Defunct rockers Dire Straits are testing the endurance of their 1985 proclamation "get your money for nothing and your chicks for free" with a holiday-timed greatest hits album that does little more than cannibalize their previous "best of" compilation, released a decade ago.

Due out Oct. 19, Songs of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits includes sixteen radio-friendly tracks -- half of which appeared on 1988's gold-selling "best of," oops, greatest hits album, Money for Nothing.

Mercury Records has whittled down a sixteen-year career to a collection of four-minute foot-tappers like "Sultans of Swing," "Walk of Life" and "Brothers in Arms." Three live tracks spice up the album, though two of which have appeared on previously released concert discs, namely 1984's Alchemy and 1993's On the Night. The third live contribution, "Local Hero," may be the only valuable nugget on the retrospective: The song was originally recorded for frontman Mark Knopfler's solo album, also called Local Hero, which also doubled as the film soundtrack for, you guessed it, Local Hero.

While his former band languishes in its headband heyday, Knopfler continues to produce fresh material for the masses. The forty-nine-year-old songwriter has completed nearly two-thirds of his second bona fide solo album. For the yet-untitled effort, he's been collaborating with the same musical team that helped construct his 1996 solo debut, Golden Heart.

A spokesman for Knopfler says the artist will "very probably" tour to support the forthcoming disc, which, he says, contains some relatively "high-energy" tunes. In the meantime, soundtrack-maven Knopfler has recorded the score for the independent British film Metroland. The movie, which stars Emily Watson (The Boxer) will likely open in the U.S. later this year.

ANNI LAYNE