The Right Combination • Burning the Midnight Oil

The Right Combination • Burning the Midnight Oil
Studio album by
Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton
ReleasedJanuary 3, 1972
RecordedDecember 9, 1970–September 30, 1971
StudioRCA Studio B (Nashville)
GenreCountry
Length24:10
LabelRCA Victor
ProducerBob Ferguson
Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton chronology
The Best of Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton
(1971) 		The Right Combination • Burning the Midnight Oil
(1972) 		Together Always
(1972)
Dolly Parton chronology
Coat of Many Colors
(1971) 		The Right Combination • Burning the Midnight Oil
(1972) 		Touch Your Woman
(1972)
Singles from The Right Combination • Burning the Midnight Oil
  1. "The Right Combination"
    Released: May 24, 1971
  2. "Burning the Midnight Oil"
    Released: October 18, 1971

The Right Combination • Burning the Midnight Oil is the seventh collaborative studio album by Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton. It was released on January 3, 1972, by RCA Victor.[1]

The album was made available as a digital download on January 4, 2019.[2]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[4]

The review published in the January 15, 1972 issue of Billboard said, "Porter and Dolly have here an LP that will be a big hit for them in the first few months of 1972. Each of the stars has written a few cuts and their performance of their own material is beautiful. Highlights include "The Right Combination", "More Than Words Can Tell", "The Fog Has Lifted", and "Her and the Car and the Mobile Home" (a comedy spotlight)."[5]

Cashbox published a review in the January 15, 1972 issue that said, "Judging from their popularity it's undisputable that Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton have the right combination to open the doors of success. Unlike most other C&W duets who spend most of the time harmonizing with occasional solos, Porter & Dolly are not only adept at their harmonies, they allow each other room for individual expression within the scope of each arrangement. Most unique is the extent to which they feel at ease with each other; the goodtime dialogue and banter in songs such as "I've Been This Way Too Long" is as much a part of the right combination as the music."[6]

Commercial performance

The album peaked at No. 6 on the US Billboard Hot Country LP's chart.

The album's first single, "The Right Combination", was released in May 1971[7][8] and peaked at No. 14 on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and No. 106 on the US Billboard Bubbling Under the Hot 100 chart. It peaked at No. 26 in Canada on the RPM Country Singles chart. The second single, "Burning the Midnight Oil", was released in October 1971[9][10] and peaked at No. 11 on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and No. 9 in Canada on the RPM Country Singles chart.

Recording

Recording sessions for the album began on April 7 and 8, 1971, at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee. Two additional sessions followed on September 28 and 30. "Her and the Car and the Mobile Home" was recorded on December 9, 1970, during a session for 1971's Two of a Kind.

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording dateLength
1."More Than Words Can Tell"Porter WagonerApril 8, 19712:44
2."The Right Combination"WagonerApril 7, 19712:52
3."I've Been This Way Too Long"Dolly PartonSeptember 30, 19712:40
4."In Each Love Some Pain Must Fall"PartonApril 8, 19712:04
5."Her and the Car and the Mobile Home"
  • Dave Kirby
  • Don Stock
December 9, 19702:37
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording dateLength
1."Burning the Midnight Oil"WagonerApril 7, 19711:45
2."Somewhere Along the Way"PartonSeptember 28, 19713:06
3."On and On"Eddie SovineApril 7, 19712:03
4."Through Thick and Thin"Bill OwensSeptember 30, 19712:01
5."The Fog Has Lifted"WagonerSeptember 28, 19712:18

Personnel

Adapted from the album liner notes.[1]

  • David Briggs – piano
  • Jerry Carrigan – drums
  • Pete Drake – steel guitar
  • Bobby Dyson – bass
  • Bob Ferguson – producer
  • Jack Hurst – liner notes
  • Dave Kirby – electric guitar
  • Les Leverett – cover photo
  • Mack Magaha – fiddle
  • George McCormick – rhythm guitar
  • Al Pachucki – recording engineer
  • Dolly Parton – lead vocals
  • Hargus Robbins – piano
  • Billy Sanford – rhythm guitar
  • Roy Shockley – recording technician
  • Jerry Shook – electric guitar
  • Buddy Spicher – fiddle
  • Jerry Stembridge – rhythm guitar
  • Charles Trent – electric banjo
  • Porter Wagoner – lead vocals

Charts

Album

Chart (1972) Peak
position
US Hot Country LP's (Billboard)[11] 6

Singles

Title Year Peak position
US
Country
[12] 		US
Bubbling
[13] 		CAN
Country
[14]
"The Right Combination" 1971 14 106 26
"Burning the Midnight Oil" 11 — 9

Release history

Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various January 3, 1972
RCA Victor [1]
January 4, 2019 Digital download
[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Porter Wagoner And Dolly Parton - The Right Combination Burning The Midnight Oil". Discogs. 1972. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton - The Right Combination (Digital download)". www.amazon.com. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  3. ^ The Right Combination • Burning the Midnight Oil at AllMusic
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ "Billboard - January 15, 1972" (PDF). American Radio History. Billboard. p. 46. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  6. ^ "Cashbox - January 15, 1972" (PDF). American Radio History. Cashbox. p. 34. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  7. ^ "Billboard - June 5, 1971" (PDF). American Radio History. Billboard. p. 39. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  8. ^ "Porter Wagoner And Dolly Parton - The Right Combination". Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  9. ^ "Cashbox - October 30, 1971" (PDF). American Radio History. Cashbox. p. 40. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  10. ^ "Porter Wagoner And Dolly Parton - Burning The Midnight Oil". Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  11. ^ "Dolly Parton Chart History - Top Country Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  12. ^ "Dolly Parton Chart History - Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  13. ^ "Billboard - August 21, 1971" (PDF). American Radio History. Billboard. p. 35. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  14. ^ Canada, Library and Archives (17 July 2013). "Results: RPM Weekly". www.bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 20 April 2019.