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Trust Mark Knopfler not to succumb to platitude, regardless where he is and what's going on around him. There they are sitting on the Caribbean island paradise of Montserrat, and what does the man write? Songs about the pain of separation, love gone wrong and The Blues in general ("So Far Away," "Your Latest Trick," "Why Worry" and "One World"), a part tongue-in-cheek, part grating duet with Sting, who just happened to be available because he was vacationing on Montserrat, on an underdog's gripes about rock stardom ("Money For Nothing"), followed by a more upbeat variation on the "stardom" theme (although even there, we are reminded that "after all the violence and double talk, there's just a song in all the trouble and the strife, you do the Walk Of Life") ... and no less than three songs about war and the abuse of power ("Run Across The River," "The Man's Too Strong" and of course, "Brothers in Arms").

Musically, this album is more diversified than Dire Straits' prior studio albums; there's a sax in "Your Latest Trick," "Walk Of Life" has a rockabilly feel, and the instrumentation of "Run Across the River" is inspired by the Caribbean setting in which the record was produced -- but listen to that song's lyrics and see how they contrast with what at first impression sounds like airy island paradise melodies: "I'm a soldier of fortune, I'm a dog of war and we don't give a damn who the killing is for; it's the same old story with a different name -- death or glory, it's the killing game." ("The Man's Too Strong," which deals with a dictator's thoughts upon being brought to trial, is similar in that respect; although the Caribbean sound is replaced by rhythm and steel guitars, with two single guitar riffs, sharp as bullets, accentuating the chorus.) The band also took full advantage of the advances in production techniques available to them at that time. The result was an album that drove home to even the last uninitiated chump out there that Dire Straits were a musical force to reckon with, and that the success of their prior albums had not been coincidence alone. And the SACD drives this home even more forcefully ... (to the extent this is even possible).

Among all the excellent songs on this album, it is the title track which stands out mile-high. From the growling thunderstorm opening, the sad and evocative electric guitar intro, and the first verse, more whispered than sung, through the slow and steady crescendo of the song's intensity to the closing guitar solo, Mark Knopfler's ode about war, in ancient Scotland and today, "civil" and otherwise, is nothing short of a true masterpiece. The interplay of Knopfler's vocals and his guitar. The sole riff introducing the guitar part after the line "and we have just one world but we live in different ones," tearing through the song's fabric like a sore wound breaking open. And of course, the closing guitar solo which completely defies description and makes any attempt to characterize it by words like "haunting" or "dramatic" sound like a shallow cliché.

"Brothers in Arms" was Dire Straits' most successful studio album, and one of the biggest-selling albums of the 1980, thanks to an exhaustive tour and the high exposure its single releases received on MTV. But more than anything, it helped define a decade; musically and otherwise. It has made rock music history, and it will always stand right up there with the best that anybody in the business has ever produced.

Rating: 5 out of 5

Now, for a 17 year old, I have been told my fixation with such musical luminaries as The Doors, Dylan, Cohen, Van the Man, Patti Smith, borders on the idolatrous. However, it is Dire Straits that constitues my most heinous and despicable of all musical regressive tendancies. I detest the '80s and virtually all of its musical progeny. However, despite their AOR genre and dated synths, I adore Dire Straits. Money for Nothing, far from the review at the top of the page, might state, is, if anything, far more pertinent and biting now, than it was upon its first outing. Walk of Life still makes one grin like a lunatic, Brothers in Arms still makes all who listen to it sob as the dry, ancient and aching tones of Mark Knopfler's weary, resigned vocals are met with that dark, sombre, magnifcent wash of guitars. That is not to say there aren't other good songs on this album. So Far Away is a cracker, but the rest of the album feels a little rushed, even dull. But that triumvirate of songs is as brilliant a trio as the '80s ever produced. And of course, though it may not be on this particular offering: Sultans of Swing, one of the most poingant, embittered and brilliant songs ever written, by a band, I really shouldn't like, but, forgive me, I do.

Rating: 4 out of 5

this album has just received a grammy for best surround album of the year, so...

Rating: 5 out of 5

Excellent production for a SACD, properly remastered for surround.Stands proudly next to the Dark side of the moon, or Avalon.

Rating: 5 out of 5

'Brothers In Arms' has in some form been a permanent fixture in my record collection since its release 20 years ago, and of course I bought this one on the day of its release (I have just bought the new DS/MK 'Private Investigations' compilation - their best compilation yet).The SACD makes the recording crystal clear. The songs on 'Brothers In Arms' still never fail to please, and they sound as fresh and timeless as ever. Its easy to see why this was the best selling record in its day. Well worth adding to your collection.

Rating: 5 out of 5