‘Dire Straits Studio Albums 1978-1991’ Box Set To Be Released In October

UMC/Virgin has announced today, Mark Knopfler’s 71st birthday, that it will release a six-CD box set of all Dire Straits’ studio albums on October 9, 2020.

Dire Straits – The Studio Albums 1978-1991 includes of all the seminal British band’s studio LPs released during that time, all of which are certified multi-platinum. The sequence began with the self-titled set of 1978 that included their early signature song “Sultans of Swing,” and continued with 1979’s Communiqué and the 1980 release Making Movies.

That was followed by 1982’s Love Over Gold, the record-breaking 1985 classic Brothers In Arms and the group’s final album together, 1991’s On Every Street. Dire Straits’ split was retrospectively confirmed in 1995 by Knopfler, who had already made several film soundtracks and officially embarked on a solo career with the 1996 release Golden Heart.

The Dire Straits albums will be presented in a deluxe clamshell box with the CDs housed in mini-vinyl style cardboard wallets. Each disc will include a poster and faithful reproductions of the original sleeve artwork, including lyrics and credits.

Also on October 9, UMC/Virgin will release a repressing of the hugely popular eight-LP vinyl box set of 2013, also titled Dire Straits – The Studio Albums 1978-1991.

The band’s influence continues to reverberate on rock music, and on millions of aspiring guitarists and songwriters, to this day. Dire Straits’ impact can also be seen in their spectacular and ongoing sales. In the UK, their albums have spent a collective 385 weeks in the top 40 and 874 in the top 75. The compilation Private Investigations, indeed, continues in the top 100 now. Brothers In Arms is one of only 20 albums in UK chart history to spend an entire year in the top ten without a break.

Dire Straits – The Studio Albums 1978-1991 is released on October 9. Pre-order it here.

The full Dire Straits – The Studio Albums 1978-1991 tracklist is:

CD 1 – Dire Straits
1. “Down To The Waterline”
2. “Water Of Love”
3. “Setting Me Up”
4. “Six Blade Knife”
5. “Southbound Again”
6. “Sultans Of Swing”
7. “In The Gallery”
8. “Wild West End”
9. “Lions“

CD 2 – Communiqué
1. “Once Upon A Time In The West”
2. “News”
3. “Where Do You Think You’re Going?”
4. “Communiqué”
5. “Lady Writer”
6. “Angel Of Mercy”
7. “Portobello Belle”
8. “Single-Handed Sailor”
9. “Follow Me Home”

CD 3 – Making Movies
1. “Tunnel Of Love”
2. “Romeo And Juliet”
3. “Skateaway”
4. “Expresso Love”
5. “Hand In Hand”
6. “Solid Rock”
7. “Les Boys”

CD 4 – Love Over Gold
1. “Telegraph Road”
2. “Private Investigations”
3. “Industrial Disease”
4. “Love Over Gold”
5. “It Never Rains”

CD 5 – Brothers In Arms
1. “So Far Away”
2. “Money For Nothing”
3. “Walk Of Life”
4. “Your Latest Trick”
5. “Why Worry”
6. “Ride Across The River”
7. “The Man’s Too Strong”
8. “One World”
9. “Brothers In Arms”

CD 6 – On Every Street
1. “Calling Elvis”
2. “On Every Street”
3. “When It Comes To You”
4. “Fade To Black”
5. “The Bug”
6. “You And Your Friend”
7. “Heavy Fuel”
8. “Iron Hand”
9. “Ticket To Heaven”
10. “My Parties”
11. “Planet Of New Orleans”
12. “How Long”

Listen to the best of Dire Straits on Apple Music and Spotify.