With forty years’ perspective, the release and subsequent massive success of Dire Straits’ Brothers In Arms (released 5/17/85) can camouflage what a superb work it is. Co-produced by the band’s titular leader, Mark Knopfler, with engineer Neil Dorfsman, its nine tracks are expertly sequenced to amplify the variety of the material, imaginative arrangements for which revolve around Knopfler’s versatile guitar skills.
Nevertheless, this LP does not display the preternatural band chemistry evident in its 1978 debut and the very next year’s follow-up Communique. Instead, this fifth Straits album is a direct extension of the emphasis on production values begun on Love Over Gold three years prior. The cinematic nature of this album foreshadows Knopfler’s soundtrack music for the film Local Hero the very next year.
Accordingly, the multiple sets of musician credits that appear on Brothers In Arms reflect the flux within the ensemble’s personnel. Drummer Omar Hakim, for instance, had collaborated with Miles Davis and Weather Report, and his contributions–in place of those previously recorded by Terry Williams (Rockpile)– were completed within two days for him to meet other such commitments. The Brecker Brothers, too, had a viable jazz pedigree, so it’s only natural that their trumpet and saxophone playing imbue “Your Latest Trick” with the ghostly atmosphere intrinsic to the song.
In a direct extension of such technical expertise, the title was also a full digital recording at a time when most popular music was recorded on analog equipment. Hardly coincidentally, Brothers in Arms turned out to be one of the first albums directed at the CD market and ultimately went on to become the first album in history to sell over one million copies in that format.
However, those very superficially extraneous elements can cloud the potency of the end results: Mark Knopfler knew how to make records. For instance, on the title song, “Ride Across the River” and “The Man’s Too Strong,” the combination of atmosphere and narrative is no less vivid than the highlights of Dire Straits’ previous records.
In direct contrast are the two very popular single releases off the long-player, the lightweight but nonetheless infectious “Money For Nothing” and “Walk of Life.” Within this roughly fifty-five-minute playing time, however, the varying level of substance in the material illustrates Knopfler’s natural predilection for craftsmanship.
The precision of his playing can also contribute to the borderline soulless nature of the takes. But the readily recognizable picking and plucking of the author’s guitar work, plus his guttural, muted vocal style, distinguish the compositions.
Likewise, writings such as the languorous”So Far Away” as well as the warmly empathetic “Why Worry,” are more emotional than intellectual. Lyrics included on the 1996 CD remaster elucidate the moods there, as is also the case with the blues-derived, acoustic musicianship on “The Man’s Too Strong” .
Four decades’ retrospect on Brothers In Arms clarifies how the LP earned the multiple awards and long-term residency on sales charts. At its release, MTV was a well-established tastemaker, so Sting’s intonation of its mantra during the “Money For Nothing” video added mainstream appeal. In much the same way, Dire Straits’ alignment with electronics manufacturer Phillips nurtured the more discerning audiophile audience for the project.
Hindsight also reaffirms that no comparable confluence of propitious circumstances accompanied the next effort of Knopfler (with yet another lineup of band personnel). Perhaps if this other deeply lush product of perfectionism, On Every Street, had been purposefully trumpeted for what it was–the last studio output under the name Dire Straits–it might well have received the overwhelmingly generous public response its predecessor had secured through serendipity.
