Reviews (page 4 of 13)
Cowboymaxxing.
Beautiful
I’m no country fan at all, but this was fun and cute. It’s certainly not timeless, but it has its rightful time and place in music.
Great songs, great voice. 4/5.
The king of the Western ballad. 4 stars or B.
Pretty decent!
Surprisingly good! I doubt I would ever choose it, but surely happy to have heard it.
This is the music my Papa would listen to. I can picture him eating a slice of buttered whole wheat bread or putting corn syrup on vanilla ice cream. His lips would smack while he ate. He used to tie my hands up and I'd try to untie them as fast as I could. My mom tells me that he lost all of their money gambling while she was growing up and that he was a nasty drunk. He had stopped drinking by the time I arrived. He used to take me to Tim Hortons back when it had a coffee bar and he'd drink coffee out of a branded mug and get me a chocolate dip donut. he suffered from dementia at the end of his life and ended up assaulting nurses and spouting racist stuff all the time. When he died they showed a bunch of the medals he got from WWII and my mother told me a story about how het told Nana once that he was stationed somewhere in Europe and went with a jeep-load of men to a small town and stepped away to buy a pack of smokes. While he was away the jeep was bombed and he was the only one who survived. He talked about that once and then never again. I hope he's found peace. I don't think he had the capacity to love. rating a 4 because it let me think about Papa again.
come on who don't wanna feel like a cowboy for 45 mins
Fun and pleasing to listen to, good story telling. The kinda country I like. 8.5/10
I really liked this! It's kind of like listening to a western movie in album form. I would not have expected to enjoy it as much as I did, but it was really moving!
Good storytelling, progressive nuance. Some really cool harmonies, with very solid production ahead of its time. Strong identity within the album maintaining good focus
I wish more county music was this good. He's got a great Roy Orbison quality to his voice but instead of forlorn love ballads, he's singing about outlaws and shootouts. Great stuff. Love the album cover, too.
Pretty enjoyable. Nice to finally know where some of the Fallout: New Vegas songs came from. Didn't realize gunslinger ballads were their own genre.
Good, will come back next time I’m on the trail
The first country album I’ve sat all the way through, and unsuprisingly also the first I’ve ever enjoyed. Every song here employs a similar structure, and it can get a little repetitive, but Robbins’ soulful crooning is ABSOLUTELY what makes this album. What a joy it is to hear him belt out these tragic tales of life in the Southwest, closing your eyes and letting the stories envelop you. I might not return to this for some time, but I cannot deny that the storytelling on display here is some of the best I’ve ever heard in an album. also big iron is overrated asf; master’s call, el paso, running gun, and hanging tree highkey sweep the floor with it
enjoyed this
Great voice, a little dated, but it reminded me of grandpa's western movies and it brought me back and I liked it.
You've heard about the girl in El Paso? Well she's Marty's girl and he's on his way.
I was familiar with the big songs off this album. It's a little too samey for one sitting but is also such a good vibe that I want to put it on and drive through back roads.
Album 171. Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs — Marty Robbins (1959) Classic golden country album with magnificent story-telling. Excellent, almost perfection. I have some associations with this kind and era of country with post-apocalypse hah. Basically, Big Iron from this album was in Fallout 4/5 Liked: — Big Iron — They're Hanging Me Tonight — The Master's Call — El Paso
Okay yeah this album knows what it is. Maybe it wears thin at a certain point but 5/5 at what it is trying to do. Maybe not a 5 stars for me but good enough. Highlight: Big Iron (well duh but this time I couldn't help but think it is a banger)
I rather liked this album as someone who is not a fan of westerns I thought some of the songs were good and the album overall was quite entertaining
like watching western love movies
One of the all-time classic Western albums. Marty Robbins delivers a fantastic collection of songs about love, blood, and death.
Really hard to rate this because I feel it may have limited replay value for me since I feel like I know the stories now, but damn if it doesn't sound absolutely immaculate and Saddle Tramp has me ready to strike out for the frontier.
I liked this a lot more than i thought I would. Every song is well written, even the songs that were too slow for me, Marty's voice and songwriting pulls me in 8/10 Fav Tracks: The Hanging Tree, El Paso Saved a Song? ----- ✅ Saved Album? ------ ✅ Will Listen Again? --- ❌
“the swiftness of the ranger is still talked about today” So glad this weird old album is on the list and that people are getting to know it. I say “weird,” but in its way it was perfectly mainstream. It is a perfect representation of a time when the Western genre completely dominated American life. And when country music was trying to seem more polished and genteel. No one would be dismissed as a hayseed for playing one of these smooth tunes. AND YET! As many have noticed, there is a hint of menace in Marty’s voice, and the songs clearly describe a Gothic world of death and tragedy. Like the best Western films (High Noon, The Searchers) the emphasis isn’t on historical accuracy but on using the elements of the genre to tell stories about universal themes. That’s why people still like it, even tho Westerns now seem out of date. I also like that it really doesn’t sound like any other record (except ones that imitate it). It’s that combination of crooner vocal, understated guitar, and 50s background vocals that doesn’t overwhelm. It’s not a 5 for me because I honestly wouldn’t want to hear it every day, but I’m so glad it’s a part of the list.
Det här är jag svag för. Outlaw country, på sitt sätt, innan begreppet fanns. Marty Robbins sjunger de här präriesångerna otroligt bra. Countrycrooner, utan att bli slätstruken. Brett register i både toner och känslor som bidrar till illusionen av självupplevt. Dessutom låter skivan väldigt bra inspelad för att vara från 50-talet. Big iron har jag bara hört i Colter Walls version tidigare. Originalet här sitter som en smäck. I övrigt är nog El Paso det enda jag tidigare hört. Fastnar väldigt mycket också för They’re hanging me tonight.
Was surprised how much I vibed with it. Kind of want to play RDR2 now
Kunne egentlig bare spilt "Big Iron" 10 ganger på rad. Faen så fet låt. Ellers syns jeg cowboymusikk ofte blir litt parodisk, men dette låter akkurat slik jeg tenker cowboymusikk burde låte. Stemmen til Robbins er nesten litt Elvis til tider. Låtene glir litt i hverandre til tider, men ellers knall (pun intended).
I've heard "Big Iron" and "El Paso" before. Never listened to the album in full. "El Paso" is a banger. This is a nice listen. Robbins had a good voice. There's a little bit too much reverb/echo on it, but that's just a nitpick. "Cool Water", "The Strawberry Roan", and "The Hanging Tree" are also high points. Solid old school country-western music. Cowboy shit, yee-haw/5.
This was good ole listen.
Yeehaw! Shit yeah!
Makes me want to form a posse. Familiar with El Paso but loved all of this
Man, maybe they shouldn’t had those explicit warnings in the 50s! Marty was the original gangster out there talking about doubly homicide on They’re Hanging Me Tonight. Overall this was most enjoyable. Marty can sure tell a story and turn a phrase. I found the music to be quite pleasant as well and love the more Spanish style western sound. Not sure if it was a guitar but someone was just noodling the whole time and it was super impressive.
Big Iron and El Paso are worth the price of admission. The whole album is pretty camp, but I like it and feel compelled to round up. 3.5/5
You can tell when the Western well starts running dry, but it’s still an excellent country record.
Favorite Track: They’re Hanging Me Tonight Least Favorite Track: Running Gun
So funny that this is really the first album so far I am familiar with already lol. Reminds me of my childhood (my dad).
This started off as a pretty simple cowboy country album but the longer I listened the more my appreciation grew. There are elements of this that sound a bit like Roy Orbison or Elvis and the lyrics on a couple tracks felt surprisingly deep. I enjoyed this more than I expected too.
A classic country-western album I had not heard before, but was very pleasantly surprised by. You can definitely hear the forming tones that will give birth to Johnny Cash and maybe even a hint of Elvis style crooning in this record, which doubles as a kind of set of short stories about life and love and danger in the Old Wild West. Beautiful as well as to notice the chaotic blending of styles going into American country music, a much maligned genre today. In this record, one hears the strains of Spanish guitar, gospel music, delta blues, and of course the steel string cowboy wails of the West, meshed together in a beautiful set of vignettes that include themes like finding water in the desert, breaking a wild horse, and sacrificing yourself to a stampede - not common themes of music today, and wonderful to explore. Despite the beautiful tones and voice, there is darkness and longing here as well - I leave content with an excellent album.
8!
Interesante. No creí que me iba a gustar pero me gustó. Fue como una peli.
This is the best country album I have ever heard.
Tykkäsin kuunnella tätä ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Jollain oudolla tavalla todella viskinmyötäinen albumi! Oli kiva.
La verdad verdadera... me gustó mucho. Al principio pensé que como era música bastante no de mi época no iba a tener feeling en lo absoluto pero desde el primer tema literalmente mi humor mejoró un 50% jsajsjasj(encima reee country la onda y un género que no disfruto nunca). En fin, amé como Marty usó constantemente las rimas como herramienta para narrar su historias de vaqueros, forajidos, duelos y paisajes del oeste(ella informada). Mi top de temas fueron Big Iron, El Paso, Billy The Kid y A Hundred and Sixty Acres. Sólidos todos.
Very fun classic country, but I dont think I could name a single song besides the famous ones.
At first glance this looks to be a goofy period piece, but it ended up being way better than I thought it would.
It was a nice listen nothing too special in my opinion but very good when on the go
Really dig this one. Just a classic nostalgic western recording. Fantastic storytelling and iconic sound.
It's definitely dated but I really enjoyed the album and can see why it was rated so high
A solid album of Country and Western music. Marty's voice is solid as he handles these classic tunes. The mixing is well done and I have listened to this one several times before. I have been looking for it on vinyl but I have not been able to come across it yet.
Some very enjoyable ballads of the old west. Marty has a very likable voice tone. With a good backup band and singers. Brings back memories of my late brother who passed on the 5th of this month.
Oh my childhood.
Robbins is at his best telling old Western tales, and love the bleak atmosphere with all the death endings
BIG IRON!
Very nice americak folk county
Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs by Marty Robbins is a classic Western-themed album built on strong storytelling and simple, atmospheric sound. Songs like El Paso and Big Iron stand out for their vivid narratives and memorable melodies. It may feel slow by modern standards, but its cinematic style and timeless songwriting make it highly influential.
Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs is an example of an album one would put on and just sit and experience. Tales of duels, heartbreak, and the urge to roam. Catchy tunes from a Cowboy Crooner is definitely one you have to be predisposed to enjoying otherwise I'm sure the album comes off as cheesy and annoying. It's almost 70 years old, after all. Robbins delivers beautiful imagery and Grady Martin delivers excellent lead guitar that inspired me to expand upon my own playing years ago. For the first 17 years of my life, I thought "El Paso" was a Grateful Dead song.
record
Me gustó bastante, como para hacer una misión
AYYYYY!!! I’ve wanted to listen to this for a second but not enough to, y’know, actually listen to it. It’s great though. Not entirely sure why the Spotify track listing was wacked to fuck, but nothing a bit of queueing up won’t fix. Anyway this album is awesome! Just a bunch of really nice tracks, with some really good standouts, most notably the beautiful “El Paso,” and a few other great ones. Robbins’ voice, though easily likened to better artists such as Cash or Campbell, is still a sturdy and well-used voice, and across the album the performances are great. 9.0/10
Me gusto. Un country que parecen para musicalizar escenas de viaje de personajes. Un album muy para escuchar en el auto.
Fuck yeah.
Love the ol Classic Western ballads. You don't? give a listen.. you may get turned on. I can listen to "El Paso" on a loop! That in itself is worth the listen. Good job! 826
This is Western music, not country music per se; it's also a lot of the same sound to do in one sitting, so perhaps not totally well suited to this album-based exercise. But everything here is at least pretty good, and the best stuff - the title track, "Big Iron," "The Strawberry Roan" - is some of the best of its era.
sorprendentemente me ha gustado y mucho, un sólido 9
Not heard this before
Have I turned into an old man? Are we singing too happily about the "hanging tree" and being trampled by cattle? I don't know why, but I'm loving this album and I haven't even played Fallout: New Vegas!
A pivotal album in the development of country and western music. A little dated but it still sounds great. Marty's voice is impeccable and his songwriting skills are some of the best.
I recognize a bunch of these songs by title, but this is my first time listening to this entire album. This is exactly what I expected, and it's solid.
4.5 - I am yet to come across a better album for shooting-up in the west.
wait why is this so fun lol? dont judge if you catch me listening to big iron
Timeless voice. Great old album.
Got El Paso on it. Pretty good stuff, and the title describes it perfectly.
Not much variation but still nicely done.
Cash meets a Mighty Wind. I dig it.
After Fallout this album is shown in a new light. Love the lyricism, this is a ballad in its classical sense of the word.
- Pre-listen: I am actually so fucking excited to listen to this album. - 6 7 in track 8. - I always love a good 1950s/1960s era guitar ballad album because you get to hear some of the best goddamn guitar playing you maybe have ever heard. The "lead" guitar player on this album is fucking phenomenal, like, he just absolutely shreds improvisations for the entire goddamn album. Holy shit this guy is so fucking good and its awesome. - I also love me some goddamn four part vocal harmonies. This is just fucking awesome. The simple instrumentation is so fucking awesome. Just upright bass, 2 guitars, a snare with brushes, and four voices. It's beautifully simple and it is just awesome. - I recognize Big Iron from Fallout: New Vegas. However, it's such a good fucking song??? It's definitely my personal favorite on this album, I just love the bass singer so much, I love the upright bass part, I love the guitar player shredding, and Marty Robbins just fucking holds the vocals down. God what a fucking phenomenal album. - This may be surprising, but this gets an 8/10 from me. I think this is some of the best "American Western" music you can get, and it's not boring. When I think of traditional "American Western" music I think, "oh, this is just gonna be the same song form over and over again and the singer sings about a woman or a horse," and while that is true, it really isn't boring. You get invested in the story of the song, because these songs are folk tales at their cores. This, however is not something I would have on loop, which loses it points, but it is just so fucking good. Four stars, 8/10.
This is the biggest surprise on the list for me so far. It's old school gangster country. I am here for it.
Surprisingly chock full of complete bangers. Cowboy music may be the peak of human achievement.
Ótimo álbum!
Surprisingly great sound quality for how old it is, also surprisingly fun!
better then the usual country stuff and nice flashbacks to new vegas
There is no album that captures the spirit of 1950s country Western music quite like this one. Tales of guns and outlaws are the predominant theme, and are mirrored with Robbins accessible American drawl, transporting you to the idealistic old West saloon. This is the album's main essence: a tribute to a nostalgic and, even in Robbins time, long gone and unrealistic ideal. But listening to this album you can't help but believe it, at least for a time.
8/10
Good old country music!
Marty's voice, and the way it carries over these old-school cautionary Western fables, carries that warm desert wind. It evokes so well that feeling of watching your Dad's favourite vintage frontier flick with half-lidded eyes, its dusty prairies populated with Cowboys and Indians and all those who brave the untamed lands of the New World with nothing but a Colt revolver and a Stetson hat. Somebody's been bouncing from saloon to cantina on the run from the lawmen. You can imagine, maybe anachronistically, these sweet songs being plucked out by some dry vaquero, strumming away comfortably at a beaten-up maplewood acoustic in the corner, sipping straight whiskey after a long day ranching cattle on the lonesome road. With every re-telling the details would change a little; the men meaner, the women heartier, the lands wilder. And he'd pick up all of these tunes as he travelled, penning them for his own amusement in the mental ledger to be passed on like ghost tales of men that may have once existed under different names and forgotten circumstances. There's this simplicity in the homesickness of its storytelling and the complex relationship between man and nature being flattened out into these little stories of the kind shared amongst men at the poker table, steeped so thickly and unapologetically in its rural locality, that becomes endearing. Life in these songs is tough but there's an incomparable beauty to the setting of the red sun on provincial redder sands, and the drifters who follow along its primordial horizons. For a drink, stranger, I'll tell you them stories what I heard out droving. Fav tracks: Big Iron, Billy The Kid, El Paso, Cool Water, In The Valley, The Master's Call
4/5. A really lovely album that has a lot of staying power. Robbins takes both new and old songs and records them with a wonderful backing band and his own superb overdubbed vocals. Melodies and harmonies admittedly grow stale here, which is what keeps me from calling this a 5, but I do think that's a symptom of listening to the album as a whole rather than a few songs at a time. The style of the genre doesn't lend itself to a ton of variation, so it's not shocking that there's a lot of sameness between each song, but it wearied me all the same.
Favorite Tracks: Big Iron / Cool Water / The Strawberry Roan / Hanging Tree / El Paso Rating: 3.8 Have never heard of Marty Robbins, but I immediately recognized "Big Iron" from Fallout lol. I liked this way more than I was expecting! I literally never listen to country music, but this album was a treat. Great voice, wonderful storytelling, fun guitar work, cool badass cowboy ballads full of gun battles, wild horses, and beautiful Mexican maidens. Good stuff.
yeehaw
Every song has the same throughline but the lyrics/storytelling gives each song a unique feeling. Very fun album.
4/5
Sensational album
15/02/2026 *1. big iron - already know this one from fallout... love it <3 love the storytelling.... 2. a hundred and sixty acres - immediately liking the fingerpicking guitar... really lovely voice... *3. they're hanging me tonight - love this one already!!!!! *4. cool water - slide guitar at the start? nice :) 5. billy the kid - :) *6. utah carol - love how atmospheric the stories are. 7. the strawberry roan - cute horse song <3 *8. the master's call - liking the bass in this one... backing vocals are really nice as well. his vocals are so nice in this one. 9. running gun - the sound of these songs is getting a bit repetitive, but the stories are immense! *10. el paso - already lovelovelove this one!!!!! love how the story keeps escalating and how dramatic it is.... *11. in the valley - slower and calmer... really sweet..... 12. the little green valley - nice :) *13. the hanging tree - guitar and trumpet makes this one stand out a bit more compared to the others.... love the backing vocals. 14. saddle tramp - nice again :) really liked this one :) got a bit repetitive after a while, but would definitely listen to it again.
just cool
Surprisingly smooth, but songs are all about shooting folks and running off. Great performances and subject matter that I didn’t think the 50s could produce. 3.9/4.0
Good old fashioned songs about running from the law, gunfights, and stampedes. I really enjoyed it. I also think the mixing is interesting. You can barely even hear the guitar on some tracks. It gives it a very folksy and lyric-driven vibe.
Country fantástic
Now this is storytelling and poetry
Classic love old western songs
would listen while driving on an empty road at night
This rootin, tootin, outlaw shootin, bronco scootin, studded leather bootin cowboy sure can tell a damn good story! Only complaint is that the songs are repetitive, but that tends to happen with storytelling songs, since they’re focused more on the story than the musical ideas. YEEE HAW!
BIG IRON ON HIS HIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Old country folksy songs.
My kind of country. Feels like I should be playing Fallout or RDR while listening to this. Amazing songwriting and singing with the guitar and background harmonies.
a lot better than I expected!
Such a cool and classic sound. Smooth as silk and salt of the earth. It’s prime soundtrack and montage fodder these days.
Great early country music which my wife accurately described as old cowboy film music.
4/5
I'll need to listen to this again (was a bit distracted at the time)... but I dug it.
This album is really great. It's obviously quite old with a consistent sound throughout. The vibe of the sound really could carry the whole album alone and it would be solid, but each song really does have a lot of character, so you don't get lost in the sound too much. Will definitely return to this.
country
Fallout-musik!
This and a strong black coffee rocking in a chair on the porch
****agreat western music album. Easy listening.
I love this album. His guitar work is really worth listening to, and they're great tunes. There are one or two lesser tracks, though, which brings it down to a four overall.
It’s nice to hear some respect for songs of American tradition. I’m sure there are things about this album that don’t hold up in modern culture, but I think it represents a good window into a specific era of America that idolized cowboys and the Wild West. The songs feel heartfelt and sincere and bring up a time when “manly” men thought and sung their feelings rather than push them down and pretend they don’t have them.
This is goooood cowboy music
Excelente, no sabía que el country clásico sonaba asi de bello
- hienoja tarinoita - enää ei tehhä tämmösiä tarinankerrontabiisejä, sääli
big iron on his hiiiiiiip
Honestly a vibe, such classic country
What a delight. The songs on this album are of a high standard, and it is no surprise that many have become widely covered classics. In its delivery, "Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs" is very much a product of its time. Marty Robbins’ smooth 'Nashville Sound' vocals, combined with the Glaser Brothers' backing harmonies, create a polished, sophisticated atmosphere. Refreshingly, Robbins avoids the heavy 'country twang' employed by many male country artists, a style I often find off-putting. Instead, the record reflects the production ethics and vocal purity of the late 1950s. There will be those who might dismiss the album because of its age, but that would be a mistake. To do so is akin to a modern film buff refusing to watch black-and-white cinema from the 1940s or 50s, wrongly deeming it inferior simply because of the medium. While it is a very good, easy-breezy listen, the lyrics deserve your full attention; they often hide a darker edge. The standout track for me is 'They're Hanging Me Tonight', but "Big Iron", "Cool Water", "Running Gun" , "El Paso" and the "The Hanging Tree" are also worthy of mention. A solid four stars. 1 "Big Iron" (5/5) 2 "A Hundred and Sixty Acres" (4/5) 3 "They're Hanging Me Tonight" (5/5) 4 "Cool Water" (5/5) 5 "Billy the Kid" (4/5) 6 "Utah Carol" (3/5) 7 "The Strawberry Roan" (4/5) 8 "The Master's Call" (4/5) 9 "Running Gun" (5/5) 10 "El Paso" (5/5) 11 "In the Valley" (4/5) 12 "The Little Green Valley" (3/5) 13 "The Hanging Tree" (5/5) 14 "Saddle Tramp" (4/5) 15 "El Paso" (full length version) (5/5) Total - 65 Average - 4.33 234/1001 130/234 albums reviewed were new to me.
Knew El Paso and Big Iron already, others didn't really hit.
Que da hora a vibe faroeste. Curti o álbum todo, me lembrou um pouco do Johnny Cash, umas menos faroeste, mas um bom álbum. Eu já tinha uma curtida. Bom álbum, boa voz, boa histórias. Vou dar 4 pra esse.
Loved
Um. I really liked this.
8.0/10 When I saw this album it looked like an automatic 1 star for me… but after listening I thought it was absolutely great. Marty’s voice and all the harmonies are amazing. It’s a perfect chill record for a lazy Sunday afternoon.
This one is for the REAL cowpokes, what a delightful little album!
Shoutout cowboys in a major way I love these guys and while this ofc helps add to the mythos of them being like wayward gunslingers rather than regular workers I do think the history cowboys have with music/folk music is cool and this is a great example of it. awesome storytelling Marty Robbins has a great voice.
4/5 - This was great. I love when we get albums like this that execute well on some niche that I wouldn't otherwise listen to. I knew Big Iron was familiar, and it was from the video game Fallout: New Vegas, which made me laugh.
Fire. Lot of good classics and with some new music I can definitely hear inspiration.
I enjoyed this album more than I thought I would, as this isn't my type of music. But many of these songs are quite fun and devilishly clever. I can't bring myself to give it 5 stars as I reserve that rating for masterpieces, but I have to admit that this album perfectly accomplishes what it set out to do.
For a millennial or a Gen-Z listener this may be almost impossible to imagine, but I grew up with two Dutch TV channels. When I was nearly fourteen, a third one was added. A year later, the first commercial channels arrived. On those two public channels there was exactly one afternoon per week of children’s television: Wednesday afternoon. The rest of the time? Test card. Hours and hours of it. I genuinely miss that thing. So what did you do if you wanted to watch TV? You turned on the Germans, of course. ARD and ZDF. And what did you watch there? Westerns. For about fifteen years I was convinced that cowboys spoke German, and Native Americans too—very convenient, really, since they understood each other perfectly. Cowboys were also the most popular carnival costume for boys when I was young (cap guns! which never worked because the paper caps got wet), with “Indian” as the obvious alternative. My older sister devoured the Arendsoog books; I collected Lucky Luke comics. Westerns were everywhere. And that’s the point. Roughly between 1960 (or a bit earlier) and 1975, the western was a dominant cultural force. TV series like Bonanza and Rawhide were hugely popular. Cinemas were flooded with westerns starring heroes like John Wayne or Clint Eastwood (who became famous via Rawhide), anti-heroes like Lee Van Cleef, or figures somewhere in between like Charles Bronson. From cheap pulp to the highly regarded Italian classics by Sergio Leone. “Spaghetti western” really does refer to the culinary preferences of its creators. To complete the cultural puzzle: these Italian westerns, often starring Americans, were frequently shot in southern Spain for the landscape. And yes, if film soundtracks were on this list, Ennio Morricone’s score for Once Upon a Time in the West—C’era una volta il West, obviously—would be a very strong candidate. We’ve already encountered those unmistakable Morricone guitar lines elsewhere. Which brings us, finally, to this album. Released right at the beginning of that western boom, it didn’t just reflect the genre—it helped shape it. This record is often seen as a high point, and possibly a catalyst, of the country outlaw movement. Almost all the songs deal with deeply immoral cowboys who usually meet their end by bullet—often several. Sometimes justice prevails. The title “They’re Hanging Me Tonight” is pretty self-explanatory. This album is an absolute pleasure to listen to. Stick to the original twelve tracks and you get just over 35 minutes of pure enjoyment. (The CD adds three bonus tracks, including the original mono version of the massive hit “El Paso.”) Marty Robbins is a wonderful singer with a warm, expressive voice. By modern standards he uses rather a lot of vibrato—a common feature in country—but it never becomes annoying. While listening I kept wondering: Robbins came to prominence slightly before Elvis Presley. Presley, who also started in country, exploded when he crossed over into the contemporary, black-influenced music of the time. Listening to Robbins’ voice, you can imagine a similar path—musically, at least. He didn’t have Presley’s looks or sex appeal, though he did have disastrously right-wing political views, an obsessive love of NASCAR racing (which he funded with his music income and occasionally did quite well in), and a heart condition from a young age. He died at 57, having released 52 studio albums. Right. Back to the music. Twelve songs, lots of lyrics, relatively short runtime—you’d expect musical simplicity. And yes, it’s simple, but never dull. A gently ticking drummer, a bassist, acoustic guitar as the backbone, and a prominent male backing choir. That choir does date the album somewhat (though far less offensively than Ray Charles’ barbershop backing vocals), but it’s never distracting. The bassist deserves a mention. Bob Moore mostly plays tonic–fifth patterns—root note, fifth, back and forth—creating that wonderfully bouncy PLOEM-ploem rhythm. It’s incredibly effective here. And yes, this is the same Bob Moore who played on early Elvis recordings. That iconic bass line on “Fever”? Same guy. One warning: don’t listen on headphones. Like many albums of this era it uses constructed stereo. Music hard right, choir hard left, Robbins dead centre. Extreme panning, and frankly unbearable. Picking standout tracks is almost pointless. There are no weak songs. The big hits “Big Iron” and “El Paso” are obvious highlights. One more thing worth noting: despite the brevity of the songs, they contain more key changes than Chic’s eight-and-a-half-minute “Good Times” (which has none). Try “The Hanging Tree”—technically a bonus track, but still illustrative. This album never reaches genius level; the music is too simple for that. But it is immensely enjoyable, expertly crafted, and completely confident in what it does. Bang bang.
I came to Marty Robbins pretty late in life, but maybe that's a good thing. Younger, hipper, try-harder me would've shrugged him off as unbelievably uncool. Which he is not. These songs are great - stories of the Old West, sung with feeling and panache. Marty has a wonderful voice. The guitar work is intriguing and beautiful. "Big Iron" and "El Paso" especially are masterpieces. This is a VERY strong FOUR STARS
l’impression d’être dans le pub où lucy gray chante dans hunger games ballad of songbirds and snakes je tape du pied quoi c’est entraînant #usa
What a jolly Album, reminds me of something my grandparents would love. Also could easily be in the Fallout series soundtrack
Very cool album and what a voice! I actually knew Marty Robbins from a playlist I made a few years ago called 'Best Story Songs' and had "Sante Fe" on the list. He has the voice you picture when you think of Western songs, just like Johnny Rotten has the voice of Punk. It's crazy how much Chuck Berry, Elvis, and the Beatles changed things for music. Great listen and is a leader for the genre but not my favorite type of music.
fuck yes
Every song on this kind of sounds like every other song but it’s ok because it’s a song that I like
I quickly got the idea but actually found it quite uplifting
I didn’t think this was going to be my thing, but after a few songs I was into it. I can hear where Orville Peck maybe got some inspiration.
Aside from the constant playing of Big Iron in Fallout: New Vegas, I don't think I've listened to any Marty Robbins since the late 80s, so having this one pop up yesterday was a pleasant surprise. I do like Robbins' sound, and this album is a nice mix of country ballads that seriously invokes old-school westerns. For the nostalgia alone, I'm going to give this one 4.5 out of 5 stars.
I do like country quite a bit, and even though I'm not as well versed as real genre die-hards, I'd like to think I have an honest appreciation of what the genre is at it's best. However, you would not necessarily know this from my record on this website. I've enjoyed most country I've heard here, but not really been floored by any of it, and I honestly think it's kind of a curatorial issue. I think the authors of this book did a pretty good job, but I think there are a couple of gaping holes in the country selection here, particularly as far as ~60s-ish stuff goes. As a couple of examples, Glen Campbell and Townes Van Zandt are both *entirely* absent from this list, which is almost criminal. These musicians have created several of my favorite country songs *ever*, and I think Townes Van Zandt is one of the greatest American songwriters ever. What does this have to do with Marty Robbins? Very little. Do I mostly just want an excuse to mention these artists? Probably. But I also bring this up since the list has finally seen fit to give me a country album that I truly love. I don't think Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs is perfect, but its best songs may be. Firstly, let's get this out of the way: that isn't just a title, this album does consist pretty much entirely of gunfighter ballads and trail songs. I generally think the gunfighter ballads are the stronger of the two categories. And they are *very* strong. Some of these songs contain some of the finest storytelling in the history of country and western. They are all "Gunfighter Ballads", so there isn't a ton of variety in subject matter, but this subject matter is presented in a wide variety of ways. We have stories from the perspective of outlaws, rangers, strangers and disembodied narrators. Robbins explores various tones, and you never feel like you can assume "good" will triumph in the end. These songs are visual, and poetic, and masterclasses in building suspense. Big Iron is the most legendary song from this album. And it has earned this status. Big Iron manages to be both a fantastic country composition and a stirring micro-Western. The way the narrative unfolds almost feels like watching a short film. Billy The Kid feels convincingly like you've been cornered by a talented troubadour. And The Master's Call is a unique song among the others here. It is the tale of an outlaw turning to Jesus after miraculously surviving a storm. And even though I would not presently self-describe as Christian, the presentation here is incredible. It captures Christian music through the lens of cowboy mysticism. And the result leans into what feels almost like magical realism in the way that some of the more interesting stories of the Catholic saints feel like magical realism. God is presented as an interventionalist force of nature, and it is unique and refreshing to hear in a world of evangelical music. As I implied earlier, I am a touch less floored by the "trail songs", but they are still solid and still serve a purpose. They are vital in maintaining immersion in this album's world and stringing the center-pieces together. And even if the story telling isn't as flashy, there are very much still echoes of what makes the highs on this album so great. That being said, I am less inclined to revisit these songs, even though I think they are justified within a full album setting. I'd also like to mention that of all the '50s music I have heard through this project (so far), I think this may be the lead contender for the album that has aged the best. The core of these songs is a person and a guitar, and there are embellishments, but you could effectively perform these solo without making huge changes to the guitar parts. And this framework lends itself very well to frank, earnest songwriting. Which is why you can still find young people making music that resembles this, it's a medium which naturally lends itself to earnest expression. Contrast this with something like Elvis' Rock and Roll. You *can* still find artists tapping into a sound which directly recalls Elvis, but it's almost always a subversion or pastiche of the sound. And even if the artists in question have an earnest love of the source material, the art they are making serves a different objective than this source material. In short, the simplicity and honesty of the presentation here lends Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs a timelessness that it wears well. Marty Robbins delivered a landmark in country here, and the storytelling across this album absolutely still holds up. The trail songs make things a tad uneven, but the full picture kind of needed them. This is pretty excellent, and I feel happy with what I will officially call "a high 4".
Big iron took me back to my youth playing new vegas. Goot times. Overall fun album
Such a classic. Perpetuated the current pop cultural idea of cowboys, so that's a solid knock against it. Too bad its such a tasty jam of an album.
Day747 - definitely in on the gunfighter songs, el paso, billy the kid and big iron.
Really enjoyed this, great voice somewhat reminiscent of Johnny Cash. Also love a story song so very fun.
'El Paso' is a complete banger.
One of my favorites. It's worth listening to the whole thing, but I do find that it gets pretty repetitive; still, it reaches a really high high with Big Iron and El Paso.
A lot of the songs sound the same, but I like the sound.
Great American country tunes! I know El Paso from the Grateful Dead / Bobby versions (RIP Bobby!).
Love this guy’s voice. It’s hard to feel anything negative or bad while listening to this.
363/1089 - The singing is very solid. I found a lot of the songs very similar to each other. For example: Big Iron, The Master's Call, and Saddle Tramp are practically the same song and I think they should have just picked one (Big Iron) or used a significantly different arrangement. Saddle Tramp is somewhat different being in a different meter and all, and I think more choices like that should have been made in the arrangements throughout the album.
Yes, Fallout, we all love Fallout, but this is also a fantastic album. Sure, some of the songs start to sound the same, but Robbins’ voice is so straight and pure, beautifully telling us the various stories of good guys and bad guys featured here. The production is crisp, and it does feel like gathering around the campfire to hear a tale. Very enjoyable listen.
This album is actually pretty great. It's a very cinematic one, which gets you into a Western movie (just that it's in your head). Marty Robbins sings really well too. I've enjoyed it so much.
The rootin'est, tootin'est cowboy in the wild west.
Way better than expected. I quite enjoyed a few of these songs.
bah franchement j’ai grave kiffé, the hanging tree était vraiment bien, j’ai passé un très bon moment
Better group of songs than all the music from those 1950s cowboy flicks.
I loved this so much, helped me chill out on a horrid morning. Big Iron ★★★★☆ A Hundred and Sixty Acres ★★★☆☆ They’re Hanging Me Tonight ★★★☆☆ Cool Water ★★★★☆ Billy the Kid ★★★☆☆ Utah Carol ★★★☆☆ The Strawberry Roan ★★★☆☆ The Master’s Call ★★★★☆ Running Gun ★★★★☆ El Paso ★★★★☆ In the Valley ★★★☆☆ The Little Green Valley ★★★★☆ The Hanging Tree ★★★★☆ Saddle Tramp ★★★★☆ Average Album Rating: 3.6/5.0 ★★★★☆
I really like they’re hanging me tonight. I like the way he tells stories in his songs Strawberry roan is on this album In the valley is good too I like how the hanging tree connects to they’re hanging me tonight
Great Album, especially El Paso - The song has been a family favorite our whole our lives - a HUGE favorite. Songs are quite similar in how they're put together, their rhythms, etc. It is a cowboy ballad album after all.
I think I'm unable to assess this album properly as it is so soaked in nostalgia for me🫶 I finally gave songs other than El Paso the attention they deserve!!!! Genuinely really love this album, but I do wonder how I'd feel without our personal history haha......
Another low 4 from me. I didn't grow up hearing this sort of stuff and only encountered Marty Robbins a few years ago. So nostalgic even so. Utterly heart grabbing, lush and also awful. Great voice and melodies.
Probably not the best person to judge this, but it seems like a very good version of what it is trying to achieve and I have to some there is an element of historical significance but I don't really have any contact to make that call. It's a bit samey but definitely created a vibe and I could definitely imagine listening to it driving through the desert in a cranky old car breaking bad style. The main thing that stood out was the quality of the vocals, a really big, rich, warm sound that is at odds with modern production and fantastic harmonies on the leads or backing vocals. Liked that there was over doing with some horns and wish they had included them on more tracks too break things up a bit. Nothing really bad to say about it but not my cup of tea and probably won't go back to listen again
One of my favorite country albums ever. 🤠 Favorite track: Saddle Tramp 4.5/5
Highlights - big iron, El Paso, they’re hanging me tonight
Cool ballada, true classics
I got this right after Merle Haggard. I liked this better.
Not usual listening material but really enjoyed. El Paso and Hanging tree.
Surprised at how much I enjoyed this album!!
Classic album, reminds me of my grandpa
Great southwestern music.
Recognized Big Iron and El Paso. Talked to dad about the album - his dad used to listen to old country like this.
surprisingly loved this. reminded me of my pap
BIG IRON ON HIS HIIIIIIIIP the meme song was the only one of these I knew. He's a good songwriter, the Robbins originals (El Paso, big iron, master's call) were the best ones. He's got a great voice and the backup vocals were nice too.
the guitar playing is gorgeous. Gorgeous vocals. I never thought I’d enjoy country music this much. The lyrics are fantastic and I felt like I was listening to a singing audiobook.
Album title is fitting. I want to find myself in an old western town ready for a bar fight and duel. When I win, I'll take my spoils and hit the dusty trails. Great story telling and a great voice.
Country/western at its finest. Every song belongs in a spaghetti western
If this challenge has taught me anything, it's that country music doesn't have to be cringeworthy. Not that there hasn't been plenty of that on here but there are the odd albums that really demonstrate the other side of the genre outside of the influence of the ultra conservative Nashville establishment. Seeing the cover of this album, I didn't have high hopes. Another pretend cowboy spouting honky tonk toxic masculinity I figures. But this album really does remind me of the romanticism of the old West in a genuine way. It took the outlaw country stars like Johnny Cash to keep the spirit of this style of country alive, but this is the real deal. It's raw and rustic, evoking dangerous stories told around the campfire. If country still sounded like this, I'd call myself a fan.
the kind of country i vibe with favorite tracks: big iron billy the kid the master’s call in the valley
Love the old country vibes this gives, very similar to colter wall. Will definitely want to listen again
This does scratch a very specific itch! If you want some good ol western music, songs about cowboys and showdown, sung by a Roy Orbison sounding cowboy ! This sounds like it must be it! Fav: Big Iron They're Hanging Me Tonight
Veldig koselig musikk, perfekt gladmusikk
If you enjoy stories of gun duels and jealous cowboys, this album is going to be a delight. The tales that Marty tells are full of old Hollywood cowboy lore: Gunslingers hunting down bandits; cattle runs and stampedes; running from the law. I’ll be the first to admit that my expectations weren’t high when I saw the album. I was wrong. Between his wonderful vocals, the great backup harmonies, and solid guitar performances, this album is a delight. This isn’t just competent story telling; this is painting a picture with words and a guitar. Carrying on the long standing tradition of traveling troubadours, his cowboy country stories transport you to the untamed world of the Wild West. My only disappointment is that I was unaware of Marty Robbins earlier in life.
Yeah, I liked it.
Another album that sounds the same. They’re a couple bangers on here!
One of those albums which just perfectly represents a time, place and culture. Great stories, told with a strong voice. Favourite tracks: Big Iron, They're Hanging Me Tonight, El Paso, The Hanging Tree
A good collection of stories about guys getting shot
This far outdates me, but I really enjoyed it! The album's title is what it says it is, but the songs are so bouncy and catchy, and Marty's crooning so smooth, it never felt formulaic, even when it sometimes ventured that way. Most people know El Paso, but The Little Green Valley and The Master's Call are also solid.
My progression into proper country continues for a second day in a row.
7.5/10 - There is something inherent to humanity that loves a good story. It’s the reason why men like Homer are remembered millennia later. The story telling on songs like Utah Carol, They’re Hanging Me Tonight, The Master Call and Big Iron make this an album worth coming back to again.
Pretty cool. Not generally into this but liked it
Love a good story teller. Voice really good too.
Genre: Western An album that has continued to have long lasting popularity, with songs having featured in both Fallout and Breaking Bad, there is no way white boys missed this one. A sweet, of-the-times piece, Marty Robbins sings some sad, longing, and sometimes violent western tales, and does a very fine job. One of those records that both your grandma and grandson would love. I certainly did. 4/5
I would never have thought this was for me. What do I know though? I felt compelled to listen multiples times. What a fun listen. And the playlist following was great too. Also, I’ve heard El Paso before, no idea where. A surprising 4
My first thought was why does he look like a Goldeneye character. Then my next thought was hey it’s the song from New Vegas. This is an album for true gamers, which I think is what Marty intended
Country classic that is still loved today. Forget Sgt. Peppers, this is a real concept album, a nice collection of clearly Western inspired Country songs that invoke the feeling of being stranded in some small Western town in the Arizona wilderness. A lot of classic songs here, sung with a very clear sounding voice. It amazes me how good the production sounds on a lot of late 50's album, almost like the peak of analog recording. It gets a bit same-y if you listen to the entire album with bonus tracks on streaming, but it's a good listen nonetheless.
songs to shoot legion to
Good tunes thx!
I am surprised at how much I did enjoy this.
I’m a big fan of cowboy spirituals, and this is just chock full of them. “Big Iron” or New Vegas fame is always. Banger. Cool water, El Paso , and the valley were also toe tapping fun. Great album for the cowboy frontier mood
8/10 Big Iron and El Paso are classic country bangers. Love this whole album and reminds me of driving on country roads with my dad playing this album through his cassette tape to AUX from his gen1 iPod. Good times.
*looks at album title again* Yep, sure is. Jokes aside, the songs are very lovely and have a perfect traveling vibe. Big Iron outshines the rest of the album, unfortunately. El Paso and The Hanging Tree are some other nice songs.
Of course I must admit the album is notable to me due to the intro song, Big Iron and its memetic resurgence in the 2010s. Listening to it now, it brings me to the realization that cowboys are cool. And that's the intention of the album: it collects a lot of the 50s to 60s cowboy media tropes together, telling short form stories of what it's like to be a fictional, idealized white man back in the day. What it's like to be *cool*. And cowboys are cool. The album makes for easy listening, sitting well in the background. Marty has a really pleasant singing voice.
I know who Marty Robbins is. I do like some old-school Country/Western music. Big Iron - 9/10. Storyteller song. Good musicianship, clean voice. A Hundred and Sixty Acres - 8/10. Simple and clean tune. They're Hanging Me Tonight - 8/10. Great lament. Cool Water - 7/10. I like this a little less than the other tracks. Billy the Kid - 9/10. Interesting chord progressions. Subtly sophisticated and smooth. Utah Carol - 9/10. Simple, clean, and beautifully sad. The Strawberry Roan - 8/10. A Western Waltz is certainly a choice, and it fits the lyrics. The Master's Call - 7/10. A story of redemption makes for a good song. Running Gun - 7/10. Solid. El Paso - 10/10. This feels like a short movie, and I can see it playing in my mind. As perfect as a storytelling song gets. In the Valley - 9/10. Beautifully simple. The Little Green Valley - 8/10. He captures very well the feeling of coming home from some kind of journey. The Hanging Tree - 8/10. Simple and clean, well composed with the key changes for each verse. Saddle Tramp - 7/10. Clean and well done. Overall Rating - 4.07/5 (8.14/10). Marty Robbins has such a clean, recognizable voice. I wasn't expecting this album to be this good. I expected something solid, but this was better than I was expecting.
No es para nada mi estilo pero eso no quiere decir que no pueda apreciar la fantasía de este álbum. Ha sido increíble estudiar en la biblio imaginándome que era una forastera leyendo el periódico en un bar perdido por el viejo oeste.
Yes lad
Im so glad to see this album on the list! I think Marty Robbins might be the greatest male country vocalist of all time. The harmonies vibrato, and smooth voice, just AWESOME. I do also enjoy the nostalgic romanticized western scenes he sings about. As good as old country gets. Sure the music is a bit repetitive and lame, but it's about the voice and stories for this genre. El Paso is a top 5 greatest country song of all time for me. Great album, great voice, great storytelling.
sounds great. he says fuck a lot, what a bad ass.
Surprise hit here. Fun songs that tell great stories. 4/5
Loved this. 4.5 for me
If Nick Cave’s Murder Ballads was a country album. Or the other way around?
Brilliant old iconic album, some great tracks
Haha this one took me by surprise. Was not exactly looking forward to this one but it turned into a very pleasant listen.
Full of bangers!
Almost a 5, REALLY good, big iron is obviously great, and the rest was almost as good
I instantly thought eh I won't like this, it's so old..but I actually enjoyed it. It's obviously old school but it felt so fun but with heavy topics. All the songs being about guns and shooting and cowboys felt interesting and a weird combo, I'm defo looking into the history of this album.
Silky smooth vocals, killer guitar work, and old western gun fights. Out in the west Texas town of El Paso, I fell in love with this album. Classic.
Hell yes!
Campfire songs. Great story songs written in the 1950s that you can still sing and relate to today. An album full of fun little western vignettes.
I absolutely loved this album. Very fun! Was very surprised to hear the song from fallout new Vegas pop up. This was a blast.
82/100. This was great. The songwriting and storytelling are absolutely spectacular, painting vivid pictures of the Wild West with charm and style. A classic country western album that still holds up.
Patrolling the Mojave almost makes you wish for a nuclear winter.
Exactly what’s on the tin. Great stories great vibes
Great voice and fantastic storytelling
I love this shit. Yeehaw
A fine Album by a great singer.
feel like im in a western
Obviously Cool Water is the standout. The strawberry roan also stood out to me, partially because it’s the inspiration for Chappell Roan’s stage name. Overall, I love Marty’s careless lilt. It contributes so much to each and every story. Loved The Masters Call!! Lonesome Dove vibes. El Paso 😭
Twangy!
Overall banger and an easy listen. Don't look for deeper meaning here. 4/5
I love this album but he’d be canceled with these lyrics today.
Classic!
This was a fun one. May go back and listen to if I need to feel a little silly lol
Неплохая музыка для фона, когда хочется чего-то из кантри. И песни не такие нудные, как часто бывает в этом стиле. Ставлю 4 звезды немного с натяжкой. 6 из 10.
Very enjoyable, 7.5/10
Favorite Track: Big Iron
When I listen to country from before the Reagan Administration: I’d like to apologize. I wasn’t really familiar with your game.
This is great. I learned about it from the prominent feature of El Paso on Breaking Bad and I've listened through this album a few times before. super consistent from start to finish and I know it went on to be a pretty influential album in the genre. I would love to know what Marty Robbins contemporaries sounded like and what the landscape of country and western music was when this was released in 1959.
Was excited to get this. Love how the guy on the cover looks like a PS2 era character model, haha. Fantastic western tinged country. Definitely the best country album I've gotten so far on the generator. Some slight shades of Fallout-core which is always welcome. El Paso is a standout as well. Didn't expect a 50's album to have explicit lyrics about getting shot and killed. Does start off with its best track, Big Iron, but everything else is really good too.
Gritty gangsta late 1950's country!
Makes you feel like a cowboy.
One of my favorites!
Let’s go
pretty good
This guy helped me get through the scary, silent capital wasteland of Fallout 3 as a teenager. Favourite Track(s): Big Iron Least Favourite Track(s): The Master's Call
Back when easy to listen to country pop was actually good.
Fallout fan, well aware of this album amd artist. Album was pretty good honestly. Every track fitting, kept the theme, little less intense than Big Iron but soothing.
My first reaction: This would be cute to play at a 6-year-old’s cowboy-themed birthday party. At the same time, I agree with the reviewer who said any one of these songs would kill around a campfire. My (adult) son loves to perform story-telling songs like this on his guitar. Going to send it to him.
Great album to listen to in the Mojave Desert.
Quintessential classic country. 4 stars.
Oldie, but goodie. Endelig noe som hører hjemme i lista.
I really like it. It’s really easy listening gardening, sunny day music for when you just want to chill and drown out your problems by maladaptive daydreaming.
4.5 stars. Brings the listener out to a romanticized gunslinger depiction of the wild west with tragic short stories usually ending in death and murder. But the melodies and smooth harmonies keep things from descending too far into darkness, despite the lyrical content. Great singing voice really keeps your attention and sounds a bit like Roy Orbison, if not quite as deep. Have to dock it a little because of how similar all the songs sound to one another. "Big Iron" is an all-timer. "El Paso" a melodic masterpiece.
Dette albumet overasket meg veldig, jeg så ikke denne komme. Kommer til å komme tilbake til dette flere ganger. Litt murder ballads aktig album. Produksjonen meget bra. Bra vokaler og melodier 4,5/5 tipper jeg at dette albumet blir etter hvert
Cowboy country! This is wonderful. Definitely will listen to again. 8/10
Giving me Dark Tower vibes. Is this who the Gunslinger was following through the desert?
Great album. Fantastic songs. Very enjoyable and gives me an authentic Country feel.
This falls between the Western side of Country & Western music and something approaching Pop\Novelty songs. I rarely listen to country and yet I know quite a few of these despite Marty Robbins barely being on my RADAR. My grandparents owned a ranch in the Livermore hills in the 80's and these songs take me to my Grandfather's soft metallic green Ford step side truck and the blanket covered bench seats and a gravelly dirt road on that ranch, the ranch-dogs barking and following in the dust plumes as we worked to clear and chop wood for the winter. And man did this go fast, I let it go in the background and it felt like it was done before I knew it. Like a good punk rock album you start it up, it rages and then ends in a flash.
Arrancamos el miércoles con un género del que antes ya he hecho el comentario de que es algo muy yankee y que al resto de las latitudes nos llega como banda sonora de alguna película/serie. "Big Iron" podría perfectamente ser parte del soundtrack de algún western de Tarantino, por ejemplo. Al escucharlo más y leer sobre él, noto una conexión innegable entre él y Johhny Cash. Si. Johhny Cash siempre fue más dark pero hay algo. Un fantasma. Un poltergeist de éste tipo en su música. A diferencia de otros discos countrys, éste me enganchó más. Es más baladero. Tiene otros tintes más interesantes que lo hacen más llevadero y conecta con lo audiovisual. Ideal también para bajar un cambio. Muchas gracias y hasta mañana
A real surprise. The kind of country I can get behind - great storytelling, memorable melodies, great harmony work. A little repetitive after a while, bit there were 3 or 4 songs I genuinely enjoyed, a rarity for me when it comes to this style of music. A soft 4, but a 4.
Great fun. Never heard an album like it. Really inspiring.
Howdy
Well, this was unexpectedly charming. Anything that lets me feel like I'm riding the range when I'm actually at my desk job gets my vote.
Big Iron is a banger as well as the epitome of a ballad. Marty Robbins has a lovely voice, and I'm surprised I don't hear more about him since this is the time for crooners.
I like all these songs, even though they are a sanitized gun-loving folk music of a whitewashed west that never existed. They're what an 8-year-old boy playing cowboy in 1959 would have called cowboy music. Still fun to listen to.
Back when country music was not about beer and booty, but when it was about shooting bad guys and getting hanged. Oh, how I miss the old times.
Great vibe. Big iron is peak. 4 stars for big iron alone.
What a great storytelling country album. He has such a sweet voice and tells his stories well
Patrolling the Mojave almost makes you wish for a nuclear winter.
He was a terrific story-teller in song
El Paso!
This country has been sick for awhile
This album caught me by surprise. This definitely is not my kind of music so I did not expect much, however I enjoyed it a lot. It's old of course but it has very sweet, mellow charm. The singing and harmonies are magnificent.
Does this rock or do I just watch too many singing cowboy movies 🤔
A pleasant surprise. You can hear how this influenced rock pop and country today. I think the slower songs began to drag but Big Iron, Utah Carol and Running Gun move
Honestly pretty good!
Used to listen to this with my dad when I was a kid. Brought back some good memories
I wish country still sounded like this. It would make me listen to it more.
4.0/lowkey a banger
“Big Iron” alone is worth the price of admission, which is why it’s the first song on the record. A song so good I think it’s got a life of its own even today. But lucky for us, there’s plenty of good storytelling to go round with Marty Robbins. Most song topics on this album have long since become cliche and pastiche, but that doesn’t mean they’re bad. I’d like to highlight “Utah Carol” which is a genuinely sad song that had me captivated and a surprised at how into the story I was by the end of it. Pretty. Good front to back. I don’t have a lot of other material of it’s time to judge this album properly, but it seemed to be a quality album. Light 4/5
My parents have sung several of these songs to me, so I think this was very important listening. Great storytelling, great vocals.
I liked this a lot. Just a little cowboy stuff to interrupt the never ending stream of British rock bands
Country-ish vibes, with lots of guitars and lyrics about what most would consider folk tales.
Fallout memes aside, this album has some charm that the last few had. I have already had past encounters with the track "Big Iron" but I was pleasantly surprised by the other tracks. I researched a bit about this album and it was hugely successful in the 50s. I think this goes hand-in-hand on the popularity of spaghetti Western film and media. I am a Fallout fan so old music like this is one of my favorites and I could always see myself replaying Big Iron when patrolling the Mojave.
Wasn't expecting to enjoy it, but I really loved it. The lyricism was engaging. The singing was beautiful and the orchestration, specifically the guitars, gave me an appreciation for the earlier styles of country music. It also made me a little annoyed by the direction modern country has taken.
Me ha gustado mucho, había canciones con un toque melancólico, me recordó mucho a paul anka y tiene toques rockabilly que me han gustado mucho.
Cowboy songs yeehaw! Some classics here and Marty is a master storyteller
# Playlist Track - Big Iron # Notes - Super fun listen! Old-timey charm. - Nice to listen the roots that made folks like Johnny Cash after him - Dude looks like a PS1 character on the cover, though.
Bunster Scroggs
Not mind blowing, but exactly what I hoped for. I'll be back
cowboys
Many classics
My dad used to listen to this album. Fun growing up n a house with an eclectic music collection
Wow his voice! So clear and strong and sing songy. I loved how each song with truly a whole story. It makes you appreciate what country music was. I love country music still but its not made like this anymore. I really fell in love with his vocals and how clear they are.