Mark Knopfler and John Illsley have differing memories of the creation of Dire Straits’ most successful album.
“It was like any other album,” says the former frontman and songwriter Knopfler, 75, almost stoically.
In contrast, bassist Illsley, also 75, and still close friends with his former bandmate, said he immediately recognised that the band’s fifth studio album could be something special.
“I knew instinctively we had some great material here,” he says. “We were going to have a really good album.”
Illsley was proved right. Brothers In Arms, featuring classics like “Money For Nothing” and “Walk Of Life”, became a global success, selling more than 30 million copies and becoming one of the bestselling albums in music history. A new edition is now being released to mark its 40th anniversary.