Album of the Day

Following a divorce, Mark Knopfler moved in with his brother David to save money; their challenging financial situation prompted a friend to dub their new band “Dire Straits.” The name stuck, though success was soon to come to the quartet; when they sent their first demo tape to a BBC Radio London deejay merely seeking advice, he began playing it on air. That brought a record label to the group's doorstep, and Dire Straits' superb self-titled debut features four of the five songs on that tape: “Water Of Love,” “Down To The Waterline,” “Wild West End” and “Sultans Of Swing” - the latter becoming a Top 10 U.S. single. Driven by lean guitar licks and Dylanesque lyrics, and touched by blues, jazz and country musics, then far removed from pop playlists, DIRE STRAITS remains one of the British band's most appealing albums.