
(The exception is “Money for Nothing,” the group’s only chart-topping U.S. He plays lead guitar, delivers the lead vocals, and wrote all but one of the songs himself. Mark Knopfler-the only founding member who stayed with the group all the way to the end-occupies centerstage throughout. The CDs are packaged in mini replicas of their original vinyl sleeves and come with posters that offer photos, art, and lyrics. You’ll find essential tracks on each of the six albums in Dire Straits’ recently issued clamshell-boxed set, The Studio Albums 1978–1991, which includes the British rock group’s eponymous 1978 debut plus Communique(1979), Making Movies (1980), Love Over Gold (1982), Brothers in Arms (1985), and On Every Street (1991).
