351 - Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms

[csberry]

Brothers in Arms is a favorite album of mine. It would definitely be in a list of the Top 25 Albums I Must Have. Although I bought the album/cassette because of "Money For Nothing" and "Walk of Life," it was the moody, atmospheric sound of the rest of the album that reinforced my love of albums over singles. When I listen to the album now, it is hard to shut out a memory of mine from high school of riding in a car with Mike and Cam Nix down to Camp Sumatanga. Driving through the woods as the sun went down and this album played on the car stereo has made this a favorite album for me to put on in the evenings and late at night.

Because of my personal love for this album, it was with annoyance that I listened to this album now. Why was it at 351 and not somewhere closer to 250 or higher on the list? I can see why others may not be as drawn to it. If you aren't loving the jazz rock atmosphere, then the prolonged instrumental riffs on the several tracks that go longer than six minutes is probably annoying. The only really up-tempo songs are the two big singles. And, let's face it, there aren't many 17-20 year olds out there trying to emulate the songs on this album. Although, I do want to say that I think a lot of "past their prime" rock bands/artists tend to sound a lot like this album (from Pink Floyd's "A Momentary Lapse of Reason" and "The Division Bell" to many of the jazzy, bluesy albums by folks like Peter Wolf and Keith Richards). And as I've mentioned above, I love listening to this album...but when I'm putting my CD jukebox on shuffle and "Ride Across the River" comes on, I usually skip it.

Oh, and I feel a need to state that I wish that "The Man's Too Strong" could have been used somewhere in the Firefly series or movie.

Songs I knew I liked: Love the album, so all of it gets listed here.

Songs I didn't know but now like: Know the album too well for a new discovery this weekend.

Songs I can go the rest of my life without hearing again: Nope.