Making Movies

Making Movies
Studio album by Dire Straits
Released	17 October 1980
Recorded	20 June – 25 August 1980
Studio	Power Station, New York City
Genre	Roots rock
Length	38:17
Label	Vertigo (UK) · Warner Bros. (US) · Mercury (Canada)
Producer	Jimmy Iovine Mark Knopfler
Dire Straits chronology
Communiqué (1979) Making Movies (1980) Love over Gold (1982)
Singles from Making Movies
"Tunnel of Love" Released: 24 October 1980 (EU)[1] "Skateaway" Released: December 1980 (US) "Romeo and Juliet" Released: 9 January 1981

Making Movies is the third studio album by British rock band Dire Straits, released on 17 October 1980 by Vertigo Records internationally, Warner Bros. Records in the United States and Mercury Records in Canada. The album includes the single "Romeo and Juliet", which reached number 8 on the UK Singles Chart, as well as “Tunnel of Love,” featured in the 1982 Richard Gere film An Officer and a Gentleman.

Making Movies reached number one on the album charts in Italy and Norway, number 19 in the United States and number 4 in the United Kingdom. Making Movies was later certified platinum in the United States and double-platinum in the United Kingdom by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) respectively.

Background

After Dire Straits' Communiqué Tour ended on 21 December 1979 in London, Mark Knopfler spent the first half of 1980 writing the songs for the band's next album. He contacted Jimmy Iovine after hearing Iovine's production on the song "Because the Night" by Patti Smith, a song written by Smith and Bruce Springsteen. Iovine had also worked on Springsteen's Born to Run and Darkness on the Edge of Town albums, and was instrumental in recruiting E-Street Band keyboardist Roy Bittan for the Making Movies sessions.^[2]

Making Movies was recorded at the Power Station in New York from 20 June to 25 August 1980.^{[citation needed]} Jimmy Iovine and Mark Knopfler produced the album.

David Knopfler left Dire Straits in August 1980 during the recording of the album, following heated arguments with his brother^[3] and almost immediately after the recording of a BBC2 Arena documentary about the group featuring several individual interviews with the band members. His guitar tracks were almost complete for the album, but were re-recorded by Mark. David appears on video playing "Solid Rock" and "Les Boys" live in concert, but these performances preceded the recording. The album sessions continued with Sid McGinnis on rhythm guitar, although he was uncredited. Dire Straits expanded into a quintet when keyboard player Alan Clark and Californian guitarist Hal Lindes were recruited as full-time group members shortly after the album's release in October 1980.

Four songs were recorded during the sessions but not released on the album: "Making Movies," "Suicide Towers," "Twisting by the Pool" and "Sucker for Punishment." "Twisting by the Pool" was released on the ExtendedancEPlay EP on 10 January 1983 and reached the UK Top 20 when released as a single. The title of the album is taken from a line in the song "Skateaway" and from the outtake "Making Movies."

Release

Making Movies was released on 17 October 1980 on LP and cassette formats. In 1981, an identically named short film was released on VHS and Beta, as well as screened in some theatrical venues, consisting of three music videos directed by fashion/commercial photographer Lester Bookbinder, for "Romeo and Juliet," "Tunnel of Love" and "Skateaway." The original CD version was released in 1984.

The album was remastered and reissued on CD with the rest of the Dire Straits catalogue in 1996 internationally and on 19 September 2000 in the United States.^[4]

The album's primary single was "Romeo and Juliet" which reached number 8 in the UK singles chart in early 1981. The second single release was "Skateaway," and the third and final single from the album was the lengthy opening track, "Tunnel of Love", with its intro "The Carousel Waltz" by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, which only reached the number 54 position in the UK.

With new group members Alan Clark and Hal Lindes on board, Dire Straits embarked on tours of Europe, North America, and Oceania^[5] from October 1980 until July 1981 to promote the album.

Three of the seven tracks from Making Movies continued to be played throughout the Love over Gold, Brothers in Arms and On Every Street tours: "Romeo and Juliet", "Tunnel of Love", and "Solid Rock", while "Expresso Love" was played in all concert tours until 1986.

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[6]
Christgau's Record Guide	C+[7]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[8]
The Great Rock Discography	6/10[9]
MusicHound	5/5[10]
Pitchfork	8.9/10[11]
Record Mirror	[12]
Rolling Stone	[13]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[14]
Smash Hits	3/10[15]

In his review for Rolling Stone, David Fricke wrote, "Making Movies is the record on which Mark Knopfler comes out from behind his influences and Dire Straits come out from behind Mark Knopfler. The combination of the star's lyrical script, his intense vocal performances and the band's cutting-edge rock & roll soundtrack is breathtaking—everything the first two albums should have been but weren't. If Making Movies really were a film, it might win a flock of Academy Awards."^[13]

In his retrospective review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine said that Making Movies saw Dire Straits chief songwriter Mark Knopfler increasing his ambitions by moving on from roots rock to country rock and folk rock, and that his songwriting skills were keeping pace. He was also complimentary towards the album's production and jazz leanings, though he opined that it runs out of steam towards the end.^[6]

Rolling Stone ranked Making Movies number 52 in their survey of the 100 Best Albums of the Eighties.^[2]

Track listing

All songs were written by Mark Knopfler, except where indicated.^[16]

Side one

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Tunnel of Love" (Extract from "The Carousel Waltz" by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II)	8:11
2.	"Romeo and Juliet"	6:00
3.	"Skateaway"	6:40

Side two

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Expresso Love"	5:12
2.	"Hand in Hand"	4:48
3.	"Solid Rock"	3:19
4.	"Les Boys"	4:07
Total length:		38:17

Personnel

Dire Straits

• Mark Knopfler – vocals, guitars
• John Illsley – bass, vocals
• Pick Withers – drums, vocals

Additional musicians

• Roy Bittan – keyboards
• Sid McGinnis – guitars (uncredited)^[17]

Production

• Jimmy Iovine – producer
• Mark Knopfler – producer
• Shelly Yakus – engineer
• Jeff Hendrickson – assistant engineer
• Jon Mathias – assistant engineer
• Greg Calbi – mastering at Sterling Sound (New York City, New York)
• Bob Ludwig – remastering^[16]
• Neil Terk – original design and artwork
• John Illsley – artwork
• Brian Griffin – photography

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1980–2009) Peak position Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[18] 6 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[19] 15 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[20] 21 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[21] 6 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[22] 7 Italian Albums (FIMI)[23] 1 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[24] 3 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[25] 1 Spanish Albums (AFE)[26] 6 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[27] 4 UK Albums (OCC)[28] 4 US Billboard 200[29] 19

Year-end charts Chart (1981) Position New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[30] 1 Chart (1982) Position New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[31] 8 Chart (1983) Position New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[32] 36 Chart (1986) Position New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[33] 50

Certifications and sales

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Australia	—	125,000[34]
Brazil	—	65,000[35]
Canada (Music Canada)[36]	2× Platinum	200,000^^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[37]	Platinum	53,858[37]
France (SNEP)[38]	Gold	100,000^*
Germany (BVMI)[39]	Gold	250,000^^
Italy (FIMI)[40] 1980-1982 sales	Gold	250,000[40]
Italy (FIMI)[41] sales since 2009	Platinum	50,000^‡
Netherlands (NVPI)[43]	Gold	178,231[42]
New Zealand (RMNZ)[44]	Platinum	15,000^^
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[45]	Gold	50,000^^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[46]	Gold	25,000^^
United Kingdom (BPI)[47]	2× Platinum	600,000^^
United States (RIAA)[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

Notes

Citations

1. "Dire Straits - Tunnel Of Love". Hitparade.ch. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
2. "100 Best Albums of the Eighties: 52: Making Movies". Rolling Stone. 5 February 1980. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
3. Genzel, Christian. "David Knopfler". AllMusic. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
4. "Making Movies". Discogs.com. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
5. "Dire Straits Biography". Sing365.com. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
6. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Making Movies". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
7. Christgau, Robert (1990). "Dire Straits". Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s. Pantheon Books. ISBN 0-679-73015-X. Retrieved 14 September 2024 – via robertchristgau.com.
8. Larkin, Colin (2011). "Dire Straits". Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857125958 – via Google Books.
9. Strong, Martin C. (2004). "Dire Straits". The Great Rock Discography (7 ed.). Canongate Books. pp. 424-425. ISBN 1-84195-615-5.
10. Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). "Dire Straits". MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. p. 342-344. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
11. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (23 September 2020). "Dire Straits: Dire Straits Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
12. Smith, Robin (25 October 1980). "Dire Straits: Making Movies". Record Mirror. Vol. 27, no. 43. p. 23. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
13. Fricke, David (5 February 1980). "Dire Straits: Making Movies". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
14. Considine, J. D. (2004). "Dire Straits". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 242–243. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
15. Ellen, Mark (30 October 1980). "Dire Straits: Making Movies". Smash Hits. No. 50. p. 33. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
16. Making Movies (booklet). Dire Straits. Burbank, California: Warner Bros. Records. 1980. p. 2–4, 11. 947771-2.
17. "Sid McGinnis". AllMusic. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
18. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 260. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
19. "Austriancharts.at – Dire Straits – Making Movies" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
20. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0273". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
21. "Dutchcharts.nl – Dire Straits – Making Movies" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
22. "Offiziellecharts.de – Dire Straits – Making Movies" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
23. "Italiancharts.com – Dire Straits – Making Movies". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
24. "Charts.nz – Dire Straits – Making Movies". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
25. "Norwegiancharts.com – Dire Straits – Making Movies". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
26. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959-2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
27. "Swedishcharts.com – Dire Straits – Making Movies". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
28. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
29. "Dire Straits Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
30. "Top Selling Albums of 1981 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
31. "Top Selling Albums of 1982 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 1 February 2022.
32. "Top Selling Albums of 1983 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 2 February 2022.
33. "Top Selling Albums of 1986 — The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music New Zealand. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
34. "Major fight economics with quirky rock originals". Billboard. 12 June 1982. Retrieved 22 September 2018.
35. Tarik de Souza (12 September 1991). "Volta os campeões de audiência". Jornal do Brasil (in Portuguese). p. 38. Retrieved 23 October 2023 – via National Library of Brazil. Alam da platina tripla pelos 750 mil copias de Brothers in Arms, a banda de Mark Knopfler garimpou entre nos duas platina dimples de 250 mil cada (Alchemy, o primeiro que estourou, em 84, e coletânea Money for Nothing, de 8) e um disco de ouro (no LP de estreia Dire Straits, de 79)
36. "Canadian album certifications – Dire Straits – Making Movies". Music Canada. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
37. "Dire Straits" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 28 August 2013.
38. "French album certifications – Dire Straits – Making Movies" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
39. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Dire Straits; 'Making Movies')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
40. Venegoni, Marinella (15 December 1982). "Ai re del disco, oro, argento e platino". La Stampa (in Italian). p. 17. Retrieved 5 December 2020.
41. "Italian album certifications – Dire Straits – Making Movies" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 22 February 2021. Select "2021" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Type "Making Movies" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Album e Compilation" under "Sezione".
42. Hoos, Willem (16 December 1989). "Group Has Sold More Than 2 Mil Disks - Dutch Delight In Dire Straits - Dutch Delight in Dire Straits" (PDF). Billboard. p. 67. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
43. "Dutch album certifications – Dire Straits – Making Movies" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Enter Making Movies in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 1980 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
44. "New Zealand album certifications – Dire Straits – Making Movies". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
45. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
46. "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Making Movies')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 July 2022.
47. "British album certifications – Dire Straits – Making Movies". British Phonographic Industry.
48. "American album certifications – Dire Straits – Making Movies". Recording Industry Association of America.

External links

• Making Movies at Mark Knopfler's website