Neck and Neck

Neck and Neck
Studio album by Chet Atkins and Mark Knopfler
Released October 9, 1990
Recorded CA Workshop, Nashville,
Sound Emporium, Nashville,
Hillbilly Heaven, London,
1990[1]
Genre Country
Length 38:26
Label Columbia
Producer Mark Knopfler
Chet Atkins Collaborations chronology

Standard Brands
(1981)		 Neck and Neck
(1990)		 Sneakin' Around
(1991)
Mark Knopfler chronology
Missing... Presumed Having a Good Time
(1989)		 Neck and Neck
(1990)		 Screenplaying
(1993)

Neck and Neck is a collaborative album by American guitarist Chet Atkins and British singer-songwriter and guitarist Mark Knopfler, released on October 9, 1990 by Columbia Records. "Poor Boy Blues" was released as a single, and in 1991 won a Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration with Vocals. That same year, "So Soft Your Goodbye" won a Grammy Award for Best Country Instrumental Performance.[2]

Atkins originally recorded "Yakety Axe", a parody of Boots' Randolph's "Yakety Sax", on his 1965 album More of That Guitar Country. This new recording features lyrics and a new arrangement that were composed by Merle Travis. Atkins also previously recorded "I'll See You in My Dreams" on an album with Merle Travis.

Critical reception

In his review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave the album four out of five stars, calling it "the most focused and arguably the most rewarding record Atkins has released."[2] Erlewine singled out Knopfler's influence on the legendary guitarist:

Working with Dire Straits guitarist Mark Knopfler had a rejuvenating influence on Chet Atkins. Knopfler has Atkins moving toward his country roots, but both guitarists still play with a tasteful, jazzy sensibility—however, Atkins has abandoned the overt jazz fusion pretensions that sank most of his '80s records.[2]
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic [2]

Track listing

No. TitleWriter(s) Length
1. "Poor Boy Blues"  Paul Kennerley 4:01
2. "Sweet Dreams"  Don Gibson 3:24
3. "There'll Be Some Changes Made"  Billy Higgins, Benton Overstreet[Note 1] 6:28
4. "Just One Time"  Don Gibson 4:11
5. "So Soft, Your Goodbye"  Randy Goodrum 3:16
6. "Yakety Axe"  Boots Randolph, James Rich, Merle Travis 3:24
7. "Tears"  Stéphane Grappelli, Django Reinhardt 3:54
8. "Tahitian Skies"  Ray Flacke 3:18
9. "I'll See You in My Dreams"  Isham Jones, Gus Kahn 2:59
10. "The Next Time I'm in Town"  Mark Knopfler 3:21
Total length:
 38:26

Personnel

Music
Production

Charts

Albums

Chart (1990) Peak
Canadian Albums Chart 71
Norway Albums Chart 5
Sweden Albums Chart 8
Swiss Albums Chart 3
UK Albums Chart 41
US Billboard 200 Chart[2] 127
US Billboard Top Country Chart[2] 27

Singles

Year Single Peak positions
CAN Country
1990 "Poor Boy Blues" 92

References

Notes
  1. ↑ Parody lyrics were written by Margaret Archer, Chet Atkins, and Mark Knopfler.
Citations
  1. ↑ "Neck and Neck". Discogs. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Neck and Neck". AllMusic. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
  3. ↑ Neck and Neck (booklet). Chet Atkins and Mark Knopfler. New York: Columbia Records. 1990. pp. 1–3. CK 45307.

External links