This is a nice way to get most of Marty's highlights throughout his career at a relatively cheap price. The problem with this compilation & the others is that they leave off far too many Top 10 Country hits. For example, where's "It's Your World"? That single went to #3, and it even went to #51 on the Pop charts, yet it's curiously absent here. There are also several Top 100 Pop hits missing. Maybe the folks putting these collections together should look at Joel Whitburn's books now and again! My feeling is that if you're doing an "essential" collection by a country artist, you should include at least all of their Top 10 Country hits & Top 40 Pop hits. Is that too much to ask? I guess it is. Anyway...this is actually a pretty decent set if you enjoy Mr. Robbins' work but don't really care if it's missing some chart hits. But for a completist like me, it's somewhat frustrating. I just hope that some day Sony will get on the ball and do a 4-cd box set with all of his hits & some nice rarities.
I can't reccomend this collection enough. The last thing you'll
do is waste your money. The new country cd's are a waste of money. There's only a few songs I don't like on this one. It's
confusing though to have 2 Essential Marty Robbins (One's a Box Set. The other one's not) I have both. I'm only 39 yrs old & I love his music. You won't be dissapointed
I was disappointed to see that the song Tie Your Dreams To Mine was not on this essential marty robbins cd.
He was one of the true Country-Western singers ~ with the emphasis on Western.
Born in Arizona in 1925 & surrounded by poverty his grandfather told him tales of the Old West.
Robbin's worked odd jobs so he could see Gene Autry Westerns at the Saturday Matinee.
Those South-westerner roots are reflected repeatedly through-out Robbin's extensive career.
This collection starts with Robbin's first charted country single in 1952 ~ 'I'll go on alone'
and contains 32 top ten hits ~ 3 top twenty's & 1 top forty ~
(plus 4 others not on country chart ~ later explained).
The last song of this C.D. ~ Honkytonk man ~ is Robbin's last top ten hit in 1982 ~
he had 3 more song chart through 1983 ~ none made the top 40 & are not here.
Of Robbin's 92 charted singles 81 made the country top 40 ~
36 of those 81 are here ~ which is much of his best known.
But for some who have followed his career you're likely to notice a few of your favorites missing.
Personally I'd rather have had some more hits then these four tracks ~
1. Mr. Teardrop ~ 1956 released for single but didn't chart.
2. You gave me a mountain ~ 1969 album cut from L.P. 'It's a sin'.
3. Ballad of the Alamo ~ 1960 top forty on the pop chart only.
4. Faleena ~ 1966 from the movie El Paso.
Even so ~ this is still one of the best pockets of Marty Robbin's hits available.
All original recordings ~ re-mastered stereo and has excellent sound.
Includes a ten page booklet detailing track information & Robbin's career.
Some really great songs on this CD. Of the three I ordered, this one is my favorite. What a voice he had.
