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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Dolly's first masterpiece, April 4, 2007
This album has been issued on CD only once before as an import. But for the first time we have it here in the States. This album is a concept album about Dolly's childhood growing up in the sticks of Tennessee. On the surface the album would seem to be a little too self indulgent, but the concept works very well. The album is like looking thru a photo album with Dolly from her birth up to her getting her first record deal. For an artist who at the time hadn't really hit huge, at least not like she would for another four years, this album was a gamble, A gamble that pays off. It's a great country album. Only one bonus track included with this one, which makes sense since it is a concept album. The track "Sacred Memories" was recorded during the same sessions as this album but released on a later album.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Subdued album looks home from Nashville, April 4, 2007
This 1973 entry in Parton's catalog has previously been available as part of an import two-fer (winningly paired with the following year's "Jolene"), but this is the first domestic reissue. Parton was a star on the Porter Wagoner show in the early '70s, but solo recognition was arriving more grudgingly. Her chafing under Wagoner's contractual control didn't help, and her songwriting exhibited a streak of homesickness, starting with the spoken word opener on this LP.
Parton sings lovingly of her parents ("I Remember" "Daddy's Working Boots"), home ("Old Black Kettle" "My Tennessee Mountain Home" "Back Home"), and remarkable neighbors ("Dr. Robert F. Thomas" - the man who brought Parton into this world). The album's homespun sounds form a bookend with 1998's "Hungry Again," particularly in the traditional, acoustic backings. The album's title track is a perfect example of Parton's craft, evoking images so real that you can feel yourself longing for a return to Smoky Mountains you may never before have visited.
The remainder of the album failed to catch on the charts, but Parton's nostalgic and wistful songs are quite charming. The story of her arrival in Nashville, "Down on Music Row," is a a great example (along with the title track and career standouts like "Coat of Many Colors") of how Parton could turn her personal history into memorable, engaging songs. The lone bonus track on this reissue, "Sacred Memories," was recorded during the album's sessions, issued as a B-side, and reappeared on the LP "Love is Like a Butterfly."
Legacy's reissue (along with accompanying versions of "Jolene" and "Coat of Many Colors") fills out the packaging with newly struck liner notes by Chet Flippo and chart and session information. Aside from the title track, this is a more subdued and subtle entry in Parton's catalog and its lack of previous domestic reissue leaves it fresh to many fan's ears. Most of Parton's albums of this era are essential, and this one's no exception. [©2007 hyperbolium dot com]
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
long overdue, GREAT job by Legacy, October 1, 2007
A terrific reissue job by Columbia Legacy on this essential Dolly LP. Great notes, the sound is perfect and the extra cut (recorded during Tennessee Mt. Home sessions) does not detract. Kudos to the label for the Jolene and Coat of Many Colors reissues as well -- the 3 LP's represent Dolly's best songwriting/singing efforts of her career.
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