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Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits
 
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Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits

~ Dire Straits
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Audio CD (18 Jun 1999)
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Label: Mercury
  • ASIN: B00000IBE2
  • Other Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 932 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

    Popular in these categories:

    #19 in  Music > Rock > Classic Rock > Greatest Hits
    #35 in  Music > Adult Contemporary > Greatest Hits
    #46 in  Music > Rock > Classic Rock > Classic British Rock

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Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s

Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or view the MP3 Album.

Samples
Song Title Time Price
Listen  1. Sultans Of Swing 5:46£0.79
Listen  2. Lady Writer 3:46£0.79
Listen  3. Romeo And Juliet 6:02£0.79
Listen  4. Tunnel Of Love 8:10£0.79
Listen  5. Private Investigations 5:51£0.79
Listen  6. Twisting By The Pool 3:31£0.79
Listen  7. Love Over Gold 3:36£0.79
Listen  8. So Far Away 4:00£0.79
Listen  9. Money For Nothing 4:06£0.79
Listen10. Brothers In Arms 4:50£0.79
Listen11. Walk Of Life 4:09£0.79
Listen12. Calling Elvis 4:37£0.79
Listen13. Heavy Fuel 4:55£0.79
Listen14. On Every Street 4:35£0.79
Listen15. Your Latest Trick 5:38£0.79
Listen16. Local Hero / Wild Theme 4:24£0.79

Product Description

CD Description

This solid collection is a compelling career overview of one of rock's most distinctive groups. Led by Mark Knopfler, whose deadpan vocal style and stunning guitar technique characterise the band's sound, Dire Straits burst on the scene in1978 with "Sultans of Swing". This VERY BEST OF begins there (even amid the ensemble's later hits, the lead-off track'sclean shuffle rhythm and minor-key melody still dazzles) and continues all the way to cuts from the group's 1991 release, ON EVERY STREET, and their 1993 live outing, ON THE NIGHT.
The Dylan-esque narrative of "Romeo and Juliet", from MAKING MOVIES, is one of the early highlights here. At the collection's heart are the tracks from the 1985 blockbuster BROTHERS IN ARMS, including the lamenting "So Far Away", bopping "Walk of Life", and the irrepressible "Money for Nothing". Beyond showcasing Knopfler's excellent songwriting, this album is graced by his light, technically precise guitar technique (he finger-picks all of his electric leads). More comprehensive than their previous greatest-hits package, MONEY FOR NOTHING, SULTANS OF SWING is an excellent introduction toDire Straits.

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Customer Reviews

24 Reviews
5 star:
 (16)
4 star:
 (4)
3 star:
 (3)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (24 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing and too many edits..., 8 Nov 2005
By Mr. N. Wright "nw" (UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
Instead of issuing a 2-CD collection, they decided on one, and hence the edited versions of some of the greatest songs of the era have been included. And this collection has got too many live renditions of songs which were superior in their original studio format ('Love Over Gold' in particular). Other songs such as 'Telegraph Road' (an epic) and 'Skateaway' are not featured. This CD does not provide a good perspective of Dire Straits; you're better to stick to the original studio albums, or better still, try 'Private Investigations: The Best of Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler', the new compilation which is a much better disc (available on 1 CD or 2 CD version).
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb intro' to one of the finest bands in history., 19 Nov 2000
By A Customer
When Mark Knopfler started out with Dire Straits, he must have had two ambitions: to defeat punk and make rock history. He achieved both. Knopfler and Dire Straits may not be the most fondly remembered band Britain has produced, but this CD alone speaks volumes for their quality, which was almost unrivalled during the eighties. It features almost all of their chart hits in some form or other, brilliant live versions of 'Love Over Gold', 'Your Latest Trick' and Knopfler's 'Wild Theme' guitar solo. The versions of 'Money For Nothing' and 'Brothers in Arms' are edited and lose some of their original atmosphere, but any drawbacks are negligible compared to what this one CD can offer you. If you like this, buy all of Dire Straits' studio albums - you will not be disappointed!
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24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Not all the best from this band..., 23 Mar 2004
By A Customer
This best of collection does contain most of the best known tunes from the supergroup from all their albums, but falls short.

On the plus side, the classics we all know and love such as 'Sultans of Swing', 'Romeo and Juliet' and 'Tunnel of Love' are all here in their full-length versions.

However this is where I start subtracting the stars: The one cut from 'Alchemy' is the worst track on the CD (the original studio version of 'Love Over Gold' is far superior to the live rendition here). One of the best tracks Knopfler ever wrote, 'Telegraph Road', is absent; 'Brothers In Arms' has been cut so the superb guitar solo at the end of that track is absent; 'Money For Nothing' and 'On Every Street' have also been edited. As a result this compilation does not provide a full perspective of some of the band's most superb work. A double 'best of CD' (like Billy Joel and many others have done for their greatest hits) is probably the only answer...

Buy this though and you will want to collect all of the band's work, but the albums 'Making Movies', 'Love Over Gold' and 'Brothers In Arms' are the best buys when it comes to personal choice.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars music review
Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits

Excellent used copy, no scratches, arrived well within time would recommend using this company.
Published 3 months ago by bussie98

5.0 out of 5 stars Pure nostalgy
Collect of the biggest hits. Pure memories of years ago. Just fantastic when you are a fan or you like to know something about Dire Straits
Published 5 months ago by R. Dyckmans

5.0 out of 5 stars Perhaps I'll get to keep this one!
I have bought 4 copies of this CD over the years - why, you may ask? Two sons and their friends, legions of students at work, parties - I don't know... Read more
Published 8 months ago by Carolyn Lobley

4.0 out of 5 stars "He's got a daytime job, he's doing alright...."
If you had stood up in front of the punks of 1977 and declared that the next ten years of mainstream British guitar based music would be dominated by a Geordie bloke influenced by... Read more
Published 17 months ago by BD

5.0 out of 5 stars dire straits greatest hits
this sultans of swing compilation is a great cd. dire straits have always been one of my favorite bands for years since my dad introduced me to mark knopfler. Read more
Published on 24 Sep 2007 by for whom the bell tolls

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Of Dire Straits
This CD is great, and lasts ages, as you don't just listen to it once, its got a huge lifetime. It really has the best of the Straits. Read more
Published on 4 Dec 2005 by major_sharpe

4.0 out of 5 stars Classic Dire Straits
I've been listening to Dire Straits since I was little (my parents were fans from the beginning, so I didn't really have a choice! Read more
Published on 13 April 2005 by H. Dennison

5.0 out of 5 stars Beauty has reached perfection.
I'll give you a title by title description of the album, as each song deserves a few words...

1/ "sultans of swing" is the starting point of the band's carreer. Read more

Published on 19 Jul 2004 by AURELIEN

3.0 out of 5 stars Don't be conned into buying it
With most bands' back catalogues now available on CD, record companies are taking to reshuffling and repackaging the original Best Of compilations and flogging them again at full... Read more
Published on 16 Jun 2004 by kingcreole78

3.0 out of 5 stars Somewhat disappointing...
I was somewhat disappointed with this DS compliation. Several of the group's strongest tracks are missing and if these had been included I would have probably given it 5... Read more
Published on 22 Mar 2004

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