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Mark Knopfler and John Illsley have differing memories of the creation of Dire Straits’ most successful album.
“It was like any other album,” says the former frontman and songwriter Knopfler, 75, almost stoically.
In contrast, bassist Illsley, also 75, and still close friends with his former bandmate, said he immediately recognised that the band’s fifth studio album could be something special.
“I knew instinctively we had some great material here,” he says. “We were going to have a really good album.”


Illsley was proved right. Brothers In Arms, featuring classics like “Money For Nothing” and “Walk Of Life”, became a global success, selling more than 30 million copies and becoming one of the bestselling albums in music history. A new edition is now being released to mark its 40th anniversary.
The recording sessions for Brothers In Arms took place between 1984 and 1985 at the Air Studios of Beatles producer George Martin on the Caribbean island of Montserrat, surrounded by palm trees and lush vegetation, with a villa and pool next to the studio.

Artists such as The Police, Paul McCartney and the Rolling Stones also recorded there.
“That wasn’t a flashy island,” Illsley recalls. “It was very, very natural, very old Caribbean and a wonderful place to work because there weren’t that many distractions.”
Despite the holiday-like atmosphere, the band worked hard. “I’m pleased to say that we did have a fairly good work ethic.”

Illsley is convinced that the surroundings contributed to the album’s success.
“I’m a firm believer in actually the atmosphere that you’re living in will affect what you do in some way or other, whether it’s mentally, psychologically, physically, whatever. You feel good about going to the studio because you’re in a wonderful environment.”
Still, it did not all go smoothly – particularly for drummer Terry Williams, who felt more at home in classic rock than in the new pop sound.

“Terry, in my view, was one of the best live drummers I’ve ever played with,” Illsley says. “I think he realised it was a task that was going to be a little more difficult than he imagined.”
When the band returned to Montserrat after a Christmas break in early 1985, they discovered that the digital tapes were faulty. “The digital tape was quite new at that time,” Illsley says, adding that he thinks they ended up getting some bad tapes.
“All sorts of things had dropped out of that tape, quite a bit of it on the drum track.”
The Dire Straits then made a difficult decision. They hired renowned session drummer Omar Hakim, who re-recorded the tracks in just three days.
“It’s difficult when you have to replace somebody,” Illsley said, praising Williams for his attitude. “It’s just being grown up, really … and discovering that if you cannot do it, then somebody else might be able to do it better.”
For the tour, Williams returned to the Dire Straits drum kit and impressed bandmates and audiences. He was “like a magician. I mean, it was incredible.”
I think it surpassed anything that we possibly could have imagined. It just reminds me of the ability of music sometimes to stand the test of time
John Illsley, Dire Straits bassist
The album’s biggest hit was the single “Money For Nothing”, which Mark Knopfler said was inspired by the words of a furniture mover in a shop, contrasting his own life to that of people on MTV.
“I actually sat in the [ …] display window of the kitchen display and started writing the song in the window of the store,” Knopfler says. “I asked for a pen and paper and started writing the song in the window.”
The furniture mover is immortalised as a computer-animated figure in the music video. Ironically, the song, which mocks MTV culture, became a staple on the music channel.
This was partly down to the then state-of-the-art animation, which now looks rather dated. The intro – “I want my MTV” – was sung by fellow musician Sting to the melody of The Police hit “Don’t Stand So Close To Me”.
Knopfler had the idea to incorporate the MTV jingle. By chance, Sting, who also provided backing vocals, was on holiday in Montserrat at the time.
“I get a call from Mark saying: ‘Will you come to the studio and sing on this song?’” Sting says, laughing. “I’m also the dog. I’m the guy who does the dog barking.” The barking can be heard about three and a half minutes into the song.

Brothers In Arms was released on May 13, 1985, and was an instant hit. It topped the charts for weeks in many countries. The then-emerging CD format helped its success.
Because of its excellent sound quality, Brothers In Arms was often used in shops to demonstrate CD players. It was the first album to sell more than one million copies on CD.
“I think it surpassed anything that we possibly could have imagined,” Illsley reflects today. “It just reminds me of the ability of music sometimes to stand the test of time.”


Forty years later, and 30 years after Dire Straits disbanded, the deluxe reissue is being released on five LPs or three CDs, featuring a previously unreleased live concert from Texas in 1985 and new liner notes.
For the Air Studios, however, the success story ended abruptly. In 1989, a hurricane swept across Montserrat, severely damaging the facility. The studios were never reopened.
In the 1990s, the eruption of the Soufrière Hills volcano sealed their fate. More than half of the island is now a restricted area, including the studios’ ruins, which are occasionally visited by tourists despite the risks.


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Dire Straits’ Knopfler, Illsley tell story of recording Brothers In Arms as album reissued

Dire Sraits’ John Illsley performs at The O2 Arena in London in 2020. Looking back at the making of the band’s hit 1985 album Brothers in Arms, he says: “I think it surpassed anything that we possibly could have imagined.” Photo: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images

Dire Straits’ Mark Knopfler, pictured at a charity guitar auction in 2024, says Brothers in Arms “was like any other album” when the band were making it. Photo: Owen Humphreys/PA Images via Getty Images

John Illsley and Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits performing at Wembley Stadium in London in 1991. Photo: Michael Putland/Getty Images

The cover of Dire Straits’ Brothers in Arms. The album is having a luxury reissue 40 years on.

Sting performs in Miami Beach in the US state of Florida in April 2025. He recently recalled how he got involved in the recording of Dire Straits’ “Money for Nothing”, one of the tracks from their album Brothers in Arms. Photo: Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for Global Champions Arabians Tour Miami Beach

Brothers in Arms was recorded at the now-abandoned Air Studios in Montserrat, which were used by many famous artists and bands in the late 1970s and 1980s. Photo: Wikipedia/Captmatty

Inside the ruined Air Studios where Dire Straits recorded Brothers in Arms 40 years ago. Photo: Instagram/steveronin

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From Sting barking on Money for Nothing to replacing the drummer halfway through, recording bestselling Brothers in Arms was an experience


From Sting barking on Money for Nothing to replacing the drummer halfway through, recording bestselling Brothers in Arms was an experience.


Fame and celebrity

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Americas and the Caribbean

Dire Straits’ Knopfler, Illsley tell story of recording Brothers In Arms as album reissued

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}From Sting barking on Money for Nothing to replacing the drummer halfway through, recording bestselling Brothers in Arms was an experience

From Sting barking on Money for Nothing to replacing the drummer halfway through, recording bestselling Brothers in Arms was an experience