For an artist of Parton's stature, it's incredible that her towering early achievements are so spottily available on CD. Many of her brilliant solo albums of the '70s - the sides waxed before crossing over to pop stardom - have been left unreissued. The few that have seen CD, such as this classic 1971 release, have moved in and out of print. Buddha provided a straight-up reissue in 1999, and an imported two-fer on BMG paired this title with Parton's "Joshua" LP. The domestic Buddha release is now replaced by this bonus-track augmented Legacy reissue, but fans that want the extra tracks here and "Joshua" on the import will buy themselves some duplication.

Parton's early years under the tutelage of Porter Wagoner were rich in material and performances, and "Coat of Many Colors" contains some of her best. The title track weaves biography, bible verse and gospel soul into one of Parton's most heart-rending compositions. Her words capture the emotional turmoil of childhood through the discovery of an adult's nostalgic memory, and her voice holds both a little girl's confusion and a women's knowingness. It's breathtaking to hear songwriting, singing and production mesh so fully.

The unrivaled quality of Parton's voice is heard on the bluegrass-harmony backed "My Blue Tears" and the forthright "She Never Met a Man (She Didn't Like)." Parton's sassy comedic edge, which would carry her into the mainstream, is heard on "Traveling Man," and the outré "If I Lose My Mind" must have shocked a few country listeners in 1971. The backings include fiddle, steel, twangy guitar, funky swamp beats and even a touch of '70s soul, and it's a testament to Parton's artistic gravity that it meshes so well into an album.

The reissue's four bonus tracks include three cast-offs from the original 1971 sessions, and the a superb acoustic demo of "My Blue Tears." Parton rerecorded her own "My Heart Started Breaking" for her 1975 "Dolly" LP, but this 1971 version's never been heard before. Her "Just as Good as Gone" was left to the songbook, and her rendition of Porter Wagoner's "The Tender Touch of Love" now joins the previously released edition by Jim Ed Brown. All three of the studio-produced bonuses fit the sound and feel of the album, but it's the voice-and-guitar demo of "My Blue Tears" that catapults this disc past earlier reissues.

Legacy's reissue (along with accompanying volumes of "My Tennessee Mountain Home" and "Jolene") fills out the packaging with newly struck liner notes by Chet Flippo and chart and session information that was missing from the earlier Buddha edition. The running time is still short (38 minutes, instead of the original LP's 27), but it's a great place to start a Dolly Parton collection; those who own the earlier CD reissue should consider upgrading for the bonus tracks and new booklet. [©2007 hyperbolium dot com]

This is one of three titles re-issued of Dolly Parton. This one, along with "Jolene" have been issued on CD several times already. So the draw here are the bonus tracks. In this case the album as a whole is better than the bonus tracks. The bonus tracks are good, but nothing that stands out and knocks you over. The acoustic "My Blue Tears" is the best of the bunch though. As for the original album, some classic tracks here. One Dolly's stronger early albums.

I love Dolly, and I am very pleased to see a trend at rereleasing her older albums on CD. I HAD to buy this version of Coat for the bonus tracks, which are wonderful. I have never really been a fan of demo tracks, nor a fan of "My Blue Tears", but this version is remarkable and has proved to me what a great song it is! I am hoping to see more reissues in the futurn; "Bubblin' Over" anyone?

A very talented singer who has been in the music business for many years is comming in concert on my anniversary October 20, 2008. Still deciding if I will be able to attend without my husband, this is a far dream to see Dolly perform quite a few of my favorites including Coat Of Many Colors. I remember as a young girl listening to this song in the car and knew every word. I saw her perform when I was a young girl but that was many years back. A few other favorites are : Potential New Boyfriend, Two Doors Down, Here You Come Again, I Will Always Love You, Islands In The Stream and many more. Tampa will welcome you to see Dolly in concert At the Ruth Eckerd Hall, starts @ 8pm. I wish my dad could go with me. I dedicate I Will Always Love You to a friend for life. I knew at 16 and really from that moment he would be in my life . You will always be in my heart, and I will never let you go. Just When I Needed You Most. love always.

I love this album. Every song is great and "Coat of Many Colors" always brings a tear to my eye. Dolly is the best.