The Essential Dolly Parton, Vol. 2 [IMPORT]

Dolly Parton

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 29, 1997)
• Original Release Date: April 29, 1997
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Rca Records/Sbme
• ASIN: B000002WZI
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #49,614 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

With the face of an angel and the determination of a telemarketer on commission, Dolly Parton is a mountain miracle, a world-class poet in a fright wig and stiletto heels. This early collection bypasses her Monument Records beginnings as a backwoods hopeful, but follows her arrival as a hillbilly savant ("Coat of Many Colors," "My Tennessee Mountain Home"), to her metamorphosis as a glitzy pop superstar ("Here You Come Again"). While it omits her duets with her Svengalian mentor, Porter Wagoner, most of the songs that forged her reputation as a songwriter are here ("Jolene," the original version of "I Will Always Love You"), even as it overlooks her underrated classics ("My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy," "Down from Dover"). With such clear-eyed, evocative writing, born on the breath of her shimmering soprano, it's easy to see how young Dolly turned the heads of country-rockers Emmylou Harris and Maria Muldaur, let alone the Grand Ole Opry set. --Alanna Nash

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Volume 2, But In Actuality Her Earliest, Best Hits, June 19, 2001

By	James E. Bagley "Jim Bagley" (Sanatoga, PA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Most of Dolly Parton's RCA catalog of hits has long been available and in a mind boggling variety of combinations. A lot of these collections are of the nine and ten track assortment that RCA was notorious for thrusting upon the public. Before the Essential series came along, the best Parton retrospective was 1993's two-disc, thirty track The RCA Years (1967-86). The RCA Years skimped on Parton's second decade with RCA and that may be why they choose to put out her later hits as the first Essential Parton volume. The Essential Dolly Parton, Volume 2 captures all of the early hits that deservedly made Parton a country MUSIC legend such as "Jolene," "Coat Of Many Colors" and "I Will Always Love You." Some of them, like her first number one, the rousing "Joshua" and the reflective "We Used To" had been left off previous Parton CD sets (until now). With a pair of moving gospel performances, "The Seeker" and "Wings Of A Dove," to end the disc, country fans finally have a truly special Parton set.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential Says it All, June 10, 2001

By	J. M. Zuurbier (Canada) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

The Essential Series celebrates an artist's biggest hits. Since Dolly has so many hits, this is Volume II. While Volume I was like any other Dolly greatest hits collection, filled with the pop gems and crossover hits, this one concentrates on her country roots and country hits from her lenghtly career. Everything from The Bargain Store to Light of a Clear Blue Morning, Touch Your Woman to Me & Little Andy, Coat of Many Colors to My Tennessee Mountain Home, Joshua to Heartbreaker, and so much more, many of her hits are covered here. This is probably one of her more complete collections, so if you are tired of the collections that only feature her pop hits, this is your cd. Might I reccomend Legendary, a 3 cd set that has 50 of her biggest hits, probably the closest we will get to a complete Dolly collection for now.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The best available...bet we need MORE, May 29, 1999

By A Customer

It is kind of odd that Volume 2 of the "Essential Dolly Parton" series contains her earlier, more compelling work, while Volume 1 focus more on her later Hollywood/pop sellout. As a result, Volume 2 contains more 'essential' music than the first.

And yet it still is not quite enough. Still missing from any CD collection such breathtaking early songs like "Down From Dover," "In The Good Old Days (When Times Were Bad)," "Gypsy Joe and Me," "Just The Way I Am," "My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy," and many others.

Still we get "Coat of Many Colors," "Jolene," "My Tennessee Mountain Home," "Mule Skinner Blues" and some others. It is towards the end of this cd, when the slick pop of "Here You Come Again," and others kick in that one wants to write angry letters to RCA/BMG and ask why they continue to treat the earlier back catalog of Parton so poorly.

Maybe one day we will get the aforementioned songs on a cd issue. Until then get "The Essential Dolly Parton Volume 2" and boycott Volume One. Maybe then RCA/BMG will get the message!