成立于1979年的英倫搖滾樂隊，其英文名為Dire Straits，意欲其剛剛創(chuàng)立時經(jīng)濟上的窘境�？植篮�峽可以說的上是上個世紀80年代最成功的搖滾/流行樂隊，它的成功有相當(dāng)一部分是由于主唱馬克諾弗勒深厚的文學(xué)造詣以及其精深的吉他演奏技巧。樂隊一開始在倫敦酒吧中演出，隨著聲名鵲起，被唱片公司相中并推出了大受好評的同名音樂專輯。其中的搖擺之王也成為恐怖海峽的經(jīng)典曲目，此后恐怖海峽還陸續(xù)推出“交流”、“電影制作”、“在每條大街上”、“難兄難弟”等專輯，并在商業(yè)上取得非常大的成功。馬克也由從前的搖滾樂評人變成炙手可熱的流行之星，他也因此有機會與像克萊普頓之類的音樂人合作，并在80年代中期投入到電影配樂的創(chuàng)作中。隨著90年代的來臨 新的音樂風(fēng)格的鵲起，恐怖海峽逐漸消沉，馬克也單飛，創(chuàng)作了另外一些經(jīng)典曲目，但是其影響顯然已經(jīng)遠不極80年代。

　　恐怖海峽貫穿其始終的就是對人性的關(guān)懷以及對商業(yè)的諷刺。有意思的是，在1985年的MTV大獎上，恐怖海峽評介其一首對MTV以及唱片工業(yè)諷刺的金錢無用獲得了第一，這個也是出人所料的。

　　流派：Rock

　　風(fēng)格：Pop/Rock、Folk-Rock、Rock & Roll

　　演奏形式：Band

　　樂隊成員：Mark Knopfler: Guitarist、Vocalist

　　David Knopfler: Guitar

　　John Illsley: Bass

　　Pick Withers:Drum

　　“恐怖海峽”1976年組建于倫敦西南部的代特福德，該樂隊出現(xiàn)在朋克音樂頂峰時期，但與這一運動沒有什么共同之處，最后獲得了主流搖滾樂隊的稱號。他們在全世界范圍內(nèi)銷售了大量唱片，他們的成功主要歸功于獨具特色的、受迪倫影響的歌手和吉他演奏大師、樂隊的核心人物馬克.諾夫勒（Mark Knopfler，生于1949年8月12日）的吉他演奏。

　　諾夫勒28、29歲時才開始音樂生涯，在這以前他曾從事過兩個職業(yè)（新聞記者和教師）。在這一段時間里他吸收了許多音樂影響[最著名的是鮑勃.迪倫（DYLAN，BOB）和J.J.凱爾]而且他的歌曲創(chuàng)作和吉他演奏技巧已完全成熟，這兩個因素為“恐怖海峽”在早期得到各音樂團體的接受起了很大的作用。

　　諾夫勒與他的兄弟戴維（David，吉他手）和約翰.伊爾斯利（John Illsley，貝司手）聯(lián)合以后，又將鼓手皮克.威瑟斯（Pick Withers）補充到演員陣容中，他們開始在倫敦小酒店聯(lián)合組織中舉辦了一些小型演出。最后他們花了120英鎊錄制了一盤樣帶， 其中包括他們后來的經(jīng)典歌曲《搖擺之王》（Sultans of Swing），這首歌在倫敦電臺節(jié)目主持人查里.杰爾萊的節(jié)目中播放過。結(jié)果各唱片公司蜂擁而至競相與該樂隊簽約。1978年他們與Phonogram公司簽約，錄制了歌曲《搖擺之王》和一張唱片《恐怖海峽》，盡管評論家們對其華而不實的專家氣派頗為賞識，但英國的歌迷對它都很不重視。然而這張唱片更和美國搖滾樂迷的口味，因此與當(dāng)時從英國來的大多數(shù)唱片相比它更易用做電臺歌曲播放。轉(zhuǎn)眼之間他們手中擁有了一首風(fēng)靡美國的歌曲和一張唱片。

　　這一成功也在別的地方重現(xiàn)，其中包括返回英國，在那里這首歌曲名列排行榜第9位，專輯名列第5。在此之后“恐怖海峽”很快成為國際上一支成就巨大的搖滾樂隊。1979年出版的專輯《公報》（Communique）與前面那張唱片幾乎毫無兩樣，也暢銷全世界。這張唱片發(fā)行以后，戴維離開樂隊開始個人發(fā)展。1980年第3張專輯《制作電影》（Making Movies），來自布魯斯.斯普林斯廷（SPRINGSTEEN，BRUCE）的“E街”樂隊的羅伊.比坦（Roy Bittan）給這張唱片帶來更加清新的聲音�！吨谱麟娪啊吩谟⒚阔@得了相當(dāng)大的成功，盡管評論界批評他們的音樂過于拖沓。但專輯仍然獲得了金唱片，其中的《羅蜜歐與朱麗葉》（Romeo and Juliet）和《滑離》（Skateaway）成為電臺和MTV中的熱門歌曲。為了1980年的巡回演出，吉他手哈爾.林迪斯（Hal Lindes）和鍵盤手艾倫.克拉克（Alan Clark）也加入到該樂隊中。

　　與此同時，馬克.諾夫勒作為一位吉他演奏家所享有的聲譽繼續(xù)增長，他暫時離開樂隊與鮑勃.迪倫和“斯蒂利.丹”（STEELY DAN）進行一些合作。因此隔了很長一段時間才于1992 年出版了第4張專輯《愛情勝過黃金》（Love over Gold）。這張唱片由諾夫勒自己制作，其銷量比以往唱片都要多。專輯中充滿了冗長和實驗色彩的作品，單曲《私人調(diào)查》（Private Investigations）獲得英國排行榜的死2名，并成為英國榜上的冠軍專輯，而在美國成為金唱片。在這張專輯出版不久，特里.威廉斯（Terry Williams）代替了威瑟斯鼓手的位置。而此時的諾夫勒開始在“恐怖海峽”之外探索新的音樂途徑，為電影配樂[電影《本地英雄》（Local Hero）、Cal和《舒適與歡樂》（Comfort and Joy）]并出現(xiàn)在范.莫里森（MORRISON，VAN）的專輯中。除了1983年出版一張EP專輯《池邊扭擺》（Twisting By the Pool）之外，“恐怖海峽”在1983、1984兩年間的大部分時間處于偃旗息鼓狀態(tài)，這期間，馬克.諾夫勒為鮑勃.迪倫制作了專輯《異教徒》（Infidel），為蒂娜.透納（TURNER，TINA）的復(fù)出專輯創(chuàng)作了一首《私人舞蹈家》（Private Dancer），給“阿滋特克照相機”（AZTEC CAMERA）制作唱片《刀》（Knife）。1984年春，樂隊出版了雙唱片《煉金術(shù)》（Alchemy》。這年底，樂隊進入錄音棚錄制他們的第5張專輯，并增加了一位新的成員，鍵盤手蓋伊.弗萊徹（Guy Fletcher）。專輯《情同手足》（Brothers In Arms）于1985年夏天正式出版，這是“恐怖海峽”的一張突破性的專輯，具有諷刺意味的是，其中的一首嘲弄音樂錄像的單曲《不勞而獲》（Money for Nothing）竟然在MTV電視臺的推波助瀾下成了熱門歌曲，在美國排行榜前10名停留了9個星期并賣掉了900萬張；在英國，這張專輯也是80年代銷量最高的專輯�！渡�活之路》（Walk of Life）和《如此遙遠》（So Far Away）使這張專輯在排行榜上停留的時間一直持續(xù)到1986年。為推廣這張專輯，樂隊舉行了近兩百場演出。隨后，馬克.諾夫勒為蘭迪.紐曼（NEWMAN，RANDY）和瓊.阿馬特雷�。↗oan Armatrading）制作專輯，參加了埃里克.克拉普頓（CLAPTON，ERIC）的巡回演出，又與切特.阿特金斯（Chet Atkins）合作了一張專輯《頸》（Neck and Neck）。1989年，他組建了鄉(xiāng)村搖滾樂隊“諾丁山地人”（Notting Hillbillies），并于次年出版了一張專輯《想念......大概有個好時光》（Missing...Presumed Having a Good Time）。

　　在經(jīng)過了一系列個人活動之后，馬克.諾夫勒于1990年重新拾起了“恐怖海峽”，這時的主要成員有：伊斯利、克拉克和弗萊徹以及一些職業(yè)樂手。1991年，新專輯《在每一條大街上》（On Every Street）在人們的意料之中出版，不過令人遺憾的是，這張專輯并不像人們預(yù)期的那樣，在美國只成為白金唱片，蓮排行榜的前40名都沒有進去，甚至沒有一首熱門歌曲。同樣，他們的巡回演出也是失望而歸，他們在歐洲和美國巡回演出的門庇惺備�本卖矐仰去。这锤C慚葜�后，踌\媼訟殖∽�辑�對諞雇懟罰∣n the Night），隨后，樂隊又無限期地放了長假。馬克.諾夫勒在1996年出版了他的第1張正式的專輯《金子心》（Golden Heart），但并沒有獲得太多的喝彩，也許，“恐怖海峽”及馬克.諾夫勒出色的才華隨著80年代的逝去而一去不復(fù)返了。

　　從商業(yè)的角度來說，“恐怖海峽”特別是馬克.諾夫勒證明他們是自70年代以來最成功的搖滾組合之一，在全世界銷售了近2000萬張唱片。不過，除了出色的唱片《搖擺之王》之外，“恐怖海峽”錄制的唱片通常因其缺乏刺激性而受到批評。人們?nèi)匀粦岩芍Z夫勒天賦并不算高，而只是一位技藝高超的手藝人。

　　英文介紹

　　Dire Straits emerged during the post-punk era of the late ’70s, and while their sound was minimalistic and stripped down, they owed little to punk. If anything, the band was a direct outgrowth of the roots revivalism of pub rock, but where pub rock celebrated good times, Dire Straits were melancholy. Led by guitarist/vocalist Mark Knopfler, the group built their sound upon the laid-back blues-rock of J.J. Cale, but they also had jazz and country inflections, occasionally dipping into the epic song structures of progressive rock. The band’s music was offset by Knopfler’s lyrics, which approximated the winding, stream-of-conscious narratives of Bob Dylan. As their career progressed, Dire Straits became more refined and their new maturity happened to coincide with the rise of MTV and the compact disc. These two musical revolutions from the mid-’80s helped make Dire Straits’ sixth album, Brothers in Arms, an international blockbuster. The band — along with Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, and Steve Winwood — become one of the leaders of a group of self-consciously mature veteran rock & rollers in the late ’80s that designed their music to appeal to aging baby boomers. Despite the band’s international success, they couldn’t sustain their stardom, waiting a full six years to deliver a follow-up to Brothers in Arms, by which time their audience had shrunk significantly.

　　Knopfler (born August 12, 1949) was always the main force behind Dire Straits. The son of an architect, Knopfler studied English literature at Leeds University and worked briefly as a rock critic for the Yorkshire Evening Post while at college. He began teaching English after his graduation, leading a pub rock band called Brewer’s Droop at night. By 1977, Mark was playing with his brother David (guitar) and his roommate John Illsley (bass). During the summer of 1977, the trio cut a demo with drummer Pick Withers. A London DJ named Charlie Gillett heard the demo and began playing "Sultans of Swing" on his BBC show Honky Tonkin’. Following a tour opening for Talking Heads, the band began recording their debut for Vertigo Records with producer Muff Winwood in early 1978. By the summer, they had signed with Warner in America, releasing their eponymous debut in the fall. Thanks to the Top Ten hit "Sultans of Swing," Dire Straits was a major success in both Britain and America, with the single and album climbing into the Top Ten on both sides of the Atlantic.

　　Dire Straits established Dire Straits as a major force on album-oriented radio in America, and their second album, Communique (1979), consolidated their audience, selling three million copies worldwide. As the group was recording its third album, Knopfler left the band to pursue a solo career; he was replaced by former Darling member Hal Lindes. Like its predecessor, Making Movies was a sizable hit in America and Britain, even though the band was criticized for musically treading water. Nevertheless, the record went gold on the strength of the radio and MTV hits "Romeo and Juliet" and "Skateaway." Dire Straits followed the album two years later with Love Over Gold, an album filled with long, experimental passages, plus the single "Private Investigations," which became a number two hit in the U.K. The album went gold in America and spent four weeks at number one in Britain. Shortly after the release of Love Over Gold, former Rockpile drummer Terry Williams replaced Withers.

　　During 1982, Knopfler began exploring musical avenues outside of Dire Straits, scoring the Bill Forsyth film Local Hero and playing on Van Morrison’s Beautiful Vision. Apart from releasing the Twisting by the Pool EP early in 1983, Dire Straits were quiet for the majority of 1983 and 1984, as Knopfler produced Bob Dylan’s Infidels, as well as Aztec Camera and Willy DeVille; he also wrote "Private Dancer for Tina Turner’s comeback album. In the spring of 1984, the band released the double album Alchemy: Dire Straits Live and by the end of the year, they had begun recording their fifth studio album with their new keyboardist, Guy Fletcher. Released in the summer of 1985, Brothers in Arms was Dire Straits’ breakthrough album, making the band international stars. Supported by the groundbreaking computer-animated video for "Money for Nothing," a song which mocked music videos, the album became a blockbuster, spending nine weeks at the top of the American charts and selling over nine million copies; in England, the album became the biggest-selling album of the ’80s. "Walk of Life" and "So Far Away" kept Brothers in Arms in the charts through 1986, and Dire Straits played over 200 dates in support of the album. Once the tour was completed, Dire Straits went on hiatus for several years, as Knopfler produced records by Randy Newman and Joan Armatrading, scored films, toured with Eric Clapton, and recorded a duet album with Chet Atkins (Neck and Neck, 1990). In 1989, he formed the country-rock group Notting Hillbillies, whose sole album, Missing...Presumed Having a Good Time, became a British hit upon its spring 1990 release. During the extended time off, John Illsley recorded his second album; the first appeared in 1984.

　　In 1990, Knopfler reconvened Dire Straits, which now featured Illsley, Clark, Fletcher, and various session musicians. The band released On Every Street in the fall of 1991 to great anticipation. However, the album failed to meet expectations — it only went platinum in America and it didn’t crack the U.K. Top 40 — and failed to generate a hit single. Similarly, the tour was a disappointment, with many tickets going unsold in both the U.S. and Europe. Once the tour was completed, the live album On the Night was released in the spring of 1993 and the band again went on hiatus. In 1996, Knopfler launched his solo career with Golden Heart