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The Essential Marty Robbins: 1951-1982

Marty Robbins - The Essential Marty Robbins: 1951-1982 Audio CD

A fair review of the Marty Robbins "The Essential Marty Robbins: 1951-1982" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Marty Robbins reviews here, or go back to the Marty Robbins tabs.

Band: Marty Robbins
Title: The Essential Marty Robbins: 1951-1982
Rating:

Release Date: 1991-10-22
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Tomorrow You'll Be Gone 2: I'll Go on Alone 3: I Couldn't Keep from Crying 4: Pain and Misery 5: That's All Right 6: Maybellene 7: Tennessee Toddy 8: I Can't Quit (I've Gone Too Far) 9: Singing the Blues 10: Knee Deep in the Blues 11: Mister Teardrop 12: Story of My Life 13: White Sport Coat (And a Pink Carnation) 14: She Was Only Seventeen (He Was One Year More) 15: Just Married 16: Ain't I the Lucky One 17: Kaw-Liga 18: Hanging Tree 19: Paso 20: Big Iron 21: Song of the Bandit 22: Cool Water 23: Little Sentimental 24: September in the Rain 25: All the Way 26: Unchained Melody 27: Don't Worry 28: Devil Woman 29: Ruby Ann 30: Smokin' Cigarettes and Drinkin' Coffee Blues 31: I'm Gonna Be a Cowboy 32: (Ghost) Riders in the Sky 33: San Angelo 34: Man Walks Among Us 35: Beautiful Dreamer 36: Beyond the Reef 37: Hawaiian Wedding Song 38: Yours (Quiereme Mucho) 39: Tonight Carmen 40: Ribbon of Darkness 41: Feleena (From El Paso) 42: Hello Heartache 43: Begging to You 44: I Walk Alone 45: You Gave Me a Mountain 46: My Woman, My Woman, My Wife 47: Among My Souvenirs 48: Return to Me 49: Some Memories Just Won't Die 50: Paso City

GREAT
OTHER THAN NOT GETTING THE BOX THAT A SET IS SUPPOSED TO COME IN THE PRODUCT WAS PERFECT.

Lofty Company
And among that 24, four were Hot 100 hits only as Cap & Gown [# 45 in 1959], Is There Any Chance? and Ballad Of The Alamo [# 31 and # 34 respectively in 1960], and I Told The Brook [# 81 in 1962] did not make the Country charts. With the exception of Eddy Arnold, Jim Reeves, and Johnny Cash, no other Country artist had as big an impact on the more lucrative Billboard Pop singles charts than Marty Robbins, as no less than 24 times did he crack the Top/Hot 100, with another eleven just missing by making the "bubbling under" charts.

Also, contrary to one reviewer's contention, A White Sport Coat (And A Pink Carnation) was not his best pop hit. That honour belongs to El Paso which was his only # 1 in late 1959/early 1960 [A White Sport Coat made it to # 2 in 1957 and was his second best].

He did, however, have SIXTEEN # 1 Country hits, beginning with his very first for Columbia way back in 1952 [I'll Go On Alone] and ending in 1976 with Among My Souvenirs. Both are in this box set. In addition, he had 78 other Country Top 100 singles.

So, yes, it would be rather difficult to put together a set containing 50 selections and not leave off SOMETHING of significance. In my case, for example, I would have loved to see Ballad Of The Alamo included.

But hey, what is here is worth the price because, not only does it contain 24 charted hits, they are fully detailed in the 22-page booklet that accompanies the 2 CDs. This also contains informative liner notes written by Rich Kienzle in July 1991 along with many great photos of Marty over the years, as well as album cover reproductions (including his first), and personal appearance/movie poster reproductions.

For once Columbia did something right.

Excellent sound
This a very good collection of his songs, but the reason I gave it 4 stars instead of 5 is that "Streets of Laredo" is conspicuously omitted. The sound reproduction is excellent. Considering that there are 2 discs with a total of 50 songs, I don't know why this song wasn't included.

A STELLAR CAREER
Some of the early tunes are representative of songs that some people can point to as "hick" music. The other reviewers have it pretty well-covered: this CD best covers the career of the Glendale, Arizona, native. Marty didn't begin to hit his stride until the mid-50s with songs like "The Story of My Life" and "A White Sport Coat and a Pink Carnation", the latter of which he wrote himself in just a few minutes. His "Don't Worry ('Bout Me)" was a unique crossover in that it employed the so-called "honky tonk" country sound with a malfunctioning piece of studio equipment that sounded like s "bass sax". (They left the sound in to great effect). His gunfighter albums were big sellers and, besides the classic "El Paso", included "Song of the Bandit" and "Cool Water", songs written by a hero of his, Bob Nolan, the main songwriter for his group, the original Sons of the Pioneers. Marty's ability to handle all popular song styles is displayed in this exceptional album. He refused to be placed in a rut or be classified as just a country singer. We could have done without some of the earlier unrecalled songs in favor of a few left out, but all in all, this item is well worth the price. For the record, "El Paso, City (by the Rio Grande)" is my favorite. Hope you enjoy it.

A cut above all the others
Robbins could have taken off his stetson, stepped out of his spurs and left the Country trail to be a Pop singer as his great voice effortlessly embraced songs such as 'That old Feeling', 'As time goes by', 'You made me love you', 'September in the Rain', 'Summertime', 'It had to be you' with versions that were better than many of the Pop balladeers of his time. What did Elvis, Jim Reeves, Frankie Laine, Faron Young, Merle Haggard and Gene Autry all have in common? They were all fans of Marty Robbins; probably the greatest singer ever to grace Country Music. The man was such an immense talent that most of his hits were his own compositions and not only could he sing any genre of music he could also write them as well. Soul is a much misused word in Music but Robbins had it in abundance and you believe it when Marty sings weepers like 'Begging to you', 'I walk alone', 'Don't Worry' and the vocal gymnastics he displays on 'Tonight Carmen', 'You gave me a mountain' and 'My woman, My woman, My wife' are a joy to the ear. His versatility is astonishing (probably only Elvis and Bobby Darin) can rival his talent for singing such a wide variety of songs. This box set is a stunner; Great versions of the oldies like 'Yours', 'Beyond the Reef', 'Ghost Riders in the Sky', plus a plethora of Robbins hits abound on this album. I am just disappointed there haven't been further volumes as there is enough in Columbia's vaults to justify follow ups of this truly once in a lifetime talent.

You can see a complete list of all Marty Robbins discography, or go back to the Marty Robbins tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.