The World Famous Ultimate Twang: Marty Robbins "Adios Amigo" Classic Album Review

Greetings from Asheville, where good music is always on the turntable, in the CD player, or in the MP3 machine. Today’s Classic Album Review is a 1977 Columbia release from hall of famer Marty Robbins. Coming off his most successful album and hit in several years with “El Paso City”, Marty was looking to keep the roll going with the release in February of Adios Amigo. And successful it was, as the album peaked at five, becoming the last of fifteen top ten albums for Marty, while containing two top ten singles.

The album kicks off with one of the top ten hits, which also happens to be the title cut, as well. ”Adios Amigo” climbed as high as four, during the early Spring of 1977. A mix of Latin sounds and country-pop, it’s the kind of song that Marty really excelled at (among many other styles). Great track.

The first time I heard Bobby Darin’s hit version of “18 Yellow Roses” from 1963, I could have sworn he was trying to impersonate Marty Robbins, the singing style was so similar. Fast forward to 1977, and we finally get a Marty Robbins version, which turns out to be a good, solid performance.

“Falling Out Of Love” is an exceptional ballad. Nothing fancy, just good, solid material, and of course, an exceptional voice behind the mic. A Hidden Gem contender.

Next, it’s Marty’s cover of the Lynn Anderson hit “I’ve Never Loved Anyone More”. A nice performance of a good song; whereas Lynn’s version is a little softer and airier, Marty’s is slightly more metropolitan.

Side one ends with yet another ballad, “Helen”. The medium-slow tempo track has a sound and feel that harkens back to Marty’s early 1970′s work, before he ended his first Columbia tenure to join Decca/MCA. Strong lyrical work, here, this is a Hidden Gem contender.

Side two opens with Marty’s other top ten success from the album, “I Don’t Why (I Just Do)”, a cover of the 1931 Wayne King pop hit (also a 1961 pop hit for Linda Scott). Sneaking into the top 10, during the Summer of 1977, Marty just seemingly flows without much effort throughout.

“My Happiness” is another pop standard that’s seen several hit versions, most notably Connie Francis’ 1959 classic, and again, nothing fancy, just a nice flowing version that suits Marty’s vocals, perfectly.

One more pop standard cover is “My Blue Heaven”. It’s estimated that the 1928 Gene Austin version sold over five million copies, making it one of the biggest selling pre-rock era singles. Marty’s tempo is slightly quicker than that original (but not as fast as the Fats Domino hit), and again, just a nice little piece that’s quite enjoyable to listen to.

One more definite Hidden Gem contender is “Inspiration For A Song”. Simply a great ballad, featuring the total package; melody, performance, and lyrics.

The album wraps with Marty’s take on the Wynn Stewart hit, “After The Storm”. I love Wynn’s version, but Marty does a fine job, giving a more than adequate performance.

No longer on the market, used copies are numerous, especially in vinyl and 8-track. The album was also released on cassette. The prices I saw were generally less than $10.

“Adios Amigo” gets my Standout Track nod, while “Inspiration For A Song” gets the Hidden Gem. I really didn’t dislike any of the music, here.

Overall, this is a fine piece of work by the late Marty Robbins. Often, when an album features mostly ballads, the danger of monotony can arise and will at times. Not here, though. The songs are different enough to keep the whole body of work more than interesting and keeps the listener well engaged. I go for a 5 out of 5, here.

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