Reviews (page 6 of 14)
Classic album with fantastic cover art
pretty good
Ancestral to many genres, a product of its time. I've mostly heard Marty Robbins' music used to establish atmosphere, which is something it's very useful for. Still, he was pretty clearly romanticizing frontier life and doing his part to glamorize the image of the Extremely Rugged Cowboy Survivalist, and the testosterone poisoning oozing throughout these classic western songs doesn't sit well with me.
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
always a banger
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.
mehh
A classic of early 60's country music, but ran a little long. I must admit, though, Mary Robbins could write a catchy tune.
Some great vocals, some touching songs, some eh ones. Nana, breaking bad, riders in the sky, pops. 160 acres! THREE!
5/5 some of the greatest western n cowboy songs love it
Nice country. Too monotonous to me.
Wow! Gotta love Marty !
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.
Yippee ki-yea!
Sympa
THIS IS WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT I joined this project for exactly this type of album. The music and singing are good here, but an album with narrative songs about wild west banditos who get shot to death or who find Jesus because they saw a herd of cattle get blown up by lightning? Hell yes.
3.0
6/10 It's different at least. Boring, but different Highlights: El Paso Big Iron
Great album to listen to in the Mojave Desert.
This album makes me want to buy some cowgirl boots! I enjoyed his voice and most of the songs
Stealing this review "gangsta songs to listen to when you wanna shoot someone"
Honestly just quite funny
Quintessential classic country. 4 stars.
Oldie, but goodie. Endelig noe som hører hjemme i lista.
I’m not the audience
This album is beautiful. I can’t think of any other collection of songs where the story telling is so vivid. Possibly Gordon Lightfoot, but this is more consistent. I wish lyrics were written this way today. Not necessarily about gunslingers, about anything.
Yeehaw! Very clear voice but at the end I felt I had my fill of cowboy music. The Little Green Valley was my favourite song.
There's no way I'd regularly listen to it but it has it's place I guess haha
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.
3/10
I actually liked it surprisingly well. Does that make me a redneck? I don't think so. Overall, the music is very much in the country style. Yes, it could even be considered the definition of it. And that's not my style. I'll probably remember the album for a long time, but I won't listen to it again. 3/5
This album was pleasant, especially as a more sanitized and family friendly version of Nick Cave's masterful Murder Ballads album that came out several decades later. The rhythm in Gunfighter Ballads can get quite repetitive but the songs are evocative and the singer's voice is easy on the ears. The tracks themselves don't stand out much but it's an album that can be put on without skipping the songs. The opening track, however, Big Iron is the best and contains truly beautiful choral performances as well as some really great songwriting. I'd give this a 3 if it wasn't so generic, but it is closer to a 3 than a 2.
Not a massive country fan but this was a great listen full of memorable songs and melodies. Robbins' vocal style reminds me a lot of Elvis, who may have been influenced by Robbins. No real downpoints on this album, it's relatively familiar with simple songs about gunfighters, adventure, love and the old west. Best Track = Big Iron
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.
One of my favorites
Okay, wasn't expecting this one. But the whole album is solid, they're all cleanly delivered western ballads. Not everyone's genre, but everything on the album is tight. And these guys had some great voices, too. Separate the art from the artist if you can, though, Marty's politics were kind of extreme.
Big Iron on his hiiiiiiiip
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
Beautiful vocal harmonies, riveting storytelling, reminds me of Johnny Cash but not quite so dark.
5/5 every song on this one is fantastic, any time someone tells me they don’t like country I point them in this direction.
Giving me Dark Tower vibes. Is this who the Gunslinger was following through the desert?
suave y romantico.. me gusta pero muy country
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
fun, not for me tho
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.
Every song great... all sung greatly... by a great singer... Five Stars all day long...
Decent for the time period
Great fun. Never heard an album like it. Really inspiring.
This sound is iconic. I don't think I have ever heard it, but I have heard countless songs inspired by it. I love the story-telling! "Big Iron" got me right out the gate, but I really like "In the Valley" too. I feel like my Grandma played this many years ago. I want to listen to this on a road trip!
There’s something about an old Western ballad that makes a red-blooded American boy like me wistful for the days of cowboys, Indians, trail rides and campfires. It’s a false history that we’ve been sold from John Wayne movies and our own self-delusional national mythology, but the feeling are oh so real. Marty Robbins, like most old country and western singers, has a voice that makes whatever he’s singing about sound somehow wistful, reasonable and noble. It doesn’t matter if it’s a cowboy sacrificing himself to save the boss’s daughter or a guy in a bar gunning another guy down because he’s dancing with a Mexican girl, Marty tells it like it is. It's a bit easy to see the songs as old-fashioned and naïve (they are), but I’ve rarely heard this level of storytelling in a song that isn’t from Ghostface Killah or another rapper at his level. I tried and couldn’t tear myself away, the stories are that good. The music is simple, like most country, but it’s so easy to listen to, like the prettier younger sister of traditional murder ballads. Best songs: ¨Big Iron,¨ ¨Cool Water,¨ ¨El Paso¨
Did not expect to absolutely adore this album as much as I did, but it's so fun. Some all time classics and some clever songs, and it all put a smile on my face. His version of "El Paso" is probably my favorite I've heard. This is one of those albums that totally deserves its spot on this list. Just absolutely delightful.
Не очень мне зашла эта ковбойская тема
"Big iiiiiiiiron big iiiiiiiiiron" This album slaps. Big cowboy energy
Enjoyed this. My colleague who heard me listening to it looked confused - which I also enjoyed.
Mid 3
Who knew the wild west was so sanitised? The songs are great but the whole enterprise feels like it's all be Disneyfied. I want some hard-fightin', flea-bitten bastard to be singing these songs; not some dude. Best Tracks: Big Iron; Billy The Kid; El Paso
Pretty good like big iron
Fire
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.
Great storytelling and lyricism, not super my thing but I do have a lot of appreciation for the wonderful writing and vocals. Makes me miss what country music used to be before 9/11.
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.
Surprisingly pleasant. Obviously now old fashioned but a good listen
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.
This is definitely a 50's album. Robbins is a pretty good storyteller making it a good time.
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.
The album more gunfighter ballads is better but this is still good album. Sooo simple.
Spaghetti Westerns or fallout songs. I can appreciate the layered harmonies here but it does get samey melody wise sometimes. Made me sleepy at work
goofy ahh western music
Great vibe. Big iron is peak. 4 stars for big iron alone.
They all sound the same. Just slower or faster
5/5 I love this album, there's not a single bad song on this. Even on Spotify, the sound quality on this recording is really good. Marty's voice and storytelling has a certain grace to them that you rarely notice in music. Great artist, great songs.
It's fun, but repetitive and a bit boring tbh
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
Not my jam
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.
I hadn't heard of Marty Robbins before this project but based on the cover I was excited to give this one a listen. I liked the music and the storytelling but had a problem with his voice. It was just too mannered and tasteful and didn't really fit with the tales of gunfights and fugitives. He sounds like a guy who has cussed a couple of times and tried whiskey twice and doesn't really like it much either, which took me out of the world which he was painting for the listener. This afflicted me from the opener Big Iron but it's by no means a bad album so I'll give it 3 stars.
Classical, western, I’m surprised that I like it.
I was considering just skipping this, but there are actually some bangers that I recognized on here! Big Iron was already in my Saved Library, hilariously, and I had no idea that was this album. Very surprised at the quality of this album, give it a chance!
This album is very well produced. Marty’s voice is great. The variety of the songs doesn’t take away from the cowboy around a fire feel of the album as a whole. Great musicianship and the Glasers are amazing backup singers. A true classic.
1959 Country, western
The soundtrack to many a good Western. Can't get much better in this genre
Happy Friday indeed. I've been excited to get this album, have never listened to it in full but have always liked songs I've heard from it. Big Iron is an undisputed banger to kick things off and this thing never loses steam from there. Classic sing song storytelling outlaw yeehaw country. Dude has a powerhouse voice.
Does this rock or do I just watch too many singing cowboy movies 🤔
Enjoyed this more than I expected. Another good singer and quite jaunty
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
cowboy bullshit
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
2/5 Not my type of music. I am missing somehow a horse and a cowboy hat.
yeah i played fallout new vegas before
Not as bad as I thought it would be. I think Marty's vocals are quite nice, and I like the storytelling. But the country sound is quite one-note, and the song structures become a little repetitive over the course of the album. Overall, I think it's better than most modern country albums nowadays.
i've already listened to this in full a few times, and i've grown up listening to Big Iron probably millions of times playing New Vegas. can't say much in my rating other than it fuckin' slaps (rating based on full-length version) Big Iron - 5/5 Cool Water - 3/5 Billy the Kid - 5/5 A Hundred and Sixty Acres - 4/5 They're Hanging Me Tonight - 4/5 The Strawberry Roan - 5/5 El Paso - 5/5 In the Valley - 3/5 The Master's Call - 5/5 Running Gun - 5/5 Down in the Little Green Valley - 4/5 Utah Carol - 5/5 The Hanging Tree - 5/5 Saddle Tramp - 5/5 Average score: 4.5/5 (rounding up) realistically, this isn't quite a 5-star album. however, giving this less than a 4.5 rating here seems kinda criminal, given how much i genuinely enjoy it
Enjoyable country songs that all tell a little tale.
When my daughter was a newborn, she hated being changed and would cry the entire time. Big Iron was one of the only songs that could calm her. Today, she dances around the kitchen to any of the songs on this album, but always and especially Big Iron.
Glad to see this thrift store bin regular get its props. This style of Adult Contemporary / Country left quicker than it arrived but with songs like Big Iron, Cool Water, and of course - El Paso Marty Robbins turned a lot of people onto country music with this album. 3.5/5
My parents have sung several of these songs to me, so I think this was very important listening. Great storytelling, great vocals.
Taky meh
Effortlessly cool. I love the storytelling. Five stars.
Surprisingly fun. Favourites: Big Iron, They're Hanging Me Tonight.
En wie rijdt daar op zijn paard door de prairie? Het is cowboy Billie Boe, door de boeven zeer gevreesd. Verder dan dat niveau komt Marty niet. Johnny Cash deed dit toch veel beter, daar zat tenminste nog een rauw randje aan. Wat we hier horen is allemaal wel erg gepolijst voor een genre dat ongewassen koeiendrijvers in een stoffige prairie bezingt. Met een snik in de stem, en in El Paso bezingt een heel erg nog in leven zijnde Marty desondanks zijn eigen dood, wat al met al de ultieme kitsch is, dacht ik zo.
"I got a hundred and sixty acres in the valley Got a hundred and sixty acres of the best" Muziek voor de 'happy few'? Enerzijds is dit typisch Amerikaans oude country. Ik vind het maar moeilijk luisteren zonder weg te zakken. Toch moet ik erkennen dat de ongeforceerde zang van Marty wel verschil maakt. Ja, het blijft een Amerikaanse klank. Maar het standaard extra accent blijft achterwege. Ik neem Marty daardoor toch meer serieus. Het lijkt mij daarmee een mooie vertegenwoordiger van het genre. Maar echt gelukkig maak je mij hier nog steeds niet mee.
Een soort kruising van Johnny Cash en Elvis Presley. Westernmuziek met een crooner. Het klinkt uitermate gelikt en zeker voor iets uit de 50s, glad, lekker veel brilcreem in de haren. Hij reed alleen op een paard ipv een Kreidler, althans zo stel ik me dat voor. We pakken de wiki erbij: hij reed NASCAR haha. Ok, dat is natuurlijk ook heerlijk Muricaans. Ik vind dit stiekem best lekker klinken eigenlijk. De beste man zingt goed, zijn cowboymatties doen gezellig harmonieen mee. Het zou me niks verbazen als Marty Robbins ook een kerstplaat op heeft genomen. Wat zegt de wiki: jazeker wel, 3 stuks! Mooi, die bevestiging van mijn aannames. De muziek is aardig gedateerd, maar ik heb hier, ook mede dankzij de wiki, toch wel plezier aan beleefd. Een vrolijk, croonende 3+, terwijl ik nog een Pabst Blue Ribbon opentrek.
Absurd Wild West fantasies about evil Mexicans and gun-slingin' vigilantes, but he sure can sing
I like the song about a deadly red saddle pad. yeehaw
I liked this a lot. Just a little cowboy stuff to interrupt the never ending stream of British rock bands
Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee haaaaaaaaaaaaaaw
Sometimes you think god has forsaken you because you’re still in Texas. And sometimes a perfect country album about Texas finds you and reminds you that life really is about horses, guns and women
Wow. I think I want to be Marty Robbins and sing Cool Water and Utah Carol in all black cowboy clothes and make eyes at pretty girls across the saloon.
A good country album that mythologized the west and probably shaped an entire generation’s understanding of that period. I enjoyed Robbin’s voice throughout and the playing by the musicians was excellent throughout. That being said I tend like my country music just a bit grittier both thematically and musically speaking.
Country-ish vibes, with lots of guitars and lyrics about what most would consider folk tales.
Big Iron 💥💥
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.
For 1959 I could see the modernity of it , the rhythms and use of vocals was cool. Mostly storytelling in the songs about life in the wild Wild West. Great voice
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.
Decent but not memorable
The cover alone gets a five star rating!
Recognized a few songs again. Enjoyed those. Saddle tramp, interesting.
No thanks.
Not for me
Cowboy songs yeehaw! Some classics here and Marty is a master storyteller
Crap
# 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.
I was forced to listen to this 8 track in the back of my dad's car as a child. While I liked most of his music, I hated this record, except for "El Paso." I hope Robbins' estate sued the Statler Bros for stealing this entire sound and only making the lyrics more schmaltzy.
Bunster Scroggs
Supringly mediocre
Best Song: El Paso This is absolutely not my thing. I'm sure if you are a fan of this genre this is good, I'm not. El Paso is good, though I prefer the Grateful Dead version. Outside of that, I could have lived my entire life without listening to this album and I do not feel I would be missing out on anything. 3/5.
not my cuppa
Not mind blowing, but exactly what I hoped for. I'll be back
Great album of ballads, some interesting songwriting in there too
BIG IRON, BIIIIG IROOOON!!! Goated album
Very good album. Old timey country songs, beautiful vocals and beautiful acoustic guitar.
cowboys
Many classics
tın tın hikaye anlatılması pek hoşuma gitti diyemem...
El paso şarkısındaki hikaye anlatımı çok tatlı geldi, big iron şarkısı da çok sardı dinlerken
100% solid classic. Love it
I don’t like country music so when I saw the cover and album title and thought I would absolutely hate this. How wrong I was. This was bloody brilliant. Loved it. Top Track - Big Iron
Big Iron
My dad used to listen to this album. Fun growing up n a house with an eclectic music collection
I really didn't expect to like this - Country is only so good after all. But doggone it, I really did: evoking all the best (and worst) bits of life in the old Wild West. Love on the run, never knowing when that bullet with your name on it will find you, Gabby Hayes - it's all here. OK, maybe not Gabby Hayes. But if you like your old timey Westerns, John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Randolph Scott (Randolph Scott...), I get the feeling you'll find this very much to your liking.
very cowboy age, easy to listen while applying for jobs
Well performed. Gets pretty samey.
I listened to the original release (12 tracks). Considering this record is from 1959 the sound quality is very good. I suppose it was remastered somewhere along the line. If some artist were asked to put together an album of cowboy/gunslinger songs, it would not be as good as this one. Marty Robbins songs always tell a good story, which is evident here.
This album cover is tilted, right? Right?! I like Trail Songs OK, but I'm not so sure about Gunfighter Ballads. I've never heard of Marty Robbins but it turns out he was a pretty big deal. He has a good voice. The songs are Country/western as advertised ("old-timey cowboy stuff"). In some ways, I like the sound, because it's nostalgic (I'm becoming a broken record with this, but it sounds like Children's Favorites!!), but it's also not particularly inspiring, maybe because the cowboy life has very little in common with my life. I really wasn't expecting Utah Carol to be a guy's name. A boy named Utah Carol. Highlights: 'Cool Water', 'The Strawberry Roan' (where Chappell Roan took her name from! (although not this version)), 'The Little Green Valley' (is the little green valley... heaven?? D:), 'The Hanging Tree' (D:)
59/1001 Marty Robbins - Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs Heard before? ❎ Revisit? ❎ I mean, Western albums aren't going to be my thing, but I didn't dislike it as much as I thought I potentially would have. There's some decent storytelling in the songs, but it lacks variety for me so could never engage fully.
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.
Nope
All time classic.
sometimes very monotone melody
Great storytelling, nice recording and production. Pleasant and novel listen. Clean sound and lovely change to have stories at the heart of the lyrics. Found it a little repetitive and similar throughout, but enjoyable enough. Very good at what it does but probably wouldn’t have a reason to come back to it (3.5)
Surprisingly fun and enjoyable listen as I wouldn’t normally (ever?) gravitate towards this sort of music! But I found it a good listen and I like the storytelling in the oh so short songs.
OG HANGING TREE
fun one, doesn't overstay
Ретро-альбом, який мене на задушив, як це тут часто буває. Є хороші тексти й історії в них. Музично трохи одноманітно, але це було очікувано.
Класний ретро альбом.
Outlaw Country is my favorite form of country, and Marty Robbins is probably the earliest pioneer of this subgenre of music This sort of music I don't usually mind, it just bores me. But because of his glorious voice and the topics of storytelling, it kept me hooked Favorite songs: Big Iron Billy the Kid The Master's Call
I remember this when I was a kid
Nice banger to start my jurney
I write these notes in aug 2025. 66 years after this album was released it still sounds fresh and vibrant. Very good.
Absolute vibes.
Nice voice. Good stories. Reminds me of Sunday afternoons in childhood watching old Westerns on the telly. I doubt it's something I'll come back to unless I'm riding a horse across Monument Valley. Which is unlikely.
Late 50s country. Cowboy music in the fun Hollywood sense. Mostly shmaltzy pop.
Liked it more than I thought I would. Kind of put the yee in my haw.
hell yeah 7/10
Ugh
Feel-good old timey music. Love Marty Robbins 😊
Ugh, the abundance of gun culture.
Fun, cinematic.
...
A mix of Texas Swing and the worst of 40s and 50s pre-rock n roll pop music. Marty has a great voice and that helps carry some otherwise truly horrible songs - saccharine, little doggy in the window type stuff. Still connected to folk music traditions of storytelling through song. Also, from a time when all things were regional. Notable songs include Big Iron, The Master’s Call, El Paso.
Bullshit
"cozy album" as nic said; was bopping but don't think i'd listen again
I feel like Alice in wonderland.
Does exactly what it says on the tin.
Entertaining, and pulsing honky-tonk country. Merges into country swing a few times. The vocals are very smooth, almost proto-Beach Boys in a way. This is one of those weird periods in music where nominally country music straddled Roy Orbison-type Pop, less Nashville bar and more school dance.
This isn’t my kind of music, but it’s incredibly well executed. The platonic ideal of western music.
Did not like this. Maybe the lyrics were good, but I didn't catch them. Very hokey to me.
Marty Robbins may be a name you may only recognize from his 1959, but honestly I think that's a damn good reason to be known for even if its' the only thing notable in his multi-decade career. This album is pretty by the books in terms of late 50s Country music, but I think what sets this album apart and makes it such an iconic piece of music from its' time is the story telling and world building. This album makes you feel like you are the cowboy of each story. The songs here each feel like their own spaghetti westerns with the whole movie fitting into the 2-5 minute runtimes. There really isn't super interesting about this album, but it just does a really solid job at being this perfect capsule of Western/Cowboy culture. Not bad by any means but solid on all fronts.
It does what it does well. Solid proto outlaw country though my predilections is more towards cash, jennings and nelson.
Near-perfect country music, there's just something about this old school style that works for me every single time.
Yah most people will know this music from a few Fallout games (or maybe it’s only in one, I didn’t fact check) but its also the greatest exception to “don’t judge a book by it’s cover”. This album IS the cover. It’s literally a cowboy album! What’s not to love!?? Well actually here’s the small list of negatives. The first being it’s an album from 1959 so variety isn’t a word that existed yet. The whole album sounds like a western movie, and yah that is either gunna sell you on the album or completely turn you off. Like after the very first song you are gunna know how u feel about the rest of the album. The only other negative thing about this album is because there’s not a lot of variety in sound, the album could be grating to some. In fact, the songs that are not the massive hits can get totally buried by El Paso and Big Iron ( also while we are on the subject, why the fuck is there two versions of El Paso with no distinction between the two in title and only small differences in the song itself?!). For me personally, the only songs that I didn’t save on this album that didn’t really blow me away were the mildly religious songs and the slower songs just cause I always struggle with slower songs and religion. But regardless of those small issues, this is an album that 100% belongs on lists like this one. Now excuse me, I gotta go play through FNV again for the hundredth time.
Dont enjoy country
You can't really go wrong with this one
Läste precis att han var ultrahöger och blev mer höger när folk protesterade mot Vietnamkriget. Columbia vägrade även att publicera hans mer politiska musik. Det passar in i musikstilen också. Inget för mig men är väl helt okej country. Väldigt töntigt med allt snack om cowboys. Romantiserar en hjärndöd tid i USAs historia
Giving Johnny Cash. I do like actually, but feels very dated.
This one is great. Old country but fun to listen to.
Who could possibly not like "El Paso"?
Nothing like wandering through the nuclear wasteland with a big iron on your hip. Yee haw pardner
- jo auch ziemlich launig, kann ich nicht leugnen. Scratches an itch, nochmal werde ich es aber wohl nicht hören 2-3/5
🤠 fun outlaw country
Really like westerj music. very easy to listen to. also didnt hurt that i already knew two of the songs.
I listened to this album when I was on my trip this summer and it was a total vibe, especially because there terrain was fully relevant to most of the songs. I can’t say I don’t enjoy it, because I do enjoy it. (there’s another phrase for you all)
Not groundbreaking but enjoyable, it’s got some nice ballads but it’s also got some what could be parody of the genre songs that I can’t help but laugh during
No like
My type of country music, doesn't do too much but still packs a punch! 3.5
A blast from my past. This album is dear to me, but it’s soooo freaking fun and good. I hope everyone enjoys it. My heart is healed and lighter hearing this again
6.5 Yee haw!! Next time I’m riding a horse I’m putting this one on the aux
got it
OMG, Fallout New Vegas! Breaking Bad! Outside of those pop culture bangers, actually a nice western album, would watch tumbleweeds tumble to this. 4* Highlights: big iron, el paso
I’m not generally a fan of country music, but this was so different than what is typical of the genre. I knew the song “El Paso” and have liked different versions of it, including the original. I mostly enjoyed the outlaw story songs, and didn’t care much for the ones with the harmony vocals up in the mix. Overall a pleasant surprise, but I won’t be seeking out more of his music.
Beautiful voice, but some of the songs are very Lawrence Welk-esque. Probably best taken in small doses, but obviously a major inspiration for all kinds of people. (Yet another rightwinger, unfortunately.)
This is kind of an interesting novelty, but it's so archaic. Whatever. He's got a nice voice, the sound is interesting if a little thin, and I enjoyed it well enough. Probably never going to listen to it again, unless I found myself at some kind of cowboy-themed party.
Yeehaw
Big iron on his hip~ It belongs in a Mojave Desert. But not in a bad way this time
old and uninspiring in the present time
Base - really nice depth
red dead redemption
Total Listens: 1 Not super feeling this. Big Iron is of course great, but as an album it just feels a bit too samey to really love. Some other quite good songs here, but overall feeling pretty lukewarm on this.
Marty takes us on a cinematic journey through the old west in a musical style we just don't get much of these days. Sure, it's a bit of a one-trick pony, but the album's all about ponies...or horses...or something like that.
It's hard to think of a better album recommendation for anyone desiring a healthy dose of American West romanticism and cinematic idealization than this one right here, partner.
Yep. Yee haw indeed.
Absolutely perfect story telling.
Liked it much more than I thought I would. Might need to buy a cowboy hat and a revolver 🔫
Loved this - definitely an inspiration for Sturgill's "Ballad of Dood and Juanita"
You can see why people went mental for Elvis after listening to this stuff.
Fundamental stuff I guess. I don’t care for it though.
Good stories, just not at all something I want to listen to a whole album of
It's interesting to listen to a genre of music that didn't really survive long after it was popular. I really enjoy the flair and unabashed earnestness of it and, man, does that guy have a voice on him. I am going to search him up some more to see if he ever did anything outside the Western thing. Most of the songs are told, basically, by the ghost of someone who just got shot, hanged, stampeded or otherwise snuffed out but instead of dread or depression they seem to accept their end and reaffirm the choices that brought it on. El Paso is a masterpiece and all of the other songs play catch up. Big Iron is just so great and Cool Water is pure longing. What an album out of time but still up to the task.
I feel like the lyrics for this album really saved this one. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed this album for what it was. It’s a nice collection of outlaw songs and other tales of Western debauchery. Seriously, between this and At Folsom Prison, I’m starting to how sad old country is. How did country music transition from this to Cadillacs and beer and shit? My main problem is that the album’s very repetitive. Given the somber mood for most of the songs, most of this album sounds pretty much the same. Still, this wasn’t nearly as bad as a slog as I’d thought it be. Favorite track: Big Iron Other hits: El Paso, They’re Hanging Me Tonight, Billy the Kid, Utah Carol, The Master’s Call
Great classic country album. Very enjoyable.
Uhhhh....I expected to hate this, I mean look at the damn cover lmao...but I'm kinda fucking with this... All the songs are relatively short, so a 45 minute run time isn't too bad, but 40 minutes would've been perfect for me. Apparently there's a 35 minute version and that version didn't have "They're Hanging Me Tonight" so maybe the 45 minute version just is the best version.
Great cowboy ballads. This is from the era of good country music, we it told a story and didn’t just repeat the same crap about having a beer on a Friday night and such.
big iron is great but they're hanging me tonight is perfect
Classic
All songs sound the same
Definitely judged this album by its cover and thought it wouldn’t be for me. However, I’ve always enjoyed country music and this is no exception, great album and reminds me a little of Elvis if he did country
It's me, Arthur Morgan and John Marston against the notorious Micah Bell and the charming Dutch van der Linde.
Evocative, pleasant, repetitive.
The sort of tunes that appear in a Tarantino film. El Paso is the best track here (and appeared in Breaking Bad) but all the songs have merit. Great example of why this site is so valuable. I wouldn’t have listened to this album in a million years otherwise. Very much of its time but great stories in each song. Enjoyed it.
the music of mythic westerns. Really enjoy for what it is. Almost more of a movie soundtrack vibe than regular listen however.
3.5
I got that warm and fuzzy feeling from childhood when I watched western movies.
Awesome
2.6 It's good to be forced to listen to things like this. I'd never ever put it on normally. I never will again, but appreciate that at the time it was probably pretty banging. Too many weak tracks to make it enjoyable, although there were a couple I saved down. 40 mins probably double what I could handle.
It’s got some great old songs. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but those people can suck it.
I have like 2,000 hours on Fallout New Vegas and I listened to this album a month ago. 5 stars or the game was rigged from the start. I love when I mod the game and add all the songs from this album to the radio.
Accidentally listened to the 44 minute version instead of the 35 minute one. FML. Anyway I was shocked by the amount of this album I recognised while listening, clearly a sign I watch too many american sitcoms. Not much to say, its very one note lol but its not bad. Made me want to buy a gun, shoot the man my girl is cheating on me with and get hunted down by johnny law.
I enjoyed some of the guitar work, the vocal harmonies, and the lucid imagery provided by the lyrics that would pair perfectly with any John Ford western of the era. I did not like the constant verse-chorus-verse-chorus structure with overused repetitions on hooks/song titles. It’s a decent album and I enjoyed it more than I’d have expected to. Big Iron (8/10) A Hundred and Sixty Acres (7/10) They’re Hanging Me Tonight (7/10) Cool Water (6/10) Billy the Kid (7/10) Utah Carol (6/10) The Strawberry Roan (6/10) The Master’s Call (7/10) Running Gun (6/10) El Paso (7/10) In the Valley (7/10) The Little Green Valley (7/10) The Hanging Tree (7/10) Saddle Tramp (6/10) 6.7/10
One of my all time country records. Not like all that mainstream shit that’s peddled as the genre that gives it its deserved bad name. The storytelling, the voice. Can and have on occasion just had this album on repeat all day, and then they went and used it in Fallout, so many more hours listening there. Did I mention the storytelling the lyricisms, it’s like watching a movie in 3 minutes, with such a voice that gives you all the emotion. Don’t think Marty gets his props enough nowadays, as you can see his genes in a lot of music, that’s not country. Stone cold killer 5 Star
It’s not my thing but an easy listen and clearly an influential record for its genre.
Bonafide classic
One of my favorite country albums.
Can’t beat a bit of outlaw country. Hadn’t heard of Marty before but I’m firmly a fan now.
3.5
This is an album that has been with me all of my life. In fact my father's mono copy now adorns my collection. I can remember loving this album as far back as four years old. (10) ★★★★★ for me. Honestly one of might even be in my top ten country albums of all time for me... top 25 for sure.
Very cool and bleak stories. Very evocative stuff. 4 stars
I first heard Marty Robbins the same way most people under the age of 70 did -- playing Fallout: New Vegas. This is a pretty fun album, and I've always liked these story songs from the 50s. This album definitely walked so Nick Cave's Murder Ballads could run. Highlights for me were "Big Iron", "El Paso", and "They're Hanging Me Tonight". 4 stars.
Somewhat good for a country album but still not totally that good and also ploughs the same furrow quite a lot. Tracks sound pretty similar and are mainly about outlaws, being hanged or pining for some Mexican gal. Low 3.
Country music is a genre I’ve historically had a little apprehension about, of course there’s plenty of amazing country and the greats are seriously amazing but country (especially in its modern form) is a little too far into that MURICA vibes I’m not into. That said I really like most older country I’ve heard and that’s no different here. A broadly fun and interesting country album with cool lyrics and some great harmonies. The vocals are generally very good here, I enjoyed myself.
He does both kinds of music. I thought bug iron was my favourite. They were a bit like short stories set to music.
My great great grandfather was a horse thief who came to Alberta because he was no longer welcome in North Dakota. I think if I were alive back then I would have mostly been a coward. A real yellowbelly
5/10
A good collection of songs on this one. I didn't love it, but I did enjoy it overall.
Hahaha I LOVE Marty Robbins!! This record is a masterpiece and it deserves more recognition! I found this album because of his song El Paso some years ago! ❤️
Fantastic album, lots of cool stories. I generally hate country, but Ive learned that I enjoy it when it is about western or outlaw topics.
Initially infectious then boringly repetitive.
This feels like an album that would have been sold on late night television at one point. This music did not age well, I bet it sounded old six months after it came out. Billy The Kid is super corny. I would have thought El Paso was the big hit but apparently Big Iron is the more popular song from this album. Never mind, it was in Fallout so its got a bunch of listens due to gamers. This album was the definition of meh.
So much RDR2 vibes in this as someone who beat it yesterday omg
It's that real Western '50s voice, which is nice but doesn't do much more than that. Good for the era, but a bit lacklustre now.
Beautiful country album Tracks to Track: El Paso, Billy the Kid
Okay for a couple of songs but too much thereafter.
Charming!
I don't hate it. I think 3 stars for this one.
Huge fan of this. Easy to listen to, love the sound, sonically amazing.
A wholly enjoyable time with classic country, not something I’d necessarily come back to a lot but I can’t fault it for what it’s meant to be
Call me a cowgirl because I liked this way more than I thought I would.
Even though I wouldn't choose to listen to this again, it's a decent album for the genre and time period.
There’s a time and place for this music. But not in my regular rotation. His voice is nice for sure. 3/5.
Yeehaw
This type of storytelling music is my bread and butter. The instrumentals are lowkey, but add to the story.
Fun and weirdly nostalgic sounding album. Guests at my house for dinner were digging it, too.
I like this for the origins and nostalgia perhaps more so than the recordings themselves. I know many of these songs because someone else covered them (Cash, Mike Ness, the Dead, etc.) or from movies (my dad is a big fan of westerns). The music itself is fine, I prefer most of them when done by other artists as Marty Robbins’ style is a bit too polished for my tastes but I’m going to be generous and say 2.5 rounded up to 3 stars.
Terrible album. Just nothing to like. Mike Ness covered Big Iron and it’s a thousand times better. Every song was way over produced and there was too much added in. Also, the Grateful Dead covered El Paso a fair amount in concert and it’s always a skip for me.
Big Iron carries hard
The worst thing abt this site is waking up and finding out you gotta listen to some bs like this
One of the few Dead songs I like is El Paso.
Not my style but some catchy tunes.
Nej, jag gav det ett försök. Hade varit nice om jag diggade den berättande delen, alltså låttexterna, men jag tycker det mesta låter lika dant. Har lyckats lyssna förbi 6 låtar ändå😀
Not sure if I've heard any of these songs before. Certainly I have not heard the album proper. I'm very excited to give it a spin. Track 1 by far the most played song on the album. Its jaunty with a great story. A+ Track 2 slows things down with a song about his land. Just okay. Track 3 is a ballad lamenting his upcoming demise via the rope. Somewhat similar to Cash's 25 Minutes To Go. I like this one as well. Track 4 isn't for me. I don't like the background singers singing at the same time. Just give me Marty. Track 5 another slower paced one about Billy The Kid. This one works for me. Good storytelling and straight forward vocals. Track 6 is a peppier little number. A nice follow-up to the last track. Track 7 is an ode to a horse. This album is growing on me. Track 8 depicts a crime going down. Another solid track. Track 9 one of the more upbeat songs, as much as a gunfight can be upbeat. Maybe the best track since the first one. Track 10 is the most famous song, even though it doesn't have the most plays. I've heard this one plenty of times. Not sure I'd remember its Marty Robbins though Track 11 slows things back down. Disappointing after the last one. Track 12 nice bounce back. Wish they didn't layer the voices again but they stop halfway through for a bit at least. Track 13 this is a funky song. I like this one a lot. Good story and a bouncy beat. Track 14 is just okay. Mid-tempo but not super interesting to me. Track 15 is El Paso again. Its still good. I'm glad I got to listen to this, but there are only a handful of tracks I need to hear again. 2.5/5
Cheesy as fuck. 2.5 stars.
The instrumentation reminds me of mexican ballads but i dont like his voice.
This feels like an album that would have been sold on late night television at one point. This music did not age well, I bet it sounded old six months after it came out. Billy The Kid is super corny. I would have thought El Paso was the big hit but apparently Big Iron is the more popular song from this album. Never mind, it was in Fallout so it's got a bunch of listens due to gamers. This album was the definition of meh.
I don’t play video games nor do I live in the Mid-West USA. This album doesn’t have anything to appeal to me. Country music is not for me, but this isn’t the worst example of the many, many country artists on this list. So this raises it from what would be a one to a two star review. It’s better than the other shit country music, but that’s it.
Classic story telling country music. The music isn’t much as it is more about the vocals and the stories.
Old school country that didn't really do it for me. Inoffensive 3
Oh this is COUNTRY country, I quite enjoyed it! Good storytelling and voice, but probably wouldn't go out of my way to listen to it again though. Highlights: Big Iron, They're Hanging Me Tonight
Surprisingly good album, uplifting tunes