If Marty Robbins had never written or recorded anything more than "El Paso," he'd still rank as one of the greats; such is the brilliance of his 1959 hit, a Spanish-country waltz (with a near-operatic bridge) about the doomed romance of a West Texas gunman and his lovely Faleena. As it happens, Robbins was a significant talent who dabbled in acting, writing (novels, screenplays, poetry), and even NASCAR driving while sustaining a career in music that lasted for more than 30 years—all of which is covered in this excellent anthology featuring nearly 20 video performances (amazingly, all of them are complete) spanning that entire period. There's some great stuff here, including Robbins and his crack band ripping into Chuck Berry's "Maybellene" and his mid-'50s hits "Singing the Blues," "A White Sportcoat," and "The Story of My Life" (written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David). There's some serious schmaltz as well—this is country music, after all—but Robbins' voice is so good that it almost transcends lachrymose hokum like "Begging to You" and "Among My Souvenirs" (the latter recorded, and loved, by Elvis Presley). In fact, while Robbins, who died in 1982, might not have been as interesting or unpredictable a vocalist as Presley or, say, George Jones, he was technically superior to both, not to mention more versatile and a much more accomplished songwriter. Presented in Dolby Digital stereo, Marty Robbins: Music Anthology also includes some biographical material and comments from Merle Haggard and Barbara Mandrell. Recommended. Aud: P. (S. Graham)
Marty Robbins: Music Anthology
(2006) 70 min. DVD: $19.99. White Star Video (dist. by Kultur International Films). Color cover. ISBN: 0-7697-8236-1. Volume 21, Issue 5
Marty Robbins: Music Anthology
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