Dire Straits Art Print | Discography Tube Map
Music Art prints | Studio albums are stations, musicians are transit lines | Discographies connected like never before | Researched & plotted for fans of real music.
- Regular price
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£39.00 - Regular price
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- Sale price
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£39.00
My David Bowie map is held at the V&A.
Endorsed by Billy Bragg and the Bruce Springsteen Archives.
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Why is this Dire Straits Music Art Print a perfect gift for Dire Straits fans?
Dire Straits fans tend to assume this is Mark Knopfler's story. This Dire Straits art print maps the albums in order, and the only line that reaches every station belongs to John Illsley. His family commissioned this design as a gift for him.
Giclée on 230gsm premium fine art paper, textured matte, archival and acid-free. Produced unframed or framed. Deeply researched and designed by me in East Sussex.
I plot these in CAD software. Every credited musician becomes a transit line, every album becomes a station, and anyone who appears only once gets a branch line of their own.
The stations run chronologically from the 1978 debut to VIII in 2022, with the six Dire Straits albums and John Illsley's eight solo records set in release order together rather than separated.
Interleaving the two catalogues is what makes this map worth hanging. Illsley's solo records were coming out during the Dire Straits years and have continued for decades since, and putting them in sequence shows one continuous working life rather than a band and an afterword.
Being asked to make it as a family gift is the reason it exists at all. The full story on your wall.
Contributing musicians on the discography tube map
John Illsley is credited on all fourteen albums. Mark Knopfler is on eight: the six Dire Straits records plus two of Illsley's solo albums.
The founding line-up thins out fast. David Knopfler plays on the first two albums only, and Pick Withers plays drums on the first four before the band moves on without him.
Alan Clark and Guy Fletcher arrive on keyboards and run long lines through the later Dire Straits records and into the solo catalogue, and Chris White, Phil Palmer and Danny Cummings all cross between the two.
Brothers in Arms carries the most precise credit on the whole print. Omar Hakim plays drums, tambourine and cowbell on every track, and Terry Williams is credited for the drum intro to Money for Nothing and nothing else.
The same album brings in Sting on vocals for that song, Michael and Randy Brecker on saxophone and trumpet for "Your Latest Trick," Tony Levin on Chapman Stick, and Mike Mainieri on vibes.
Making Movies pulls in Roy Bittan from the E Street Band on keyboards. On Every Street adds Vince Gill, Paul Franklin, Jeff Porcaro and Manu Katché, with George Martin arranging and conducting strings on one track.
The solo albums are not a quiet postscript either. Paul Brady, Greg Pearle, Sam Brown and Jerry Donahue all appear across the run.
Art Print Specifications:
Each one is a Giclée on 230gsm premium fine art paper with a textured matte finish, archival and acid-free, so the colours hold for years. Choose A3, A2 or A1 unframed or framed, ready to hang in a hallway, living room or studio.
| Size | UK | USA / CAN / AUS equivalent | Orientation |
|---|---|---|---|
| A3 | 420 x 297 mm (16 x 12 in) | 16 x 12 in | Landscape |
| A2 | 594 x 420 mm (23 x 16 in) | 24 x 18 in | Landscape |
| A1 | 841 x 594 mm (33 x 23 in) | 36 x 24 in | Landscape |
FAQ
How many albums are on the map?
Fourteen. The six Dire Straits studio albums and John Illsley's eight solo records, in release order together.
Who is on every album?
John Illsley, and only John Illsley.
Why are the solo albums included?
Because they were made across the same decades, and they are part of the same story. The map was commissioned by John Illsley's family as a gift for him.
Who actually drums on Brothers in Arms?
Omar Hakim, on every track. Terry Williams is credited only with the drum intro to "Money for Nothing", which is exactly the sort of thing a map like this makes visible.
Is Sting on it?
Yes, for his vocals on "Money for Nothing".
What are the framing options?
Unframed, or supplied framed and ready to hang.
How is this different from a Dire Straits poster?
A standard poster is printed fast on thin, glossy stock. This is a Giclée art print on 230gsm archival acid-free fine art paper with a textured matte finish, so the fine line work stays sharp and the colours hold. It is available in A3, A2 or A1, unframed or in a wood frame.
Explore Dire Straits’ Discography for FREE
I am turning the research behind these maps into FREE interactive radar charts, where you pick a musician and follow their line around the albums. I have not charted Dire Straits yet, so request it here and I will research the most requested artists first. The David Bowie, Fleetwood Mac, Rolling Stones, and Steely Dan charts are free to use now.
Related Music Art Print Maps
Browse the full range of music art prints and the Music Icons collection at mikebellmaps.com.
Roy Bittan connects this map to the Bruce Springsteen Discography Map Art Print, and George Martin to the Beatles Discography Map Art Print.
Read more about this tube map subject:
What people say about my tube map designs
“Brilliant idea... really like what you’ve done, Mike.”
Billy Bragg, on the Billy Bragg discography map
“It is truly amazing.”
Bruce Springsteen Archives, Monmouth University, on the Bruce Springsteen discography map
“Awesome!”
Warren Ellis, on the The Shining plot map
