PRIVATE INVESTIGATIONS - THE BEST OF DIRE STRAITS & MARK KNOPFLER
 
Artist Dire Straits
Release date 7th November 2005
Recording Basing Street Studios, London UK, 13th February 1978 - 5th March 1978 [A2]
Power Station, New York USA / Record Plant, New York, USA, 20th June 1980 - 25th August 1980 [A4, A5]
Power Station, New York, USA, 8th March 1982 - 11th June 1982 [A1, A3, A6]
Power Station, New York, USA, 3rd January 1983 - 23rd January 1983 [B3]
Air Studios, London, UK, January - March 1984 [B5]
 Air Studios, Montserrat, West Indies, 2nd November 1984 - 21st December 1984 and 3rd January 1985 - 6th February 1985 [A7, A8, A9, A10, A11]
Air Studios, London UK, November 1990 - May 1991 [B1, B2]
 Emerald Sound Studios, Nashville, USA / Javelina Recording Studios, Nashville, USA / Sixteenth Avenue Sound, Nashville, USA / Air Studios, London, UK / Windmill Lane Studios, Dublin, Ireland [B4]
Recording studio, Nashville, USA, April 1999 and November 1999 [B7, B8]
Emerald Sound Studios, Nashville, USA, 20th January 2002 - 2nd February 2002 & 15th April 2002 - 20th April 2002 [B6]
 Shangri-La studios, Malibu, California, USA, 3rd February 2004 - 16th February 2004 & 23rd February 2004 - 12th March 2004 [B9, B10]
Recording studio, unknown location, various years (All the roadrunning album) [B11]
Format 2CD
Label Mercury
Cat.no. 9874477
Tracks CD 1 (A)
  1. Telegraph road
  2. Sultans of swing
  3. Love over gold
  4. Romeo and Juliet
  5. Tunnel of love
  6. Private investigations
  7. So far away
  8. Money for nothing
  9. Brothers in arms
  10. Walk of life
  11. Your latest trick
Tracks CD 2 (B)
  1. Calling Elvis
  2. On every street
  3. Going home
  4. Darling pretty
  5. The long road
  6. Why aye man
  7. Sailing to Philadelphia
  8. What it is
  9. The trawlerman's song
  10. Boom, like that
  11. All the roadrunning
Front & back cover                              
CD's                                     
Additional comments This best of compilation CD was issued in three formats. This is the standard 2CD version. In the USA, Warners Bros released this 2CD version with Skateaway replacing Darling pretty in the track list. Jewel case.

Remarkable thing is that there are some differences on these tracks compared to the original album releases:
  • On the last verse of Calling Elvis, there is an echo added to the line "is anybody home" (at around 2:39) which is not present on the On every street album.
  • The total track length of Darling pretty is 4:43 while on the Golden heart album it lasts 4:31. But even more remarkable is the fact that this version of Darling pretty features a different vocal take compared to the Golden heart album.
  • Why aye man is the shorter version (radio edit) which was previously only released on promo singles
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  • Sailing to Philadelphia on this compilation album is longer compared to the version on the Sailing to Philadelphia album. The total track length is 5:53 instead of 5:29 and the guitar playout starting at around 04:00 is also different, it seems to be the full unedit version.
  • What it is on this compilation album features one line that is different compared to the version on the Sailing to Philadelphia album: "Where the Caledonian blues" is replaced by "Let the drums beat the tattoo" (at around 1:44 in the song)