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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Mid-70s Parton hitting her country commercial peak, April 4, 2007
By the mid-70s, Parton had emerged from Porter Wagoner's shadow to redefine herself as a powerhouse solo artist. This 1974 release, her first solo LP to crack the top-10, includes the chart-topping title track, as well as the original version of Parton's farewell to Porter Wagoner, "I Will Always Love You." The title track, covered by others (including a superb bluegrass version by Rhonda Vincent), is best heard in this original form.
"I Will Always Love You" is closely associated among film viewers and MTV watchers with Whitney Houston, but Parton's original, aching with conflicting strength, vulnerability, fragility and resolution outstrips both Houston's remake, and Parton's own reworking for the film "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas." The song was so strong that all three versions - Houston's and two from Parton - topped the charts!
The album's eight additional tunes, six from Parton, one from Wagoner, and one from Blaise Tosti ("It Must Be You") have tamer themes that those explored on earlier Parton LP's like "Coat of Many Colors," but no less heartfelt. Parton's emancipation from Wagoner would lead her to industry honors (including CMA Female Vocalist of the Year in '75 and '76), Hollywood and crossover success, but the mid-70s found her in full flower of solo aristry as a country singer-songwriter.
Buddha's 1999 reissue of this title was a straight-up 10 track, 25-minute disc. RCA/Legacy expands on the original with a quartet of bonus tracks from the 1974 sessions, bringing the playing time to 37 minutes. It's surprising that a track like "Cracker Jack," a loving song of a childhood pet, was lost in Parton's catalog. Though she "Another Woman's Man" (a reflection of "Jolene") and the tangy day-dreaming "Last Night's Lovin'" remained unreleased, and "Barbara on Your Mind" was reworked on Parton's 1982's "Heartbreak Express" LP. All four are worthwhile additions.
Legacy's new reissue (along with accompanying versions of "My Tennessee Mountain Home" and "Coat of Many Colors") fills out the packaging with newly struck liner notes by Chet Flippo and chart and session information missing from the earlier Buddha version. This is an essential entry in Parton's catalog, and even those who own the earlier CD reissue should consider upgrading for the bonus tracks and new booklet. [©2007 hyperbolium dot com]
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best Issue of Jolene", April 8, 2007
Jolene has been released 3 previous times on CD over the years and this release is a standout. It comes with a beautiful repackaging of the original art work, new liner notes from "Rolling Stone" writer Chet Flippo,who is a huge Dolly fan, rarely seen photos, original dates of when the songs were recorded,and the best part 4 unreleased songs that are amazing. Get this rare CD as "Jolene" is the best Dolly Parton album, along with "The Golden Streets of Glory", she has ever put out. The sound quality too is excellent.
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
This is Remastered?!, February 10, 2008
Great album, but...
I downloaded Jolene from this album and compared it with the two other versions I already have in my iTunes, and the mastering on this album is very much worse than that of some of "Dolly Parton: Super Hits", which is both crisp and has good bass. The mastering on the album under review here however is muddy, quiet, and lacking in bass. It is the same mastering that was used for "The Essential Dolly Parton". The only place the sound is worse is on "RCA Country Legends: Dolly Parton", where they cranked the bass up far beyond what was needed, to the point where it overwhelms all the other sounds. Initially you might think it sounds the best (which is why I bought it in the first place), but if you really consider things I think you'll find that that level of bass would be unpleasant after a short time (which is why I bought the second version, from "Super Hits", the next day). It's kind of like the way people might choose Pepsi over Coke in a blind taste test because it is obviously sweeter, even though over time they prefer the mellower flavor of Coke.
I'm not some candy-eared dilettante. These differences are marked; you wouldn't have to be an audiophile to notice the difference immediately. I really wish they had mastered her albums as well as the "Super Hits" collection. That one sounds pristine. I was really looking forward to getting a lot more of Dolly from the rough and tumble early country years, but I don't think I can bring myself to pony up good money for something done so poorly, on principle if nothing else.
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