1. Big Iron
2. A Hundred And Sixty Acres
3. They're Hanging Me Tonight
4. Cool Water
5. Billy The Kid
6. Utah Carol
7. The Strawberry Roan
8. The Master's Call
9. Running Gun
10. El Paso
11. In The Valley
12. The Little Green Valley
13. The Hanging Tree
14. Saddle Tramp
15. El Paso (Full-Length Version)
Amazon.com
A lonely Westerner in Nashville, Marty Robbins salved his soul by cutting an album (in one afternoon) of mostly self-composed cowboy ballads. One of them was a four-and-a-half-minute epic, "El Paso," that broke every rule of Top 40 programming to become a No. 1 pop and country hit in 1960. Robbins was arguably the most surefooted and accomplished singer in all country music, and that was never more obvious than on these Western ballads performed to often breathtaking perfection with a very small group and a vocal trio. Other titles include "Big Iron" (also a Top 30 hit), "Running Gun," and Western classics like "Cool Water," "Billy the Kid," and "The Strawberry Roan." Three extra tracks flesh out the 1999 release, including "Saddle Tramp" (the B-side of "Big Iron") and "The Hanging Tree" (title song from the 1959 Gary Cooper Western). --Colin Escott
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Gunfighter Ballads & Trail Songs
- Audio CD: 0 pages (1999-10-19)
- Publisher: Sony
- Label: Sony
- Format: Extra tracks, Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered
- Studio: Sony
- Average Customer Review:
 based on 73 reviews
- Sales Rank in Music: #1767
Avg. Customer Review:
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great Album 2008-10-02
Comment: This may well be the greatest album of Marty Robbins' career. He seemed to have a passion for the Western music, although he was one of the greatest "crooners" in Country music as well.
I only have one complaint here and that is the inclusion of the "chopped up" version of El Paso, and (I guess technically two complaints) that the full length version of the song is not in stereo. I mean, come on, if the edited version is edited from the full length recording (and it was with one verse edited out) and the edited version was recorded in stereo, then wouldn't it just go unsaid that the full length version should be in stereo as well??
All in all this is a great album.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating: 
Summary: Terrific! 2008-08-24
Comment: Old standards that have been great for almost fifty years. Well worth having in one's collection.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: A True Classic 2008-08-07
Comment: This album will never go out of style. It is classic lyrics, voice, and band combined.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: great music - really brings back memories 2008-07-19
Comment: My dad had this album when I was a kid and listened to it a lot. He really liked Marty Robbins. Now, a zillion years later, I stumbled upon this album while surfing around Amazon looking for music. This is great! I love how simply this is recorded - just Marty Robbins' voice and an acoustic guitar in the background. He has a really nice musical voice. This is not the kind of music I would normally listen to. I have always liked artists like Al Dimeola, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Roy Buchanan, etc. and have never liked "country" music, but this is certainly an exception! My dad isn't doing so well these days and I thought I would send him a copy and it might help brighten his day. I like it so much, I may just buy a copy for myself too!
I especially like "Cool Water" - I remember that song oh so well from around the house when I was a kid, and I liked it then. I could listen to 70's rock like Foghat, Led Zeppelin, etc. upstairs, then go downstairs and listen to Marty Robbins with my dad - "cool, clear water".
I also always liked "El Paso" too. Really, every single song on this album is great!
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
Customer Rating:
Summary: The Ultimate C & W Album 2008-03-25
Comment: When I Listen To What Passes For C&W Music Nowadays, I GET Depressed.Most Of The New Breed Of Country Singers Are Just Pseudo Rock Singers Latching Onto A Lucrative Market.Marty Robbins Would Be In The Top Five Of My All Time Greats.Gunfighter Ballads Has To BE In The Top Three Of The Greatest Country Albums Ever Recorded.The Marvellous Acoustic Spanish Guitar Sound That Accompanied Most Of His Gunfighter Ballads Is So Refreshing.Being Around Awhile Needless To Say I'VE Practically All His Albums
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Gunfighter Ballads & Trail Songs
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