Dire Straits discography explained

Artist:Dire Straits
Studio:6
Live:4
Compilation:3
Music Videos:15
Ep:4
Singles:31

The discography of English rock band Dire Straits consists of six studio albums, three live albums, three compilation albums, two extended plays and 31 singles. Dire Straits also have sold over 100 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling music artists in the world.[1]

Albums

Studio albums

Title! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:16em;"
Album detailsPeak chart positionsCertifications
UK
[2]
AUS
[3]
AUT
[4]
CAN
[5]
FRA
[6]
GER
[7]
NED
[8]
NZ
[9]
SWI
[10]
US
[11]
Dire Straits
  • Released: 9 June 1978
  • Label: Vertigo
51172133272
Communiqué
  • Released: 5 June 1979
  • Label: Vertigo
557143131211
  • BPI: Platinum
  • BVMI: Platinum
  • IFPI SWI: 3× Platinum
  • MC: 2× Platinum
  • RIAA: Gold
  • RMNZ: Gold[19]
  • SNEP: 2× Platinum
Making Movies
  • Released: 17 October 1980
  • Label: Vertigo
461521676319
  • BPI: 2× Platinum
  • BVMI: Gold
  • IFPI SWI: Gold
  • MC: 2× Platinum
  • RIAA: Platinum
  • RMNZ: Platinum[20]
  • SNEP: Gold
Love over Gold
  • Released: 20 September 1982
  • Label: Vertigo
1116241119
  • ARIA: 2× Platinum[21]
  • BPI: 2× Platinum
  • BVMI: Platinum
  • MC: 2× Platinum
  • RIAA: Gold
  • RMNZ: Platinum[22]
  • SNEP: Platinum
Brothers in Arms
  • Released: 17 May 1985
  • Label: Vertigo
1111111111
  • BPI: 14× Platinum
  • ARIA: 17× Platinum[23]
  • BVMI: Platinum
  • IFPI AUT: 4× Platinum[24]
  • IFPI SWI: Diamond
  • MC: Diamond
  • RIAA: 9× Platinum
  • RMNZ: Platinum[25]
  • SNEP: Diamond
On Every Street
  • Released: 9 September 1991
  • Label: Vertigo
11131111112
  • BPI: 2× Platinum
  • ARIA: 2× Platinum
  • BVMI: Platinum
  • IFPI AUT: Platinum
  • IFPI SWI: 4× Platinum
  • MC: 2× Platinum
  • RIAA: Platinum
  • RMNZ: Platinum[26]
  • SNEP: Diamond
"—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Live albums

Title! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:16em;"
Album detailsPeak chart positionsCertifications
UK
AUS
AUT
CAN
[27]
FRA
GER
[28]
NED
NZ
SWI
US
  • Released: 16 March 1984
  • Label: Vertigo
339264813346
  • BPI: Platinum
  • ARIA: Gold[29]
  • BVMI: Gold
  • MC: Gold
  • RIAA: Gold
  • RMNZ: Platinum[30]
  • SNEP: Gold
On the Night
  • Released: 10 May 1993
  • Label: Vertigo
45133172105116
  • BPI: Gold
  • ARIA: Gold
  • IFPI AUT: Gold
  • IFPI SWI: Gold
  • RMNZ: Gold[31]
  • SNEP: Platinum
Live at the BBC 7198131545
Live at the Rainbow, 1979
  • Released: 3 November 2023
  • Label: Mercury
81621
[32]
75
"—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Compilation albums

Title! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:16em;"
Album detailsPeak chart positionsCertifications
UK
AUS
AUT
CAN
[33]
FRA
GER
[34]
NED
NZ
SWI
US
Money for Nothing
  • Released: 17 October 1988
  • Label: Vertigo
1331242162
  • BPI: 4× Platinum
  • ARIA: 3× Platinum
  • BVMI: Platinum
  • IFPI SWI: 3× Platinum
  • MC: Platinum
  • RIAA: Platinum
  • RMNZ: Platinum[35]
  • SNEP: Diamond
  • Released: 19 October 1998
  • Label: Vertigo
6456016663
  • BPI: 2× Platinum
  • ARIA: 6× Platinum
  • BVMI: Gold
  • IFPI AUT: Gold
  • IFPI SWI: Platinum
  • RMNZ: Platinum[36]
  • SNEP: Platinum
Private Investigations: The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler
  • Released: 7 November 2005
  • Label: Mercury
203544436231715
  • BPI: 4× Platinum
  • ARIA: Platinum
  • RMNZ: Platinum[37]
"—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Box sets

Title! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:16em;"
Album detailsPeak
chart
positions
UK
GER
[38]
The Studio Albums 1978–1991
  • Released: December 2013 (LP)
  • Released: October 2020 (CD)[39] [40]
  • Label: Vertigo
9 14
Live 1978–1992
  • Released: 3 November 2023
"—" denotes items are yet to be released in that territory.

Extended plays

Title! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:16em;"
EP detailsPeak chart positionsCertifications
UK
AUS
AUT
CAN
[41]
FRA
GER
[42]
NED
NOR
[43]
SWI
US
ExtendedancEPlay
  • Released: 10 January 1983
  • Label: Vertigo
1253
  • MC: Platinum
Live at Knebworth
  • Released: 1990
  • Label: Vertigo
Encores
  • Released: 10 May 1993
  • Label: Vertigo
3147199113431020
The Honky Tonk Demos
  • Released: 18 April 2015
  • Label: Vertigo
"—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Singles

YearTitlePeak chart positionsCertificationsAlbum
UK
AUS
[44]
AUT
CAN
[45]
FRA
[46]
GER
[47]
NED
NZ
SWI
US
[48]
US Main Rock
[49]
1978"Sultans of Swing"864362011124
  • BPI: 2× Platinum
  • MC: Gold
  • RMNZ: 5× Platinum[50]
Dire Straits
"Water of Love"5428
1979"Lady Writer"51955134183945Communiqué
"Once Upon a Time in the West"[51]
1980"Tunnel of Love"5462524428Making Movies
"Skateaway"37475831
1981"Romeo and Juliet"8
  • BPI: Platinum
"Expresso Love"39
"Solid Rock"56
1982"Private Investigations"2211941164
  • BPI: Silver
Love over Gold
"Telegraph Road"
"Industrial Disease"18759
1983"Twisting by the Pool"142182931611110512ExtendedancEPlay
1984"Love over Gold" (live)5046154329Alchemy
1985"So Far Away"20222420232561929
  • BPI: Silver
Brothers in Arms
"Money for Nothing"447134193542211
  • BPI: Platinum
  • MC: Gold
"Brothers in Arms"16575
  • BPI: Platinum
"Walk of Life"211187151732476
  • BPI: 2x Platinum
"One World"8
1986"Your Latest Trick"2647
"Ride Across the River"21
1988"Sultans of Swing" (re-release)62Money for Nothing
"Brothers in Arms" (re-release)59
1989"Money for Nothing" (re-release)23
1991"Calling Elvis"21884784923On Every Street
"Heavy Fuel"552617324825341
1992"On Every Street"421092342
"The Bug"67214452248
"You and Your Friend"4962
1994"Ticket to Heaven"43
2005"Flashing for Money" (with Deep Dish)48George Is On
"—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Home video

Title! scope="col" rowspan="2" style="width:16em;"
Video/DVD detailsPeak chart positionsCertifications
UK
DVD

[52]
AUS
DVD

[53]
BEL
DVD
[54]
FIN
DVD

[55]
NED
DVD

[56]
SWI
DVD

[57]
Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits
  • Released: 21 May 1999
  • Label: Universal Music
19932
  • BPI: Gold
  • ARIA: 5× Platinum[58]
On the Night
  • Released: 14 September 2003
  • Label: Universal Music
33186
  • ARIA: Platinum
Alchemy: Dire Straits Live
  • Released: 14 May 2010
  • Label: Universal Music
212756
Sultans of Swing: Live in Germany
  • Released: 5 February 2011
  • Label: Sony
12
Stratospheric Sounds: Live in Basel, Switzerland, 1992
  • Released: 8 April 2011
  • Label: Showtime
3
"—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory.

Music videos

YearVideoDirectorAlbum
1978"Sultans of Swing"unknownDire Straits
"Wild West End"
1979"Lady Writer"Communiqué
1981"Romeo and Juliet"Lester BookbinderMaking Movies
"Skateaway"
"Tunnel of Love"
1982"Private Investigations"unknownLove over Gold
1983"Twisting by the Pool"ExtendedancEPlay
1985"So Far Away"Brothers in Arms
"Money for Nothing"Steve Barron
"Brothers in Arms"Bill Mather
1986"Walk of Life"Stephen R. Johnson
1991"Calling Elvis"Gerry AndersonOn Every Street
"Heavy Fuel"Steve Barron
1992"The Bug"Richard Jernigan

Notes and References

  1. https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/entertainment/music/516848/dire-straits-reunion-not-horizon-says-band-founder-john-illsley-ahead-tayside-gigs/
  2. Web site: UK chart peaks . . 15 October 2016.
  3. Australian chart peaks:
    • Top 100 (Kent Music Report) peaks to 19 June 1988: Book: Kent, David. David Kent (historian). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Illustrated. Australian Chart Book. St Ives, N.S.W.. 1993. 90. 0-646-11917-6. N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid-1983 and 19 June 1988.
    • Top 50 (ARIA Chart) peaks from 26 June 1988: Web site: australian-charts.com > Dire Straits in Australian Charts. Hung Medien. 3 November 2016.
    • Top 100 (ARIA Chart) peaks from January 1990 to December 2010: Book: Ryan, Gavin. Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. 2011. Moonlight Publishing. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia.
  4. Web site: Austrian chart peaks . austriancharts.at . 18 October 2016.
  5. Canadian studio albums:
  6. Web site: French chart peaks . fr . infodisc.fr . 18 October 2016 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131031130105/http://www.infodisc.fr/ . 31 October 2013.
  7. German studio albums:
  8. Web site: Dutch chart peaks . dutchcharts.nl . 18 October 2016.
  9. Web site: New Zealand chart peaks . charts.nz . 18 October 2016.
  10. Web site: Swiss chart peaks . hitparade.ch . 18 October 2016.
  11. Dire Straits Chart History: Billboard 200 . . 3 August 2018.
  12. United Kingdom. Dire Straits. April 12, 2023.
  13. Web site: German Certification . de . . 21 October 2016.
  14. Web site: Swiss Certification . Hitparade.ch. Hung Medien . de . 21 October 2016.
  15. Web site: Canadian Certification . . 21 October 2016.
  16. Web site: RIAA Certification . . 21 October 2016.
  17. Web site: New Zealand Certification - Dire Straits . Recorded Music NZ. 21 October 2016.
  18. Web site: French Certification . . 21 October 2016.
  19. Web site: New Zealand Certification - Communiqué . Recorded Music NZ. 21 October 2016.
  20. Web site: New Zealand Certification - Making Movies . Recorded Music NZ. 21 October 2016.
  21. 1982 Was A Big Year. Billboard. Google Books. TIA-57. 25 December 1982. 27 October 2020.
  22. Web site: New Zealand Certification - Love over Gold . Recorded Music NZ. 21 October 2016.
  23. Australian (ARIA) certifications:
    • certifications awarded between 1988 and 2010: Book: Ryan, Gavin. Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. 2011. Moonlight Publishing. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia.
    • Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits: Web site: ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2015 Albums . ARIA . 3 November 2016 . dead . https://www.webcitation.org/6YnfYZxjp?url=http://www.aria.com.au/pages/AlbumAccreds2015.htm . 25 May 2015.
    • Private Investigations (album): Web site: ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2013 Albums . ARIA . 3 November 2016 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140205035615/http://www.aria.com.au/pages/httpwww.aria.com.aupagesaria-charts-accreditations-albums-2013.htm . 5 February 2014 .
  24. Web site: Austrian Certifications . IFPI Austria . 19 October 2016 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110511092844/http://www.ifpi.at/?section=goldplatin . 11 May 2011.
  25. Web site: New Zealand Certification - Brothers in Arms . Recorded Music NZ. 21 October 2016.
  26. Web site: New Zealand Certification - On Every Street . Recorded Music NZ. 21 October 2016.
  27. Canadian live albums:
  28. German live albums:
  29. Australia. Dire Straits. album. 2010. 28 December 2021.
  30. Web site: New Zealand Certification - Alchemy . Recorded Music NZ. 21 October 2016.
  31. Web site: New Zealand Certification - On the Night . Recorded Music NZ. 21 October 2016.
  32. Web site: Top Albums (Week 45, 2023). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. French. 13 November 2023.
  33. Canadian compilation albums:
  34. German compilation albums:
  35. Web site: New Zealand Certification - Money for Nothing . Recorded Music NZ. 21 October 2016.
  36. Web site: New Zealand Certification - Sultans of Swing . Recorded Music NZ. 21 October 2016.
  37. Web site: New Zealand Certification - Private Investigations . Recorded Music NZ. 21 October 2016.
  38. German compilation albums:
  39. Web site: 2020-08-13 . Dire Straits / The Studio Albums 1978 – 1991 box set is finally issued on CD – SuperDeluxeEdition . 2023-11-11 . en-US.
  40. Web site: 2020-10-12 . Dire Straits: „The Studio Albums 1978-1991“ erstmals als CD-Box und Vinyl-Reissue . 2023-11-11 . uDiscover Germany . en-US.
  41. Canadian extended plays:
  42. German extended plays:
  43. Web site: Norwegian chart peaks . norwegiancharts.com . 19 October 2016.
  44. Web site: Bubbling Down Under Week Commencing 17 February1992 . Bubbling Down Under. 18 February 2023.
  45. Canadian singles:
  46. Web site: lescharts.com - Les charts français . 2022-03-24 . lescharts.com.
  47. German singles:
  48. Dire Straits Chart History: Hot 100 . Billboard . 3 August 2018.
  49. Dire Straits: Music, Charts & News: Hot 100 . Billboard . November 23, 2023.
  50. New Zealand. Dire Straits. Sultans of Swing. single. 5593. 10 June 2023.
  51. Web site: Dire straits single US cat no..
  52. UK DVD peaks:
  53. Australian DVD peaks:
    • Web site: Sultans of Swing DVD . ARIA . 22 October 2016 . bot: unknown . https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20091021094700/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/93989/20091021-2047/www.aria.com.au/pages/documents/ARIA+Report+sample.pdf . 21 October 2009 .
    • Web site: On the Night DVD . ARIA . 22 October 2016 . bot: unknown . https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20121108130500/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/93989/20121109-0005/www.aria.com.au/pages/documents/Issue1036.pdf . 9 November 2012 .
    • Web site: The ARIA Report: Issue 1056 . https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20100610140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20100611-0000/Issue1056.pdf . dead . 2010-06-10 . ARIA . 22 October 2016 .
  54. Belgian (Flanders) DVD peaks:
  55. Finnish DVD peaks:
  56. Dutch DVD peaks:
  57. Swiss DVD peaks:
  58. Web site: The ARIA Australian DVD Certifications . ARIA . 22 October 2016 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100305095802/http://aria.com.au/pages/httpwww.aria.com.audvd2010.htm . 5 March 2010.
  59. Web site: The ARIA Report: Issue 1056 . https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20100610140000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20100611-0000/Issue1056.pdf . dead . 2010-06-10 . ARIA . 22 October 2016.