September 2012 - Costa Calida Chronicle

In association with Costa Cálida International Radio and www.angloINFO.com
Dire Straits were a British rock band,
formed in 1977 by former journalist and
teacher Mark Knopfl er and initially
composed of Knopfl er (lead vocals and
lead guitar), his younger brother David
(rhythm guitar and backing vocals), John
Illsley (bass guitar and backing vocals),
and Pick Withers (drums and percussion).
Dire Straits’ sound drew from a variety
of musical infl uences, including jazz, folk,
blues, and came closest to beat music
within the context of rock and roll. Despite
the prominence of punk rock during the
band’s early years, the band’s strippeddown
sound contrasted with punk,
demonstrating a more bluesy infl uence
that emerged out of the pub rock scene.
Many of Dire Straits’ compositions were
melancholic. The group’s fi rst album,
“Dire Straits”, was recorded at Basing
Street studios in West London in February
1978, at a cost of £12,500. Produced
by Muff Winwood, the album had little
promotion when initially released in the
United Kingdom on Vertigo Records,
a division of the Phonogram Record
Corporation, and was not well received.
However, the album came to the attention
of A&R representative Karin Berg,
working at Warner Bros. Records in
New York City. She felt that it was the
kind of music audiences were hungry for
and championed the band to the company.
Recording sessions for the group’s second
album, took place in December 1978
at Compass Point Studios in Nassau,
Bahamas. Released in June 1979,
“Communiqué” was produced by Jerry
Wexler and Barry Beckett and went to
Number1 on the German album charts,
with the debut album “Dire Straits”
simultaneously at Number 3. Featuring
the single “Lady Writer”, the second
album continued in a similar vein as the
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fi rst and displayed the expanding scope of
Knopfl er’s lyricism on the opening track,
“Once Upon a Time in the West”.
In the coming year, however, this approach
began to change, along with the group’s
lineup. In 1980, Dire Straits were
nominated for two Grammy Awards for
Best New Artist and Best Rock Vocal
Performance by a Duo or Group for
“Sultans Of Swing” which had become
a massive hit. In July 1980 the band
started recording tracks for their third
album produced by Jimmy Iovine with
Knopfl er also sharing credit. The third
album “Making Movies” was released
in October 1980. During the recording
sessions, tension between Mark and
David Knopfl er took its toll on the band,
and David left over creative differences
with his brother to pursue a solo career
and was uncredited on the album. The
sessions continued with Sid McGinnis on
rhythm guitar and keyboardist Roy Bittan
from Bruce Springsteen’s East Street
Band.
After the recording sessions were
completed, keyboardist Alan Clark and
Californian guitarist Hal Lindes joined
Dire Straits as full-time members for
tours of Europe and North America. Dire
Straits’ fourth studio album “Love Over
Gold”, an album of songs fi lled with
lengthy, experimental passages, was well
received when it was released in September
1982, going gold in America and spending
four weeks at number one in the United
Kingdom. Released in May 1985,and the
defi nitive album of them all “Brothers
In Arms” entered the UK Albums Chart at
number 1 and spent a total of 228 weeks in
the charts. It went on to become the bestselling
album of 1985 in the UK. “Brothers
in Arms” was similarly successful in the
US, peaking at No. 1 on Billboard 200 for
nine weeks, going multi-platinum, selling
nine million copies .The album featured a
more lavish production and overall sound
than Dire Straits’ earlier work, and
spawned several big chart singles: “Money
for Nothing”, which reached number 1 on
the US Billboard Hot 100, and number 4
in the UK Singles Chart, “So Far Away”,
“Brothers In Arms”, “Walk of Life” and
“Your Latest Trick” were all massive
hits taken from the album. “Money for
Nothing” was the
fi rst video ever
to be played on
MTV in Britain and
featured guest vocals
by Sting, who is
credited with cowriting
the song with
Knopfl er, although
in fact, it was just
the inclusion of the
melody line from the
Police single “Don’t
Stand So Close To
Me” that triggered
the copyright credit. No actual lyrics were
written by Sting. It also won a Grammy
Award for Best Rock Performance by
a Duo or Group with Vocal at the 28th
Grammy Awards in February 1986.
“Brothers in Arms” was among the fi rst
albums recorded on digital equipment due
to Knopfl er pushing for improved sound
quality. The album’s title track is reported
to be the world’s fi rst CD single. It was
issued in the UK as a promotional item
distinguished with a logo for the tour, Live
in ‘85, while a second to commemorate
the Australian leg of the tour marked Live
in ‘86. Containing just four tracks, it had a
very limited run. “Walk of Life” meanwhile
was nearly excluded from the album when
co-producer Neil Dorfsman voted against
its inclusion, but the band members outvoted
him. The result was Dire Straits’
most commercially successful hit single in
the UK, peaking at number two.”Money
for Nothing”, “Walk of Life”, and
“Brothers in Arms” immediately became
live concert favourites. The album is listed
in the Guinness Book of World Records
as the fi rst compact disc to sell a million
copies.
Dire Straits made only one more studio
album the 1991 “On Every Street”
from which the single “Elvis Calls” was
a minor chart hit. With Knopfl er doing
more solo work away from the band,
including a project with The Travelling
Wilburys, the writing was on the wall for
the band. The last concert ever performed
by the band was on the 9 th of October
1992, in Zaragoza, Spain. Knopfl er did
not want to tour the band anymore and
their last album was “Live at the BBC”
which they were contractually obligated
to complete for their contract release.
Knopfl er dissolved the band in 1995. Dire
Straits’ biggest selling album, “Brothers
in Arms”, has sold over 30 million copies.
They also became one of the world’s
most commercially successful bands, with
worldwide album sales of over 120 million.
Dire Straits won numerous music awards
during their career, including four Grammy
Awards, three Brit Awards—winning Best
British Group twice, and two MTV Video
Music Awards. The band’s most popular
songs include “Sultans of Swing”,
“Romeo and Juliet”, “Tunnel of Love”,
“Private Investigations”, “Money
for Nothing”, “Walk of Life”, “So
Far Away”, “Your Latest Trick” and
“Brothers in Arms”. I personally think
that track for track “Making Movies” was
better than “Brothers in Arms”, but that
aside they were a superb band with music
that will be played for many years to come.
You can listen to Mark Davies on Costa
Cálida International Radio on “CALIDA
GOLD” Thursday and Friday afternoons
4.15-6.30pm.
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