1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die: 21. Marty Robbins – Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs (1959)

Yup. Does what it says on the tin. Like the Louvin Brothers this is a bit of country/folk, but more in the direction of country, with Robbins singing in the clear style of the likes of Gene Autry and Roy Rogers. Lots of ballads, telling tales of the Old West where gunfighters meet their match, and the only thing a man can rely on is his “big iron” and his “hoss”. 

They’re Hanging Me Tonight tells the tale of a man who kills his sweetheart and the man he finds her with in a jealous rage – see also Tom Jones’ Delilah. In El Paso, on the other hand, the narrator only kills the man who he thinks is monopolising the attentions of the Mexican girl Feleena and is forced to become an outlaw. In both Big Iron and Billy The Kid, we are told of an outlaw who has shot 21 men and wants to make it 22. Big Iron is told from the viewpoint of a ranger and his encounter with an outlaw, in Billy The Kid that viewpoint is reversed, but the outcome is the same. 21-1 Outlaw-Lawman. 

Robbins was apparently a Nascar driver too, and pretty successful. He’s about as conservative American as you can get. The songs are fun – ballads are always good value as you get the little story – and a slice of American mythology. 

Oh and hey, I see some people are actually following along to these, which is good. Let me know in the comments if you've heard any of these albums and what your thoughts on them are.

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