – Dire Straits – Making Movies".Recording Industry Association of America.
[edit]
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