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126 of 132 found the following review helpful:
The Real West May 15, 2000
By Kurt Harding
"bon vivant"
First I'd like to say I absolutely despise most of the swabby, commercial garbage played on most so-called Country and Western stations today. Have a singer whine and sing through his nose, throw in a little fiddle and some stupid lyrics and presto: instant country music which is rarely more than pop music with a twang.Those who want to hear what real country/western is all about have only a few contemporary artists like Junior Brown or Dwight Yoakam to listen to or they have to go back to the old masters.Marty Robbins is a western native who put the "western" in C&W music and his album "Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs" is the vehicle with which he accomplishes that.Any one who loves the west can't help being moved by the collection of timeless classics on this album. Frankly, though its a great song, I am tired of El Paso.There are many equally good songs here. The listener will conjure images of the frontier days with the fantastic Big Iron, His Master's Call and the Hanging Tree. Anyone who has experienced the wide expanses of the intermountain west will appreciate A Hundred and Sixty Acres, Little Green Valley and Cool Water. That those are my favorites doesn't diminish the others.There is little quite like the smooth, rich, manly vocal style of Robbins or the tight play of his band. In the general style, only Gordon Lightfoot is his vocal equal.If you buy only one C&W album in your life, this should be the one for it is the standard against which all others should be measured.
43 of 43 found the following review helpful:
This Will Take You Back Aug 31, 2005
By Kelly L. Norman
"li'l rock & roller"
My dad loved Marty Robbins. I have so many memories of summer nights listening to the stereo playing "Big Iron" or "El Paso" and dad singing along, or actually, talking along, announcing each verse before it came up, sitting in the front yard under a blanket of stars.
Both dad and Marty Robbins are gone now. I never thought of collecting Robbins' albums much until recently, when I became irked at myself for not remembering the lyrics to El Paso. I bought this CD and everything just flooded back. All of these songs are great. "Cool Water", "Billy the Kid"...It was so easy, as a kid, to take Robbins for granted. But now I realize his was a very strong voice. The backup vocals and musicianship, as well as the lonesome-sounding, echoing production, make for a perfect country-western sound.
18 of 18 found the following review helpful:
If you hate country music, you'll still love this CD. Aug 10, 2004
By Brasington
"johnsan50"
Believe me, along with selected CDs by Johnny Cash, Jerry Reed, Patsy Cline, Steve Earle, Hank Williams Sr., and Willie Nelson, this perfect album by Marty Robbins belongs in the CD collections of any self-respecting rock fan. I normally listen to death metal, hardcore punk, and that ilk, but I still have to have my fix of Mr. Robbins.
The cowboy ballads included here are sparse, narrative-driven masterpieces. The only place music like this comes from is the soul. If it's true that Robbins recorded this in one afternoon, then that afternoon has got to be one of the most amazing dates in music history.
The cowboy songs on this disc, although not all written by Robbins, denote a singular vision. There is a romantic aspect to the music in its appreciation of nature, individualism, and especially in its heroic idealization of simple little vignettes about horse-riders of all types. This album is 100% cohesive even with the extra tracks tacked-on the end.
I strongly recommend this CD (even more than the 2-CD Essential Marty Robbins, which is also great, but not as focused) for any lover of music or collector of songs. Regardless of your musical leanings, this will find a worthy place in your collection.
13 of 13 found the following review helpful:
Authentic cowboy singer! Just like watching a movie. Dec 28, 2002
By Helen Shields
Marty is truly an authentic cowboy singer. When you listen to these songs of the old west, you can actually SEE what he's singing about and he makes you feel the emotion of the song. As a born Arizonan, he grew up with stories of the old west that his grandfather, Texas Bob Heckle, would tell him. Can you believe that Columbia Records, at first, was reluctant to have him release a 'cowboy' album, telling him that his 'voice wasn't right for cowboy songs'......wrong! Marty possessed a beautiful voice and was 'at home' in any genre of music, but his western 'stories in song' were just magnificent. Just give a listen to MAN WALKS AMONG US, THIS PEACEFUL SOD, THE RED HILLS OF UTAH, JOHNNY FEDAVO, BILLY VENERO....hear this extraordinary voice take you back to the days of the cowboy. I promise you, you WILL feel the sand in your eyes and smell the smoke of the 45. He makes it that real. If I could recommend any one singer when it comes to cowboy songs, it is MARTY ROBBINS....he brought the cowboy to life. This album is one of his finest and most sought after collections.
12 of 12 found the following review helpful:
Marty Robbins Makes Country meet Western May 13, 2001
By Richard E. Jandrow
This album would not only reconnect Country Music with it's Western Roots, but recreate Marty Robbins' career for many years to come. The majesty of the talented sound of Tompall and the Glaser Brothers, who created the musical imagery with Marty, and the talented acoustic guitar swells that molded the imagery of Marty's music, and symbolism of our Southwestern culture created the perfect stepping stone for Country Music for many years after the release of this album.These are not merely songs of the old west, but photo-musical imagery created in the fast-moving mind of the author himself. These were video images conjured up by the musical tales created by an extremely talented musician, which the world will long remember and truly miss. The hero of the piece, "El Paso", is one of the longest single pieces of music ever to become a hit, in any genre, up to the long later intro of Queen, in the genre of rock, many years later. But the length of the piece, not only does not subtract from it's meaning, but helps to add to the imagery created within it's entity. All of the music in this album contributes to history of Country Music and to the greater history of the Western Genre. No student of Country Music or lover of the same could possibly exist without a copy of this marvelous collection of images and sounds of the old west. To finish the album by adding, "The Hanging Tree", the theme song from a movie which demonstrated the expansion of our country to the west, was indeed, a measure of divine ingenuity. No lover of Country Music should be without this album.
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