Dire Straits (Album)
| Dire Straits | ||||
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| Studio album by Dire Straits | ||||
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Publication |
June 9, 1978 |
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admission |
February 13–5. March 1978 |
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| Label (s) | Warner bros. | |||
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Format (s) |
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Rock , blues rock , roots rock |
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Title (number) |
9 |
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running time |
41:34 |
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| occupation |
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Studio (s) |
Basing St. Studios, London (England) |
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Dire Straits is the debut album by the British rock band Dire Straits of the same name. It was recorded in the spring of 1978 and released that same year.
background
Demo tape
In mid-1977 Dire Straits recorded a demo tape . On July 27th, Wild West End , Sultans of Swing , Down to the Waterline , Sacred Loving (later not published) and Water of Love were created . In October they recorded Southbound Again , In the Gallery and Six Blade Knife for a tape for BBC Radio London. Setting Me Up , Eastbound Train and Real Girl followed on November 9th (the latter not published on Dire Straits ). These early recordings were well received by the BBC, so a record deal and studio recording of the band's first album should follow early next year.
The album
For the self-titled album Dire Straits , the band went to Basing St. Studios in London on February 13, 1978 to professionally record and mix the songs already recorded on the demo tape. Dire Straits was finally released on June 9, 1978.
The album contained, among other things, the later single Sultans of Swing , which was the first big success of the band. The album Dire Straits reached number two on the US Billboard 200 in 1979 , and the single Sultans of Swing reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 that same year .
In 2000, Dire Straits was re-released as a remastered version along with the band's other albums .
Track list
All compositions are by Mark Knopfler.
- Down to the Waterline - 3:55
- Water of Love - 5:29
- Setting Me Up - 3:18
- Six Blade Knife - 4:10
- Southbound Again - 2:58
- Sultans of Swing - 5:47
- In the Gallery - 6:16
- Wild West End - 4:42
- Lions - 5:05
Chart successes
album
| year | Album name | Chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE | AT | CH | UK | US | ||
| 1978 | Dire Straits (Album) | 3 | 17th | - | 5 | 2 |
Singles
| year | title | Chart positions | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DE | AT | CH | UK | US | ||
| 1978 | Sultans Of Swing Eastbound Train (LIVE-Version) (UK) Southbound Again (US) |
20th | - | - | 8th | 4th |
Sales figures and awards
| Country / Region | Award | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Awards for music sales (country / region, Award, Sales) |
||
 Germany (BVMI)
|
 platinum
|
500,000 |
 France (SNEP)
|
platinum
|
300,000 |
 Italy (FIMI)
|
 gold
|
25,000 |
 Canada (MC)
|
4 × platinum
|
400,000 |
 New Zealand (RMNZ)
|
platinum
|
15,000 |
 Netherlands (NVPI)
|
platinum
|
100,000 |
 Switzerland (IFPI)
|
2 × platinum
|
100,000 |
 United States (RIAA)
|
2 × platinum
|
2,000,000 |
 United Kingdom (BPI)
|
2 × platinum
|
600,000 |
| All in all |
1 × gold 14 × platinum |
4,040,000 |
Main article: Dire Straits / Music Sales Awards
Interpretation of individual titles
Down to the waterline
In Down to the Waterline , Knopfler describes the port area of Newcastle upon Tyne , the city in which he grew up. The narrator is a girl who tells a second person about her memories of the Quayside area.
Water of Love
The male narrator laments his loneliness, which resulted from his separation from a woman. Since then he has been looking for the “water of love”, the elixir of life, without which he will soon die.
Setting Me Up
Setting Me Up is about a failed relationship. A male narrator lists various points that excite him about his partner.
Six Blade Knife
The "six-edged knife" symbolizes the charms of a woman who, on the one hand, flatter the narrator, but on the other hand no longer allow him to make his own decisions, no matter how reluctant to do so.
Southbound Again
In Southbound Again the farewell of a young man from his home is Newcastle upon Tyne described. He is quite unsure of where to go. On the one hand he just wants to leave - because of a failed love, on the other hand he is homesick. He feels tired of life, but promises himself not to give up.
Sultans of Swing
Someone is out on the street in London when it rains at night and hears Dixie from a bar . Since he likes the interpretation, he enters the shop. Even though the band plays really well, there are only a few guests. He takes a closer look at the band members: George on guitar is very experienced musically and plays very rhythmically; yet he can only afford an old guitar. Harry doesn't mind that the band isn't too successful, after all, he has a normal job during the day. On Friday evenings, however, he's in his element. In one corner, drunk boys are fooling around and not interested in the jazz band - after all, in their eyes it's not rock 'n' roll . At the end the band says goodbye with the words: "We are the Sultans of Swing".
There is a cover version of Sultans of Swing by Frank Zander with a new German text and the title Das war'n Zeiten . This was first released in 1990 on the album Kurt - Quo vadis , then in 2005 on the album Rabenschwarz 2 .
In the gallery
An artist is only recognized for his work after his death, the content of this song can be interpreted in different ways.
Lions
The last song on the album is about a lost woman who observes unpleasant deeds during the night and is groped by a drunken seafarer. The protagonist chooses to reject the damage inflicted on her. Inwardly, she longs for a "golden knight" who will lead her out of trouble.
Musicians and contributors
tape
- Vocals , guitar : Mark Knopfler
- Bass , vocals: John Illsley
- Guitar , vocals: David Knopfler
- Drums : Pick Withers
Other contributors
- Producer: Muff Winwood
- Technique: Rhett Davies
- Remastering: Gregg Geller
- Project coordinator: Jo Motta
- Art Direction: Alan Schmidt
Web links
swell
- ↑ eclipsed . No. 208 , March 2019, p. 16 .
- ↑ Dire Straits by Dire Straits (album, rock). rateyourmusic.com, accessed March 24, 2020 .
- ↑ a b charts.de : DE: Chart placements Dire Straits
- ↑ a b austriancharts.at : AT: Chart placements Dire Straits
- ↑ a b hitparade.ch : CH: Chart placements Dire Straits
- ↑ a b chartstats.com: UK: Chart positions Dire Straits
- ↑ a b allmusic.com: US: Billboard Charts Dire Straits