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Private Investigations
Compilation album by Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler
Released	11 November 2005 (2005-11-11)
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)

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.

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. 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

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."

Track listing

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

Single disc version

Two-disc version

Disc one

Disc two

Two-disc American version

Disc one

Disc two

Charts

Certifications

References

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.
15. "Italiancharts.com – Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler – Private Investigations - The Best of". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
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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.
23. "Swedishcharts.com – Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler – Private Investigations - The Best of". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
24. "Lescharts.com – Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler – Private Investigations - The Best of". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
25. "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
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30. "End of Year 2010" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 9 May 2021.
31. "End Of Year Chart 2011" (PDF). Official Charts Company. 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.
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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.
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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 20 November 2024.
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External links

• Private Investigations at Mark Knopfler official website

• Dire Straits albums
• 2005 greatest hits albums
• Vertigo Records compilation albums
• Warner Records compilation albums
• Mark Knopfler albums
• Albums produced by Mark Knopfler
• Split albums
• Mercury Records compilation albums