Dire Straits was a british rock band, formed in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (guitar and vocals), his brother David Knopfler (guitar), John Illsley (bass), and Pick Withers (drums), and subsequently managed by Ed Bicknell. 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
| 1 | Walk Of Life | Brothers In Arms |
| 2 | Two Young Lovers (Intro: The Carousel Waltz) (Live | Alchemy (Disc 2) |
| 3 | Love Over Gold | Love Over Gold |
| 4 | Solid Rock (Live) | Alchemy (Disc 2) |
| 5 | When It Comes To You | On Every Street |
| 6 | Once Upon A Time in The West (Live) | Alchemy (Disc 1) |
| 7 | Why Worry | Brothers In Arms |
| 8 | Love Over Gold | Alchemy (Disc 1) |
| 9 | Water Of Love | Dire Straits |
| 10 | Money for Nothing | Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits |
| 11 | Heavy Fuel | Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits |
| 12 | Lady Writer | Communique |
| 13 | Sultans Of swing (Live) | Alchemy (Disc 1) |
| 14 | Ride Across The River | Brothers In Arms |
| 15 | Walk of Life | Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits |
| 16 | Wild West End | Dire Straits |
| 17 | Southbound Again | Dire Straits |
| 18 | My Parties | On Every Street |
| 19 | Local Hero / Wild Theme (Live) | Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits |
| 20 | Romeo And Juliet (Live) | Alchemy (Disc 1) |