Top 10 Records of 2006 – Number Ten

Jay Rand, my lawyer of some fifteen years and one of the best and most experienced VC lawyers in NYC, sent me an email early this year and said, “you gotta get the new Mark Knopfler Emmylou Harris record”. Jay’s a huge Mark Knopfler fan so I wasn’t surprised. I told him I wasn’t sure about Emmylou Harris or Mark Knopfler anymore. Jay said the songs are the best Knopfler has written in a while. That’s all it took. I got the record and it was in heavy rotation for a couple months.

The first four Dire Straits records are fantastic. I love Mark’s guitar playing and his soulful voice and great delivery. I haven’t been much of a fan of the stuff he’s done since, although I loved the work he did on several Dylan records in the 80s.

I think All The Roadrunning is indeed the best thing he’s done in a long time. The songs are great, the pairing with Emmylou Harris worked out wonderfully. And I love listening to this record.

The song that got all the airplay is This Is Us, and it’s a fine tune. But the best songs on the record are I Dug Up A Diamond, Rolling On, and All The Roadrunning. If you are a Mark Knopfler fan and don’t have this record, you are making a mistake. I’ll second Jay’s comment – “you gotta get the Mark Knopfler Emmylou Harris record”.

Comments

[James Governor]

thanks Fred thats my dad fixed up now... when i went over to amazon it also suggested the jj cale eric clapton album, so pops will be all set when it comes to stocking fillers.

[Will]

Fred,
I did not see Ben Harper, Both Sides of the Gun on your list. If you have not checked it out, you should! It is a must listen.

[JayR]

Especially coming from you, the compliment is really appreciated.

I'll make sure my kids start reading your blog - or at least this entry. :)

There is a DVD from this tour which I haven't seen yet. I couldn't see them when they came to NY, but I have seen a bunch of the performances on YouTube. I've made the comment before, but he is one of the best live performers out there, and all of his material comes to life, even the mostly forgettable stuff from his prior two albums.

[jackson]

I predict this will the only one of your top ten that I bought, and reading backwards from Belle & Sebastian, so far I'm right.