[.ca] Coat Of Many Colours

From Amazon.com:
Three decades after Dolly Parton began exploiting (and mythologizing) her hardscrabble East Tennessee childhood, the best of her autobiographical songs, "Coat of Many Colors," which threads the Biblical story of Joseph into her own, remains a moving testimony to mountain pride and ingenuity. It may also be one of the truest pieces of Americana, but the 1971 album on which it appears, long out of print until this 1999 CD reissue, is a real eye-opener, and not just about how deep-dish country used to be. Along with the hit "Traveling Man," a maternal twist on the old farmer's daughter saw, Parton explores such gothic topics as whoring ("She Never Met a Man (She Didn't Like)"), sexual voyeurism ("If I Lose My Mind"), and good old-fashioned lust ("The Way I See You"). Whew! No wonder she left country for the pop crowd! --Alanna Nash

Perfect example of Parton's earlier work:
Parton's years under the tutelage (and to a large extent, control) of Porter Wagoner were rich in good material and performances, even if they didn't produce the sort of enormous popular acclaim she would later find. 1971's "Coat of Many Colors" is a perfect example of the brilliant work Parton was recording during these years, including the gospel inflections of the signature title tune, the bluegrass harmonies of "My Blue Tears," and the more outre subject matter of "If I Lose My Mind" and "She Never Met a Man (She Didn't Like)." The title track attests to Parton's brilliance as a songwriter, capturing the emotional turmoil of childhood through the discovery of an adult's nostalgic memory. Parton's voice holds both a little girl's confusion and a woman's knowingness, underlined by acoustic guitar, a light shuffle beat, and touches of gospel organ and background harmonies. It's breathtaking to hear songwriting, singing and production mesh so fully. Throughout the rest of the album Parton's songs, augmented by a trio of tunes from Wagoner, tell human stories in a language that seems effortlessly plainspoken. The productions remain light and supportive, spanning weepy steel and fiddle ("The Mystery of the Mystery"), twangy electric guitar and a funky swamp beat ("Traveling Man"), and 70s soul ("Here I am"). Buddha's reissue presents a crisp remastering of the album's original ten tracks. Parton's original handwritten liner notes are reproduced in reduced form, necessitating a magnifying glass for most readers. Robyn Flans newly penned notes provide a few short paragraphs of career background, but haven't the room to make much of a dent in explaining the album and its songs. Ironically, the reissue credits for the Buddha staff fill an entire column, while a personnel listing for the original players is missing. And that's a shame, because the studio pickers give welcome, understated performances that support Parton's songwriting without drowning her finely crafted words in countrypolitan dross. With most of Parton's albums from this era out of print, those wishing to dig deeper than greatest hits compilations will find this a welcome addition to their collections. For those just discovering Parton's early years, this is (despite its brevity - the entire disc clocks in at just over 27 minutes) as good an introduction as you'll find.

Honky Tonking Dolly:
Dolly what can I say, your album is very special. I especially like My Blue Tears, (a classic, check out her beautiful alternate versions on Heartsongs and her new one Little Sparrow.) The Mystery of the Mystery, and The Way I see You and of course Coat of Many Colors. An interesting song on this album is If I Lose My Mind about some interesting things. Check this album out. You won't be sorry, also I recommend White Limozeen, The Grass Is Blue, My Tennessee Mountain Home and Love is Like a Butterfly, and Hungry Again. All very special albums from a truly gifted, talented and my all time favorite country singer Mrs. Parton. More barndance music please, and re-release older albums like The Bargain Store, and My Blue Ridge Mountain Boy, Fairest of Them All, and Touch Your Woman-albums I've searched high and low for, to no avail.

HERE I AM:
COAT OF MANY COLORS is the first solo album of Dolly Parton, released in October 1971. The CD presents already seven songs composed by Dolly. The song that gives its name to the CD - " Coat of Many Colors " - has become a classic and is truly a little masterpiece partly because one feels that Dolly Parton has put in it a bit of her own blood. Other all-time classics include such songs as " Traveling Man ", " My Blue Tears " and " Here I Am ". It's astonishing to see how Dolly Parton already masters in her first album the sweet ballads as " Early Morning Breeze " as well as the gospel style for " Here I Am ". In comparison, the three songs composed by her mentor at that time - Porter Wagoner - look very pale if not slightly ridiculous like " The Mystery of the Mystery " . One can also regret that the producers of this BUDDHA and BMG re-release didn't judge necessary to print the texts of the songs nor the names of the great musicians who were behind Dolly Parton during the recordings. A little respect doesn't cost a lot. A CD for a Dolly future fan.

Fantastic:
Coat of Many Colors was a good choice of an album from Dolly's catalogue to rerelease as remastered (lets hope they do some more for other favorites such as New Harvest First Gathering, Great Pretender, Burlap and Satin, etc). This album features some very heartful songs that everyone will love. Songs like Coat Of Many Colors, My Blue Tears, The Mystery of The Mystery, Early Morning Breeze and A Better Place to Live are among the best tracks on this cd. This is a great cd for fans of Dolly and fans of great music.

An Album To Touch The Heart:
This album is fantastic! The songs are written with wonderfully assertive lyrics. The romantic "Here I am " is beautifully written, while "A Better Place To Live" tells us how much it costs to have world peace. The title track, Coat Of Many Colours" tells how Dolly was picked on at school because her hard-working family couldn't afford a coat for her. Whatever your taste in music, give this album a go and listen to the pure angelic voice of Dolly Parton, a true "Mountain Angel."

• Coat of Many Colors
• Traveling Man
• My Blue Tears
• If I Lose My Mind
• Mystery of the Mystery
• She Never Met a Man (She Didn't Like)
• Early Morning Breeze
• Way I See You
• Here I Am
• Better Place to Live