Album cover. RCA Victor (LSP-4556) (1971)
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The Best of Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton is a compilation album by Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton. It was released on July 12, 1971, by RCA Victor. The album contains tracks from each of their collaboration albums that had been released at the time, with the exception of 1969's Always, Always. The album peaked at number seven on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. The album included one track previously unreleased on LP, the Grammy-nominated single, "Better Move It on Home". It peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
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Track listing
Side 1
* Previously unreleased on LP.
- Just Someone I Used to Know (Jack Clement) 2:21
- Daddy Was an Old Time Preacher Man (Dolly Parton, Dorothy Jo Hope) 2:57
- Tomorrow Is Forever (Dolly Parton) 2:45
- Jeannie's Afraid of the Dark (Dolly Parton) 2:44
- The Last Thing on My Mind (Tom Paxton) 2:34
- The Pain of Loving You (Porter Wagoner, Dolly Parton) 2:05
- Better Move It on Home* (Ray Griff) 2:14
- Holding on to Nothin' (Jerry Chesnut) 2:26
- Run That by Me One More Time (Dolly Parton) 2:18
- We'll Get Ahead Someday (Mack Magaha) 1:55
* Previously unreleased on LP.
Recording
The album's only new recording, "Better Move It on Home", was recorded on December 14, 1970, at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee.
Release and promotion
The album was released July 12, 1971, on LP, cassette, and 8-track.
Singles
The album's single, "Better Move It on Home", was released January 25, 1971, and debuted at number 30 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart dated February 27, 1971. It peaked at number seven on the chart dated March 27, its fifth week on the chart. It peaked at number six on the Cashbox County Singles chart. It also peaked at number eight in Canada on the RPM Country Singles chart.
Critical reception
The review in the July 31, 1971 issue of Billboard said, "This collection of the best performances by Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton is sure to prove a blockbuster programming and sales item. Their top treatments of "Daddy Was an Old Time Preacher Man", "The Pain of Loving You", "The Last Thing on My Mind", and "Just Someone I Used to Know" are standouts."
Cashbox published a review in the July 24, 1971 issue which said, "One whole lot of sales power in this album from a duo that consistently hits the charts together and apart. The most recent hit here included is "Better Move It on Home" while other titles will be equally familiar to their large following: "Just Someone I Used to Know", "The Pain of Loving You", and "Holding on to Nothin'" just to mention a few. A musical marriage made in country heaven."
Reviewing in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies, Robert Christgau wrote: "There are real pleasures here, but they're chiefly vocal. The surprises are few, the jokes weak and infrequent, the sentimentality overripe ("Jeanie's Afraid of the Dark", yeucch), and the best song's by Paxton, nor Parton. In short, a lousy ad for couple-bonding, though whether Porter is repressing Dolly or Dolly holding out on Porter I wouldn't know."
Cashbox published a review in the July 24, 1971 issue which said, "One whole lot of sales power in this album from a duo that consistently hits the charts together and apart. The most recent hit here included is "Better Move It on Home" while other titles will be equally familiar to their large following: "Just Someone I Used to Know", "The Pain of Loving You", and "Holding on to Nothin'" just to mention a few. A musical marriage made in country heaven."
Reviewing in Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies, Robert Christgau wrote: "There are real pleasures here, but they're chiefly vocal. The surprises are few, the jokes weak and infrequent, the sentimentality overripe ("Jeanie's Afraid of the Dark", yeucch), and the best song's by Paxton, nor Parton. In short, a lousy ad for couple-bonding, though whether Porter is repressing Dolly or Dolly holding out on Porter I wouldn't know."
Billboard review, July 31, 1971.
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Cashbox review, July 24, 1971.
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Commercial performance
The album debuted at number 20 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart dated July 31, 1971. It peaked at number seven on the chart dated August 12, its fourth week on the chart. It charted for 20 weeks.
Accolades
The album's single, "Better Move It on Home", was nominated for Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group at the 14th Annual Grammy Awards in 1972.
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the album liner notes.
- Bob Ferguson – producer
- Les Leverett – cover photo
- Jim Malloy – recording engineer
- Al Pachucki – recording engineer
- Chuck Seitz – recording engineer
- Roy Shockley – recording technician
- Paul W. Soelberg – liner notes