In the early days of rock and roll it was quite possible for a
band to be a regional hit and still be completely unknown anywhere else.
Bobby Fuller's recordings under his own name and with the Fanatics were
justly celebrated in west Texas; his early singles for New Mexico-based
Yucca records and his own Exeter and Todd labels sold in the thousands, and
he was an in-demand performer who got away with billing himself as the
"Rock & Roll King of the Southwest."
Fuller is best known for his cover of
"I Fought The Law," which appears here in two nascent versions. He got the
song from a Crickets record, and his own tunes owed a tremendous debt to
Buddy Holly. But Fuller sought to keep up with the times and to keep the
crowds dancing, so he also recorded Dick Dale-influenced surf tunes, Eddie
Cochran-styled rockabilly, and Ritchie Valens-like teen ballads. An early
pop auteur, he recorded most of his early records himself, and did a fine
job; his later recordings for Mustang might have sounded bigger, but
Fuller's Texas recordings have more edge.
This 2 CD set, handsomely
packaged in a pill box with a generously illustrated booklet, includes all
of Fuller's early singles as well as over a disc's worth of previously
unreleased covers, instrumentals, alternate takes, and works in progress.
If you like The Bobby Fuller Four, check out:
Buddy Holly Oh Boy
The Bobby Fuller Four Never To Be Forgotten
Eddie Cochran The Early Years
Ritchie Valens The Ritchie Valens Story
The Byrds Sweetheart of the Rodeo
