'The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler: Private Investigations' is a 2005 best of album. Named after their 1982 hit single, it consists of material by Dire Straits

Dire Straits

Dire Straits were a British rock band active from 1977 to 1995, composed of Mark Knopfler , his younger brother David Knopfler , John Illsley , and Pick Withers .Dire Straits' sound drew from a variety of musical influences, including jazz, folk, blues, and came closest...

, with songs selected from the majority of the group's six studio albums (excluding the 1979 album Communiqué) from 1978 up to the group's dissolution in 1995. It also features work from the solo career of the lead guitarist

Guitarist

A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...

 and singer, Mark Knopfler

Mark Knopfler

Mark Freuder Knopfler, OBE is a Scottish-born British guitarist, singer, songwriter, record producer and film score composer. He is best known as the lead guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for the British rock band Dire Straits, which he co-founded in 1977...

, including some of his soundtrack material.

The only previously unreleased track on the album is "All The Roadrunning", a duet with country music singer Emmylou Harris

Emmylou Harris

Emmylou Harris is an American singer-songwriter and musician. In addition to her work as a solo artist and bandleader, both as an interpreter of other composers' works and as a singer-songwriter, she is a sought-after backing vocalist and duet partner, working with numerous other artists including...

. The US version omits "Darling Pretty

Darling Pretty

"Darling Pretty" is the first single from the album Golden Heart by Mark Knopfler, released in 1996. It reached number 33 in the UK Singles Chart. The song featured in the 1996 film Twister. "Gravy Train", the second track in the maxi-single, featured in the 2001 film America's Sweethearts....

", but adds "Skateaway

Skateaway

"Skateaway" is a 1980 rock song by Dire Straits, dealing with a female roller-skater breezing through busy city streets, who is listening to a then-newly-released Walkman. It appears on Making Movies. Released as a single in 1981, the song was accompanied by a video that was popular on MTV...

".

This album was released in four different versions:

• A single disc (Grey cover)
• A two-disc compilation (Blue cover)
• A two-disc compilation together with a booklet (Gold cover)
• A two-disc LP with tracks from the single disc CD version

Single disc track listing

1. "Sultans of Swing
   Sultans of Swing
   "Sultans of Swing" was the first single release of the British rock band Dire Straits. First released in 1978, its 1979 re-release caused it to become a hit in both the UK and USA....
   
   "
2. "Love over Gold"
3. "Romeo and Juliet"
4. "Tunnel of Love" (intro "The Carousel Waltz
   Carousel (musical)
   Carousel is the second stage musical by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II . The work premiered in 1945 and was adapted from Ferenc Molnár's 1909 play Liliom, transplanting its Budapest setting to the Maine coastline...
   
   " by Rodgers & Hammerstein)
5. "Private Investigations
   Private Investigations
   "Private Investigations" is a popular song by Dire Straits from their album Love Over Gold. Although it was not released as a single in the US, it reached the number 2 position in the UK , and is one of their biggest chart successes in the United Kingdom, on a par with "Walk of Life"...
   
   "
6. "Money for Nothing
   Money for Nothing (song)
   "Money for Nothing" is a single by British rock band Dire Straits, taken from their 1985 album Brothers in Arms. It was one of Dire Straits' most successful singles, peaking at number one for three weeks in the United States, and it also reached number one for three weeks on the U.S. Mainstream...
   
   " (Knopfler/Sting)
7. "Brothers in Arms
   Brothers in Arms (song)
   "Brothers in Arms" is a 1985 song by Dire Straits, appearing as the closing track on the album of the same name. It is in G# minor.-History:There are two studio recorded versions of this song: the album version which is 6:55 seconds, and the shorter version which is 6:05 seconds and features...
   
   "
8. "Walk of Life
   Walk of Life (Dire Straits song)
   "Walk of Life" is a 1985 song by the British rock band Dire Straits. It appeared on their best-selling album Brothers in Arms. It subsequently appeared on their live album On the Night. It was released as a single in November 1985 but had first been available as the b-side of "So Far Away" released...
   
   "
9. "On Every Street
   On Every Street (song)
   "On Every Street" is the third single and title track from the album of the same name by English rock band Dire Straits. It features a powerful, driving outro consisting of guitar, piano, pedal steel guitar and saxophone. No promotional video was made for the song. Its B-side is a classic from the...
   
   " – 5:03
10. "Going Home (Theme from Local Hero)" – 5:00
11. "Why Aye Man
    The Ragpicker's Dream
    The Ragpicker's Dream is the third solo album by Mark Knopfler. Released on 30 September 2002, the album is a collection of songs written from the point of view of poor but dignified itinerant men, struggling to get by in life, often enjoying small triumphs. Knopfler gives a folk imprint to the...
    
    " – 4:09
12. "Boom, Like That
    Boom, Like That
    "Boom, Like That" is a 2004 single by Mark Knopfler, from his album Shangri-La. It is - with "Darling Pretty" - one of the only two Mark Knopfler solo singles to reach the UK Top 40, hiting no. 34.-Lyrics:...
    
    " – 5:49
13. "What It Is" – 4:56
14. "All the Roadrunning
    All the Roadrunning
    All the Roadrunning is a collaborative album by Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris. Released in 2006 by Warner Bros. in the US and Universal Music in Europe, "This Is Us" was released as the first single, followed by "Beachcombing"....
    
    " – 4:49

Two-disc track listing

Disc one:

1. "Telegraph Road
   Telegraph Road (song)
   "Telegraph Road" is a song by British rock band Dire Straits and written by Mark Knopfler. It appeared on their 1982 album Love over Gold. Clocking in at 14:18 minutes long, it is rarely played by radio stations, yet has remained highly regarded over the years.It was first played live at the...
   
   " – 14:20
2. "Sultans of Swing" – 5:48
3. "Love Over Gold" – 6:18
4. "Romeo and Juliet" – 6:00
5. "Tunnel of Love" – 8:10 (intro "The Carousel Waltz" by Rodgers/Hammerstein)
6. "Private Investigations" – 5:59
7. "So Far Away
   So Far Away (Dire Straits song)
   "So Far Away" is a 1985 rock song by Dire Straits. It appears on the album Brothers in Arms. It became the band's fourth top 20 hit on the Billboard charts, peaking at #19...
   
   " – 5:07
8. "Money for Nothing" – 8:24 (Knopfler/Gordon Sumner (Sting))
9. "Brothers in Arms
   Brothers in Arms (song)
   "Brothers in Arms" is a 1985 song by Dire Straits, appearing as the closing track on the album of the same name. It is in G# minor.-History:There are two studio recorded versions of this song: the album version which is 6:55 seconds, and the shorter version which is 6:05 seconds and features...
   
   " – 6:57
10. "Walk of Life" – 4:08
11. "Your Latest Trick
    Your Latest Trick
    "Your Latest Trick" is a rock song by Dire Straits that appeared on the studio album Brothers in Arms, and also on the live album On the Night; the same live version is on Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits...
    
    " – 6:29

Disc two:

1. "Calling Elvis
   Calling Elvis
   "Calling Elvis" is a song written by Mark Knopfler and performed by Dire Straits. It first appeared on the final studio album by the band, On Every Street . It was released as the first single from that album, peaking at number 21 in the United Kingdom, and was included on the 2005 compilation The...
   
   " – 6:24
2. "On Every Street" – 5:03
3. "Going Home (Theme from Local Hero)" – 5:00
4. "Darling Pretty" – 4:30
5. "The Long Road (Theme from Cal
   Cal (film)
   Cal is a 1984 British drama film directed by Pat O'Connor, and starring John Lynch and Helen Mirren. Based on the novella Cal written by Bernard MacLaverty who also wrote the script, the film was entered into the 1984 Cannes Film Festival, where Helen Mirren won the award for Best Actress.-Plot:Cal...
   
   )" – 7:21
6. "Why Aye Man" – 4:09
7. "Sailing to Philadelphia" – 5:29
8. "What It Is" – 4:56
9. "The Trawlerman's Song" – 5:02
10. "Boom, Like That" – 5:49
11. "All the Roadrunning" – 4:49

Two-disc track listing (US version)

Disc one:

1. "Telegraph Road
   Telegraph Road (song)
   "Telegraph Road" is a song by British rock band Dire Straits and written by Mark Knopfler. It appeared on their 1982 album Love over Gold. Clocking in at 14:18 minutes long, it is rarely played by radio stations, yet has remained highly regarded over the years.It was first played live at the...
   
   " – 14:20
2. "Sultans of Swing" – 5:48
3. "Love Over Gold" – 6:18
4. "Romeo and Juliet" – 6:00
5. "Tunnel of Love" – 8:10 (intro "The Carousel Waltz" by Rodgers/Hammerstein)
6. "Skateaway
   Skateaway
   "Skateaway" is a 1980 rock song by Dire Straits, dealing with a female roller-skater breezing through busy city streets, who is listening to a then-newly-released Walkman. It appears on Making Movies. Released as a single in 1981, the song was accompanied by a video that was popular on MTV...
   
   " – 6:35
7. "Private Investigations" – 5:59
8. "So Far Away
   So Far Away (Dire Straits song)
   "So Far Away" is a 1985 rock song by Dire Straits. It appears on the album Brothers in Arms. It became the band's fourth top 20 hit on the Billboard charts, peaking at #19...
   
   " – 5:07
9. "Money for Nothing" – 8:24 (Knopfler/Sting)
10. "Walk of Life" – 4:08
11. "Your Latest Trick
    Your Latest Trick
    "Your Latest Trick" is a rock song by Dire Straits that appeared on the studio album Brothers in Arms, and also on the live album On the Night; the same live version is on Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits...
    
    " – 6:29

Disc two:

1. "Calling Elvis
   Calling Elvis
   "Calling Elvis" is a song written by Mark Knopfler and performed by Dire Straits. It first appeared on the final studio album by the band, On Every Street . It was released as the first single from that album, peaking at number 21 in the United Kingdom, and was included on the 2005 compilation The...
   
   " – 6:24
2. "On Every Street" – 5:03
3. "Going Home (Theme from Local Hero)" – 5:00
4. "The Long Road (Theme from Cal)" – 7:21
5. "Why Aye Man" – 4:09
6. "Sailing to Philadelphia" – 5:29
7. "What It Is" – 4:56
8. "The Trawlerman's Song" – 5:02
9. "Boom, Like That" – 5:49
10. "Brothers in Arms
    Brothers in Arms (song)
    "Brothers in Arms" is a 1985 song by Dire Straits, appearing as the closing track on the album of the same name. It is in G# minor.-History:There are two studio recorded versions of this song: the album version which is 6:55 seconds, and the shorter version which is 6:05 seconds and features...
    
    " – 6:57
11. "All the Roadrunning" – 4:49

Album

Year	Chart	Position
2005	Portuguese Albums Chart Portugal Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...	3
2005	Danish Albums Chart Tracklisten Tracklisten is a Danish top 40 record chart that is presented every Thursday midnight at .The weekly Danish Singles Chart also known as Track Top-40 combines the 40 best selling tracks from legal music downloads and the sales of music singles on either CD or vinyl...	5
2005	Norway Albums Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by...	5
2005	Swedish Albums Chart Swedish Recording Industry Association Grammofonleverantörernas förening , or the Swedish Recording Industry Association in English, is an organization representing the music recording industry of Sweden...	6
2005	Spanish Albums Chart	7
2005	Belgian Albums Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts...	14
2005	Swiss Albums Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75...	15
2005	Finnish Albums Chart	17
2005	New Zealand Albums Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...	17
2005	UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart...	20
2005	Dutch Albums Chart MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top...	23
2005	Australian Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June...	35
2005	Austrian Albums Chart Ö3 Austria Top 40 Ö3 Austria Top 40 is the name of the official Austrian singles chart, as well as the radio show which presents it, aired Fridays on Hitradio Ö3. The show presents the Austrian singles, ringtones and downloads chart. It premiered on 26 November 1968 as Disc Parade and was presented by Ernst Grissemann...	44

Certifications

Organisation	Level	Date
BPI – UK	Silver	November 11, 2005
BPI – UK	Gold	November 11, 2005
IRMA – Ireland	2X Platinum	2005