10 Most Revolutionary Rock Music Videos

Dire Straits, who formed in 1977, were always a classy outfit, combining rock with heavy elements of country, Americana, blues and jazz. Frontman Mark Knopfler, of course, would also go on to enjoy a successful solo career, but, according to Steve Barron - who directed the groundbreaking video for Dire Straits' hit, Money For Nothing - Knopfler was initially against the idea of music videos in general (as quoted in an interview for the now-defunct Promo Magazine.)

Apparently, Knopfler feared that visuals would detract from the serious business of singing and performing. MTV, the band and Warner Bros. - who released the album from which the single derives - must all be relieved that Knopfler changed his mind.

The video for Money For Nothing became a sensation, not least due to the (for the time) advanced computer animation employed. Ian Pearson and Gavin Blair, the men responsible for the visuals, later founded the company Mainframe Studios, which became a pioneer in the genre of CGI-animated TV shows, including several offerings in the Transformers franchise.

Money For Nothing, in which Knopfler plays the character of a hard-grafting removals man who lambasts the easy lives of rock stars, remains one of the best-loved songs and videos to have come out of the '80s.