Coat Of Many Colors

My album of many plaintive country songs That Dolly made for me Made only from fiddle, bass, steel and vibrato voice But I listened so pleasantly Although they sounded pretty samey I was happy as I could be With my album of many country love songs That Dolly made for me

As someone who is not a fan of country music, this album was enlightening. I always knew Dolly Parton was something special, but this album reinforced that knowledge. She manages to take what I often times feel is a tired and repetitive genre and produced songs that are poignant, sweet, and funny. An absolutely fantastic album.

Exhibit A of old country music is so good, what the hell happened? I've always accepted Dolly as country royalty because of her chart toppers but this album really shows why she earned that crown. "Coat of Many Color," is a heartbreaking song that plays heads to the romping "Traveling Man's" tails. It's impressive that Dolly can write about such a broad range of topics and apparently back then it was impressive that she was writing her own songs at all. It's truly a songwriting showcase. For all the heartbreak and forlorn feelings on this album Dolly leaves you with a sense of joy when then whole thing wraps up. You really get that sunshine feeling from Dolly even on her most hard up songs. Her ability to make the darkness bright, and that deep FUNKY bass on "Early Morning Breeze," is what makes this one a classic.

This makes an argument for Dolly being one of the great early 70s singer-songwriters. For those of us who started with later Dolly it is revelatory. She may make more popular music later, but not better music.

"And people say she's just a big pair of tits".

There was a phase of quarantine that I listened to this album a couple times (more specifically I think it was brought on by a post election playing of "Clear Blue Morning" on repeat). It didn't strike the same fondness for every track on this latest revisiting but there's still some gems on here for sure. You get Dolly's full range of story telling in the first two songs: first you have a heartfelt story of a mother scrapping by for her daughter and in the next a mom's running off with her daughter's lover. What a range. Early Morning Breeze is one I'll certainly return to in the future. And Coat of Many Colors is just a charmer in both lyrics and walking bass line.

Full disclosure: I've never much cared for Dolly Parton's voice. I don't care for the way she uses vibrato and her voice is so sharp it could cut through steel. Which is not to say that she's a bad singer--her interpretative skills and phrasing are better than most and her pitch is dead on. It's really just a matter of personal preference, purely subjective. On Coat of Many Colors, while there is a fair amount of variety within the rubric of mainstream country (ballads, country-rock, etc.) it's all very generic, if well played but what I would guess are a bunch of Nashville studio cats. The melodies are nothing special either. The one area that Parton excels in is narrative songwriting. The opening two tracks, Coat of Many Colors and Traveling Man, are superb--I'd stack them up against the best of the giants of country music, like Hank Williams Sr., Lefty Frizzell, etc. Seemingly without effort, Dolly manages to cram in character writing, narrative, local color, comedy, and earned sentiment into three minutes or less! That's a rare talent and a golden ticket in popular music. Unfortunately, not all of the other songs she pens on the album are as magnificent. There's a nice ode to meeting God in the wonders of nature (Early Morning Breeze), but the rest of her lyrics could have come from a dozen other artists. To sum up, the terrific lyrics of the opening two songs overcome the bland music (although admittedly it might have sounded fresher back in 1971) and Dolly's voice (YMMV), but the rest of the album pretty much goes in one ear and out the other, not leaving much of a trace. Pleasant enough, but really slight.

Anybody else's pee taste weird after listening to this album?

Can't deny that voice. Her story is inspirational, and Coat of Many Colors is touching, beautiful, empowering, and telling about society. A very wise song. Obvioulsy a little preachy here and there, but a comforting album that is beautiful, human, and wholesome.

Pleasant to listen to but, on the whole, a little bit boring. I really like Dolly Parton's voice but no song really stood out to me here. Really nice cover by the way.

I listened all the way through, and I didn't feel bored once. That's the gold standard.

A new one on me and loved it. Has proper country music titles like She Never Met A Man (She Didn't Like). Favourite track was Travellin' Man. Really uplifting album.

Hard to dislike this one: Great songs, great voice, under 30 minute runtime. It packs a punch and leaves you wanting more.

Despite the sickly sweetness of a lot of Dolly's ballads and memoir songs including the title track, this album stretches into all the spaces the genre has to offer. 'Traveling Man' is Nancy Sinatra-style country punk, 'My Blue Tears' has that high lonesome bluegrass style, with harmonies and simple melody, and 'If I Lose My Mind' is classic Nashville country. It sort of tapers off toward the end in my opinion, but the first half is top-notch and as a piece it holds up very well.

I fully admit I didn't know much about Dolly Parton until she became a recent resurgent media darling, but I truly love her attitude and care. It's so clear in what she sings about and how she lives. I hated country when I was young. But the older I get the more I realize I really just dislike a lot of pop country. I'm a sucker for American folk, western, and certain types of country music. This album has a few songs that definitely fit that bill. I think I'd cut it in half and turn it into an EP for regular listening, but very good overall. Great voice, full of emotion, love a heavy bass in the mix.

Ugh, another CaW album. Thankfully this one was tolerable and even enjoyable in parts. Good onya, Dolly.

The title track and Travelling Man are exceptional. Unsurprisingly, none of the tracks that follow match them. But they're all still good, pulchritudinous in a way that only someone with a voice and picking style this powerful can get away with. She virtually never belts. Doesn't have to. You can hear what she's capable of even in her faintest tremble. In a way, her vocal restraint is as gentle as her stories of Christian modesty. After all, towering above her audience and yodelling about the beauty of nature and her pauper's coat wouldn't sit quite right.

Coat of Many Colours 27 minutes of sweetly voiced country pop excellence. Although she doesn’t stray too far from traditional country structures on all 10 songs she has a brilliant way of subtly playing with the form, bringing in elements from other genres to gently add some colour and variation here and there - it really showcases all of Dolly’s skills as a songwriter, arranger and singer. Coat of Many Colours exemplifies that, a sweet sweet melody and a genuinely moving lyric, a story told with warm hearted succinctness and directness. Travelling Man is a great uptempo country rocker, with that slightly bluesy opening riff and tom tom pattern giving it an unexpected little frisson of spikiness. Great harmonies and lap steel on My Blue Tears, all done and dusted in 2 minutes. If I Lose My Mind is pretty conventional, but the sad sweetness of the words is complemented by the weeping lap steel. The Mystery of the Mystery starts off conventionally too, but the organ that picks up the middle verses is great, giving a swimmy uncertainty that matches the questioning lyric. I love the proper country structure, title and lyric of She Never Met a Man, the chorus melody doing that country thing of resolving just ‘so’. That bass on Early Morning Breeze is fantastic, again kind of playing with the genre a little by being in the foreground and carrying the song musically. Again a lovely lyric and melody too. That break and ‘bluuueee’ in The Way I See you is special, and the few bars of piano before the final verse and the outro is so tastefully appropriate. The gospel backing vocals on Here I Am are another great example of her subtly adding different colours and tones. Another great melody on Another Place To Live, a really catchy chorus with that marching drum pattern underneath and more great bass. Excellent uptempo way to end things. I don’t think this can be anything but a 5 - a gem of a country album but also just a sublime set of melodies and lyrics in its own right, performed brilliantly with such warmth and personality, with no fat or filler. Fantastic. 🧥🧥🧥🧥🧥 Playlist submission: Early Morning Breeze

Sweet, delicate songs!

Nashville was a system that could, given the right artist and intent, produce artifacts that manage to sound both modest and flawless decades down the line. This is one of them. The personnel listing takes up a phone screen of space, but they seamlessly swap and flow from track to track, all framing Parton as she briskly catalogues a panoply of emotional states and incident. This isn’t my vibe today, but if offered a perfectly-weighted galette, I’m not going to sniff and say nah mate, I only eat trifle on Mondays. No-one cares a good cock about Trifle Monday, Simon.

Beautiful production with that 70's country style. Dolly Parton has a great voice with a distinct twang. The songwriting is excellent on this album too. "Coat of Many Colors" had me tearing up.

Quite fond of this, listened many times through the day. Dolly is a good singer and fine songwriter. I'll spare you the David Brent quote

Upbeat in its songwriting, unassuming in its lyrics, and almost musically elementary - 'Coat Of Many Colors' (album) embodies traditional country simplicity, with welcome augments by Dolly Parton. Familiar ingredients with the likes of Bob Dylan, Parton employs storytelling-style lyricism that provide a 'sweet' quality to the record, of youth and child-likeness. Easily received but not necessarily provoking, a satisfactory record delivered nonetheless in the form of her personal life's narrative.

I don't like rock

Good, delightful album. I had never listened to it before as a whole.

I hadn't heard this album before, loved it!

Deep soulful country lyrics

Queen Mother never falters.

beautiful, fave is title song

I've always heard how Dolly Parton is a great person, but I never heard much about her music. Turns out her music is great too!

Ein Album mit vielen Farben. Ich lerne Dolly Parton als hervorragende musikalische Macherin kennen. Tolles Album.

There’s no better illustration of Dolly Parton’s talent as a songwriter than the opening two tracks on this album. Coat of Many Colors is a heartbreaking story of growing up poor with a mama’s love. In contrast, the next one is Dolly at her sassy best with a cheeky tale of stepping out with a Travelling Man, with a killer twist. There are also songs of awful spousal abuse, spirituality and the simple joy of a flower meadow on a sunny morning. A pure gem!

Another example of great Old Country(TM). Dolly is a true American treasure and she shines in this offering.

Dolly is a goddamn American Treasure.

The Queen of the Southland and one of her most iconic albums.

WOW! Another artist I probably would have never listened to a full album from, had it not been for this list. What an incredibly pleasant listen. Comforting, to a level little music/art in general can reach. The title song is beautiful. She has some voice.

Really nice album. I think her voice is either you love or hate it but personally I love it. I think she's a very talented song writer and knows how to tell a good story. One of the greats of the genre. Personal enjoyment wise I waffle between a 4 and a 5. Since this is her only solo album on the list (I think) I'm going to round up.

Goddamn. I knew I would enjoy this; I've enjoyed pretty much everything I've ever heard from Dolly's classic period. But I didn't expect to love this album as much as I did. Just top-notch all the way around. Incredible songwriting, arrangements, performances, etc. It's so much more than just the fantastic title track. Probably the most unexpected 5 stars I've awarded so far, but very happy to. 5/5

This is just a good, fun, classic album.

Omg i loved this album so much. Some crazy dark stories on this album (particularly struck by the lyrics in If I Lose My Mind). So much good bass playing on this album, and I love how high it is in the mix. Early Morning Breeze wouldn't be out of place on Folk is a Four Letter Word. Great harmonies on my blue tears. Love the bass breakdown at the climax of Travelling Man. I will be listening to this album for a long time!

One of Dolly’s best

Wonderful. An icon in the industry.

I think I might like country now? Had a solid heart and most of the songs were hits!

Love her young country twang. Best storyteller. She Is an icon and country music legend for a reason.

5 stars, no notes

Dolly is always amazing and it was nice to hear some songs I haven't heard of hers since I was a kid. Speaking of which, it was rather interesting hearing the lyrics to "If I Lose My Mind" as an adult!

A good joke would be to give this 2 stars because of her boobs.

Dolly Parton has an incomparable career - she is a musician, actor, producer, and as a philanthropist (for her children's literacy project, alone, she is worthy of sainthood, and it is only one of her stunningly admirably projects). Coat of Many Colors was her eighth studio album. For her extensive career - 49 studio albums to date, and over 200 compilation albums - it may be impossible to rank any one album as "her best" or even "among her best." The album is on many "best albums of all time" lists. Ms. Parton has said that "Coat of Many Colors" is among the favorite songs she has written, and she has written over 3,000. The is a lovely album of country ballads, showcasing Dolly's incredible voice. At root, the basis of all of the accolades in Dolly's storied career is her amazing voice, and her ability to recount relatable, engaging stories.

Wow what a good entry. This child, I dont know if its a boy or a girl. looks like they have tears on their eyes. I guess it's about a memory, a very warm one. I kind of cried when I listened to 'Coat of Many Colors'. Good thing my mom is still alive so I was able to share this song to her and I also told her I love her. Better than never I suppose :)

Really pleasantly surprised by this one! Never listened to it, she's so ingrained in my head as an older, pop-star type figure that I couldn't picture her as a 25-year old country crooner. What a devastating title track! Impressive that so much of this was self-written. Really liked it!

I mean, it's Dolly what's not to love

The list continues to serve up classics. Not much to say but this is fantastic, well written and performed, and one of the few short albums I wish were (a little bit) longer.

Dolly’s gotten a lot of love in recent years, and she’s very likable and does a lot of good things. She also works HARD and is a fantastic song writer and performer. This album puts that on display.

This was wonderful. I love Dolly Parton, although I haven't heard any of her catalog beyond her radio hits, and this album did not disappoint. The melodies and poetry were just about perfect. There is something so simple and beautiful about Dolly's writing and singing, and her band is clearly at the top of their game here. So, so good. My only complaint is that it's too short, so I'm listening to it again. Five stars, easily.

Didn't know any of these songs before this, but come on. Dolly is an american institution. She is amazing. Five stars all day every day.

Album 506 of 1001 Dolly Parton - Coat Of Many Colors (1971) Rating : 4.5 / 5 The first 45 I ever picked out for myself was 'Joshua' (her previous album from the same year) from Dolly Parton, so she holds a special place with me. That probably accounts for an extra half point. The first two tracks are the strongest, in my opinion, but the others are trailing pretty close behind. Better after the first listen. It is some iconic Dolly.

Cool song

A great album with amazing songwriting.

Great ACTUAL country with relatable lyrics that don't just read like parody. This is the real deal. Dolly's voice here is incredible too, alternating between gorgeous and deeply heartfelt.

Loved it! Good old Dolly! Very catchy songs, I found it quite relaxing to listen to!

Hurray for Dolly!

Country music can be OK. I get why it's so huge. A country music station while driving in the states can be fun for a while. But there's a lot of average stuff, and it grates pretty quickly. If all Country music were like this though you might never change the channel. Dolly transcends her genre, and this is just solid gold. Polished performances but never needing to be showy. Good production. Sweet sounding, clever, funny, self aware, humble but knows how good she is.

God I love Dolly

I really didn't like Dolly's voice or persona back in the day. Boy, was I stuck in my prejudices against country music. I really didn't like the 1960s Nashville sound with all the strings and twangy singing. And people like George Jones and Tammy Wynette made my skin crawl. I still don't like that stuff. But I love her now, she's a national treasure. Her voice is clear and poignant. Her songs are beautiful without being overproduced on this album. 5 stars!

Another damn classic. Dolly is a national treasure. 5 stars.

I've listened to this many many times. This is one of the best country albums I've ever heard. I have actually cried in real life listening to the song Coat of Many Colors, it's that heartbreaking. Coat of Many Colors and Blue Tears are my favorite songs. I've never listened to any of her other albums back to front and maybe I should! One or two of the songs I could take or leave, namely The Mystery of the Mystery and that keeps it from being a straight 10. 9/10

I loved this. I know some Dolly Parton and I fought country music for a long time. It's 90s country that I really don't like. Coat of Many Colors is a classic!

I remember having this album as a kid or someone I knew had it and we listened to it a lot. Dolly's always going to get a 5.

Absolutely loved it. Pure sunshine!

Very good. Classic American sound but still poppy enough to play in any situation

An absolute classic! Favourite songs: Traveling Man, Coat of Many Colors, My Blue Tears, If I Lose My Mind, She Never Met a Man (She Didn't Like), Here I Am, A Better Place to Live Least favourite songs: The Mystery of the Mystery 5/5

What a treat. A fantastic album I had never heard before, this is what I'm here for!

A great and short country masterpiece.

I began listening to this with the mindset that I have not been a big country or Dolly Parton fan, however, was I in for a surprise! While there were the usual country, tragedy themes, Parton is a singular talent who can tell a story in a unique way leaving you feeling good. The song "Coat of Many Colors" is plaintively brilliant.

10/10 national treasure love you dolly

Relaxing and sweet :)

One high point of 1001 is discovering an artist you had dismissed and realising they are far better than you expected. Dolly Parton, I am sorry; I wasted decades when I could have enjoyed your music. At age 13, I decided you were not my taste; apparently, my taste has refined. I will be digging deep into your back catalogue. I have always respected you as a person; now, I also appreciate your music.

Country is NOT my preferred genre, but Dolly Parton is a national treasure. This is what country was meant to be - storytelling, great vocals, steel guitars, and upbeat pacing. This certainly belongs on this list.

A classic. Beautiful lyrics and simple music. Perfect combo!

Amazing sincerity and storytell. Keep the songs short, sweet and focused. Gret all around.

Dolly is a god damn word smith. These are real songs about real people

Wonderful wonderful Dolly

Obviously this is five stars. Come on.

Dolly is an angel. 5/5

A wonderful mix of the personal and over arching themes ubiquitous in this life. I am not a country fan, but if everyone were to listen to her and take her words to heart it would be just like that final track, 'A Better Place to Live'. Dolly has spent her life quietly doing her best to live up to that mantra.

Listening to a whole album of Dolly is a lot and it blended together after a bit, but I enjoyed it much more than I expected. I usually only listen to one Dolly song at a time and this broadened my repertoire.

Wonderfully charming.

This was a bit surprise for me, as normally I'm not into country at all. But after two listens, I find the stories told via these lyrics so interesting, and Dolly delivers them with such personality, it was a great listen. Especially love the title track and Early Morning Breeze (gorgeous instrumentation on that one). I may be overdue a deep dive into Dolly's discography!

Dolly Parton is a force. Stylistically, this album is a bit more towards the Nashville style than I prefer, but Dolly is such a good story teller those elements fade into the background. Lyrically, this is exactly what I want from country music; honest expressions of real life, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Sprinkle in Dolly's wry sense of humor and you have a truly compelling set of songs. The backing band really understood the assignment here, playing just enough but never in the way and letting Parton's sweet warble lead the way. That's not to say Dolly can't hold her own, she's just selective about showcasing her power on songs like "Mystery of the Mystery" and "Here I Am." Kudos, too, to the Nashville Edition. Backup singers are normally a huge sticking point for me, and they avoid the pitfall of saccharine "oohs" and "aahs" and add real texture and beauty to the music. I've got to say somewhere, too, that I was not expecting the "Walk on the Wild Side style bassline on "Early Morning Breeze" (though this predates that by a year). You know what? I can't find any fault with "Coat of Many Colors," so fuck it, 5 stars. This is a perfect country album.

Fly away from my window, little bluebird Fly as far as you can away from here And let not your song fall upon my ear Go spread your blue wings, I'll shed my blue tears For the one that I have loved, he has left me and gone And I am in no mood for to hear your sad song And bring not your light into my dark room, yellow sunshine Raise not your warmth on the coldness in here Trouble me not, go elsewhere (go elsewhere) Go light your blue sky and I'll shed my blue tears (shed my blue tears) For the only one that I have ever loved has gone away And I am in no mood for the sunshine today And I don't know when, or if ever again I will see your sweet face, but I feel It's forever goodbye, though I can't say why But I'll sit here and cry my lonely blue tears Go spread your blue wings Go light your blue sky, I'll shed my blue tears Dolly is the GOAT. 5/5

Love Dolly, of course. This album is beautiful, touching, and heartbreaking.

Dolly just smashed it out of the park. Incredible album

👸🏻

It can be hard to know where to even start with a legendary artist who has so many albums. You could do a lot worse than this one for Dolly. I hear so many contemporary artists that I love in this music (Brandi Carlile, Amanda Shires) - the DNA is inextricable. Too many standouts to name, but I might choose “Early Morning Breeze” as my personal favorite. I love groove of certain 70s country tunes. Glad to have had the weekend to give this one several spins.

10/10 I LOVE YOU DOLLY PARTON

Another banger I'd never listened to. I've been into Dolly conceptually for so long. This was a great album for getting into her work. It's so unbeat. So real and vulnerable, while still having a sense of light hearted joy. It's weird how dense it is in that way. So upbeat. So serious. So Dolly.

Classic. The best.

Not a fan of C&W at all. But Dolly told all the fascists and white supremacists to fuck off, so that's 5 stars in my book.

Lots of fun songs, Dolly is an amazing gem of a singer (and a person). Would listen again.

Fab