''Private Investigations: The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler'' is the third compilation album by

Dire Straits Dire Straits were a British rock band formed in London in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals and lead guitar), David Knopfler (rhythm guitar and backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar and backing vocals) and Pick Withers (drums and percuss ...

and British singer-songwriter and guitarist

Mark Knopfler Mark Freuder Knopfler (born 12 August 1949) is a British singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Born in Scotland and raised in England, he was the lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of the rock band Dire Straits. He pursued a s ...

, released in 2005 by

Mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...

and

Vertigo Vertigo is a condition where a person has the sensation of movement or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties w ...

internationally, and

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

in the United States. Named after their 1982 hit single, the album consists of material by

, with songs selected from the group's six studio albums (excluding the 1979 album ''

Communiqué A press release is an official statement delivered to members of the news media for the purpose of providing information, creating an official statement, or making an announcement directed for public release. Press releases are also considere ...

'') from 1978 up through the group's dissolution in 1995. It also features work from the solo career of the group's singer, songwriter, and guitarist

, including some of his soundtrack material. The only previously unreleased track on the album is "All the Roadrunning", a duet with country music singer

Emmylou Harris Emmylou Harris (born April 2, 1947) is an American singer, songwriter and musician. She has released dozens of albums and singles over the course of her career and has won 14 Grammys, the Polar Music Prize, and numerous other honors, including ...

. It was released as a single, reaching #8 in the UK. The United States version omits "Darling Pretty", but adds "

Skateaway "Skateaway" is a 1980 rock song by Dire Straits, dealing with a female roller-skater breezing through busy city streets, while listening to a portable radio through her headphones. It appears on the band's 1980 album ''Making Movies''. It was ...

Release

''Private Investigations'' was released in four different versions: *A single disc (grey cover) *A two-disc compilation (blue cover) *A two-disc compilation with a booklet (gold cover) *A two-disc LP with tracks from the single disc CD version

Critical reception

In his review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

, Thom Jurek gave the album four out of five stars, writing, "This is not only a fine collection for fans because of its wonderful sequencing, but the best introduction to the man and the band that one could ask for."

Track listing

All songs were written by

, except where indicated.

Single disc version

Two-disc version

;Disc one ;Disc two

Two-disc American version

;Disc one ;Disc two

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

External links

''Private Investigations''
a
Mark Knopfler official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Private Investigations: The Best of Dire Straits and Mark Knopfler Dire Straits albums 2005 greatest hits albums Vertigo Records compilation albums Warner Records compilation albums Mark Knopfler albums Albums produced by Mark Knopfler Split albums Mercury Records compilation albums