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    The Jock of Rock posted an update 4 years, 11 months ago

    RockChat Rewind with Joe Milliken.
    On this day in 1985 Dire Straits released their fifth studio album on the Warner Bros./Vertigo label titled “Brothers In Arms.” Recorded at AIR Studios in Monserrat and produced by Neil Dorfsman and Mark Knopfler, “Brothers In Arms” was one of the first albums to be recorded on a Sony 24-track digital tape machine and was by far, the most successful selling album of the band’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame career.
    The main lineup featured Knopfler on guitar and vocals, John Illsley on bass, Alan Clark on piano and B3 organ, and newcomers Terry Williams on drums and Guy Fletcher on keyboards and Synclavier. Others contributing to the album included Omar Hakim on drums, Michael and Randy Brecker on saxes, Tony Levin on bass, and Sting on backing vocals.
    The band put a lot of money and effort into the equipment and recording techniques (such as mic and instrument placement) utilized within the small recording space, which shone through in the overall sound quality of the album. Neil Dorfsman: “One of the things that I totally respected about Mark, was his interest in technology as a means of improving his music. He was always willing to spend on high-quality equipment.”
    “Brothers In Arms” is widely considered one of the best-selling albums in rock. It hit #1 on the Billboard album chart where it remained for nine weeks, it was #1 in the UK for 14 weeks, #1 in Australia for 34 weeks, and reached #1 in over a dozen countries worldwide. It won two Grammy Awards (“Album of the Year” and “Best Engineered Album”), a Juno Award (Canada) and a Brit Award. Three singles from the album reached the Top 20 with “Money For Nothing” (#1 for three weeks), “Walk of Life” (#7), “So Far Away” (#19), and it is the eighth-best-selling album of all-time in the UK, and the third-best-selling album of all-time in Australia. “Brothers In Arms” has gone on to sell over 30 million copies worldwide.

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