Dire Straits were a British rock band formed in London in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals and lead guitar), David Knopfler (rhythm guitar and backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar and backing vocals) and Pick Withers (drums and percussion). They were active from 1977 to 1988 and again from 1990 to 1995.
Their first single, "Sultans of Swing", from their 1978 self-titled debut album, reached the top ten in the UK and US charts. It was followed by a series of hit singles including "Romeo and Juliet" (1981), "Private Investigations" (1982), "Twisting by the Pool" (1983), "Money for Nothing" (1985), and "Walk of Life" (1985). Their most commercially successful album, Brothers in Arms (1985), has sold more than 30 million copies worldwide; it was the first album to sell a million copies on CD and is the eighth-best-selling album in UK history. According to the Guinness Book of British Hit Albums, Dire Straits have spent over 1,100 weeks on the UK Albums Chart, the fifth most of all time.
Dire Straits drew from influences including country, folk, the blues rock of J. J. Cale, and jazz. Their stripped-down sound contrasted with punk rock and demonstrated a roots rock influence that emerged from pub rock. There were several changes in personnel, with Mark Knopfler and Illsley being the only members who remained with the band for its whole history. After their first breakup in 1988, Mark Knopfler told Rolling Stone: "A lot of press reports were saying we were the biggest band in the world. There's not an accent then on the music, there's an accent on popularity. I needed a rest." They disbanded permanently in 1995, after which Knopfler launched a solo career full-time. He has since declined numerous reunion offers.
Dire Straits were called "the biggest British rock band of the 80s" by Classic Rock magazine; their 1985–1986 world tour, which included a performance at Live Aid in July 1985, set a record in Australasia. Their final world tour from 1991 to 1992 sold 7.1 million tickets. Dire Straits won four Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards (Best British Group twice), two MTV Video Music Awards, and various other awards. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018. Dire Straits have sold between 100 million and 120 million units worldwide, including 51.4 million certified units, making them one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
from this album in RP library
albums by Dire Straits
Met a Romeo on the streets of Saratoga,
In front of $.56 Hot Dog.
Friendship bloomed.
We went to concerts,
Ate lots of pizza, laughed,
Talked about music, including this song.
He quietly wanted more.
"You and me babe, how about it?"
But I always went for the wrong Romeos then.
He moved to North Carolina, then Connecticut,
Got married, had a daughter.
I went my way too...
When long-term relationships fell apart
We had long phone calls into the night.
Last time I saw him was at least a decade ago
Me, finally married, lived
A stone's throw from his childhood backyard.
Say what you will about that Book of Faces
But it allowed us to keep in touch
And "see" how we each were doing.
Last summer, when I hadn't seen any recent posts
I looked up his page to see what was up.
And found he'd been killed in a car crash.
Nearly four months prior.
So here's to you, Rick.
"You and me babe, how about it?"
It was just that the time was wrong.
- Juliet
Thank you RP and Mr. Knopfler, for giving me some decent music with which I can drown him out.
my favorite DR album
Freshman year of college.
Met a Romeo on the streets of Saratoga,
In front of $.56 Hot Dog.
Friendship bloomed.
We went to concerts,
Ate lots of pizza, laughed,
Talked about music, including this song.
He quietly wanted more.
"You and me babe, how about it?"
But I always went for the wrong Romeos then.
He moved to North Carolina, then Connecticut,
Got married, had a daughter.
I went my way too...
When long-term relationships fell apart
We had long phone calls into the night.
Last time I saw him was at least a decade ago
Me, finally married, lived
A stone's throw from his childhood backyard.
Say what you will about that Book of Faces
But it allowed us to keep in touch
And "see" how we each were doing.
Last summer, when I hadn't seen any recent posts
I looked up his page to see what was up.
And found he'd been killed in a car crash.
Nearly four months prior.
So here's to you, Rick.
"You and me babe, how about it?"
It was just that the time was wrong.
- Juliet
Wow, Skindy-Juliet. This deserves a lot more than a single thumbs-up. Thank you for sharing. You're a skilled writer....
I have never heard a transcendent Dire Straights song.
Just another one.
Check if whether your love for them comes from when you were in your early teens and you have fond memories, or whether the music is inventive and good.
You seem to be spiteful in your song ratings just to lower their rankings. Checked out a small selection of your song rating, and you've rated all of the songs below as a 1, and there's plenty more 1 rating you've assigned to songs. Considering the rather high rating the RP community has given these songs, I find it hard to believe these are truly worth a rating of 1 unless you're purposefully trying to spike the ranking.
White Rabbit - Jefferson Airplane - Your rating = 1 Avg = 8.6
Heroes - David Bowie - Your rating = 1 Avg = 8.5
Papa Was a Rolling Stone - The Temptations - Your rating = 1 Avg = 8.4
No Woman, No Cry - Bob Marle - Your rating = 1 Avg = 8.2
Fortunate Son - Creedence Clearwater Revival - Your rating = 1 Avg = 8.3
Turn Me On - Norah Jones - Your rating = 1 Avg = 7.6
Freshman year of college.
Met a Romeo on the streets of Saratoga,
In front of $.56 Hot Dog.
Friendship bloomed.
We went to concerts,
Ate lots of pizza, laughed,
Talked about music, including this song.
He quietly wanted more.
"You and me babe, how about it?"
But I always went for the wrong Romeos then.
He moved to North Carolina, then Connecticut,
Got married, had a daughter.
I went my way too...
When long-term relationships fell apart
We had long phone calls into the night.
Last time I saw him was at least a decade ago
Me, finally married, lived
A stone's throw from his childhood backyard.
Say what you will about that Book of Faces
But it allowed us to keep in touch
And "see" how we each were doing.
Last summer, when I hadn't seen any recent posts
I looked up his page to see what was up.
And found he'd been killed in a car crash.
Nearly four months prior.
So here's to you, Rick.
"You and me babe, how about it?"
It was just that the time was wrong.
- Juliet
What a beautiful and sad vignette. So much of what you said mirrors my own experience, decades later and half the world away. And her name is very close to Juliet, it so happens. Gentle innocent memories in youth and the choices we made then. Wish I could be as poetic as you. Sorry about Rick. Thanks for sharing.
Freshman year of college.
Met a Romeo on the streets of Saratoga,
In front of $.56 Hot Dog.
Friendship bloomed.
We went to concerts,
Ate lots of pizza, laughed,
Talked about music, including this song.
He quietly wanted more.
"You and me babe, how about it?"
But I always went for the wrong Romeos then.
He moved to North Carolina, then Connecticut,
Got married, had a daughter.
I went my way too...
When long-term relationships fell apart
We had long phone calls into the night.
Last time I saw him was at least a decade ago
Me, finally married, lived
A stone's throw from his childhood backyard.
Say what you will about that Book of Faces
But it allowed us to keep in touch
And "see" how we each were doing.
Last summer, when I hadn't seen any recent posts
I looked up his page to see what was up.
And found he'd been killed in a car crash.
Nearly four months prior.
So here's to you, Rick.
"You and me babe, how about it?"
It was just that the time was wrong.
- Juliet
Every time I listen to this song I come back to this page to re-read this post. I humbly nominate this as the best comment of all time on RP.