Dire Straits - 'Brothers in Arms' Album Review
- Mar 15
- 3 min read
Updated: Mar 16
The fifth studio album from one of Britain’s greatest rock bands is one of legendary status. Released in 1985, Brothers in Arms is widely regarded as one of the best rock albums of it's era and Dire Straits’ finest work, though their earlier albums such as ‘Dire Straits’ and ‘Making Movies’ are still masterpieces in their own right.
Mark Knopfler’s seamless guitar work reaches new heights on this album, cementing him as one of history’s finest guitarists as a result of his intricacy on the strings and unmistakable sound. Brothers in Arms is a testament to Dire Straits’ ability to tell a story from the perspective of a character, most notably in ‘Money for Nothing’.
Artist(s) | Dire Straits |
Release Date | 17th May 1985 |
Genre | Rock |
Rating | 9/10 |
The album kicks off with ‘So Far Away’, a gut-wrenching love letter to a long-distance partner exemplified by the guitar’s melancholic wail, the harmonic choir and Knopfler’s painfully relatable lyrics. It’s one that leaves you in desperate need of a pick-me-up to follow, and aren’t you in luck.
The second track is none other than ‘Money For Nothing’, a legendary guitar anthem with an instantly recognisable riff complimented by Sting’s (The Police) immaculate vocals. This was the first song ever played on MTV Europe and is the band’s most successful single, unsurprisingly. Time has meant some lyrics in the song have aged poorly, though in Knopfler’s defence, he wrote the song from the perspective of a man working in a hardware store in the 1980s, thus the potentially offensive language and consistent references to microwave ovens and colour TVs.
The powerhouse is followed by ‘Walk Of Life’, another of the band’s biggest hits and offers a jovial sound about a busker singing old tracks that would be desirable to passers-by, for example the lyrics referencing ‘I Got A Woman’ by Ray Charles. This mood doesn’t last long though, as ‘Your Latest Trick’ delves into a far grittier side of the album and features an iconic saxophone intro courtesy of the Brecker brothers. A song of pain at the betrayal of a lover, Dire Straits offer yet another song that is painfully relatable to most listeners.
‘Why Worry?’ is the album’s fifth song and provides a necessary reminder to the audience, following the heartbreak of the song prior, that “there should be laughter after pain”. This is a song worth frequenting in times of trouble because of its comforting riff, beautiful message and Knopfler’s lullaby-esque vocals.
Following on is ‘Ride Across The River’ which begins the exploration of the subject of war that frequents the rest of the album. Perhaps not the most memorable of their songs, the lyrics describe war as senseless killing. Succeeded by ‘The Man’s Too Strong’, is a song from the perspective of a civil war drummer boy who went on to commit crimes of war, for which he wants to repent but doesn’t wish to become vulnerable through emotion.
The penultimate track, ‘One World’, reflects on the feelings of longing and wishing, as well as the frustration that comes as a result. The song possesses a more poppy bass and tempo, met with Knopfler’s signature guitar improvisation.
The album ends with ‘Brothers In Arms’, from which the album was titled, which continues the discussions of war that were introduced previously by ‘Ride Across The River’. The song was written about the brotherly connections created through the pain and suffering of the battlefield, in this instance the Falklands War in 1982.
It is an appropriately reflective ending to a remarkably written and performed album that has deservedly gone down in history as one of the most iconic and recognisable rock albums of all time.
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