#22 Gunfighter Ballads And Trail Songs by Marty Robbins

Now let’s see… the album has a man dressed up as a cowboy in black. So I am guessing maudlin ballads of the old-west in a country-western style. Possibly with close harmony male singing in parts? Guitar? Mentioning of outlaws and cattle?

You have to give the album cover some credit. It does adequately prepare you for the music that you are about to listen to. All of these songs on Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs would not be at all out of place in one of those old Western Films, or in an SUV commercial. Also, while this may not be an album I would probably choose to listen to on sight I can really appreciate the complete contrast this has with all the other albums that I have thus far encountered. The closest album would be Tragic Songs of Life which is also a country album, however a different subgenre.

When I first listened to this I was all but ready to give this album a low review. The first track, Big Iron, captivated me but the rest just all felt like variations on the same theme which grew annoying. However, this is why I make sure to listen to every album twice. On the second listen there was a vast improvement. I began to enjoy the story telling of religion, The Master’s Call, and betrayal, They’re Hanging Me Tonight. It also took me a while for his voice to grow on me which, again, can take more than 2 listens to do (Joanna Newsom and Joni Mitchell similar to Marty Robbins for me in this respect).

This album isn’t exactly something that you would expect to find in your standard music collection I grant you, but in the end it’s albums and artists like this that shaped artists who followed. Even The Who acknowledged him as an influence in their 2006 song God Speaks of Marty Robbins. So yes, even if country music isn’t your thing this is one of those influential albums that won’t leave you cold for while it may be very dated it has somehow managed to become dateless. It harks back to a part of history that have been the subject of children’s games for generations and as such speaks to past and future generations in the same way.

Thus, Marty Robbins, I believe your work may live on in ageless dignity.

7.0/10

Fab Four:
Big Iron
They’re Hanging Me Tonight
El Paso
The Master’s Call