Dolly presents the chart-toppers not out of obligation but as an invitation to ponder their relationship to the larger earlier bulk of her oeuvre. But that doesn't mean you can't toss Disc 4 in your car and self-karaoke, for it's here that you'll find the most sparkling pop-radio singles.
05. We Want More! As this set reveals, with its bevy of "previously unreleased" and otherwise unavailable on CD tracks, Dolly's catalogue is deeper than anyone really knows. Certainly no collection of a mere 99 tracks can do her justice. So how about a More Dolly follow-up? Better yet, how about some remasters of the many classic Dolly (and Porter & Dolly) albums from the 1960s and 1970s that haven't yet met the digital age? How about a reissue of Dolly's first million-seller, Here You Come Again, available in LP bins in flea markets everywhere but withheld from CD since 1998?
Legacy has assembled a fine compendium of music that should appeal not only to Dollyites seeking rarities, but also to curious casual fans willing to delve a tad deeper into the painted-nail guitar-picker's discography — and for an extremely reasonable price.
But allow me to hope this new box set signifies the commencement, rather than the culmination, of the studio's probe into the unexplored recesses of Dolly Parton's possibly bottomless catalogue. Dolly is an opulent treasury, but there is more work to be done.
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