Marty Robbins Anthology

One of the real tragedies in music was Marty Robbins' early death in 1982. He - and we - never got to savor what might have been a career autumn, where he might have had a chance to deepen further an artistry, that, taken in hindsight, was mind-boggling in its wide range of styles. A country boy at heart, he always kept the base of his music there, but he showed how thoroughly adept he could be at Hawaiian, jazz, reggae, rock n' roll of course, gospel, and just plain old pop. He could do honky-tonk authentically. And he was the true master of the gunfighter and trail songs. The word here is versatile - to the gills!

Robbins had an astonishing vocal range, which could encompass deep, brooding lows to the sweetest tenor falsetto imaginable; take a listen here to the tropically-infused "Ka-lu-a," which is sung with real tenderness, and the upward switches into falsetto is masterfully done, e with a sound that can be metaphorically described as a golden ribbon of honey.

What's so rewarding about this collection, is that it shows his evolution through probably nearly thirty years of performing. It is fortuitous that so many video-documented performances survive. We see Marty from the clean-cut 1950s boy to the mustachoied hipster look of the 1970s. The voice remained intact throughout (his intonation and diction are both models of impeccable musicality), and his identification with the lyrics more deeply personal as time marched on. His rendition of "You'll Never Walk Alone" is poignant, moving, and you get a great sense of melancholy, almost as if he knew his time was getting shorter. Elsewhere, we get his classic rendition of "Singing the Blues," which , when you compare it to Guy Mitchell's monster-seller, shows Marty to have the much better vocal production and is livelier in expression. We also get all his signature tunes, such as "A White Sport Coat," "El Paso," "Don't Worry," "Ruby Ann," "Devil Woman," "My Woman, My Wife," among so many others, encompassing all his styles. We also get some bonus clips, from what appear to be some rare, early kinescopes.

What makes this release different from his commercial audio versions of these songs is the joy of seeing Marty perform these songs. A born performer, you see the music just oozing out from his pores. Though he displays an involvement and energy consistently, giving his all, he is so at ease and relaxed being a showman, you get the feeling that it was his natural metier.

We also get some thoughtful commentaries in between songs by Merle Haggard, Barbara Mandrell, and Robbins' son, among others, and the love all of them show is palpable.

Watching this produces a bittersweet feeling. Marty should have had so many more years, yet, he left no short measure of his prodigious talents. Here's to one of the true kings of music; long may his art endure.

Often considered as having the greatest voice to ever grace Country music this is a welcome new anthology which culls appearances by Marty from a number of different shows. All his big songs are here; 'El Paso', 'Begging to you', 'My Woman My Woman My Wife', 'Tonight Carmen', 'You gave me a mountain', 'Maybellene', 'Ribbon of Darkness', 'Don't Worry' and 'I walk alone' are all here plus a great version of Robbins singing 'You'll never walk alone' which is a standout. Not only did Marty possess one of the greatest voices given to any man but also a God given songwriting talent. He also overflowed with charisma and it could only be Marty singing a sad country ballad and smiling his head off at the same time! A great, great talent sorely missed.

When reading the reviews, you can tell that the majority of them are Marty Robbin's fans. What about those of you out there who have never heard of him? He was the first country music artist to receive an academy award for his Country-Pop hit for "My Woman, My Woman, My Wife". He was a songwriter, actor, book-writer and music artist. Marty died in December, 1982. He was ahead of his time in writing and recording songs. I would strongly recommend that you hear examples of some of his songs that are available with various CD's for sale on Amazon. You will find out - he was truly a great artist & very versatile in the different forms of music. His last hit was a song called "Some memories just won't die". This is fitting. When you hear him sing (even for the first time) - you will be amazed. You will discover that his music plus the memories of fans who watched him perform while he was alive "just won't die" as well. You might be surprised - for you might find out it will be the same for you after watching this program. For those who are collector's of Marty Robbins - This is a must!

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 19 reviews  4.8 out of 5 stars