Brothers in Arms (album)
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| Brothers in Arms | |||||
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| Studio album by Dire Straits | |||||
| Released | May 1, 1985 | ||||
| Recorded | November 1984–March 1985 AIR Studios, Montserrat AIR Studios, London Power Station, New York |
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| Genre | Rock | ||||
| Length | 54:40 | ||||
| Label | Vertigo (UK), Warner Bros. (U.S.) | ||||
| Producer | Mark Knopfler, Neil Dorfsman | ||||
| Professional reviews | |||||
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| Dire Straits chronology | |||||
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Brothers in Arms is the fifth studio album by British rock band Dire Straits, in 1985.
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[edit] History
Brothers in Arms was one of the first albums to be directed at the CD market, being the first full digital recording (DDD) released, although not the first recording digitally recorded and mastered. It was also released on vinyl and cassette.
Brothers in Arms was the first album to sell one million copies in the CD format and to outsell its LP version. A Rykodisc staffer would subsequently write, "[In 1985 we] were fighting to get our CDs manufactured because the entire worldwide manufacturing capacity was overwhelmed by demand for a single rock title (Dire Straits' Brothers in Arms)."[1]
It was remastered and released with the rest of the Dire Straits catalogue in 1996 for most of the world outside the U.S. and on September 19, 2000 in the United States. It was also released in Super Audio CD format on July 26, 2005 and DualDisc format on August 16, 2005, winning a Grammy for Best Surround Sound Album.
[edit] Accolades
In 2000 Q magazine placed Brothers in Arms at number 51 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever. In 2003, the album was ranked number 351 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. In November of 2006, the results of a national poll conducted by the public of Australia revealed their top 100 favourite albums. Brothers in Arms came in at number 64 (see "My Favourite Album").
As of August 2006, Brothers in Arms was 4th on the list of best-selling albums (UK) and is the 112th best-selling album in the United States.
[edit] Track listing
All songs written by Mark Knopfler, except where indicated. The track lengths on the LP version differ from the lengths on the CD and cassette versions, due to the limitations of the medium. The full tracks would not all fit on one side of vinyl. (This was one of the first rock albums where the CD was longer than the LP.)
- "So Far Away" – 5:12
- "Money for Nothing" (Knopfler, Sting) – 8:26
- "Walk of Life" – 4:12
- "Your Latest Trick" – 6:33
- "Why Worry" – 8:31
- "Ride Across the River" – 6:58
- "The Man's Too Strong" – 4:40
- "One World" – 3:40
- "Brothers in Arms" – 6:59
[edit] Songs
[edit] Side 1
"Money for Nothing" was one of the pioneering songs and music videos of the MTV era. It's the only Dire Straits song on a studio album, to not be soley written by Mark Knopfler, who gave Sting a co-writing credit due to the fact that the vocal hook, "I want my MTV" is the same melody as The Police's 'Don't Stand So Close To Me'. This track was infact re-recorded and released as a single and called 'Don't Stand So Close To Me '86'. "Walk of Life" was a number 2 hit for the band in the UK in early 1986 and a number 7 hit in the US later that year. The song was nearly left off the album, only included on producer Neil Dorfsman's insistence.
[edit] Side 2
The second side of the album (from "Ride Across the River" to "Brothers in Arms") are lyrically focused on the guerrilla wars in El Salvador and Nicaragua of the 1980s. The title of the album inspired by a conversation in which Knopfler's father remarked. "We shouldn't be at war with our brothers in arms". This conversation is said to have taken place at the time of the Falklands conflict, though Mark Knopfler has denied the two have a direct link.
[edit] LP Shortened Versions
Several songs from the album were shortened for the LP. These songs are the following:
[edit] Side 1
- "So Far Away" from 5:12 to 3:59
- "Money for Nothing" from 8:26 to 7:04
- "Walk of Life" from 4:12 to 4:07
- "Your Latest Trick" from 6:33 to 4:46
- "Why Worry?" – 8:31 to 5:22
[edit] Side 2
- "Ride Across the River" – 6:58 to 5:57
[edit] Trivia
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Trivia sections are discouraged under Wikipedia guidelines. The article could be improved by integrating relevant items and removing inappropriate ones. |
- The guitar featured on the album cover is a National Style 0 Resonator. The Style 0 line of guitars was introduced in 1930 and discontinued in 1941.
- The album is referenced in the Stephen Malkmus song "Jenny and the Ess-Dog". The lyrics read "Kiss when they listen/to "Brothers in Arms"/if there's something wrong with this/they don't see the harm"
- British rock artist and leader of the band The Police, Sting, contributes to the opening lyrics and backing vocals of "Money for Nothing". The phrase "I want my MTV" boosted the ratings of the music video channel MTV.
- Brothers in Arms", the title track of the album, has been extensively used as background music in television and films. Most notably, it appeared in the finale of the second season of The West Wing. It has also been used in Miami Vice and Third Watch episodes, as well as in the movie Spy Game.
[edit] Personnel
[edit] Band Personnel
- Mark Knopfler: guitar, vocals
- John Illsley: bass, vocals
- Alan Clark: keyboards
- Guy Fletcher: keyboard, vocals
- Terry Williams: drums
[edit] Additional Personnel
- Omar Hakim: drums
- Jack Sonni: guitar
- Michael Brecker: saxophone
- Randy Brecker: horn
- Malcolm Duncan: tenor saxophone
- Neil Jason: bass
- Tony Levin: bass
- Jimmy Maelen: percussion
- Michael Mainieri: background vocals
- Dave Plews: horn
- Sting: vocals on "Money for Nothing"
According to a recent Sound on Sound magazine interview with the co-producer/engineer of the album, Neil Dorfsman, then permanent drummer Terry Williams' performance was found to be unsuitable for the desired sound of the album during the first month of the recording sessions. He was therefore temporarily replaced by one of the most popular jazz session drummers of the time, Omar Hakim, who recorded the whole album's drum parts in two days and then left.[2] Terry Williams' only contribution is the improvised crescendo at the beginning of "Money for Nothing". Everything else features Hakim's drumming, although Williams would be back in the band for the music videos and the tour.
[edit] Charts
The album was a hit for the group. In the US, propelled by the success of #1 single "Money For Nothing", the album also reached the #1 spot on the Billboard 200. In the UK, thanks to a string of Top 10 hits, the album also easily hit #1 on the UK Albums Chart. Brothers in Arms topped the Australian albums chart for 34 (non-consecutive) weeks.
[edit] Album
| Year | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Billboard 200 | 1 |
[edit] Singles
| Year | Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | "Money for Nothing" | Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 1 |
| 1985 | "Money for Nothing" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| 1985 | "One World" | Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 8 |
| 1985 | "So Far Away" | Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 29 |
| 1985 | "Walk of Life" | Billboard Adult Contemporary | 4 |
| 1985 | "Walk of Life" | Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 6 |
| 1985 | "Walk of Life" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 7 |
| 1986 | "Ride Across the River" | Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks | 21 |
| 1986 | "So Far Away" | Billboard Adult Contemporary | 3 |
| 1986 | "So Far Away" | The Billboard Hot 100 | 19 |
[edit] Awards
| Year | Winner | Category |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Brothers in Arms | Best Engineered Recording, Non-Classical |
| 1985 | "Money for Nothing" | Best Rock Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal |
| 2006 | Brothers in Arms | Best Surround Sound Album |
[edit] Certifications
| Organisation | Level | Date |
|---|---|---|
| BPI – UK | Gold | May 16, 1985 |
| BPI – UK | Platinum | May 16, 1985 |
| CRIA – Canada | Gold | July 1, 1985 |
| CRIA – Canada | Platinum | July 1, 1985 |
| RIAA – U.S. | Gold | July 23, 1985 |
| CRIA – Canada | Double Platinum | August 1, 1985 |
| RIAA – U.S. | Platinum | August 13, 1985 |
| CRIA – Canada | Triple Platinum | August 27, 1985 |
| BPI – UK | Double Platinum | September 13, 1985 |
| CRIA – Canada | 4X Platinum | September 17, 1985 |
| RIAA – U.S. | Double Platinum | September 24, 1985 |
| CRIA – Canada | 5X Platinum | October 17, 1985 |
| CRIA – Canada | 6X Platinum | October 31, 1985 |
| RIAA – U.S. | Triple Platinum | November 13, 1985 |
| CRIA – Canada | 7X Platinum | November 25, 1985 |
| BPI – UK | Triple Platinum | December 5, 1985 |
| CRIA – Canada | 8X Platinum | December 23, 1985 |
| RIAA – U.S. | 4X Platinum | January 29, 1986 |
| CRIA – Canada | 9X Platinum | February 6, 1986 |
| CRIA – Canada | 10X Platinum | April 23, 1986 |
| RIAA – U.S. | 5X Platinum | May 28, 1986 |
| BPI – UK | 11X Platinum | February 1, 1987 |
| BPI – UK | 12X Platinum | February 1, 1987 |
| BPI – UK | 8X Platinum | February 24, 1987 |
| BPI – UK | 10X Platinum | November 1, 1987 |
| RIAA – U.S. | 6X Platinum | January 18, 1989 |
| RIAA – U.S. | 7X Platinum | August 17, 1994 |
| RIAA – U.S. | 9X Platinum | August 7, 1996 |
| BPI – UK | 13X Platinum | October 31, 1997 |
[edit] References
| Preceded by Songs from the Big Chair by Tears for Fears |
Billboard 200 number-one album August 31 - November 1, 1985 |
Succeeded by Miami Vice I by Various artists |
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