Album · Compilation
Money for Nothing
Money for Nothing is a Dire Straits compilation, released on 17 October 1988. It gathers highlights from the band's first five studio albums, so it covers the full run from their 1978 debut through to Brothers in Arms in 1985. It arrived a few years after that last record and before On Every Street in 1991, which makes it a handy snapshot of the band at the end of their first chapter.
The vinyl edition differs from the other formats. It leaves out "Telegraph Road" and runs in a different order, so anyone choosing between versions should know which one they are getting. For listeners new to the band, it offers an easy route into a catalogue that moves between rock, blues rock, pop rock and folk rock. For long-time fans, it is a tidy way to hear those shifts side by side.
Money for Nothing: tracklist, credits and charts
12 tracks · 1:06:24Tracklist
- 1Sultans of SwingMark Knopfler5:46
- 2Down to the WaterlineMark Knopfler4:01
- 3Portobello Belle (live)Mark Knopfler4:34
- 4Twisting by the Pool (remix)Mark Knopfler3:31
- 5Tunnel of LoveII, Knopfler, Rodgers8:11
- 6Romeo and JulietMark Knopfler5:56
- 7Where Do You Think You’re GoingMark Knopfler3:31
- 8Walk of LifeMark Knopfler4:08
- 9Private InvestigationsMark Knopfler5:50
- 10Telegraph Road (live) (remix)Mark Knopfler11:59
- 11Money for NothingMark Knopfler and Sting4:06
- 12Brothers in ArmsMark Knopfler4:50
- Produced by
- Muff Winwood, Mark Knopfler, Jimmy Iovine, Barry Beckett, Neil Dorfsman, Various
- Recorded at
- Basing Street Studios, Jam Studios, Power Station at BerkleeNYC, AIR Studios Montserrat
- Recorded
- 1978–1985
- Mixed at
- Power Station at BerkleeNYC
- Engineered by
- Rhett Davies, John Etchells, Shelly Yakus, Neil Dorfsman
- Labels
- Zounds Gold, Vertigo, Warner Bros. (US)
- Length
- 1:06:24
Line-up
- John Illsley · bass guitar, background vocals
- David Knopfler · guitar · guest
- Mark Knopfler · guitar, lead vocals, vocals
- Pick Withers · drums (drum set), background vocals
- Alan Clark · piano, keyboard · guest
- Hal Lindes · guitar · guest
- Terry Williams · drums (drum set) · guest
- Roy Bittan · keyboard · guest
- Guy Fletcher · keyboard, background vocals · guest
- Omar Hakim · drums (drum set) · guest
- Sting · vocals · guest
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1988–1991 | 1 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1988–1991 | 62 |
| Dutch Albums · 1988–1991 | 1 |
| Swiss Albums · 1988–1991 | 1 |
| German Albums · 1988–1991 | 2 |
| Italian Albums (Musica e dischi) · 1988–1991 | 2 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1988–1991 | 2 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1988–1991 | 3 |
| Austrian Albums · 1988–1991 | 3 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1988–1991 | 3 |
All 13 charts
| Swedish Albums · 1988–1991 | 8 |
| Hungarian Albums · 1988–1991 | 36 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 2022 | 84 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia | 3× Platinum |
| Brazil | Platinum |
| Canada | Platinum |
| Finland · 1988 | Gold |
| France · 1991 | Diamond |
| Germany | Platinum |
| Hong Kong · 1990 | Platinum |
| Netherlands | 2× Platinum |
| New Zealand | Platinum |
| Portugal | Gold |
| Spain · 1989 | 2× Platinum |
| Switzerland | 3× Platinum |
| United Kingdom | 4× Platinum |
| United States | Platinum |
Awards
- SNEP diamond album
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
64.7
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
742
ListenBrainz listeners
58k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
12k
Deezer fans (all editions)
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More from Dire Straits
Full discography →
Dire Straits
1978
Communiqué
1979
Making Movies
1980
Love Over Gold
1982
ExtendedancEPlay
1983
Alchemy: Dire Straits Live
1984
Brothers in Arms
1985
On Every Street
1991
On the Night
1993
Encores
1993
Live at the BBC
1995
Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits
1998
The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler: Private Investigations
2005
The best of 1988
All of 1988 →
…And Justice for All
Metallica · 1988
Surfer Rosa
Pixies · 1988
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son
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G N’ R Lies
Guns N’ Roses · 1988
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U2 · 1988
New Jersey
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The Abbey Road E.P.
Red Hot Chili Peppers · 1988
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Megadeth · 1988
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + wikidata; also seen: 1988-10-16 (musicbrainz)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 16 October 1988 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 17 October 1988 | |
| Wikidata | 17 October 1988 | |
| US release | 1988 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 1988 | earliest UK or European date |
22 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | US | Warner Bros. Records | other | |
| 1988 | AT | Zounds Gold | 4010427330013 | other |
| 1988 | CA | Vertigo | 04228364192197 | other |
| 1988 | CA | Vertigo | 777499181106 | other |
| 1988 | US | Warner Bros. Records | 075992579421 | other |
| 1988 | GB | Vertigo | 042283641914 | other |
| 1988 | XE | Vertigo | 042283641914 | other |
| 1988 | AU | Phonogram | 042283641921 | other |
| October 1988 | XE | Vertigo | other | |
| October 1988 | US | Warner Bros. Records | 075992579421 | other |
| October 1988 | US | Warner Bros. Records | 075992579421 | other |
| October 1988 | XE | Vertigo | 042283641945 | other |
| October 1988 | XE | Vertigo | 042283641921 | other |
| 16 October 1988 | JP | Vertigo | 4988011312939 | original |
| 1990 | US | Warner Bros. Records | 075992579421 | other |
| 1996 | GB | Vertigo | 042283641921 | remaster |
| June 1996 | XE | Vertigo | 042283641921 | other |
| 1998 | US | Warner Bros. Records | other | |
| 2022 | — | EMI | 00602445795451 | other |
| 17 June 2022 | US | Rhino | 603497841882 | remaster |
| 17 June 2022 | — | UMC | 00602445795413 | remaster |
| 17 June 2022 | XE | UMC | 081227883256 | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · upscaled: major: best source 1411x1394, upscaled to 1500 (x1.08)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 1411×1394 | upscaled: major: best source 1411x1394, upscaled to 1500 (x1.08) |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |