Vinyl of the Week - 18 April 2021

Brothers in Arms, Dire Straits

Sometimes an album comes along that is just as exciting over 30 years later. This week’s VOTW is one of those albums. Dire Straits released Brothers in Arms in 1985. Right from the get-go this record was cutting edge. In fact, Mark Knopfler embraced the new digital recording tech with open arms in the constant pursuit of higher quality sound. It was recorded on a Sony 24-track digital tape machine and was one of the first recordings engineered specifically for CD. There are so many things about this album that are noteworthy. The film clip for Money for Nothing was one of the first to be played on MTV and chosen to launch MTV in Europe, such was its popularity worldwide. The album itself is the eighth highest selling of all time. It’s no wonder, every track is a gem. The emphasis on musicianship is uncompromising and the result is a listening experience that is simply awe-inspiring. The track that appealed to so many has a story all of its own. Money for Nothing is one of only two songs that Knopfler doesn’t have sole writing credit. That co-writing credit goes to Sting who sings the high vocal “I want my MTV” to the tune of “Don’t stand so close to me” by The Police. The story goes that Knopfler made comment to one of the band that he needed someone like Sting to contribute a vocal to really set it off. It just so happened that Sting was on holiday in the same location at the time so it was made to happen. The iconic guitar on the cover is a National Style “O” Resonator made in 1937, a guitar that Knopfler still owns and plays to this day. There are so many great moments on this album. From that Les Paul guitar riff at the start of Money for Nothing, the Sax intro to Your Latest Trick, the way the title track swells orchestrally against an epic guitar solo and has such a profound message about the pointless nature of war. This is easily in my top 5 favourite albums and the experience of listening to it at a decent volume still gets me every time. No doubt it will sound just as good in another 30+ years - DS