Rate the band: Dire Straits

[JP Sauce]

The daddiest of dad rock.

 

[Gasometer]

Here I am again
In this mean old town
And you're so far away from me

 

[Blue1980]

The daddiest of dad rock.

Possibly, but I have seen extreme love and hate in this thread and I veer somewhere in the middle. I would rate them as a very good band with a unique sound.

I listened to all their albums recently and I think Love Over Gold stands up best, and I really like Industrial Disease, it's like a good version of walk of life.

Telegraph Road and Private Investigations are brilliant.

I quite like Brothers In Arma outside of Walk Of Life


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[Roobs321]

Yeah, I still have a soft spot for them. They were never terrible, one of those bands where owning every album is nothing to be ashamed of and all their releases deservedly have their own devotees. I remain attached to Love over Gold (although Industrial Disease is the relative runt of that album, the other four tracks are classy).

They are a very good band with a consummate style. They are quintessential dad rock, so you might not always be in the mood, but I'm never disappointed when one of their (many) hits pops up on radio. It's all in moderation, and they have a knack for creating good memories and conjuring them up many years down the track.

 

[Power Raid]

Definitely enjoying dire straits more now than in the 80s. Some great songs in their catalogue

 

[TheSmokingGun]

While the band was a vehicle for Mark Knofphler, I'll forget that because He was hands down one of the most unique and soulful guitarists of all time. His ability to take pop songs and turn them into timeless classics know no bounds. A lot of music from the 80s dated terribly because of the emphasis on melody, a big drum sound and (then) current synthesizers. Brothers in Arms had all this, and turned it into a classic.

 

[DaRick]

Mmmm...IMO better than many bands out there, but overall have some mixed feelings toward them and they are probably not one of my favourite bands.

Good:
- Intelligent lyrics: Mark Knopfler always had an interesting phrase or couplet up his sleeve
- Guitar: Again, Knopfler had as much technical skill as anyone else, but was good at working his guitar into the song, typically starting off very restrained and then gradually building up before letting loose towards the end (e.g - Sultans of Swing, Tunnel of Love). He came up with some classic riffs too.

Mixed:
- Vocals: Not technically great, but fitted the low-key style of the music
- Songwriting: Sometimes great, but inconsistent with many songs that are IMO overlong - surprising for an otherwise restrained band. Their use of synthesisers also sometimes led to awkward results (Industrial Disease, Walk of Life)

Favourite songs: Private Investigations, Brothers in Arms, Tunnel of Love, Sultans of Swing, Skateaway
Overrated songs: Walk of Life, So Far Away

Overall: 7/10

 

[MotleyLemon]

Disagree with the assertion from a couple of posts above that Knopfler is a "soulful" guitarist, always struck me as a guy who was incredibly proficient in a technical sense, but maybe lacked a bit of the soul of a Clapton type...

Dire Straits are an ok/above average band, but not an all time great for me.

 

[little graham]

only non acdc band to get anywherre near gunners during that era.

 

[Pessimistic]

The soundtrack of a part of your life.

In his interview, the number of times he says "got lucky with that" when discussing the creative process is insane.

Straights, Loaf, Queen, Blondie were my hangouts in the 80s. There was so much crap around as well