Working as a teacher in the Loughton College of London, and, also, writing some rock articles in the Yorkshire Evening Post,

a young amateur guitarist, named Mark Knopfler, decides to put together 120 pounds and record a demo tape with a group of friends.

One of them, John Illsley, gives this tape to a well known talent scout, Charlie Gillet, who was making a radio show called 'Honky Tonk'.

A song called Sultans of Swing is introduced. The rest is history...

By the mid '80s Dire Straits were a platinum band, offering craggy vocals, literate blues-based songs, and sinuous, virtuosic guitar work.



The album's opening track, 'Down to the Waterline', marks a confident and musically assured start to the album with it's striking introduction,

and the album, on release, was also noted for the single 'Sultans of Swing', which at first broke a US Top Five early 1979 (being a hit full five

months after the album was released there) and then raised up at #8 in the British charts. In Europe, the album sold four million copies and

in the U.S. it sold two million copies.





Released: July 1978

Recorded: February 1978 at Basing Street Studios, London

Genre: Rock

Length: 41:34



Mark Knopfler - Lead Vocals, Lead Guitar, Rhythm Guitar

John Illsley - Bass, Backing Vocals

David Knopfler - Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vocals

Pick Withers - Drums



1. Down to the Waterline - 3:55

2. Water of Love - 5:23

3. Setting Me Up - 3:18

4. Six Blade Knife - 4:10

5. Southbound Again - 2:58

6. Sultans of Swing - 5:47

7. In the Gallery - 6:16

8. Wild West End - 4:42

9. Lions - 5:05