Album · Compilation
The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler: Private Investigations
Private Investigations: The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler is the third compilation from Dire Straits, released in November 2005. It takes its name from the group's 1982 hit single and draws on their six studio albums from 1978 up to the band's dissolution in 1995, with the exception of Communiqué. Mark Knopfler's solo work sits alongside it, including some of his soundtrack material.
The one new song is "All the Roadrunning", a duet between Knopfler and country singer Emmylou Harris. It was issued as a single and reached number 8 in the UK. The US edition leaves out "Darling Pretty" and adds "Skateaway". It's a handy way to hear how Knopfler's writing and guitar playing moved from the band's records into his own projects.
The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler: Private Investigations: tracklist, credits and charts
22 tracks · 2:18:56Tracklist
- Disc 1
- 1Telegraph RoadMark Knopfler14:20
- 2Sultans of SwingMark Knopfler5:49
- 3Love Over GoldMark Knopfler6:19
- 4Romeo & JulietMark Knopfler6:01
- 5Tunnel of LoveII, Knopfler, Rodgers8:12
- 6SkateawayMark Knopfler6:37
- 7Private InvestigationsMark Knopfler5:59
- 8So Far AwayMark Knopfler5:08
- 9Money for NothingMark Knopfler and Sting8:24
- 10Walk of LifeMark Knopfler4:10
- 11Your Latest TrickMark Knopfler6:29
- Disc 2
- 1Calling ElvisMark Knopfler6:24
- 2On Every StreetMark Knopfler5:04
- 3Going HomeMark Knopfler5:02
- 4The Long RoadMark Knopfler7:19
- 5Why Aye ManMark Knopfler4:09
- 6Sailing to PhiladelphiaMark Knopfler5:53
- 7What It IsMark Knopfler4:56
- 8The Trawlerman’s SongMark Knopfler5:02
- 9Boom, Like ThatMark Knopfler5:49
- 10Brothers in ArmsMark Knopfler6:59
- 11All the RoadrunningMark Knopfler4:50
- Produced by
- Mark Knopfler, Muff Winwood, Jimmy Iovine, Neil Dorfsman, Dire Straits, Chuck Ainlay
- Recorded at
- Power Station at BerkleeNYC, Basing Street Studios, AIR Studios Montserrat, AIR Studios, Shangri La Studios
- Recorded
- February 1978 – May 1991
- Mixed by
- Neil Dorfsman, Chuck Ainlay
- Mixed at
- Power Station at BerkleeNYC, British Grove Studios
- Engineered by
- Neil Dorfsman, Rhett Davies, Shelly Yakus, Chuck Ainlay, Jack Joseph‐Puig, Bill Schnee, Guy Fletcher
- Labels
- Mercury Records, Mercury, Vertigo, Warner Bros. (US)
- Length
- 2:18:56
Line-up
- Alan Clark · keyboard, Hammond organ, piano, synthesizer
- John Illsley · bass guitar, background vocals
- Mark Knopfler · guitar, lead vocals, vocals, drum machine, guitar family, percussion, synthesizer
- Hal Lindes · guitar · guest
- Pick Withers · drums (drum set), background vocals
- David Knopfler · guitar · guest
- Mike Mainieri · marimba, vibraphone · guest
- Roy Bittan · keyboard · guest
- Guy Fletcher · keyboard, background vocals, organ, piano, clavinet
- Omar Hakim · drums (drum set) · guest
- Terry Williams · drums (drum set), membranophone · guest
- Sting · vocals · guest
- Michael Brecker · tenor saxophone, saxophone · guest
- Dire Straits · guest
- Tony Levin · bass guitar · guest
- Paul Brady · mandolin, tin whistle · guest
- Liam O’Flynn · uilleann pipes · guest
- Richard Bennett · guitar · guest
- Jim Cox · Hammond organ, piano, organ · guest
- Chad Cromwell · drums (drum set) · guest
- Aubrey Haynie · violin · guest
- Glenn Worf · bass, bass guitar · guest
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 2005 | 20 |
| Portuguese Albums · 2005 | 3 |
| Swedish Albums · 2010 | 3 |
| French Compilations Chart · 2005 | 4 |
| Polish Albums · 2016 | 4 |
| Danish Albums · 2005 | 5 |
| Norwegian Albums · 2005 | 5 |
| Spanish Albums · 2005 | 7 |
| Greek Albums (IFPI) · 2005 | 8 |
| Irish Albums (IRMA) · 2005 | 10 |
All 22 charts
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 2005 | 14 |
| Swiss Albums · 2005 | 15 |
| Finnish Albums · 2005 | 17 |
| New Zealand Albums · 2005 | 17 |
| Scottish Albums · 2005 | 20 |
| Italian Albums · 2005 | 21 |
| Dutch Albums · 2005 | 23 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 2005 | 32 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 2005 | 35 |
| German Albums · 2005 | 36 |
| Austrian Albums · 2005 | 44 |
| French Albums · 2016 | 134 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia · 2013 | Platinum |
| Belgium · 2012 | Platinum |
| Denmark · 2006 | Platinum |
| Germany · 2023 | Platinum |
| Ireland · 2005 | 2× Platinum |
| Italy · 2017 | Platinum |
| New Zealand | Platinum |
| Poland · 2018 | Platinum |
| Portugal | Platinum |
| Spain · 2006 | Platinum |
| Sweden | Gold |
| United Kingdom · 2026 | 5× Platinum |
| Europe · 2007 | Platinum |
From MusicBrainz and Wikipedia. Only what the sources record is shown.
58.2
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
83
ListenBrainz listeners
39k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
203k
Deezer fans (all editions)
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia 2005-11-11 vs 2005-11-04 (musicbrainz)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 4 November 2005 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 11 November 2005 | |
| Wikidata | 2005 | |
| US release | 15 November 2005 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 4 November 2005 | earliest UK or European date |
17 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | CA | Mercury Records | 602498744765 | other |
| — | GB | Mercury Records | other | |
| 2005 | XE | Mercury Records | 602498740507 | other |
| 2005 | US | Warner Bros. Records | other | |
| 2005 | AU | Mercury Records | 602498744765 | other |
| 2005 | XE | Mercury Records | 602498744758 | other |
| 4 November 2005 | XE | Mercury Records | 602498744789 | original |
| 7 November 2005 | XE | Mercury Records | 602498744819 | other |
| 7 November 2005 | GB | Mercury Records | 602498729366 | other |
| 7 November 2005 | GB | Mercury Records | 602498730546 | deluxe |
| 7 November 2005 | XE | Mercury Records | 602498730515 | other |
| 9 November 2005 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988005410658 | other |
| 15 November 2005 | US | Warner Bros. Records | 093624989127 | other |
| 15 November 2005 | US | Mercury Records | other | |
| 9 December 2005 | XE | Mercury Records | 602498757673 | other |
| 28 May 2008 | JP | Mercury Records | 4988005514721 | other |
| — | — | Mercury Records | 602498730546 | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · upscaled: major: best source 1395x1403, upscaled to 1500 (x1.08)
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 1395×1403 | upscaled: major: best source 1395x1403, upscaled to 1500 (x1.08) |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |