Cat. No. VV 1075: BOBBY FULLER FOUR ~ THE BEST OF THE BOBBY FULLER FOUR. DEL FI / MUSTANG RECORDS / RHINO RECORDS RNDF 201.
USED VINYL RECORD. PART OF A COLLECTION NOW UP FOR SALE.
THE BOBBY FULLER STORY BEGAN IN EL PASO, TEXAS. IN THE EARLY 1960s HE CONVERTED HIS PARENT'S HOME INTO A DEMO STUDIO. WHILE AMERICA WAS SMITTEN BY THE BRITISH INVASION, BOBBY WENT TO HOLLYWOOD TO TRY TO ENCOURAGE INTEREST FROM A RECORD COMPANY BUT BOBBY WASN'T ENGLISH AND HIS SOUND WASN'T POLISHED ENOUGH.
BACK IN EL PASO BOBBY CONCENTRATED ON IMPROVING THE ACOUSTICS OF HIS STUDIO AND THE QUALITY OF HIS ARRANGEMENTS. IN THE MEANTIME SEVERAL OF HIS DEMOS WERE RELEASED BY MINOR LABELS LIKE EASTWOOD, TODD, YUCCA AND EXETER (THE LATTER WAS THE BEARER OF THE FIRST VERSION OF "I FOUGHT THE LAW", (A SONG WRITTEN BY SONNY CURTIS OF OCCASIONAL CRICKETS FAME).
IN 1964, HE COLLECTED TOGETHER A "BOBBY FULLER FOUR" TO ASSAULT HOLLYWOOD AND THE BIG TIME. HE WAS ATTRACTED TO BOB KEANE'S MUSTANG RECORDS LABEL. IN PART BECAUSE RITCHIE VALENS HAS BEEN THE STAR OF KEANE'S PREVIOUS LABEL, DEL FI, BUT ALSO BECAUSE BOBBY WAS IMPRESSED WITH BOB KEANE'S CONCERN FOR QUALITY, STATE OF THE ART RECORDINGS. ALSO THE MUSTANG STUDIO HAD TWO OF THE FIRST THREE 8-TRACK RECORDING MACHINES TO OPERATE IN LOS ANGELES. INITIAL ATTEMPTS TO POPULARIZE THE GROUP SAW THE GROUP RELEASE SEVERAL SURF NUMBERS AND CAR SONGS WHICH BROKE THE GROUP IN LOS ANGELES BUT IT WASN'T UNTIL THEY SETTLED INTO A MORE FAMILIAR MEDIUM THAT THE GROUP BECAME SUCCESSFUL. WHILE BOB KEANE SHOWED PARTICULAR INTEREST IN THE GROUP AND SAW THEIR POTENTIAL HE DIDN'T THINK THE GROUP HAD HIT MATERIAL YET. FULLER AND THE BAND RETURNED TO EL PASO AND CONTINUED TO RELEASE REGIONAL HITS.
BY THE END OF 1964, FULLER SAW BRANCHING OUT TO A MAJOR LABEL AS THEIR ONLY OPTION, THUS THE BOBBY FULLER FOUR RE-VISITED DEL FI RECORDS. IT WAS DECIDED TO RE-RECORD "I FOUGHT THE LAW" AND AS THEY SAY "THE REST IS HISTORY" . THE RECORD STEAMED UP THE CHARTS AND WAS SET TO ESTABLISH THE BOBBY FULLER AS ONE OF THE TOP GROUPS OF THE MID TO LATE 1960s. BUT ALL TOO SOON IT WAS OVER. ON JULY 18, 1966 BOBBY FULLER'S BODY WAS FOUND IN HIS CAR, DEAD, SEEMINGLY FROM SWALLOWING GASOLINE. TO THIS DAY THERE IS CONSIDERABLE CONTROVERSY AS TO THE CAUSE OF HIS DEATH. THE BOBBY FULLER FOUR'S "I FOUGHT THE LAW" REMAINS ONE OF THE CLASSIC RADIO HITS OF ALL TIME.
THIS AMERICAN RELEASE SELECTION IS GRADED AS EXCELLENT. THE SLEEVE IS HEAVY DUTY CARDBOARD WITH VIRTUALLY NO SIGNS OF WEAR AND THE RECORD ALSO IS IN VIRTUALLY MINT CONDITION.
TRACK LISTING: Side 1 - I Fought The Law / King Of The Wheels / The Magic Touch / It's Love Come What May / Only When I Dream / Don't Ever Let Me Know / Love's Made A Fool Of You. Side 2 - Let Her Dance / Another Sad And Lonely Night / My True Love / I'm A Lucky Guy / Saturday Night / Fool Of Love / Never To Be Forgotten.
12" VINYL RECORD
