Private Investigations: The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler is the third compilation album by Dire Straits and Scottish-born British singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Knopfler, released in 2005 by Mercury and Vertigo internationally, and Warner Bros. in the United States. Named after their 1982 hit single, the album consists of material by Dire Straits, with songs selected from the group's six studio albums (excluding the 1979 album Communiqué) from 1978 up through the group's dissolution in 1995. It also features work from the solo career of the group's singer, songwriter, and guitarist Mark Knopfler, including some of his soundtrack material.

Private Investigations
Compilation album by
Released11 November 2005 (2005-11-11)[1]
GenreRoots rock
Length77:12 (CD)
135:52 (2CD)
137:57 (2CD-U.S.A.)
Label
Dire Straits chronology
Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits
(1998)
Private Investigations
(2005)
The Honky Tonk Demos
(2015)
Mark Knopfler chronology
One Take Radio Sessions
(2005)
Private Investigations
(2005)
All the Roadrunning
(2006)

The only previously unreleased track on the album is "All the Roadrunning", a duet with country music singer Emmylou Harris. It was released as a single, reaching #8 in the UK.[2] The United States version omits "Darling Pretty", but adds "Skateaway".

Release

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Private Investigations was released in four different versions:

  • A single disc (grey cover)
  • A two-disc compilation (blue cover)
  • A two-disc compilation with a booklet (gold cover)
  • A two-disc LP with tracks from the single disc CD version

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [3]

In his review for AllMusic, Thom Jurek gave the album four out of five stars and praised the 2CD release, describing a 1CD version as "a silly thing at best and a hopelessly frustrating one at worst." He concluded that "This is not only a fine collection for fans because of its wonderful sequencing, but the best introduction to the man and the band that one could ask for."[3]

Track listing

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All songs were written by Mark Knopfler, except where indicated.

Single disc version

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No.TitleArtist; original albumLength
1."Sultans of Swing"Dire Straits; Dire Straits, 19785:48
2."Love over Gold"Dire Straits; Love over Gold, 19826:16
3."Romeo and Juliet"Dire Straits; Making Movies, 19806:00
4."Tunnel of Love" (Extract from "The Carousel Waltz" by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II)Dire Straits; Making Movies8:10
5."Private Investigations" (Edit)Dire Straits; Love over Gold5:57
6."Money for Nothing" (Single edit, featuring Sting; Knopfler, Gordon Sumner)Dire Straits; Brothers in Arms, 19854:04
7."Brothers in Arms"Dire Straits; Brothers in Arms6:57
8."Walk of Life"Dire Straits; Brothers in Arms4:08
9."On Every Street"Dire Straits; On Every Street, 19915:03
10."Going Home (Theme from Local Hero)"Mark Knopfler; Local Hero soundtrack, 19835:00
11."Why Aye Man" (Radio Edit) (featuring Jimmy Nail & Tim Healy)Mark Knopfler; The Ragpicker's Dream, 20024:09
12."Boom, Like That"Mark Knopfler; Shangri-La, 20045:49
13."What It Is"Mark Knopfler; Sailing to Philadelphia, 20004:56
14."All the Roadrunning" (featuring Emmylou Harris)Mark Knopfler; All the Roadrunning, 20064:49
Total length:77:13

Two-disc version

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Disc one
No.TitleArtist; original albumLength
1."Telegraph Road"Dire Straits; Love over Gold14:20
2."Sultans of Swing"Dire Straits; Dire Straits5:48
3."Love over Gold"Dire Straits; Love Over Gold6:16
4."Romeo and Juliet"Dire Straits; Making Movies6:00
5."Tunnel of Love" (Extract from "The Carousel Waltz" by Rodgers and Hammerstein)Dire Straits; Making Movies8:10
6."Private Investigations" (Edit)Dire Straits; Love over Gold5:57
7."So Far Away"Dire Straits; Brothers in Arms5:07
8."Money for Nothing" (featuring Sting)Dire Straits; Brothers in Arms8:24
9."Brothers in Arms"Dire Straits; Brothers in Arms6:57
10."Walk of Life"Dire Straits; Brothers in Arms4:08
11."Your Latest Trick"Dire Straits; Brothers in Arms6:29
Disc two
No.TitleArtist; original albumLength
1."Calling Elvis"Dire Straits; On Every Street6:24
2."On Every Street"Dire Straits; On Every Street5:03
3."Going Home (Theme from Local Hero)"Mark Knopfler; Local Hero soundtrack5:00
4."Darling Pretty"Mark Knopfler; Golden Heart4:43
5."The Long Road (Theme from Cal)"Mark Knopfler; Cal soundtrack7:17
6."Why Aye Man" (Radio Edit) (featuring Jimmy Nail & Tim Healy)Mark Knopfler; The Ragpicker's Dream4:09
7."Sailing to Philadelphia" (Extended Album Version) (featuring James Taylor)Mark Knopfler; Sailing to Philadelphia5:53
8."What It Is"Mark Knopfler; Sailing to Philadelphia4:56
9."The Trawlerman's Song"Mark Knopfler; Shangri-La5:02
10."Boom, Like That"Mark Knopfler; Shangri-La5:49
11."All the Roadrunning" (featuring Emmylou Harris)Mark Knopfler; All the Roadrunning4:49
Total length:135:52

Two-disc American version

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Disc one
No.TitleArtist; original albumLength
1."Telegraph Road"Dire Straits; Love Over Gold14:20
2."Sultans of Swing"Dire Straits; Dire Straits5:48
3."Love Over Gold"Dire Straits; Love Over Gold6:18
4."Romeo and Juliet"Dire Straits; Making Movies6:00
5."Tunnel of Love" (Extract from "The Carousel Waltz" by Rodgers and Hammerstein)Dire Straits; Making Movies8:10
6."Skateaway"Dire Straits; Making Movies6:35
7."Private Investigations" (Edit)Dire Straits; Love over Gold5:59
8."So Far Away"Dire Straits; Brothers in Arms5:07
9."Money for Nothing" (featuring Sting)Dire Straits; Brothers in Arms8:24
10."Walk of Life"Dire Straits; Brothers in Arms4:08
11."Your Latest Trick"Dire Straits; Brothers in Arms6:29
Disc two
No.TitleArtist; original albumLength
1."Calling Elvis"Dire Straits; On Every Street6:24
2."On Every Street"Dire Straits; On Every Street5:03
3."Going Home (Theme from Local Hero)"Mark Knopfler; Local Hero soundtrack5:00
4."The Long Road (Theme from Cal)"Mark Knopfler; Cal soundtrack7:21
5."Why Aye Man" (Radio Edit) (featuring Jimmy Nail & Tim Healy)Mark Knopfler; The Ragpicker's Dream4:09
6."Sailing to Philadelphia" (Extended Album Version) (featuring James Taylor)Mark Knopfler; Sailing to Philadelphia5:53
7."What It Is"Mark Knopfler; Sailing to Philadelphia4:56
8."The Trawlerman's Song"Mark Knopfler; Shangri-La5:02
9."Boom, Like That"Mark Knopfler; Shangri-La5:49
10."Brothers in Arms"Dire Straits; Brothers in Arms6:57
11."All the Roadrunning" (featuring Emmylou Harris)Mark Knopfler; All the Roadrunning4:49
Total length:137:57

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[36] Platinum 70,000^
Belgium (BEA)[37] Platinum 50,000*
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[38] Platinum 40,000^
Germany (BVMI)[39] Platinum 200,000
Ireland (IRMA)[40] 2× Platinum 30,000^
Italy (FIMI)[41] Platinum 50,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ)[42] Platinum 15,000^
Poland (ZPAV)[43] Platinum 20,000
Portugal (AFP)[44] Platinum 20,000^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[45] Platinum 80,000^
Sweden (GLF)[46] Gold 30,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[47] 4× Platinum 1,200,000
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[48] Platinum 1,000,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ "Mark Knopfler ••• Top Songs as Writer ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts".
  3. ^ a b Jurek, Thom. "Private Investigations: The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 November 2012.
  4. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler – Private Investigations - The Best of". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  5. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler – Private Investigations - The Best of" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  6. ^ "Ultratop.be – Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler – Private Investigations - The Best of" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  7. ^ "Ultratop.be – Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler – Private Investigations - The Best of" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  8. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler – Private Investigations - The Best of". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  9. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler – Private Investigations - The Best of" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  10. ^ "Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler: Private Investigations - The Best of" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  11. ^ "InfoDisc: Tous les "Chart Runs" des Albums classés depuis 1985 dans le Top Albums Officiel". InfoDisc (in French). Archived from the original on 20 August 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2013. Search for Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler under the drop-down menu and click Ok.
  12. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler – Private Investigations - The Best of" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  13. ^ "Top 50 Ξένων Άλμπουμ". IFPI Greece (in Greek). Archived from the original on 26 December 2005. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  14. ^ "Top 75 Artist Album, Week Ending 17 November 2005". GfK Chart-Track. Archived from the original on 12 November 2017. Retrieved 8 August 2022.
  15. ^ "Italiancharts.com – Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler – Private Investigations - The Best of". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  16. ^ "Charts.nz – Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler – Private Investigations - The Best of". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  17. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler – Private Investigations - The Best of". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  18. ^ "Portuguesecharts.com – Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler – Private Investigations - The Best of". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
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  20. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler – Private Investigations - The Best of". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  21. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler – Private Investigations - The Best of". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  22. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  23. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler – Private Investigations - The Best of". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  24. ^ "Lescharts.com – Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler – Private Investigations - The Best of". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  25. ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
  26. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2005". Ultratop. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  27. ^ "Årslista Album – År 2005" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  28. ^ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2005". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  29. ^ "Årslista Album – År 2010" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  30. ^ "End of Year 2010" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  31. ^ "End Of Year Chart 2011" (PDF). Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  32. ^ "End of Year 2012" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  33. ^ "End of Year 2013" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  34. ^ "W 2016 roku najlepiej sprzedającym się albumem było "Życie po śmierci" O.S.T.R." 2016. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  35. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 2019". Ultratop. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
  36. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2013 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 12 September 2019.
  37. ^ "Ultratop − Goud en Platina – albums 2012". Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  38. ^ "Danish album certifications – Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler – Private Investigations". IFPI Danmark. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  39. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler; 'Private Investigations')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  40. ^ "The Irish Charts - 2005 Certification Awards - Multi Platinum". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  41. ^ "Italian album certifications – Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler – Private Investigations" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
  42. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler – Private Investigations". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 10 February 2013.[dead link]
  43. ^ "Wyróżnienia – Platynowe płyty CD - Archiwum - Przyznane w 2018 roku" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 6 August 2018.
  44. ^ "Portuguese Charts" (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. Archived from the original on 10 February 2006. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
  45. ^ "Spanish album certifications" (in Spanish). Productores de Música de España. Retrieved 29 August 2022. Select Álbumes under "Categoría", select 2006 under "Año". Select 9 under "Semana". Click on "BUSCAR LISTA".
  46. ^ "Gold & Platinum Certifications 2005" (PDF). IFPI Sweden (in Swedish). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 May 2012. Retrieved 10 February 2013.
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