Probably one of the standouts for me on the album is the title track "Brothers In Arms". From the beginning of the song it captivates. With the thunderstorm opening, to the haunting guitar solos and whispery vocals.
As Knopfler sings an ode about ancient Scotland and war, there is a strong interplay between his vocals and his guitar. If you close your eyes, you can almost imagine them becoming one. The imagery Knopfler weaves is that powerful.
This is an album that all lovers of fine guitars and even finer lyrics should have. It was the most successful studio album for Dire Straits, and it's not hard to see why it was also one of the biggest selling albums of the 1980's.
There is no point saying which song should not be missed, because none of them should be. Brothers In Arms has stood the test of time and is arguably one of best rock albums in history.
Listen to it loudly, and enjoy it as much as I have.
I give it 5/5
Article comments
1 - Clint
A Google alert brought me here. I had the same experience with Bros. in Arms. My family owned an upscale audio/video store at the time, and I came close to getting Bros. in Arms banned in the store. And it wasn't the more popular songs the struck me the most. I didn't care much for Money for Nothing, in fact, at the time, preferring Your Latest Trick and Brothers in Arms as favorites. I'd turn the lights off and listen to the title track on our $20,000 reference system in the dark. Will always carry that memory with me. (Though I was under the impression that it was the American Civil War to which the song referred. Don't know really, and don't care.)
2 - jmac76
I'm pretty sure it's an ode to Scotland (I remembering reading it somewhere or another). But I'm glad to know I'm not the only one who feels this way about Brothers in Arms. I just can't believe that feeling has stuck with me after all these years.
I guess it shows that the best musicians/bands are the ones that have a lasting impression on you.
3 - JC Mosquito
I preferred Making Movies.
4 - s. meadows
I'll never forget driving home from one of those laser light shows at the local planetarium, VERY late at night. The downtown streets were empty and as we were driving around playing Brothers In Arms, 'Your Latest Trick' came on. It was one of those perfect-song-at-the-perfect-time moments that burns itself in your memory forever, and Brothers...was full of them. My faves were also the lesser-known tracks that weren't big hits, especially Latest Trick, Why Worry and Brothers in Arms.
5 - Ruvy in Jerusalem
Not long ago, someone made a photo-tribute to the soldiers fighting in Lebanon last year using the song "Brothers in Arms" as a background.
6 - TuneDelicious
Actually most of the "war" songs on this album are referencing El Salvador's and Nicaragua's guerilla wars in the 80s, not Scotland.