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Marty at his best...

Sojourner | Arlington, TX | 11/04/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Marty Robbins was one of the greatest performers who ever graced a stage anywhere. Sadly, he never recorded a "live" album -- but this is probably the next-best thing, particularly for a lot of his material from the 60s. Marty truly was a "Legend of the Grand Ole Opry." He loved the audience, and the audience loved him right back. He usually closed the Saturday night show because he liked to race cars at the local track. Some nights when he was particularly wound up after a race, he would go on singing for the audience even after the Opry had gone off the air. He loved to perform! These recordings were made when the Opry was still in the Old Ryman Auditorium, and there was an intimacy there between the performers and the audience that is not found anywhere else today.



He and his band were always top-notch. Of course, "El Paso" was his biggest hit, and the harmony on it is incredible. Marty, though, by himself was an incredible vocalist, and that is particularly evident on both "Don't Worry" and "Ribbon of Darkness." The little guitar he played -- a Martin 5-18 -- had a "high" ringing sound to it, and it is evident throughout these recordings.



I have longed to hear some of these songs again as they were performed over WSM back in the 60s. It has only been in the last couple of years that I became aware that WSM had recorded many of the Opry performances and sent transcriptions to subscribing radio stations.



I can only hope that more of these recordings will become available... Many thanks to Time-Life for compiling this CD!"

The Opry's Number One Man

D. F. Corne | London, England | 11/23/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is actually the second 'live' album by Marty and it's a welcome addition seeing that his recorded product has all but dried up. I used to love to hear Marty doing medleys of great old country standards and two songs that he never actually recorded 'Take These Chains From My Heart' and 'You Know How Talk Gets Around' were often featured by Marty. Hopefully they will appear in the not too distant future as there must be lots more of Marty seeing he was THE man on the Opry for years. This showcases many of the songs that great man is famous for and the enthusiastic audience response to the man who surpassed Hank William's popularity on this haloed stage. The sound on the album isn't great, but no matter it has that wonderful Robbins voice which Opry audiences loved down through the years."