Propelled by Mark Knopfler's literate songs, gruff vocals, and spidery guitar work, Dire Straits had overcome initial skepticism for their resistance to '70s new wave accents in favor of a rootsy traditionalism. This 1985 album captures the band consolidating a far more epic style than the concise shuffles and ballads that the original scrappy quartet had reeled off, their ambitions fueled by the larger canvas afforded by the CD. One of the first albums to exploit the format's longer playing time,

So Far Away
Money For Nothing
Walk of Life
Your Latest Trick
Why Worry
Ride Across The River
The Man's Too Strong
One World
Brothers In Arms