Treasures (Dolly Parton album)


Treasures is the thirty-fourth solo studio album by American singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. It was released on September 24, 1996, by Rising Tide Records and Blue Eye Records. The Steve Buckingham-produced album is made up of covers of rock and country hits from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s.

Background

When Parton's contract with Columbia Records expired in 1995, she decided to look for a new label at her own leisure. She initially decided on Atlantic Records because she said Doug Morris was the one executive she met with who fully believed in her. Morris lost an executive battle leading to his departure from Atlantic in 1995. Morris began working with MCA Records in July 1995 by forming a joint venture record label with his Rising Tide Records, which became Universal Records when Morris was appointed chairman and CEO of MCA Music Entertainment Group in November 1995. Parton said she was in no hurry to find a new label, but when Morris began working at MCA she said yes, signing with Universal Records' Nashville branch which had retained the Rising Tide Records name.

Content

Among the selections are songs by Merle Haggard, Jeanne Pruett, Neil Young, Kris Kristofferson, Cat Stevens and Mac Davis. Perhaps the most surprising choices were Young's "After the Gold Rush" and Stevens' "Peace Train", which features Ladysmith Black Mambazo. While this initially seemed to be the oddest pairing, Parton says that for years, she wanted to
record "Peace Train" with a big chorus but couldn't find the sound she envisioned. She said, "I was watching TV and this Lifesavers commercial came on, and I heard these beautiful, rich voices. It was exactly the world sound that I wanted. I called and told him to find them, whoever it was. It turned out to be a perfect blend. I was going to record that song regardless of what album I did, because of the shape the world's in."

Release and promotion

The album's release was accompanied by a CBS television special, Dolly Parton's Treasures, which aired on November 30, 1996. During the special Parton performed most of the songs from the album, accompanied by video footage of news stories and events from the year of each song's original release.
Parton made an appearance on The Rosie O'Donnell Show on November 27 and performed "Walking on Sunshine".

Commercial performance

The album peaked at No. 21 on the US Billboard Top Country Albums chart and No. 122 on the US Billboard 200 chart. In Canada the album peaked at No. 24 on the RPM Country Albums chart. The album also peaked at No. 10 on the UK Country Albums Chart and No. 116 on the UK Albums Chart.
The album's first single, "Just When I Needed You Most", was released in September 1996 and peaked at No. 62 on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and No. 68 in Canada on the RPM Country Singles chart. In July 1997, a dance remix "Peace Train" was released as a single and peaked at No. 7 on the US Billboard Hot Dance Music chart, No. 119 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also peaked at No. 97 on the UK Singles Chart. Following the success of "Peace Train", a remix of "Walking on Sunshine" was released in August 1999, which did not chart.

Track listing

Charts

Album
Chart Peak
Position
Canada Top Country Albums/CDs 24