Private Investigations (album)

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 Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler
Released	11 November 2005 (2005-11-11)[1]
Genre	Roots rock
Length	77:12 (CD) 135:52 (2CD) 137:57 (2CD-U.S.A.)
Label	Mercury Vertigo Warner Bros. (US)
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

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

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
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

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

Single disc version

No.	Title	Artist; original album	Length
1.	"Sultans of Swing"	Dire Straits; Dire Straits, 1978	5:48
2.	"Love over Gold"	Dire Straits; Love over Gold, 1982	6:16
3.	"Romeo and Juliet"	Dire Straits; Making Movies, 1980	6:00
4.	"Tunnel of Love" (Extract from "The Carousel Waltz" by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II)	Dire Straits; Making Movies	8:10
5.	"Private Investigations" (Edit)	Dire Straits; Love over Gold	5:57
6.	"Money for Nothing" (Single edit, featuring Sting; Knopfler, Gordon Sumner)	Dire Straits; Brothers in Arms, 1985	4:04
7.	"Brothers in Arms"	Dire Straits; Brothers in Arms	6:57
8.	"Walk of Life"	Dire Straits; Brothers in Arms	4:08
9.	"On Every Street"	Dire Straits; On Every Street, 1991	5:03
10.	"Going Home (Theme from Local Hero)"	Mark Knopfler; Local Hero soundtrack, 1983	5:00
11.	"Why Aye Man" (Radio Edit) (featuring Jimmy Nail & Tim Healy)	Mark Knopfler; The Ragpicker's Dream, 2002	4:09
12.	"Boom, Like That"	Mark Knopfler; Shangri-La, 2004	5:49
13.	"What It Is"	Mark Knopfler; Sailing to Philadelphia, 2000	4:56
14.	"All the Roadrunning" (featuring Emmylou Harris)	Mark Knopfler; All the Roadrunning, 2006	4:49
Total length:			77:13

Two-disc version

Disc one

No.	Title	Artist; original album	Length
1.	"Telegraph Road"	Dire Straits; Love over Gold	14:20
2.	"Sultans of Swing"	Dire Straits; Dire Straits	5:48
3.	"Love over Gold"	Dire Straits; Love Over Gold	6:16
4.	"Romeo and Juliet"	Dire Straits; Making Movies	6:00
5.	"Tunnel of Love" (Extract from "The Carousel Waltz" by Rodgers and Hammerstein)	Dire Straits; Making Movies	8:10
6.	"Private Investigations" (Edit)	Dire Straits; Love over Gold	5:57
7.	"So Far Away"	Dire Straits; Brothers in Arms	5:07
8.	"Money for Nothing" (featuring Sting)	Dire Straits; Brothers in Arms	8:24
9.	"Brothers in Arms"	Dire Straits; Brothers in Arms	6:57
10.	"Walk of Life"	Dire Straits; Brothers in Arms	4:08
11.	"Your Latest Trick"	Dire Straits; Brothers in Arms	6:29

Disc two

No.	Title	Artist; original album	Length
1.	"Calling Elvis"	Dire Straits; On Every Street	6:24
2.	"On Every Street"	Dire Straits; On Every Street	5:03
3.	"Going Home (Theme from Local Hero)"	Mark Knopfler; Local Hero soundtrack	5:00
4.	"Darling Pretty"	Mark Knopfler; Golden Heart	4:43
5.	"The Long Road (Theme from Cal)"	Mark Knopfler; Cal soundtrack	7:17
6.	"Why Aye Man" (Radio Edit) (featuring Jimmy Nail & Tim Healy)	Mark Knopfler; The Ragpicker's Dream	4:09
7.	"Sailing to Philadelphia" (Extended Album Version) (featuring James Taylor)	Mark Knopfler; Sailing to Philadelphia	5:53
8.	"What It Is"	Mark Knopfler; Sailing to Philadelphia	4:56
9.	"The Trawlerman's Song"	Mark Knopfler; Shangri-La	5:02
10.	"Boom, Like That"	Mark Knopfler; Shangri-La	5:49
11.	"All the Roadrunning" (featuring Emmylou Harris)	Mark Knopfler; All the Roadrunning	4:49
Total length:			135:52

Two-disc American version

Disc one

No.	Title	Artist; original album	Length
1.	"Telegraph Road"	Dire Straits; Love Over Gold	14:20
2.	"Sultans of Swing"	Dire Straits; Dire Straits	5:48
3.	"Love Over Gold"	Dire Straits; Love Over Gold	6:18
4.	"Romeo and Juliet"	Dire Straits; Making Movies	6:00
5.	"Tunnel of Love" (Extract from "The Carousel Waltz" by Rodgers and Hammerstein)	Dire Straits; Making Movies	8:10
6.	"Skateaway"	Dire Straits; Making Movies	6:35
7.	"Private Investigations" (Edit)	Dire Straits; Love over Gold	5:59
8.	"So Far Away"	Dire Straits; Brothers in Arms	5:07
9.	"Money for Nothing" (featuring Sting)	Dire Straits; Brothers in Arms	8:24
10.	"Walk of Life"	Dire Straits; Brothers in Arms	4:08
11.	"Your Latest Trick"	Dire Straits; Brothers in Arms	6:29

Disc two

No.	Title	Artist; original album	Length
1.	"Calling Elvis"	Dire Straits; On Every Street	6:24
2.	"On Every Street"	Dire Straits; On Every Street	5:03
3.	"Going Home (Theme from Local Hero)"	Mark Knopfler; Local Hero soundtrack	5:00
4.	"The Long Road (Theme from Cal)"	Mark Knopfler; Cal soundtrack	7:21
5.	"Why Aye Man" (Radio Edit) (featuring Jimmy Nail & Tim Healy)	Mark Knopfler; The Ragpicker's Dream	4:09
6.	"Sailing to Philadelphia" (Extended Album Version) (featuring James Taylor)	Mark Knopfler; Sailing to Philadelphia	5:53
7.	"What It Is"	Mark Knopfler; Sailing to Philadelphia	4:56
8.	"The Trawlerman's Song"	Mark Knopfler; Shangri-La	5:02
9.	"Boom, Like That"	Mark Knopfler; Shangri-La	5:49
10.	"Brothers in Arms"	Dire Straits; Brothers in Arms	6:57
11.	"All the Roadrunning" (featuring Emmylou Harris)	Mark Knopfler; All the Roadrunning	4:49
Total length:			137:57

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2005) Peak position Australian Albums (ARIA)[4] 35 Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[5] 44 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[6] 14 Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[7] 32 Danish Albums (Hitlisten)[8] 5 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[9] 23 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)[10] 17 French Compilations Chart[11] 4 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[12] 36 Greek Albums (IFPI)[13] 8 Irish Albums (IRMA)[14] 10 Italian Albums (FIMI)[15] 21 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[16] 17 Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[17] 5 Portuguese Albums (AFP)[18] 3 Scottish Albums (OCC)[19] 20 Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[20] 7 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[21] 15 UK Albums (OCC)[22] 20 Chart (2010) Peak position Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[23] 3 Chart (2016) Peak position French Albums (SNEP)[24] 134 Polish Albums (ZPAV)[25] 4

Year-end charts Chart (2005) Position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[26] 94 Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[27] 42 UK Albums (OCC)[28] 87 Chart (2010) Position Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[29] 56 UK Albums (OCC)[30] 173 Chart (2011) Position UK Albums (OCC)[31] 159 Chart (2012) Position UK Albums (OCC)[32] 181 Chart (2013) Position UK Albums (OCC)[33] 200 Chart (2016) Position Polish Albums (ZPAV)[34] 81 Chart (2019) Position Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[35] 140

Certifications

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

1. ^{[dead link]}
2. "Mark Knopfler ••• Top Songs as Writer ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts".
3. 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.
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18. "Portuguesecharts.com – Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler – Private Investigations - The Best of". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
19. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
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.
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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.
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29. "Årslista Album – År 2010" (in Swedish). Sverigetopplistan. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
30. "End of Year 2010" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
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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.
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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.
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External links

• Private Investigations at Mark Knopfler official website