Album cover. Rising Tide / Blue Eye (RTD-80326) (1996)
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Treasures is the thirty-fourth solo studio album by Dolly Parton. It was released on September 24, 1996, by Rising Tide and Dolly's own Blue Eye Records. The album was produced by Steve Buckingham and features several special guests. It peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and number 122 on the all-genre Billboard 200. "Just When I Needed You Most" peaked at number 62 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. A dance remix of "Peace Train" peaked at number 23 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart. The album's release was accompanied by a CBS television special, Dolly Parton: Treasures.
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Track listing
- Peace Train / Isitimela Sokuthula (with special guest Ladysmith Black Mambazo) (Cat Stevens / Joseph Shabalala) 4:40
- Today I Started Loving You Again (with special guest John Popper) (Merle Haggard, Bonnie Owens) 3:57
- Just When I Needed You Most (with special guests Alison Krauss and John Sebastian) (Randy Van Warmer) 4;36
- Something's Burning (Mac Davis) 3:59
- Before the Next Teardrop Falls (with special guest David Hidalgo) (Ben Peters, Vivian Keith) 4:07
- After the Goldrush (with special guests Alison Krauss, Suzanne Cox, and Viktor Krauss) (Neil Young) 3:45
- Walking on Sunshine (Kimberly Rew) 3:11
- Behind Closed Doors (with special guest Pig Robbins) (Kenny O'Dell) 2:59
- Don't Let Me Cross Over (with special guest Raul Malo) (Penny Jay) 3:03
- Satin Sheets (John E. Volinkaty) 3:20
- For the Good Times (Kris Kristofferson) 4:16
Background
When Dolly's contract with Columbia Records expired in 1995, she decided to look for a new label at her own leisure. She initially decided on Atlantic Records because she said Doug Morris was the one executive she met with who fully believed in her. Morris lost an executive battle leading to his departure from Atlantic in 1995. Morris began working with MCA Records in July 1995 by forming a joint venture record label with his own Rising Tide Records, which became Universal Records when Morris was appointed chairman and CEO of MCA Music Entertainment Group in November 1995. Dolly said she was in no hurry to find a new label, but when Morris began working at MCA she said yes, signing with Universal Records' Nashville branch which had retained the Rising Tide Records name.
Content
Among the selections are songs by Merle Haggard, Jeanne Pruett, Neil Young, Kris Kristofferson, Cat Stevens, and Mac Davis. Perhaps the most surprising choices were Young's "After the Goldrush" (although Dolly had previously recorded the song in 1994 with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris for the second Trio album, which would not be released until 1999) and Stevens' "Peace Train", which features Ladysmith Black Mambazo. While this initially seemed to be the oddest pairing, Dolly says that for years, she wanted to record "Peace Train" with a big chorus but couldn't find the sound she envisioned. She said, "I was watching TV and this Lifesavers commercial came on, and I heard these beautiful, rich voices. It was exactly the world sound that I wanted. I called [producer Steve Buckingham] and told him to find them, whoever it was. It turned out to be a perfect blend. I was going to record that song regardless of what album I did, because of the shape the world's in."
Release and promotion
The album was released September 24, 1996, on CD and cassette.
Singles
The album’s first single, "Just When I Needed You Most", was released to radio on September 23, 1996, and debuted at number 75 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart dated October 5. It peaked at number 62 on the chart dated November 16, its seventh week on the chart. It charted for 10 weeks. The single also peaked at number 68 in Canada on the RPM Country Singles chart. The song's music video was directed by The A.V. Squad and features Alison Krauss and Dan Tyminski, who provided harmony vocals on the track.
"Peace Train" was released as the album's second single in November 1996, but did not chart.
On July 1, 1997, a dance remix of "Peace Train" was released as a single by Flip It! Records. The remix peaked at number 23 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart and number 119 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. It also peaked at number 97 on the UK Singles Chart. A music video was filmed, but was never released. It was directed by Christopher Ciccone, brother of Madonna. The unreleased music video was eventually leaked online.
Following the success of "Peace Train", a remix of "Walking on Sunshine" was released by Damian Music on August 10, 1999, but did not chart.
"Peace Train" was released as the album's second single in November 1996, but did not chart.
On July 1, 1997, a dance remix of "Peace Train" was released as a single by Flip It! Records. The remix peaked at number 23 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart and number 119 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. It also peaked at number 97 on the UK Singles Chart. A music video was filmed, but was never released. It was directed by Christopher Ciccone, brother of Madonna. The unreleased music video was eventually leaked online.
Following the success of "Peace Train", a remix of "Walking on Sunshine" was released by Damian Music on August 10, 1999, but did not chart.
Television appearances
Dolly premiered the album's lead single, "Just When I Needed You Most", during a September 19, 1996 appearance on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.
Dolly made an appearance on The Rosie O'Donnell Show on November 27 and performed "Walking on Sunshine".
The album's release was accompanied by a CBS television special, Dolly Parton: Treasures, which aired on November 30, 1996. During the special Dolly performed most of the songs from the album, accompanied by video footage of news stories and events from the year of each song's original release.
Dolly made an appearance on The Rosie O'Donnell Show on November 27 and performed "Walking on Sunshine".
The album's release was accompanied by a CBS television special, Dolly Parton: Treasures, which aired on November 30, 1996. During the special Dolly performed most of the songs from the album, accompanied by video footage of news stories and events from the year of each song's original release.
Critical reception
In a review for Entertainment Weekly, Alanna Nash felt that "the majority of Treasures’ "treasures" should have remained buried," giving the album a C+ rating.
Bill Carpenter of AllMusic gave the album 3 out of 5 stars. He found the album's sound to be "clean and for the most part faithful to the original arrangements." He closed by saying that only die-hard Dolly fans will find real excitement in the song selection.
Bill Carpenter of AllMusic gave the album 3 out of 5 stars. He found the album's sound to be "clean and for the most part faithful to the original arrangements." He closed by saying that only die-hard Dolly fans will find real excitement in the song selection.
Commercial performance
The album debuted at number 30 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart dated October 12, 1996. It peaked at number 21 on the chart dated December 21, its eleventh week on the chart. The album charted for a total of 21 weeks. It also peaked at number 122 on the Billboard 200 chart. The album peaked at number 24 in Canada on the RPM Country Albums chart. It also peaked at number 10 on the UK Country Albums Chart and number 116 on the UK Albums Chart.
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the album liner notes.
Performance
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Special guests
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Production
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Other personnel
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