Money For Nothing
	previously released material (tracks 3,4,10 produced by Mark Knopfler)
	Released on October 1988
	UK CHART POSITION #1 . . . US CHART POSITION #62 . . . GOLD RECORD (10/5/89), PLATINUM (8/4/94)
	Find it at GEMM
25794 cover [high resolution scan]

I should have learned to play the guitar. Thank goodness Mark Knopfler did. Dire Straits have been compared to Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and, finally, no comparison was necessary. The Straits are self-defining; implicit in the name are taut lyrics, tart guitar lyrics, hard-working arrangements and hushed reverence. Money For Nothing collects a dozen of their best to date, alternating between the invincible and the beaten. That dynamic keeps things fresh and justifies the inclusion of some lesser-known songs (“Where Do You Think You’re Going,” “Telegraph Road”). This compilation takes pains to present the band from both sides: the hits and the thoughtful album tracks. That means some of the more obvious choices are sandbagged: “Industrial Disease,” “Lady Writer,” “Skateaway,” “So Far Away.” Had these been included in place of a “Brothers In Arms,” Money For Nothing would have become unbalanced, and a cheery Dire Straits might emerge. That’s not them. Even their escapist fantasies have one foot chained to the dirty sidewalk, a shared trait among Dylan/Springsteen/Lou Reed. So if you’re looking for the “hits” in one succinct package, look elsewhere. Money For Nothing is something different; an introduction to the band’s artistry. You’ll hear it in “Down To The Waterline,” “Portobello Belle” and “Telegraph Road” as much as anywhere. If you’re already familiar with the Straits, the remixes of “Twisting By The Pool” and “Telegraph Road” might intrigue you, the live version of “Portobello Belle” might compel you. However, the record companies revisited the career retrospective a decade later with Sultans of Swing, and Money For Nothing went out of print. Sultans has more of the hits, but Money digs deeper into the band’s early years. So if the one is a reminder of how popular they were, the other reminds us how great they were.

TRACK LISTING

1. SULTANS OF SWING    5:46
2. DOWN TO THE WATERLINE    4:00
3. PORTOBELLO BELLE - LIVE    4:33
4. TWISTING BY THE POOL (REMIX)    3:30
5. TUNNEL OF LOVE    (extract from "The Carousel Waltz" by Rodgers/Hammerstein)    8:09
6. ROMEO AND JULIET    5:57
7. WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING    3:31
8. WALK OF LIFE    4:07
9. PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS    5:48
10. TELEGRAPH ROAD - LIVE (REMIX)    12:00
11. MONEY FOR NOTHING    (Mark Knopfler/Sting)    4:05
12. BROTHERS IN ARMS    4:48
13. (*JPN bonus track:) SOLID ROCK

CREDITS

Paul Cummins -- artwork concept
Green Ink -- direct art

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