Dire Straits- My favorite music group

When I was in med school in the mid 1980s, a friend of mine gave me a cassette (adri sha5bari cassette but we didn't have CD players in the car at that time) of a new album for a British band called Dire Straits.

The album titled " Brothers in Arms ".

She asked me to listen to it cause she felt it was amazing. i never heard of them.

At that time everybody was singing, dancing, moonwalking and thrilling like Michael Jackson.

I played the cassette in the car and started listening.. my first impression was what in the hell was that horrible voice. If this guy can sing so can I :p

I ejected the tape and waited for the next day (we didn't have mobile phones at that time.. i know this is a prehistoric story for some of u) to tell her: what was that tape u gave me ? I couldn't listen to it.

She said don't u like it ?Its one of the best albums of the year. Great music. She asked me to read the lyrics while listening to the songs.

I neglected it for a while. Then one day I took the tape out of its box. It was an original tape with a leaflet inside its box on which the lyrics were written ( we couldn't google for lyrics at that time cause we didn't have internet )

I started reading the lyrics and waw. They were amazing. There wasn't much romance or love songs. But songs that talk about human nature and ideas about our world. Simple words composed in a way that give great meanings. Here is an example:

"There's so many different worlds

So many different suns

And we have just one world

But we live in different ones" - Brothers in Arms

"They say it's mostly vanity

That writes the plays we act

They tell me that's what everybody knows

There's no such thing as sanity

And that's the sanest fact

That's the way the story goes" - One World

"I'm a soldier of fortune,

I'm a dog of war

And we don't give a damn who the killing is for

Its the same old story with a different name

Death or glory, its the killing game" - Ride Across the River

The other thing I noticed is the emphasis and importance they give in their songs to music. I felt singing was just an extra thing. Their main aim was to play great music for us. And they did. You will find 7 min songs that has only 2 min of singing and the rest is instrumental.

And so I fell in love with this group since then. Their music grow into you, yet I don't listen to it all the time cause it needs a certain mood.

I just need to mention that the person behind all of what I just said is Mark Knopfler, the founder of the band, the vocalist, lead guitarist and the lyricist. What a talented artist.

He is one of the most respected finger style guitarist in modern era and was ranked #27 in Rolling Stone Magazine's list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of all time.

Actually I never liked electric guitar until i heard Mark Knopfler plays it.

I hope you all enjoy listening to Dire Straits and their music.

My top recommendations:

- Sultan of Swings

-Your Latest Trick

-Brothers in Arms

-Fade to Black

-On Every Street

-Planet of New Orleans

-Iron Hand

- Calling Elvis

and many others. You will notice that each song has its own style.

Now its time for me to shut up and leave you to listen to some music ( I recommend dim lights and some candles :D )

and here is the best of the best