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Dire Straits emerged during the post-punk era of the late '70s, and while their sound was minimalistic and stripped down, they owed little to
punk. If anything, the band was a direct outgrowth of the roots revivalism of pub rock, but where pub rock celebrated good times, Dire Straits
were melancholy. Led by guitarist/vocalist Mark Knopfler, the group built their sound upon the laid-back blues-rock of J.J. Cale, but they also
had jazz and country inflections, occasionally dipping into the epic song structures of progressive rock. The band's music was offset by
Knopfler's lyrics, which a ...read more
Dire Straits emerged during the post-punk era of the late '70s, and while their sound was minimalistic and stripped down, they owed little to
punk. If anything, the band was a direct outgrowth of the roots revivalism of pub rock, but where pub rock celebrated good times, Dire Straits
were melancholy. Led by guitarist/vocalist Mark Knopfler, the group built their sound upon the laid-back blues-rock of J.J. Cale, but they also
had jazz and country inflections, occasionally dipping into the epic song structures of progressive rock. The band's music was offset by
Knopfler's lyrics, which approximated the winding, stream-of-conscious narratives of Bob Dylan. As their career progressed, Dire Straits
became more refined and their new maturity happened to coincide with the rise of MTV and the compact disc. These two musical revolutions
from the mid-'80s helped make Dire Straits' sixth album, Brothers in Arms, an international blockbuster. The band -- along with Eric Clapton,
Phil Collins, and Steve Winwood -- became one of the leaders of a group of self-consciously mature veteran rock & rollers in the late '80s that
designed their music to appeal to aging baby boomers. Despite the band's international success, they couldn't sustain their stardom, waiting a
full six years to deliver a follow-up to Brothers in Arms, by which time their audience had shrunk significantly.
Knopfler (born August 12, 1949) was always the main force behind Dire Straits. The son of an architect, Knopfler studied English literature at
Leeds University and worked briefly as a rock critic for the Yorkshire Evening Post while at college. He began teaching English after his
graduation and leading a pub rock band called Brewer's Droop at night. By 1977, Mark was playing with his brother David (guitar) and his
roommate John Illsley (bass). During the summer of 1977, the trio cut a demo with drummer Pick Withers. A London DJ named Charlie
Gillett heard the demo and began playing "Sultans of Swing" on his BBC show Honky Tonkin'. Following a tour opening for Talking Heads, the
band began recording their debut for Vertigo Records with producer Muff Winwood in early 1978. By the summer, they had signed with
Warner in America, releasing their eponymous debut in the fall.Thanks to the Top Ten hit "Sultans of Swing," Dire Straits was a major success
in both Britain and America, with the single and album climbing into the Top Ten on both sides of the Atlantic.
Dire Straits established Dire Straits as a major force on album-oriented radio in America, and their second album, Communique
(1979),consolidated their audience, selling three million copies worldwide. As the group was recording its third album, David Knopfler left the
band to pursue a solo career; he was replaced by former Darling member Hal Lindes. Like its predecessor, Making Movies was a sizable hit in
America and Britain, even though the band was criticized for musically treading water. Nevertheless, the record went gold on the strength of
the radio and MTV hits "Romeo and Juliet" and "Skateaway." Dire Straits followed the album two years later with Love Over Gold, an album
filled with long, experimental passages, plus the single "Private Investigations,"which became a number two hit in the U.K. The album went
gold in America and spent four weeks at number one in Britain. Shortly after the release of Love Over Gold, former Rockpile drummer Terry
Williams replaced Withers.
During 1982, Knopfler began exploring musical avenues outside of Dire Straits, scoring the Bill Forsyth film Local Hero and playing on Van
Morrison's Beautiful Vision. Apart from releasing the Twisting by the Pool EP early in 1983, Dire Straits were quiet for the majority of 1983and
1984, as Knopfler produced Bob Dylan's Infidels, as well as Aztec Camera and Willy DeVille; he also wrote"Private Dancer" for Tina Turner's
comeback album. In the spring of 1984, the band released the double album Alchemy: Dire Straits Live and by the end of the year,they had
begun recording their fifth studio album with their new keyboardist, Guy Fletcher. Released in the summer of 1985, Brothers in Arms was Dire
Straits' breakthrough album, making the band international stars. Supported by the groundbreaking computer-animated video for "Money for
Nothing," a song which mocked music videos,the album became a blockbuster, spending nine weeks at the top of the American charts and
selling over nine million copies; in England, the album became the biggest-selling album of the '80s. "Walk of Life" and "So Far Away" kept
Brothers in Arms on the charts through 1986, and Dire Straits played over 200 dates in support of the album. Once the tour was completed,
Dire Straits went on hiatus for several years, as Knopfler produced records by Randy Newman and Joan Armatrading,scored films, toured with
Eric Clapton, and recorded a duet album with Chet Atkins (Neck and Neck, 1990). In 1989, he formed the country-rock group Notting
Hillbillies, whose sole album, Missing...Presumed Having a Good Time, became a British hit upon its spring 1990 release. During the extended
time off, John Illsley recorded his second album; the first having appeared in 1984.
In 1990, Knopfler reconvened Dire Straits, which now featured Illsley, Clark, Fletcher, and various session musicians. The band released On
Every Street in the fall of 1991 to great anticipation. However, the album failed to meet expectations -- it only went platinum in America and
it didn't crack the U.K. Top 40 -- and failed to generate a hit single. Similarly, the tour was a disappointment, with many tickets going unsold
in both the U.S. and Europe. Once the tour was completed, the live album On the Night was released in the spring of 1993 and the band
again went on hiatus. In 1996, Knopfler launched his solo career with Golden Heart. « hide |
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