Customer Reviews

The Essential Porter And Dolly

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Dolly has been my favorite singer since I started collecting music seriously, but quite apart from the brilliance of her own music, she also has an outstanding catalog of recordings made with others - in recent years with Kenny, Linda, Emmylou, Tammy and Loretta as well as numerous guest appearances with many different singers. Yet, some of the best recordings Dolly ever made were her duets with Porter.

They recorded a lot of albums, all of which I bought on vinyl. This is the strongest compilation of their music so far released. Fifteen of the tracks can also be found on 20 greatest hits, yet if you use Billboard as a guide, the 20 tracks here were actually their 20 greatest hits. None of their songs about unlucky children are included here, but if you want those, two of them (Silver sandals and Jeannie's afraid of the dark) can be found on the other collection, along with Just between you and me, Before I met you and Forty miles from Poplar Bluff. To make may for those without increasing the number of tracks, they dropped Always always, The right combination, Together always, We found it and Say forever you'll be mine.

Many of the songs Porter and Dolly recorded were written by Dolly, including (on this set) Tomorrow is forever, Daddy was an old time preacher man, Lost forever in your kiss, Together always, Say forever you'll be mine. Porter also contributed by writing The right combination, Burning the midnight oil and We found it. Two of their biggest hits (Please don't stop loving me and If you go I'll follow you) were written by Porter and Dolly together.

They also recorded covers - not as many as was the custom in those days, but always well chosen. They had hits with The last thing on my mind (Tom Paxton), Yours love (previously a hit for Waylon), Just someone I used to know (originally a hit for George Jones, but titled A girl I used to know), If teardrops were pennies (first a hit for Carl Smith) and Making plans, written by Johnny Russell (who later also did a duet with Dolly on the song).

The other songs are excellent originals, written by a variety of writers. Every song on this collection is a masterpiece. Anybody who claims to be a true Dolly fan needs some of her duets with Porter, a fine singer with a nice baritome voice, but who will be forever remembered for his work with Dolly, despite being the first to have a hit with Green green grass of home and making many other wonderful records.

In August of 1999, TNN will present Dolly Parton and Vince Gill paying tribute to Porter Wagoner. In spite of Dolly's tumultuous relationship with Porter, these two created a snappy, in sync sound that would in many ways foreshadow modern country. One of my favorite songs on the album is "Better Move It On Home," a song in which Dolly and Porter create an image of the modern couple that resonated with working class families to the point that many who watched THE PORTER WAGONER SHOW thought that they were married.

Dolly would eventually write "I Will Always Love You," to explain her feelings to Porter once she left the show.

This is a thoroughly enjoyable compilation!

Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton had a special combination that can't be matched! While listening to these wonderful songs you remeber the days of country music that was all about the song! Today's country tries to be a fashion show while older country songs tell stories! Porter and Dolly tell many beautiful stories through thsi compilation! Only make you long more for a reunion album!!!! END

Porter Wagoner, from West Plains, MO and Dolly Parton, from Sevierville, TN had 20 Billboard duet hits from 1967 to 1980. This CD comprises ALL of those songs. Porter and Dolly were NOT husband and wife. (Combined the two produced 154 (!) chart hits from 1954-1995). The tracks follow in almost the exact sequence of their release. Favorites are always subjective but this reviewer especially liked "If Teardrops Were Pennies", "Is Forever Loner Than Always", "Making Plans" and a wailing "If You Go, I'll Follow You". Those last two were released in late 1980 and were their final duets. This reviewer has an especially warm place in his heart for "We'll Get Ahead Someday". He first heard it in 1970 in an Army barracks in Cam Ranh Bay while listening to AFVN ("from the Delta to the DMZ"). One wonders how many city boys received their introduction to country music by getting shipped to Vietnam! This reviewer could have done without the upbeat tracks of "Better Move It On Home" and "We Found It", but 18 of 20 solid tracks are a high percentage indeed! The only truly negative element is the informational jacket. Set in bizarrely hard to read overlaid typeface it assaults the eye. Whatever useful information contained therein is lost. Those negative points are mere nitpicking and do not merit deducting a star from the rating above. Many country fans would agree that there is something special about male- female duets. Dolly and Porter lasted far longer and produced more hits than icons Tammy/ George or Loretta/ Conway. A final word: The "Essential" series almost always satisfies. These albums can be relied upon to give us well-produced compilations of the best music from our Country heroes and the good old days, long gone. This reviewer has purchased several "Essentials" and has rarely been disappointed. My amazon friends should not be deterred that the CD is only available via a 3rd party purchase. This listener has always been satisfied with how amazon handles such "used" transactions. My CD arrived factory fresh, in perfect condition. There is no reason not to hit that "add to shopping cart" button-right now!

Listening to this album, you can see in your head Dolly and Porter singing on the stage. The voices are a perfect match. Many of these songs tell wonderful stories, While others are about love, such as Dolly's "Lost Forever In Your Kiss". A wonderful album and a joy to listen to.

In its immortal duets, this classic album offers traditional country in all its splendid variety. There are the beautiful slow ballads like Yours Love, Always Always, Lost Forever In Your Kiss, Say Forever You'll Be Mine and Just Someone I Used To Know, a real tear-jerker. The Right Combination and If Teardrops Were Pennies are two of the best uptempo love songs whilst Daddy Was An Old Time Preacher Man, written by Dolly, is uplifting gospel at its best with an irresistible beat and propulsive rhythmic texture. There's even a great countrified cover of a folk hit, The Last Thing On My Mind, written by Tom Paxton. All of these tracks have beautiful melodies and impressive harmonic patterns; the two voices complement one another perfectly. These songs date from the 1960s up to 1974 before DP started attuning her sound to a pop audience from the mid 1970s, and many are also available on 20 Greatest Hits. If these represent the best of her early collaborations, the cream of her later work with other singers is found on Trio and Trio II.

Dolly started off her career as the "girl singer" on the Porter Wagoner show, and he certainly helped her find her voice as a traditonally-oriented artist in a countrypolitan town. The duets they recorded when they were still musical partners are often pretty good, a lot better than you might think... and the song selection on this collection (culled from zillions of duet albums they put out together) is great. Well worth checking out, especially since it isn't likely to stay in print forever.

dolly and poter's voices together are amazing and magic
i DO NOT regret buying this cd i listen to it all the time
all the songs are so good

This is a fine remembrance of the beautiful duets of these country music stars and their enjoyable harmony.

Every duet on this CD, is on the Top Country Duets List. A Must Have.