Personnel: Chet Atkins, Mark Knopfler (guitar); Paul Franklin (steel guitar, pedabro, dobro); Mark O'Connor (mandolin, fiddle); Floyd Cramer (piano); Guy Fletcher (keyboards, bass, drums); Edgar Meyer, Steve Wariner (bass); Larrie Londin (drums); Vince Gill (background vocals). Without Chet Atkins, country music may never have crossed over into the pop charts in the '50s and '60s. Atkins' style grew out of his admiration for Merle Travis, and expanded Travis' signature syncopated thumb-and-fingers roll into new territory. Chet Atkins' role as record producer in the '60s and '70s made the Nashville sound heard and loved throughout the world. On NECK AND NECK, Mr. Guitar teams up with Dire Straits' guitarist Mark Knopfler. Together, the two guitar greats perform a wide variety of music encompassing country, pop, and even European jazz influences. Atkins and Knopfler perform the Boots Randolph tune, "Yakety Sax" that Atkins, decades earlier, turned into a country hit after renaming it "Yakety Axe." The two guitarists also perform the Django Reinhardt ballad, "Tears," employing a delicate and introspective touch. Perhaps the best song here though is the endearing "There'll Be Some Changes Made," which incorporates a virtuoso guitar battle.

• RSD Date: DDD
• Format: Vinyl
• Released: 07/08/14