Direct Straits

It was precisely during the heyday of punk and new wave that a new guitar hero emerged in the person of Mark Knopfler, frontman of Dire Straits.

When the Knopfler brothers formed Dire Straits in 1977, Mark was a teacher at an art school and David earned a living as a social worker. That's pretty much how the band looked when the world first discovered them with their self-titled debut. What Dire Straits lacked in rock 'n' roll presence, however, they more than made up for on that first album with their distinctive sound, beautiful songs, and Mark Knopfler's playful guitar playing. JJ Cale and Bob Dylan seemed to be the main influences.

Thanks in part to the hit "Sultans of Swing," Dire Straits became a top band in just a few months. Their success continued with the albums "Communiqué" (1979) and "Making Movies" (1980). During the recording of the latter, David Knopfler left the band to continue under his own name. The success story continued unabated with the ambitious "Love Over Gold" (1982) – featuring the stunning hit "Private Investigations" – and the polished-sounding "Brothers in Arms" (1985). The latter album became the first to sell a million copies on CD.

In 1987, Dire Straits disbanded, primarily because Mark Knopfler wanted to further develop his film music career. A reunion led to On Every Street (1991) and the subsequent world tour. The curtain fell again for the band, this time permanently. Mark Knopfler subsequently released a string of successful albums under his own name, including Golden Heart (1996), Sailing To Philadelphia (2000), The Ragpicker's Dream (2002), Shangri-La (2004), Get Lucky (2009), and Down the Road Wherever (2018). He consistently rejected requests to revive his old band. When Dire Straits was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2019, the master was conspicuous by his absence.

At Platenzaak.nl we have a huge selection of Dire Straits CDs and LPs, including exclusive editions.