Album of the Day

Dire Straits had long been critical favorites but with BROTHERS IN ARMS the band finally achieved the stardom they had always deserved; their fifth studio album topped the charts in the group's native England and in America, eventually reaching 30 million in sales worldwide. Part of that success was due to timing – the meticulously recorded set was tailor-made for the then-new CD format and the video for “Money For Nothing” was tailor-made for the then-new MTV (it would become the first video aired on MTV Europe on this day in 1987). But most of the credit goes to songs like opener “So Far Away” and the Top 10 “Walk Of Life,” which rank with the most emotionally resonant and pop-friendly in the Dire Straits catalog. Throw in customarily superb performances by singer/guitarist Mark Knopfler and his band, and BROTHERS IN ARMS becomes a record for the ages.