The Right Combination • Burning the Midnight Oil

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.

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

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music

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)."

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."

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 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 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.	Title	Writer(s)	Recording date	Length
1.	"More Than Words Can Tell"	Porter Wagoner	April 8, 1971	2:44
2.	"The Right Combination"	Wagoner	April 7, 1971	2:52
3.	"I've Been This Way Too Long"	Dolly Parton	September 30, 1971	2:40
4.	"In Each Love Some Pain Must Fall"	Parton	April 8, 1971	2:04
5.	"Her and the Car and the Mobile Home"	Dave Kirby Don Stock	December 9, 1970	2:37

Side two
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Recording date	Length
1.	"Burning the Midnight Oil"	Wagoner	April 7, 1971	1:45
2.	"Somewhere Along the Way"	Parton	September 28, 1971	3:06
3.	"On and On"	Eddie Sovine	April 7, 1971	2:03
4.	"Through Thick and Thin"	Bill Owens	September 30, 1971	2:01
5.	"The Fog Has Lifted"	Wagoner	September 28, 1971	2:18

Personnel

Adapted from the album liner notes.

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)	6

Singles

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

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Label	Ref.
Various	January 3, 1972	LP 8-track cassette	RCA Victor
Various	January 4, 2019	Digital download	RCA Sony Legacy

References

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

v t e Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton
Discography
Studio albums	Just Between You and Me Just the Two of Us Always, Always Porter Wayne and Dolly Rebecca Once More Two of a Kind The Right Combination • Burning the Midnight Oil Together Always We Found It Love and Music Porter 'n' Dolly Say Forever You'll Be Mine Porter & Dolly
Compilation albums	The Best of Porter Wagoner & Dolly Parton Just Between You and Me: The Complete Recordings, 1967–1976
Singles	"The Last Thing on My Mind" "Please Don't Stop Loving Me" "Say Forever You'll Be Mine"
Porter Wagoner discography Dolly Parton albums discography Dolly Parton singles discography

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