Customer Reviews

Country Music Classics [VHS]

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Ernest Tubb and Marty Robbins are two of my favorite country performers, and having seen some of this footage on VHS, I had to get the DVD. I wasn't disappointed at all!

The contrast of Tubb's raw, booming, honky-tonk baritone and Robbins' sweet crooning is complimentary; alternating the performances creates enough variety in tone where the disc never gets boring, which is nice.

While there's some specks and grain in the footage, for the most part, the disc is a real treat for the eyes. I'm a sucker for the rich, vibrant colors of the old Technicolor films, and Ernest Tubb and Marty Robbins look wonderful in this context. The camera work is good, too; it's not the bland put-the-camera-on-a-tripod-in-front-of-the-band-and-let-it-roll one might expect; the camera moves around, the performers walk around freely followed by the camera, and we see the band from cool angles. Of course, it's all tame compared to today's videos, but the cinematic quality of the performances ensures that you'll never get tired of watching.

As for the sound, I have no complaints. Glorious mono is the only way to listen to this music, as far as I'm concerned. Any enhancement would probably be overkill, IMO. If you're a fan of the original recordings, you'll definitely like what you hear on the DVD. It helps that there's a fantastic selection of songs. The disc kicks off with E.T. doing "Walkin' The Floor Over You" and Robbins' "Singing The Blues". If you're looking for Marty Robbins singing his classic cowboy ballads or Hawaiian songs you'll be dissappointed; this is Robbins at his rawest, singing straight-up, unadulterated country music. That's the Robbins I like best, so I'm happy, although "I'll Go On Alone" is conspicuous in its absence. Ernest Tubb has literally hundreds of classics to his credit, so there's obviously going to be some glaring omissions, but with "Answer The Phone" and "You Nearly Lose Your Mind" included, I can overlook the absence of "Soldier's Last Letter" and "Jealous Loving Heart".

The only thing that keeps me from giving this release five stars is the lack of extras. For starters, I would love to know the details behind the footage; not just the historical details, but the technical, geeky stuff. That's probably not a big factor for most people, but some artist bios would have been nice. I realize that most people purchasing this DVD will already be familiar with Ernest Tubb and Marty Robbins, but including some biographical info, along with a discography and album recommendations would make this disc a wonderful introductory item Classic Country novices. So when I say "extras", I'm not asking for a director's commentary, deleted scenes, multiple angles and Lithuanian subtitles, I'm asking for the bare minimum. This is, of course, a minor complaint. I can guarantee that I'll watch this again and again and I look forward to obtaining other discs in this series.

This DVD is an excellent collection from Gannaways "Tribute to the Grand Ole Opry Stars of the Fifties", resp. Classic Country Shows. It is a must-buy for every classic country fan.
Originally filmed in the 50's in colour - picture and sound quality is very good
IMPORTANT : This DVD is playable in nearly all regions worldwide

I am very disapointed it was a mistake to bu

This is a cool set of old video footage of Ernest Tubb and Marty Robbins playing live (separately) in made-for-TV concert footage. It's great stuff, with bright, bold 1950s color saturation, and great music. In particular, it's nice to see Robbins in his early years.

Another reviewer complained that there are no bonus features on the disc, but I think that criticism is misplaced. This collection originally came out on VHS, long before there was a whole DVD-related tradition of "bonus features." Yeah, in theory the Shanachie label could have gone in and added new stuff when they put out the DVD, but it would have cost a lot of money (and would make the DVD more expensive) and also probably would not have been put together by the original producers of the VHS edition. All in all, I think this version is fine: it's got ET and Marty Robbins. What more do you want? (DJ Joe Sixpack, Slipcue Guide To Hick Music)

Two of Country's Greatest at the pinnacle of their career's.The raw but downhome voice of Ernest Tubb combined with the rich Emotional tones of Marty Robbins makes this DVD not just a want,but a requirement for the true Country Archivist.Young country musician hopefuls should look back at this for inspiration and a reminder of their roots.A true visual log of country history.

I bought this video from Amazon and really enjoy the traditional country music. Marty Robbins is awesome and Ernest Tubb is great. I would recommend this video .

I"m very disapointed , IT WAS A MISTAKE TO BUY AND I"M VERY ANGRY OF AQMAZON