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Morello Records, an imprint of Cherry Red Group, is back with its fifth and sixth two-fers drawn from the considerable catalogue of the late country superstar Marty Robbins.  Today/Don’t Let Me Touch You brings together two Columbia LPs from 1971 and 1977, respectively, while All Around Cowboy/Everything I’ve Always Wanted has Robbins’ 1979 and 1981 albums.

Singer-songwriter Marty Robbins spent most of his career, spanning roughly thirty years and over 50 studio albums, at Columbia, departing only for a brief 1972-1975 stint at MCA.  At Columbia, Robbins introduced a host of chart-topping Country classics that also “crossed over” including “Singing the Blues” (No. 17 Pop),” A White Sport Coat (And a Pink Carnation)” (No. 2 Pop), Burt Bacharach and Hal David’s “The Story of My Life” (No. 15 Pop), “El Paso” (No. 1 Pop), “Devil Woman” (No. 16 Pop) and “Ruby Ann” (No. 18 Pop).  He was equally comfortable with country, pop, rock-and-roll and even Hawaiian ballads.  Though his Hot 100 pop hits dried up after 1970’s “My Woman, My Woman, My Wife,” Robbins continued to score heavily on the country chart right up to his untimely death in 1982 at age 57.

Much of 1971’s Today (with its cover drawing attention to Robbins’ passion for racing) spotlighted the artist as country-pop balladeer in a vein similar to Glen Campbell.  Nashville veteran Bill McElhiney supplied the string and horn-adorned arrangements, though the album wasn’t without its share of pure twangy country-and-western, either.   Produced by Robbins, Today yielded three chart singles: Jack Marshall’s “Early Morning Sunshine” and the prison-themed Robbins originals “Seventeen Years” and “The Chair.”  (The latter were released as a double-A-side single.)  Whether on dark material such as “The Chair” or light fare such as “Put a Little Rainbow in Your Pocket,” Robbins demonstrated his singular gift for communicating a song on Today.

Morello then jumps ahead to 1977 for Don’t Let Me Touch You, named after the song penned by the artist and the album’s producer, the legendary Billy Sherrill.  The countrypolitan king brought along arrangers Billy Strange and Bergen White for the sessions at Columbia’s Nashville studio, as well as background groups The Nashville Edition and The Jordanaires.  Both “Don’t Let Me Touch You” and an unexpected cover of the Dean Martin hit “Return to Me” (later memorably covered by Bob Dylan for The Sopranos) earned Robbins two more top 10 entries on the C&W chart.  In addition to a trio of Robbins originals (“The Way I Loved You Best,” “More Than Anything I Miss You” and “Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow”), the album also includes a dip into the standard repertoire for “Try a Little Tenderness,” “Harbor Lights” and the lesser-known “A Tree in the Meadow,” a song of English origin which earned Margaret Whiting a hit in 1948.

1979’s All Around Cowboy returned Marty to the classic western milieu of gunfighters and cattle and rodeos that had served him so well over the years.  All but two tracks were penned by the singer, with the lone exceptions being Bob Nolan’s classic “Tumbling Tumbleweeds” and Ben Raleigh and Udo Jurgens’ “Buenos Dias, Argentina.”  Billy Sherrill helmed this warmly nostalgic album which featured a revival of Robbins’ own “San Angelo,” and the singer was joined by background vocalists Bobby Sykes, Don Winters, Jeff Chandler and The Nashville Edition.  Both the opening track “All Around Cowboy” (with its mariachi horns and Spanish guitar-style accompaniment) and “Buenos Dias, Argentina” charted for the singer, reaching No. 16 and No. 25 Country, respectively.

1980’s With Love (not yet part of this series) followed All Around Cowboy.  Joining Cowboy on Morello’s release is 1981’s Everything I’ve Always Wanted.  The recording locale was still Nashville, but this time Robbins worked with producer Eddie Kilroy at Fireside Studios.  Like Cowboy, Everything drew heavily on the classic C&W sound at a time when the genre’s foundation was moving closer and closer to contemporary pop.  “There’s No Wings on My Angel” was a cover of Eddy Arnold’s 1948 tune, and “I’ll Go On Alone” was a re-recording of Robbins’ own 1952 chart-topper.  “Gene Autry, My Hero” paid heartfelt tribute to the singing cowboy.  Two tracks continued Robbins’ chart success: “An Occasional Rose” (No. 28) and “Completely Out of Love” (No. 47).

Morello’s two-for-one reissues each have a couple pages of liner notes by Tony Byworth as well as new remastering by Alan Wilson.  These releases are fine reminders of the talented and genial storyteller’s enduring talents.  Both two-fers are available now at the links below!

Marty Robbins, Today/Don’t Let Me Touch You (Morello MRLL 54, 2016) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

1. Early Morning Sunshine
2. Late Great Lover
3. I’m Not Blaming You
4. Another Day Has Gone By
5. Thanks, But No Thanks, Thanks to You
6. Quiet Shadows
7. Too Many Places
8. You Say It’s Over
9. Put a Little Rainbow in Your Pocket
10. Seventeen Years
11. The Chair
12. Don’t Let Me Touch You
13. There’s No More You and Me
14. To Get to You
15. The Way I Loved You Best
16. Try a Little Tenderness
17. Return to Me
18. Harbor Lights
19. More Than Anything I Miss You
20. A Tree in the Meadow
21. Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow

Marty Robbins, All Around Cowboy/Everything I’ve Always Wanted (Morello MRLL 55, 2016) (Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. / Amazon Canada)

1. All Around Cowboy
2. The Dreamer
3. Pride and the Badge
4. Restless Cattle
5. When I’m Gone
6. Buenos Dias Argentina
7. Lonely Old Bunkhouse
8. San Angelo
9. Tumbling Tumbleweeds
10. Ballad of a Small Man
11. The Woman in My Bed
12. Completely Out of Love
13. There’s No Wings on My Angel
14. Holding on to You
15. Gene Autry, My Hero
16. My Greatest Memory
17. I’ll Go On Alone
18. Another Cup of Coffee
19. An Occasional Rose
20. Crossroads of Life

Tracks 1-10 from All Around Cowboy, Columbia JC 36085, 1979
Tracks 11-20 from Everything I’ve Always Wanted, Columbia JC 36860, 1981