Two of a Kind is the sixth collaborative studio album by Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton. It was released on February 8, 1971, by RCA Victor. The album was produced by Bob Ferguson. It peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and number 142 on the Billboard 200 chart. No singles were released from the album, but "Oh, the Pain of Loving You" was included as the B-side of the 1971 single "The Right Combination".
| Two of a Kind | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 8, 1971 | |||
| Recorded | May 6–December 14, 1970 | |||
| Studio | RCA Studio B (Nashville) | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 25:50 | |||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Producer | Bob Ferguson | |||
| Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton chronology | ||||
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| Dolly Parton chronology | ||||
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Content
edit"Curse of the Wild Weed Flower" is of note for being an anti-marijuana song, one of the few country songs of the period to discuss drugs. While no singles were released from the album, "Oh, the Pain of Loving You" was included as the B-side of the 1971 single "The Right Combination", with "Oh" being dropped from the song's title. Parton would later re-recorded the song under this abbreviated title with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris as part of their 1987 album Trio. The song's title was further abbreviated to "Pain of Lovin' You" when it was recorded by The Grascals (featuring Parton) in 2011 for their album Country Classics with a Bluegrass Spin. The album's liner notes were written by Don Howser, longtime announcer on The Porter Wagoner Show.
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| The Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [2] |
The review published in the February 20, 1971 issue of Billboard said, "The highly successful country duo comes up with another LP destined for top programming and sales, and should soon be riding at the top of the charts. They turned in first-rate performances of "Two of a Kind", The Fighting Kind", "Oh, the Pain of Loving You" and "Curse of the Wild Weed Flower", among others."[3]
Cashbox published a review in the issue dated February 13, which said, "Having already won just about every award possible for a vocal duo, Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton, certainly "Two of a Kind", are back on the right track again with their first LP release of the new year. Porter and Dolly are capable of delivering soft, moody ballads, or up-tempo rockers with the utmost of sincerity and smoothness. Among the more outstanding tracks are "Oh, the Pain of Loving You", "Is It Real", "Today, Tomorrow and Forever", and the title track, "Two of a Kind", but the entire album is a classic and will be one of their biggest ever."[4]
Commercial performance
editThe album peaked at number 13 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and number 142 on the Billboard 200.
Reissues
editThe album was reissued on CD in 2008 with 1969's Always, Always. It was released as a digital download on November 2, 2010. The album was included in the 2014 box set Just Between You and Me: The Complete Recordings, 1967–1976.
Recording
editRecording sessions for the album began at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee, on December 2, 1970. Three additional sessions followed on December 8, 9 and 14. "There'll Be Love" was recorded on May 6 during a session for 1970's Once More.
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recording date | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Oh, the Pain of Loving You" | December 14, 1970 | 2:05 | |
| 2. | "Possum Holler" | Dallas Frazier | December 2, 1970 | 2:14 |
| 3. | "Is It Real?" | Parton | December 9, 1970 | 2:51 |
| 4. | "The Flame" | Parton | December 9, 1970 | 2:54 |
| 5. | "The Fighting Kind" | Parton | December 2, 1970 | 2:30 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Recording date | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Two of a Kind" |
| December 14, 1970 | 2:35 |
| 2. | "All I Need Is You" | Betty Jean Robinson | December 8, 1970 | 3:06 |
| 3. | "Curse of the Wild Weed Flower" |
| December 8, 1970 | 2:20 |
| 4. | "Today, Tomorrow and Forever" | Bill Owens | December 8, 1970 | 2:40 |
| 5. | "There'll Be Love" |
| May 6, 1970 | 2:35 |
Personnel
editAdapted from the album liner notes and RCA recording session records.[5]
- Joseph Babcock – background vocals
- Glenn Baxter – trumpet
- Jerry Carrigan – drums
- Pete Drake – steel
- Bobby Dyson – bass
- Dolores Edgin – background vocals
- Bob Ferguson – producer
- Johnny Gimble – fiddle
- Don Howser – liner notes
- Dave Kirby – guitar
- Les Leverett – cover photo
- Mack Magaha – fiddle, mandolin
- George McCormick – rhythm guitar
- Al Pachucki – recording engineer
- June Evelyn Page – background vocals
- Dolly Parton – lead vocals
- Hargus Robbins – piano
- Dale Sellers – guitar
- Donald Sheffield – trumpet
- Roy Shockley – recording technician
- Jerry Smith – piano
- Buddy Spicher – fiddle
- Buck Trent – banjo
- Porter Wagoner – lead vocals
Charts
edit| Chart (1971) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[6] | 142 |
| US Top Country Albums (Billboard)[7] | 13 |
Release history
edit| Region | Date | Format | Title | Label | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Various | February 8, 1971 | Two of a Kind | RCA Victor | [5] | |
| United States | February 12, 2008 | CD | Always, Always / Two of a Kind | American Beat | [8] |
| Various | November 2, 2010 | Digital download | Two of a Kind | [9] |
References
edit- ^ Two of a Kind at AllMusic
- ^ Colin Larkin (2006). "Parton, Dolly". The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 6 (4th ed.). Muze, Oxford University Press. p. 435–6. ISBN 978-0-19-531373-4.
- ^ "Billboard - February 20, 1971" (PDF). American Radio History. Billboard. p. 53. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
- ^ "Cashbox - February 13, 1971" (PDF). American Radio History. Cashbox. p. 40. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
- ^ a b "Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton* - Two Of A Kind". Discogs. 1971. Retrieved 24 May 2019.
- ^ "Dolly Parton Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
- ^ "Dolly Parton Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard.
- ^ "Always Always / Two of a Kind". American Beat. 12 February 2008. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
- ^ "Two Of A Kind by Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton on Amazon Music - Amazon.com". www.amazon.com. Retrieved 25 May 2019.