Live at the BBC is a live album by British rock band Dire Straits, released on 26 June 1995 on Vertigo Records internationally, and by Warner Bros. Records in the United States. The album was recorded on 22 July 1978 at BBC Studios in London, with one track recorded on 31 January 1981. The studio versions of the first six songs were released on Dire Straits. Live at the BBC was the band's third live album, preceded by Alchemy: Dire Straits Live (1984) and On the Night (1993).
Live at the BBC was released on 26 June 1995, the year in which the group officially disbanded. According to Knopfler, the album was released because Dire Straits still owed one album to Phonogram Records (now Mercury Records). This album was a means to end the legal contract, before Mark Knopfler began his solo career (still signed to Mercury).
Live at the BBC consists of eight songs, the first seven were recorded for the BBC Live in Concert series on 22 July 1978. The eighth song, "Tunnel of Love", was recorded for the BBC TV program The Old Grey Whistle Test on 31 January 1981.
The album features one unreleased song, "What's the Matter Baby?", that Mark Knopfler co-wrote with his brother David. It is the only song to appear on a Dire Straits album not written exclusively by Mark Knopfler. The song's riffs and general structure were used for the song "Lady Writer", which appeared on the band's second album, Communique, which may explain why it was not re-recorded.
Two other Dire Straits songs list Mark Knopfler sharing writing credits—"Tunnel of Love" (with Rodgers and Hammerstein) and "Money for Nothing" (with Sting)—but in each case the song itself was entirely written by Knopfler, with only a small contribution to the backing or arrangement by the other credited artist.
In his review for AllMusic, William Ruhlmann gave the album three and a half out of five stars, writing, "It's a modest effort from a modest band and, in that sense, a better representation of them than Alchemy or On the Night, both of which reflected their worldwide popularity." The album stayed on the UK albums chart for one week.Live at the BBC is a live album by British rock band Dire Straits, released on 26 June 1995 on Vertigo Records internationally, and by Warner Bros. Records in the United States. The album was recorded on 22 July 1978 at BBC Studios in London, with one track recorded on 31 January 1981. The studio versions of the first six songs were released on Dire Straits. Live at the BBC was the band's third live album, preceded by Alchemy: Dire Straits Live (1984) and On the Night (1993).
Live at the BBC was released on 26 June 1995, the year in which the group officially disbanded. According to Knopfler, the album was released because Dire Straits still owed one album to Phonogram Records (now Mercury Records). This album was a means to end the legal contract, before Mark Knopfler began his solo career (still signed to Mercury).
Live at the BBC consists of eight songs, the first seven were recorded for the BBC Live in Concert series on 22 July 1978. The eighth song, "Tunnel of Love", was recorded for the BBC TV program The Old Grey Whistle Test on 31 January 1981.
The album features one unreleased song, "What's the Matter Baby?", that Mark Knopfler co-wrote with his brother David. It is the only song to appear on a Dire Straits album not written exclusively by Mark Knopfler. The song's riffs and general structure were used for the song "Lady Writer", which appeared on the band's second album, Communique, which may explain why it was not re-recorded.
Two other Dire Straits songs list Mark Knopfler sharing writing credits—"Tunnel of Love" (with Rodgers and Hammerstein) and "Money for Nothing" (with Sting)—but in each case the song itself was entirely written by Knopfler, with only a small contribution to the backing or arrangement by the other credited artist.
In his review for AllMusic, William Ruhlmann gave the album three and a half out of five stars, writing, "It's a modest effort from a modest band and, in that sense, a better representation of them than Alchemy or On the Night, both of which reflected their worldwide popularity." The album stayed on the UK albums chart for one week.false2025-11-07 21:24:13Live at the BBC20082008-10-222008-10-2246Classic Rock1112782176971ffb82ef3-6f0c-39be-b3e0-c6362ac51fdc614e3804-7d34-41ba-857f-811bad7c2b7ad76df530-e2cc-3861-9eb8-b310f1a25d69/media/data/media5/Music/Dire Straits/Live at the BBC/folder.jpgDire StraitsDire StraitsDire Straits were a British rock band formed in London in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals and lead guitar), David Knopfler (rhythm guitar and backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar and backing vocals) and Pick Withers (drums and percussion). They were active from 1977 to 1988 and again from 1990 to 1995.Their first single, "Sultans of Swing", from their 1978 self-titled debut album, reached the top ten in the UK and US charts. It was followed by hit singles including "Romeo and Juliet" (1981), "Private Investigations" (1982), "Twisting by the Pool" (1983), "Money for Nothing" (1985), and "Walk of Life" (1985). Their most commercially successful album, Brothers in Arms (1985), has sold more than 30 million copies; it was the first album to sell a million copies on compact disc and is the eighth-best-selling album in UK history. According to the Guinness Book of British Hit Albums, Dire Straits have spent over 1,100 weeks on the UK albums chart, the fifth most of all time.Dire Straits' sound draws from various influences, including country, folk, the blues rock of J. J. Cale, and jazz. Their stripped-down sound contrasted with punk rock and demonstrated a roots rock influence that emerged from pub rock. There were several changes in personnel, with Mark Knopfler and Illsley being the only members who lasted from the beginning of the band's existence to the end. After their first breakup in 1988, Knopfler told Rolling Stone: "A lot of press reports were saying we were the biggest band in the world. There's not an accent then on the music, there's an accent on popularity. I needed a rest." They disbanded for good in 1995, after which Knopfler launched a solo career full-time. He has since declined numerous reunion offers.Dire Straits were called "the biggest British rock band of the 80s" by Classic Rock magazine; their 1985–1986 world tour, which included a performance at Live Aid in July 1985, set a record in Australasia. Their final world tour from 1991 to 1992 sold 7.1 million tickets. Dire Straits won four Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards (Best British Group twice), two MTV Video Music Awards, and various other awards. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018. Dire Straits have sold between 100 and 120 million units worldwide, including 51.4 million certified units, making them one of the best-selling music artists.