Dire Straits Albums in Order – Music Map for Fans

My music map doesn’t just show Dire Straits albums in order — it goes one step further by tracing John Illsley’s solo career alongside them. If you're after something more than a poster or a t-shirt, this piece of Dire Straits merch offers a clear look at how the band — and its long-serving bassist - evolved. This Dire Straits albums in order map brings together both band and solo discographies in a visual format that’s easy to follow and rich in detail.

Albums in Order – Dire Straits and John Illsley Studio Discography

• Dire Straits (1978)
• Communiqué (1979)
• Making Movies (1980)
• Love over Gold (1982)
• Never Told a Soul (1984) – John Illsley
• Brothers in Arms (1985)
• Glass (1988) – John Illsley
• On Every Street (1991)
• Beautiful You, with Greg Pearle (2008) – John Illsley
• Streets of Heaven (2010) – John Illsley
• Testing the Water (2014) – John Illsley
• Long Shadows (2016) – John Illsley
• Coming Up for Air (2019) – John Illsley
• VIII (2022) – John Illsley

What’s in My Music Map?

This map covers all six Dire Straits studio albums as well as eight solo albums by bassist John Illsley. I’ve mapped each credited musician across all these records. From the early line-up featuring David and Mark Knopfler, to later appearances by Alan Clark, Guy Fletcher, and beyond, you can see when players join, leave, or reappear over time.

Each musician is represented as a coloured line across the map, with connections plotted per album. It’s built from my detailed spreadsheet research, which lists every credited contributor from the official liner notes of each studio release. The end result is a clear visual summary of who played on what — no need to cross-check Wikipedia pages or dig through old CDs.

Why I Designed This Music Map

Dire Straits had a short but dense run of studio albums, and the personnel shifted enough to make things messy to track. John Illsley was the one consistent presence, so when I started looking into his solo work, it felt natural to treat it as a continuation of the story. Rather than splitting the band and solo sections, I wanted to see how they line up. Mapping them side by side made sense — and gave the whole picture more shape.

Available Art Print Formats

This Dire Straits and John Illsley map is available in A1, A2, and A3 sizes. Each print is produced on high-quality art paper, with free UK delivery and free international shipping included.

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