Dire Straits - Discography (1978-2025)

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 Steve Winwood — become one of the leaders of a group of self-consciously mature veteran rock & rollers in the late ’80s that designed their music to appeal to aging baby boomers. Despite the band’s international success, they couldn’t sustain their stardom, waiting a full six years to deliver a follow-up to Brothers in Arms, by which time their audience had shrunk significantly. ― Allmusic

1. STUDIO ALBUMS:

1978. Dire Straits (1983, 3266-2, DE For US, Target CD)
1978. Dire Straits (1983, 3266-2, JP For US, Target CD)
1978. Dire Straits (1983, 800 051-2, DE, Blue Swirl)
1978. Dire Straits (1983, P2 00051, CA)
1978. Dire Straits (1990, 3266-2, US)
1978. Dire Straits (1996, 800 051-2, CA)
1978. Dire Straits (1996, 800 051-2, DE)
1978. Dire Straits (2000, 9 47769-2, US)
1978. Dire Straits (2013, UICY-40008, JP, PT-SHM)
1978. Dire Straits (2018, UICY-40206, JP, UHQCD)

1979. Communiqué (1983, 3330-2, JP For US, Target CD)
1979. Communiqué (1983, 800 052-2, DE, Blue Swirl)
1979. Communiqué (1983, 800 052-2, DE, Red Swirl)
1979. Communiqué (1990, 3330-2, US)
1979. Communiqué (1992, 800 052-2, CA)
1979. Communiqué (1996, 800 052-2, FR)
1979. Communiqué (2000, 9 47770-2, US)
1979. Communiqué (2014, UICY-40084, JP, PT-SHM)

1980. Making Movies (1984, 3480-2, JP For US)
1980. Making Movies (1984, 800 050-2, DE, Blue Swirl)
1980. Making Movies (1984, 800 050-2, DE, Red Swirl)
1980. Making Movies (1989, 3480-2, US)
1980. Making Movies (1996, 800 050-2, FR)
1980. Making Movies (2000, 9 47771-2, US)

1982. Love Over Gold (1984, 800 088-2, DE, Blue Swirl)
1982. Love Over Gold (1984, 9 23728-2, JP For US, Target CD)
1982. Love Over Gold (1990, 9 23728-2, US)
1982. Love Over Gold (1996, 800 088-2, DE)
1982. Love Over Gold (2000, 9 47772-2, US)
1982. Love Over Gold (2013, UICY-40029, JP, PT-SHM)
1982. Love Over Gold (2018, UICY-40207, JP, UHQCD)

1985. Brothers In Arms (1985, 824 499-2, DE)
1985. Brothers In Arms (1985, 9 25264-2, JP For US, CTA)
1985. Brothers In Arms (1985, 9 25264-2, JP For US, Denon)
1985. Brothers In Arms (1985, 9 25264-2, JP For US, Matsushita)
1985. Brothers In Arms (1985, 9 25264-2, US)
1985. Brothers In Arms (1985, 9 25264-2, US, Long Box)
1985. Brothers In Arms (1985, W2-25264, US, Sanyo)
1985. Brothers In Arms (1990, 824 499-2, DE)
1985. Brothers In Arms (1990, 824 499-2, DE, Polygram)
1985. Brothers In Arms (1991, PHCR-1122, JP)
1985. Brothers In Arms (1996, 824 499-2, UK)
1985. Brothers In Arms (2000, 9 47773-2, US)
1985. Brothers In Arms (2014, UICY-40055, JP, PT-SHM)
1985. Brothers In Arms (2018, UICY-40208, JP, HQCD)
1985. Brothers In Arms (2025, 7565089, 3CD, 40TH)

1991. On Every Street (1991, 510 160-2, DE)
1991. On Every Street (1991, 510 160-2, FR)
1991. On Every Street (1991, 9 26680-2, US)
1991. On Every Street (1991, P2 10160, CA)
1991. On Every Street (1991, PHCR-1120, JP)
1991. On Every Street (1996, 510 160-2, UK)
1991. On Every Street (1996, 514 766-2, AR)
1991. On Every Street (1996, 514 766-2, FR)
1991. On Every Street (2000, 9 47787-2, US)

2. LIVE ALBUMS:

1984. Alchemy: Dire Straits Live (1984, 9 25085-2, DE For US, 2CD, Target CD, Pre-Emph)
1984. Alchemy: Dire Straits Live (1984, 9 25085-2, US, 2CD, Pre-Emph)
1984. Alchemy: Dire Straits Live (1996, 818 243-2, DE, 2CD)

1991. Perfect Investigations (1991, BM 001, IT)

1992. Live US (1992, 920.013, DE, 2CD)

1992. Ticket To Heaven (1992, BIG 022~23, IT, 2CD)

1993. On The Night (1993, 514 766-2, DE)
1993. On The Night (1993, 514 766-2, NL)
1993. On The Night (1995, PHCR-1197, JP)

1995. Live At The BBC (1995, 528 323-2, DE)
1995. Live At The BBC (1995, 9 46053-2, US)

2008. Sultans Of Swing Live In Germany (2008, IMA 104225, EU, 2CD)

2023. Live 1978-1992 (2023, 5553922, EU, 8CD)

3. COMPILATION ALBUMS:

1988. Money For Nothing (1988, 28PD-513, JP)
1988. Money For Nothing (1988, 836 419-2, DE)
1988. Money For Nothing (1988, 836 419-2, FR)
1988. Money For Nothing (1988, 9 25794-2, US)
1988. Money For Nothing (1996, 836 419-2, FR)
1988. Money For Nothing (2022, WEB, Remaster)

1998. Sultans Of Swing: The Very Best Of (1998, 538 003-2, FR, 2CD)
1998. Sultans Of Swing: The Very Best Of (1998, 558 658-2, UK)
1998. Sultans Of Swing: The Very Best Of (2012, UICY-25236, JP)

4. SINGLES, PROMOS & EPs:

1978. Sultans Of Swing (1987, 9 25814-2, US)
1978. Sultans Of Swing (1989, 872 611-2, DE, Limited Ed)
1978. Sultans Of Swing (1998, SULT 98, Promo)

1986. Brothers In Arms (1986, 884 285-2, DE, Special Ed)
1986. Brothers In Arms (1987, 9 25812-2, US)

1987. Money For Nothing (1987, 9 25813-2, US)

1987. Twisting By The Pool (1987, 9 25810-2, US)

1987. Walk Of Life (1987, 9 25811-2, US)

1990. Knebworth – The Album (1990, CDP 330, US, Promo)

1991. Calling Elvis (1991, 868 757-2, UK)
1991. Calling Elvis (1991, PRO-CD-4953, US, Promo)

1991. Heavy Fuel (1991, DCDDJ 17, UK, Promo)
1991. Heavy Fuel (1991, DSHAM 17, UK, Special Ed)

1991. On Every Street (1991, PRO-CD-5394, US, Promo)
1991. On Every Street (1992, DSCDC 18, 866 411-2, UK)

1991. Until September (1991, SEPT 1, UK, Promo)

1992. The Bug (1992, DSCD 19, 866 967-2, UK)

1992. You And Your Friend (1992, 864 613-2, DE)

1993. Encores (1993, 862 209-2, DE)

1993. Your Latest Trick: Live (1993, SAMPLER OTN 2, UK, Promo)

1994. Ticket To Heaven (1994, 858 875-2, DE)

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