Album cover. RCA Victor (APL1-1117) (1975)
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Best of Dolly Parton (also known as Best of Dolly Parton, Vol. 2) is a compilation album by Dolly Parton. It was released on July 14, 1975, by RCA Victor. The album was produced by Porter Wagoner, although the respective originating albums credited Bob Ferguson as producer. The album peaked at number five on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.
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Track listing
Side A
- Jolene (Dolly Parton) 2:36
- Traveling Man (Dolly Parton) 2:10
- Lonely Comin' Down (Porter Wagoner) 3:07
- The Bargain Store (Dolly Parton) 2:39
- Touch Your Woman (Dolly Parton) 3:39
- I Will Always Love You (Dolly Parton) 2:53
- Love Is Like a Butterfly (Dolly Parton) 2:19
- Coat of Many Colors (Dolly Parton) 3:02
- My Tennessee Mountain Home (Dolly Parton) 3:04
- When I Sing for Him (Porter Wagoner) 2:56
Background
The album was titled Best of Dolly Parton, despite RCA having previously issued an album titled The Best of Dolly Parton in 1970, which remained available at the time of this release and continued to be in circulation for several additional years. While the tracks, artwork, and catalog numbers differed between the two albums (notably, this release omits "The" from its title), some confusion persisted between them. This album is sometimes informally referred to as Best of Dolly Parton, Vol. 2, although it was never officially released under that title. Nevertheless, a third compilation, Best of Dolly Parton, Vol. 3, was issued in 1987, implying that RCA considered this collection to be Volume 2, despite the absence of that label in the title.
The initial release of the album included an 11" x 20" poster of the album cover photo. The back cover showcased a photo of Dolly dressed in a yellow jumpsuit, a rare image from that era that accentuated her curves and bust.
The original album was designed as a gatefold, featuring an additional photo of Dolly and the printed lyrics to the songs in the inner section, which included an extra final verse to "Coat of Many Colors" that was not present in the recorded version. For reasons that remain unclear, when the album was reissued on CD in the 1990s, the inner gatefold photo was used for the outer cover instead of the original cover image. Additionally, the sequence of some tracks was altered in the reissue.
The initial release of the album included an 11" x 20" poster of the album cover photo. The back cover showcased a photo of Dolly dressed in a yellow jumpsuit, a rare image from that era that accentuated her curves and bust.
The original album was designed as a gatefold, featuring an additional photo of Dolly and the printed lyrics to the songs in the inner section, which included an extra final verse to "Coat of Many Colors" that was not present in the recorded version. For reasons that remain unclear, when the album was reissued on CD in the 1990s, the inner gatefold photo was used for the outer cover instead of the original cover image. Additionally, the sequence of some tracks was altered in the reissue.
Content
Of the ten tracks, eight were written by Dolly and became significant country hits. The gospel song "When I Sing for Him," penned by Porter Wagoner, was released as a single, but did not achieve chart success. Similarly, "Lonely Comin' Down," also by Wagoner, was never released as a single, although this recording appeared on two different studio albums: My Favorite Songwriter, Porter Wagoner in 1972 and Jolene in 1974.
The album cover states "Produced and arranged by Porter Wagoner," although Bob Ferguson was credited as the producer on the respective original albums.
The album cover states "Produced and arranged by Porter Wagoner," although Bob Ferguson was credited as the producer on the respective original albums.
Critical reception
The compilation was reviewed in the July 26, 1975 issue of Billboard magazine. The review said, "On the front cover you have a wholesome looking country girl, and on the back, a very wholesome girl in skin-tight costume seldom seen in the country. In between are some of the finest songs Dolly has ever done, and that means great ones. There's not a weak cut in the bunch, an album with strength from start to finish. Go right down the line: "Jolene", "Traveling Man", "Lonely Comin' Down", and the list goes on to include "The Bargain Store", "I Will Always Love You", "Love Is Like a Butterfly", "Coat of Many Colors", etc. Also in between is a poster of Dolly. What more could any buyer ask?"
Cashbox also reviewed the album in their July 26, 1975 issue. It said, "A feast of sight and sound — that's The Best of Dolly Parton. Dolly writes. Dolly sings and RCA has included a full color poster in addition to a fold-over LP jacket that could well provide Dolly fans with three additional pin-up photos. This feast of good sound offers Dolly's hits such as "Jolene", "The Bargain Store", "Travelin' Man", "! Will Always Love You", "Love Is Like a Butterfly", "Coat of Many Colors", and others.
And along with all this comes a bonus of printed lyrics inside the LP jacket. Produced by Porter Wagoner, The Best of Dolly Parton is a true sampling of the best of many things."
Cashbox also reviewed the album in their July 26, 1975 issue. It said, "A feast of sight and sound — that's The Best of Dolly Parton. Dolly writes. Dolly sings and RCA has included a full color poster in addition to a fold-over LP jacket that could well provide Dolly fans with three additional pin-up photos. This feast of good sound offers Dolly's hits such as "Jolene", "The Bargain Store", "Travelin' Man", "! Will Always Love You", "Love Is Like a Butterfly", "Coat of Many Colors", and others.
And along with all this comes a bonus of printed lyrics inside the LP jacket. Produced by Porter Wagoner, The Best of Dolly Parton is a true sampling of the best of many things."
Billboard review, July 26, 1975.
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Cashbox review, July 26, 1975.
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Commercial performance
The album debuted at number 48 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart dated August 9, 1976. It peaked at number five on the chart dated October 11, 1975, its tenth week on the chart. The album charted for 47 weeks. It also peaked at number four on the Cashbox Country Albums chart.
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the album liner notes.
- Dennis Carney – photography
- Bob Jones – art direction
- The Lea Jane Singers – background vocals
- The Nashville Edition – background vocals
- Al Pachucki – recording engineer
- Dolly Parton – lead vocals
- Tom Pick – recording engineer
- Mike Shockley – recording technician
- Roy Shockley – recording technician
- Porter Wagoner – producer, arrangements