Dire Straits is the debut studio album by the British rock band Dire Straits, released on 9 June 1978 by Vertigo Records internationally, Warner Bros. Records in the United States and Mercury Records in Canada. The album features the hit single "Sultans of Swing", which reached number 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number 8 on the UK Singles Chart. The album reached the top of the album charts in Germany, Australia and France, number 2 in the United States and number 5 in the United Kingdom. Dire Straits was later certified double platinum in both the United States and the United Kingdom by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) respectively.

Recording

Dire Straits was recorded at Basing Street Studios in London from 13 February to 5 March 1978. Mark Knopfler used a few guitars for the recording, including a pair of red Fender Stratocasters—one from 1961 (serial number 68354) and one from 1962 (serial number 80470). He played his 1938 National Style O 14 fret guitar (serial number B1844) on "Water of Love" and "Wild West End". He also used a black Telecaster Thinline (serial number 226254) on "Setting Me Up". His brother David played a black Fender Stratocaster and a Harmony Sovereign acoustic guitar. The album was produced by Muff Winwood, and engineered by Rhett Davies, assisted by Greg Cobb.

Release

The album was first released on 9 July 1978 in the UK and on 20 October in the US . The first single released was "Sultans of Swing" which first broke into the United States top five early in the spring of 1979, becoming a hit a full five months after the album was released there, and then reached number eight in the UK Singles Chart. "Water of Love" was also released as a single in some countries, and charted in Australia, reaching number 54, and in the Netherlands, reaching number 28.

"Sultans of Swing" was re-released as a single in the UK in November 1988 to promote the greatest hits compilation Money for Nothing, released in October that year.

The album was remastered and reissued with the rest of the Dire Straits catalogue in 1996 to most of the world excluding the US and on 19 September 2000 in the United States.

Artwork

The album cover artwork is designed by Hothouse, who commissioned the cover painting from Chuck Loyola. The Dire Straits Fender logo, which appears on the back cover, was designed by Geoff Halpern.

Touring

Dire Straits promoted the release of their first single and album with the Dire Straits Tour, which started on 6 June 1978 at the Lafayette Club in Wolverhampton, included 55 shows, ending on 18 November 1978 at the College of Education in Hitchin. The European tour included concerts in the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. These concerts presented Dire Straits with their largest audiences to that date. The first leg of the tour promoted "Sultans of Swing" and took the band around Great Britain in June and July 1978. The band typically performed in small halls with a maximum capacity of 1,000. The second leg of the tour promoted the band's debut album. This leg took the band to several European countries, where they met journalists and performed on television programmes.

| rev3 = Encyclopedia of Popular Music

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| rev4 = The Great Rock Discography

| rev4score = 8/10

| rev5 = MusicHound

| rev5score = 4/5

| rev6 = Pitchfork

| rev6score = 8.2/10

| rev7 = The Rolling Stone Album Guide

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| rev8 = Sputnikmusic

| rev8score = 5/5

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine called the album "remarkably accomplished for a debut". Erlewine praised Knopfler's "spare, tasteful guitar lines and his husky warbling" and his "inclination toward Dylanesque imagery, which enhances the smoky, low-key atmosphere of the album". Tucker singled out "Sultans of Swing" for its "inescapable hook" and "Bob Dylan-like snarl in its vocal".

Dire Straits

  • Mark Knopfler – vocals, lead and rhythm guitars
  • David Knopfler – rhythm guitar, backing vocals
  • John Illsley – bass, backing vocals
  • Pick Withers – drums

Production

  • Rhett Davies – engineer
  • Muff Winwood – producer
  • Paddy Eckersley – photography
  • Chuck Loyola – cover painting
  • Alan Schmidt – art direction
  • Bob Ludwig – remastering

Charts

Dire Straits spent 132 weeks on the UK Albums Chart.

Weekly charts

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|-

! scope="col"| Chart (1978–2010)

! scope="col"| Peak<br />position

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

|-

! scope="row"| Spanish Albums Chart

| 10

|-

|-

|-

|}

{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|-

! scope="col"| Chart (2025–2026)

! scope="col"| Peak<br />position

|-

|-

! scope="row"| Greek Albums (IFPI)

| 13

|-

! scope="row"| Norwegian Rock Albums (IFPI Norge)

| 11

|}

Year-end charts

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"

|-

! scope="col"| Chart (1978)

! scope="col"| Position

|-

! scope="row"| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)

| 10

|-

! scope="col"| Chart (1979)

! scope="col"| Position

|-

|-

! scope="row"| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)

| 32

|-

! scope="row"| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)

| 1

|-

! scope="row"| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)

| 6

|-

! scope="row"| US Billboard 200

| 23

|-

! scope="col"| Chart (1981)

! scope="col"| Position

|-

! scope="row"| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)

| 44

|-

! scope="col"| Chart (2024)

! scope="col"| Position

|-

! scope="row"| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)

| 91

|-

! scope="col"| Chart (2025)

! scope="col"| Position

|-

! scope="row"| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)

| 61

|-

! scope="row"| Icelandic Albums (Tónlistinn)

| 87

|-

! scope="row"| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)

| 68

|}

Certifications and sales

Notes

References

  • Dire Straits at Mark Knopfler official website
  • Dire Straits at Radio3Net