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Louder
Louder
Entertainment
Siân Llewellyn

How Dire Straits outsold everyone, hijacked MTV, and accidentally made a classic: Only in the new issue of Classic Rock

The cover of Classic Rock 342, featuring Mark Knopfler.

There’s a part of me that refuses to believe that Dire Straits’ Brothers In Arms can be celebrating its 40th birthday this year. It seems only a few years ago that I listened to it on a cassette that a friend’s elder brother taped for me (yeah, we were killing music, remember?). I remember it being a staple on my stereo for a very long time. Then, as these things have a habit of happening, I didn’t listen to it for an absolute age.

I was reminded of its excellence in 2001 when the title track was used to brilliant effect scoring a scene in US political drama The West Wing. It was enough to rekindle a love affair with Dire Straits’ finest hour.

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