The discography of the British rock band Dire Straits consists of six studio albums, five live albums, three compilation albums, four extended plays, 31 singles and 15 music videos. Dire Straits also have sold over 100 million records worldwide, making them one of the best-selling music artists in the world.
Albums Studio albums + Title Album details Peak chart positions CertificationsUKAUSAustralian chart peaks: Top 100 (Kent Music Report) peaks to 19 June 1988: N.B. The Kent Report chart was licensed by ARIA between mid-1983 and 19 June 1988. Top 50 (ARIA Chart) peaks from 26 June 1988: Top 100 (ARIA Chart) peaks from January 1990 to December 2010: AUTCANCanadian studio albums:
FRAGERGerman studio albums:
NLDNZSWI US Dire Straits Released: 9 June 1978 Label: Vertigo 5 1 17 2 1 3 3 2 7 2 BPI: 2× Platinum BVMI: Platinum IFPI SWI: 2× Platinum MC: 4× Platinum NVPI: Platinum RIAA: 2× Platinum RMNZ: Platinum SNEP: Platinum Communiqué Released: 5 June 1979 Label: Vertigo 5 5 7 14 3 1 3 1 2 11 BPI: Platinum BVMI: Platinum IFPI SWI: 3× Platinum MC: 2× Platinum NVPI: Platinum RIAA: Gold RMNZ: Gold SNEP: 2× Platinum Making Movies Released: 17 October 1980 Label: Vertigo 4 6 15 21 6 7 6 3 — 19 BPI: 2× Platinum BVMI: Gold IFPI SWI: Gold MC: 2× Platinum NVPI: Gold RIAA: Platinum RMNZ: Platinum SNEP: Gold Love over Gold Released: 24 September 1982 Label: Vertigo 1 1 1 6 2 4 1 1 — 19 BPI: 2× Platinum ARIA: 2× Platinum BVMI: Platinum MC: 2× Platinum NVPI: Platinum RIAA: Gold RMNZ: Platinum SNEP: Platinum Brothers in Arms Released: 17 May 1985 Label: Vertigo 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 BPI: 14× Platinum ARIA: 17× PlatinumAustralian (ARIA) certifications: certifications awarded between 1988 and 2010: Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits: Private Investigations (album): BVMI: Platinum IFPI AUT: 4× Platinum IFPI SWI: Diamond MC: Diamond RIAA: 9× Platinum RMNZ: Platinum SNEP: Diamond On Every Street Released: 9 September 1991 Label: Vertigo 1 1 1 3 1 1 1 1 1 12 BPI: 2× Platinum ARIA: 2× Platinum BVMI: Platinum IFPI AUT: Platinum IFPI SWI: 4× Platinum MC: 2× Platinum NVPI: Platinum RIAA: Platinum RMNZ: Platinum SNEP: Diamond "—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory.
Live albums + Title Album details Peak chart positions CertificationsUKAUSAUTCANCanadian live albums:
FRAGERGerman live albums:
NLDNZSWIUS Alchemy: Dire Straits Live Released: 16 March 1984 Label: Vertigo 3 3 9 26 4 8 1 3 3 46 BPI: Platinum ARIA: Gold BVMI: Gold MC: Gold NVPI: Platinum RIAA: Gold RMNZ: Platinum SNEP: Gold On the Night Released: 10 May 1993 Label: Vertigo 4 5 1 33 1 7 2 10 5 116 BPI: Gold ARIA: Gold IFPI AUT: Gold IFPI SWI: Gold NVPI: Platinum RMNZ: Gold SNEP: Platinum Live at the BBC Released: 26 June 1995 Label: Windsong 71 98 — — 13 — 15 — 45 —
Various artists live albums Title Album details Live at Knebworth Includes two Dire Straits tracks Released: 1990 Label: Vertigo
Compilation albums + Title Album details Peak chart positions CertificationsUKAUSAUTCANCanadian compilation albums: FRAGERGerman compilation albums:
NLDNZSWIUS Money for Nothing Released: 17 October 1988 Label: Vertigo 1 3 3 — 1 2 4 2 1 62 BPI: 4× Platinum ARIA: 3× Platinum BVMI: Platinum IFPI SWI: 3× Platinum MC: Platinum NVPI: Platinum RIAA: Platinum RMNZ: Platinum SNEP: Diamond Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits Released: 19 October 1998 Label: Vertigo 6 4 5 60 1 6 6 6 3 — BPI: 3× Platinum ARIA: 6× Platinum BVMI: Gold IFPI AUT: Gold IFPI SWI: Platinum NVPI: Gold RMNZ: Platinum SNEP: Platinum Private Investigations: The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler Released: 7 November 2005 Label: Mercury 20 35 44 — 4 36 23 17 15 — BPI: 5× Platinum ARIA: Platinum RMNZ: Platinum "—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory.
Box sets + Title Album details PeakchartpositionsUKGERGerman compilation albums: The Studio Albums 1978–1991 Released: December 2013 (LP) Released: October 2020 (CD) Label: Vertigo 9 14 Live 1978–1992 Released: 3 November 2023 (LP and CD)https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/16752/dire-straits/https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/album-details-525284 Label: Mercury 81 7 "—" denotes items are yet to be released in that territory.
Extended plays + Title EP details Peak chart positions CertificationsUKAUSAUTCANCanadian extended plays:
FRAGERGerman extended plays: NLDSWIUS ExtendedancEPlay Released: 10 January 1983 Label: Vertigo — — — 12 — — — — 53 MC: Platinum Encores Released: 10 May 1993 Label: Vertigo 31 47 19 91 1 34 3 20 — The Honky Tonk Demos Released: 18 April 2015 Label: Vertigo — — — — — — — — — "—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory.
Singles Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications AlbumUKAUSAUTCANCanadian singles:
FRAGERGerman singles:
NLDNZSWIUS "Sultans of Swing" 1978 8 6 — 4 36 20 11 12 — 4 BPI: 4× Platinum BVMI: Platinum MC: Gold RMNZ: 9× Platinum Dire Straits "Water of Love" — 54 — — — — 28 — — — RMNZ: Gold "Lady Writer" 1979 51 95 — 51 34 — 18 39 — 45 BPI: Silver RMNZ: Platinum Communiqué "Once Upon a Time in the West" — — — — — — — — — — RMNZ: Platinum "Tunnel of Love" 1980 54 62 — — 52 44 28 — — — BPI: Silver RMNZ: Platinum Making Movies "Skateaway" 37 — — — — — — 47 — 58 "Romeo and Juliet" 1981 8 — — — — — — — — — BPI: 2× Platinum RMNZ: 4× Platinum "Private Investigations" 1982 2 21 19 — 4 — 1 16 4 — BPI: Silver RMNZ: Gold Love over Gold "Industrial Disease" — — — 18 — — — — — 75 "Twisting by the Pool"1983 14 2 — 18 29 31 6 1 11 105 ExtendedancEPlay "Love over Gold" (live) 1984 50 46 — — 15 — 43 29 — — Alchemy "So Far Away" 1985 20 22 — 24 20 — 23 25 6 19 BPI: Silver RMNZ: 2× Platinum Brothers in Arms "Money for Nothing" 4 4 7 1 34 19 35 4 22 1 BPI: 2× Platinum BVMI: Gold MC: Gold RMNZ: 6× Platinum "Brothers in Arms" 16 57 — — — — — 5 — — BPI: Platinum BVMI: Gold RMNZ: 3× Platinum "Walk of Life" 2 11 18 7 — 15 17 3 24 7 BPI: 3× Platinum RMNZ: 6× Platinum "Your Latest Trick" 1986 26 — — — — — — 47 — — BPI: Silver RMNZ: Gold "Why Worry" — — — — — — — — — — RMNZ: Gold "Sultans of Swing" (re-release) 1988 62 — — — — — — — — — Money for Nothing "Brothers in Arms" (re-release) — — — — — — 59 — — — "Money for Nothing" (re-release) 1989 — — — — — — 23 — — — "Calling Elvis" 1991 21 8 8 4 7 8 4 9 2 — On Every Street "Heavy Fuel" 55 26 — 17 32 48 25 34 — — "On Every Street" 1992 42 109 — — 23 — 42 — — — "The Bug" 67 — — 21 44 52 24 — — — "You and Your Friend" — — — — 49 — 62 — — — "Ticket to Heaven" 1994 — — — — — — 43 — — —"—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory.
Other certified songs Title Year Certifications Album "Six Blade Knife" 1978 RMNZ: Gold Dire Straits "Wild West End" RMNZ: Platinum "Down to the Waterline" RMNZ: Platinum"Telegraph Road"1982 RMNZ: PlatinumLove over Gold
Home video + Title Video/DVD details Peak chart positions CertificationsUKDVDUK DVD peaks:
AUSDVDAustralian DVD peaks:
BELDVDBelgian (Flanders) DVD peaks: FINDVDFinnish DVD peaks:
NLDDVDDutch DVD peaks:
SWIDVDSwiss DVD peaks:
Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits Released: 21 May 1999 Label: Universal Music 19 9 — 3 2 — BPI: Gold ARIA: 5× Platinum On the Night Released: 14 September 2003 Label: Universal Music 33 18 — — 6 — ARIA: Platinum Alchemy: Dire Straits Live Released: 14 May 2010 Label: Universal Music 2 1 2 7 5 6 ARIA: Gold Sultans of Swing: Live in Germany Released: 5 February 2011 Label: Sony — — — — 12 — Stratospheric Sounds: Live in Basel, Switzerland, 1992 Released: 8 April 2011 Label: Showtime — — — — — 3 "—" denotes items that did not chart or were not released in that territory.
Various artists home video Title Video/DVD details Live at Knebworth Includes three Dire Straits tracks Released: 2002 Label: Eagle
Music videos Year Title Director Album 1978 "Sultans of Swing" unknown Dire Straits "Wild West End" 1979 "Lady Writer" Communiqué 1981 "Romeo and Juliet" Lester Bookbinder Making Movies "Skateaway" "Tunnel of Love" 1982 "Private Investigations" unknown Love over Gold 1983 "Twisting by the Pool" ExtendedancEPlay 1985 "So Far Away" Brothers in Arms "Money for Nothing" Steve Barron "Brothers in Arms" Bill Mather 1986 "Walk of Life" Stephen R. Johnson 1991 "Calling Elvis" Gerry Anderson On Every Street "Heavy Fuel" Steve Barron 1992 "The Bug" Richard Jernigan
References
External links