Dire Straits
Brothers In Arms

The real difference between a music critic and a music enthusiast lies in the fact that the former - after listening to a newly released album - is able to assess its true artistic value and foresee its immediate future, while the latter, after a repeated series of listens, cannot even remotely predict its essential aspects, perhaps getting personally involved with their own tastes and sympathies for this or that musician. Well, I have no doubts about belonging to the second category.

After this brief introduction, I'll tell you right away that my first taste of "Brothers In Arms" was through the single "So Far Away" - a track in which Mark Knopfler's red Fender Stratocaster with a white pickguard is replaced by an equally magical Pensa Suhr (which will become an inseparable companion of the leader) - with which the album gives its fundamental greeting in the classic Dire Straits style.
"Money For Nothing" - with its unusual synthesizer intro that blends with a richly distorted guitar, then gains ground in the exceptional instrumental duel, vigorously taking the podium with a catchy riff that will become more familiar than the already pleasant chorus - marks one of the stylistic changes that no fan will dream of renouncing, accepting it as a natural evolution of the band's artistic journey. This track, without a doubt, in addition to shining with its own light, has expanded its popularity, also thanks to: 1) a hyper-technological video where the musicians seem to be reproduced as holograms; 2) a catchy chorus - in which the most attentive listeners will have recognized a well-concealed resemblance to the refrain of "Don't Stand So Close To Me" (which is why A&M, even against Sting's wishes, the record label wanted the name of the ex-Police next to M.K.'s); which made them MTV's favorite band (well, singing "I Want My MTV" ad libitum also served this purpose, right?).
The following "Walk Of Life" I personally consider a sensible synthesis between "Industrial Disease" and "Twisting By The Pool," while the jazzy "Your Latest Trick," which moves between sweet melodies and rhythm changes, well conveys the idea that musical innovations will be present throughout the album. "Why Worry" is a lullaby of Knopflerian origin, where, along with the meticulous keyboard work, it's the leader's voice that emphasizes its charm. In "Ride Across The River," we realize that even Caribbean rhythms make their way onto our player, blending with well-mixed reggae touches in Knopfler's singing and a carpet of African/Latin sounds. "The Man's Too Strong" is the track where our guitar genius showcases an extremely accurate finger-picking, making this composition the most beautiful country creation with the strongest folk influence that the band has ever recorded, alternating rather soft storytelling with instrumental breaks (piano+guitar, to be precise) that would fit well as a soundtrack for some film set in the full-fledged Wild West.
"One World" brings back a smooth, bluesy atmosphere, where the bass of the faithful John Illsley - by now the only member accompanying Knopfler since the beginning - hammers with typically funky slaps that only enhance the shortest track on the album. The title track - a misty anti-war tale sui generis - moves and indelibly marks the soul of the listener, where every verse is adorned with dazzling solos capable of delving into the deepest part of the human being. A dreamy composition with which the less die-hard fans of M.K. and his associates know they can be carried away by the delightful "plucked" notes, to then definitively take off on the wings of the remarkable final solo.

I fell in love slowly and after repeated listens with "Brothers In Arms," ending up changing my favorite track every week; it's also worth mentioning that from this album onward, the group would be a reason to bring together musicians of inestimable value (among the credits of the album are the brothers Michael and Randy Brecker certainly taking care of the winds, Neil Jason, Tony Levin, and even a certain Eric Clapton), always under the keen watchful eye of the careful leader, enriching an already great work. Certainly suitable to keep them a place in the hall of honor in the Rock Olympus... 28,000,000 copies sold to date, representing incontrovertible proof.