Bobby Fuller - I Fought the Law Best of (13 tracks) +Album Reviews

All killer no filler, but missing several Fuller classics (3

TimothyFarrell22 | Massachusetts | 12/17/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Fuller was one of the 60's best rockers, possibly the heir to Buddy Holly. However, like Holly, his life was cut tragically short. This was due to a "suicide" that reeked of foul play. It's a shame that Fuller died so young, because he had cut several classic songs and was obviously headed for superstardom. His music itself is fantastic: emotional, catchy, and well-produced pop songs which will be stuck in your head for weeks. The songs on this compilation are all killer, no filler, but its way too skimpy. There are many songs which Fuller fans regard as classics, such as "The Magic Touch" and "Never To Be Forgotten", absent. It's a shame Rhino issued this instead of their fantastic "The Best of the Bobby Fuller Four" compilation from 1981. Track down a used copy of that (Rhino lets a lot of great samplers from their label go out of print), than move on to Norton Record's "El Paso Rock" series which are still in print, and "The Mustang Years". This sampler is simply too lean, not doing the genius of Fuller justice."

Not enough material...

PATRICK J. MCKENNA | St.Marys, GA United States | 06/26/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I became a diehard loyalist of the Bobby Fuller Four a couple of years after Bobby Fuller's mysterious death (which, incidently was the subject of one episode of Unsolved Mysteries).

My collection of records (45RPM singles along with LP's, EP's, cassette tapes, VHS tapes, DVD's and CD's) includes just about every available commercial recording of the Bobby Fuller Four.

"I Fought the Law: The Best of the Bobby Fuller Four" is an excellent collection, but only introduction of Bobby Fuller's hard-rockin' music. For that reason, I can only give this collection a 3 star rating.

To appreciate the music of the BB4, one must check out both the stereo and mono recordings. The stereo recordings are clearly different from the mono recordings. The vocals are different and it wouldn't surprise me if some different musicians were also used.

As much as I prefer stereo (with the exception of those 4th rate artificial and fake "electronically rechannelled stereo," which is one of the biggest rip-offs pulled off by record companies), some of the mono recordings really kick the butt of some of the lame stereo versions.

For any real BB4 fan, I highly recommend the 3-CD collection: "Never to be Forgotten: the Mustang Years." This collection includes both the stereo and mono versions of many of the best recordings of the BB4. It also features a booklet which tells the story of the group, their performances and the strange case of Bobby's murder.

If you can't obtain "Never to be Forgotten: the Mustang Years," then "I Fought the Law: The Best of the Bobby Fuller Four" might be sufficient.

I wish that the proposed film about the story of Bobby Fuller made it off the ground, but unfortunately crashed before it reached flight. than"

Old Time Rock and Roll Still Cool

Rockin' Bones | Indiana | 02/08/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Bobby Fuller is almost forgotten in the history of rock and rollers. His claim to fame is the classic garage band song 'I Fought the Law.' You will find it here on this collection along with other guitar driven rock. You will definitely hear Buddy Holly's influence as well as some surf and car music sounds. If you like cool 60s guitar bands, then Bobby Fuller has something for you."

Never To Be Forgotten

Jimmy | Fayetteville, N.C. | 06/03/2010

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Bobby Fuller was one of the best and sadly most underappreciated artists of the mid-60's. So much more than a one hit wonder, listen to this album, and you really begin to understand what the music world lost in July 1966. Tracks like Let Her Dance and Another Sad and Lonely Night display his own considerable songwriting talent, and when Bobby did a cover of another's song, such as I Fought the Law and Baby My Heart, he put his own signature stamp on it. This compilation is great, though incomplete. Get this plus some other Fuller compilations for songs like My True Love, one of the greatest songs I've ever heard!!!"

Tidy Overview....But Don't Make It Your Sole BF4 CD!

M. McKay | Downey, CA United States | 05/08/2010

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This SHOULD BE a great CD to introduce newcomers to the music of The Bobby Fuller Four, but instead it acts better as a companion piece to a fan's already existing BF4 collection. If you want a KILLER BF4 collection then by all means seek out a copy of the now out-of-print 3 CD box set "Never To Be Forgotten" (and then pick up a copy of "Shakedown!: The Texas Tapes Revisited" once you've caught the bug). Both of those releases will give you a thorough overview of the life and times of The Bobby Fuller Four, which was all too brief. But in those couple of years (1965-66), Bobby Fuller cranked out some of the most irresistible Texas-infused pop rock you're ever likely to hear. These guys were undoubtedly one of the BEST on the L.A. music scene in the mid-'60s, their melodies showcasing Bobby's love for his idol Mr. Buddy Holly. There was SO MUCH MORE to The BF4 than just "I Fought The Law," but they triumphed enough on that very track alone to give them legendary status. If "I Fought The Law" is the only song you know by The BF4, then wait till you hear "Let Her Dance" or the incredible B-side "Don't Ever Let Me Know" with it's groovy off-time hand claps. These guys could sing AWESOME harmony. They really deserved more recognition than they got, and if any more recognition was due then it was dashed to pieces with Bobby's horrendous murder in July of 1966. Yes I said murder because like Bobby's brother Randy once said in an interview, "How can a dead man drive himself to a parking lot and proceed to pour gasoline on himself?!" Hopefully Bobby's murderer got theirs.

What's great about "I Fought The Law: The Best Of The Bobby Fuller Four" is that you get the mono single versions of the songs as opposed to the mostly all stereo versions that are presented on "Never To Be Forgotten." There are some big differences between the two (much like the A/B comparisons of mono/stereo Beatles). I do prefer the stereo versions but the mono mixes of some of these songs have real cohesive power. Some songs, for instance "Take My Word," sound like completely different takes were used for the two mixes. "Let Her Dance" has an extra bar in the middle 8th guitar break that isn't heard in the stereo version, plus the band's chant of "LET HER DANCE! LET HER DANCE! LET HER DANCE!" is much more prominent underneath Bobby's lead vocal. All in all, ANYTHING by The Bobby Fuller Four is great but there are better compilations out there (the aforementioned). But if you already have "Never To Be Forgotten" then by all means pick this one up as well. That's why I bought it. R.I.P. Bobby Fuller."

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