Brothers in Arms

by Dire Straits

Type: Album
Released: May 1985
Label: Vertigo, Warner Bros.
Country: United Kingdom
Length: 55:10
Community rating: 4.17/5 from 19 ratings

Artists on this release: Guy Fletcher, John Illsley, Alan Clark, Hal Lindes, Terry Williams, Mark Knopfler

Album Notes & Community Reviews

As one of the first fully digital recordings, 'Brothers in Arms' is defined by a polished and atmospheric production that established a new benchmark for audio fidelity and was pivotal in launching the Compact Disc format into the mainstream. The album merges Mark Knopfler’s intricate, clean guitar work and character-driven songwriting with lush synthesizer textures and sophisticated, jazz-inflected rhythms. Its lyrical themes range from the satirical critique of celebrity in "Money for Nothing" to the somber, anti-war reflections of the title track, cementing its place as a commercial juggernaut and a landmark of 1980s rock.

Genres

Pop Rock

Descriptors: polished, literate, melodic, storytelling, saxophone

Tracklist

Credits

Mark Knopfler - producer, vocals, guitar, guitars, songwriter
Neil Dorfsman - producer, engineered, engineer, mixing
John Illsley - bass, backing vocals, vocals
Hal Lindes - guitar
Alan Clark - piano, organ, keyboards
Terry Williams - drums, toms and tom fills, drum intro on "money for nothing"
Guy Fletcher - synthesisers, backing vocals, keyboards, vocals, executive-producer
Jack Sonni - guitar synthesiser, guitar, vocals
Ron Eve - guitar tech
Omar Hakim - drums, tambourine and cowbell
Michael Brecker - saxophone on "your latest trick", horns, tenor saxophone
Randy Brecker - trumpet on "your latest trick", horns, horn
Mike Mainieri - vibes on "why worry", background vocals
Jimmy Maelen - percussion, shaker and tambourine
Dave Plews - trumpeter, trumpet on "ride across the river", horns
Malcolm Duncan - saxophonist, saxophone, tenor saxophone
Tony Levin - bass, chapman stick on "why worry"
Neil Jason - bass on "one world", bass, slides on my fretless
Sting - vocals on "money for nothing", songwriter
Dave Greenberg - assistant engineer
Steve Jackson - assistant engineer, engineer [assistant, air montserrat]
Bruce Lampcov - assistant engineer, engineer [assistant, power station]
Bob Ludwig - mastering at masterdisk (new york city, new york, usa), mastering
John Dent - mastering at the sound clinic (london, uk), mastering
Thomas Steyer - cover painting, painting
Sutton Cooper - sleeve design, sleeve
Deborah Feingold - photography