''I Fought the Law'' is the second and final studio

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

The Bobby Fuller Four The Bobby Fuller Four (sometimes stylized as Bobby Fuller 4) was a popular mid-1960s American rock & roll band started by Bobby Fuller. First formed in 1962 in Fuller's hometown of El Paso, Texas, the group went on to produce some of its most m ...

. It was released by Mustang Records in February 1966 in stereo and mono. Its title comes from the title track, "

I Fought the Law "I Fought the Law" is a song written by Sonny Curtis of the Crickets and popularized by a cover by the Bobby Fuller Four, becoming a top-ten hit for the band in 1966. Their version of the song was ranked No. 175 on the ''Rolling Stone'' lis ...

", which had recently become a hit single for the group, eventually charting at #9 on the ''

Billboard Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

''.

Background

The album was released as a response to "I Fought the Law"'s impressive chart performance, featuring a re-recorded version of the song on stereo copies of the album (in which Fuller slyly inserts a certain four-letter word in place of the word "fun"). The song was written by

Sonny Curtis Sonny Curtis (born May 9, 1937) is an American singer and songwriter. Known for his collaborations with Buddy Holly, he was a member of the Crickets and continued with the band after Holly's death. Curtis's best known compositions include "Walk ...

and had been previously released on

The Crickets The Crickets were an American rock and roll band from Lubbock, Texas, formed by singer-songwriter Buddy Holly in January 1957. Their first hit record, "That'll Be the Day", released in May 1957, peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100, ...

first album without

Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texas ...

, ''

In Style with the Crickets ''In Style With the Crickets'' is a rock and roll album by the Crickets. Although it was the band's first release following the departure and subsequent death of their front man, Buddy Holly, it still contains many of the band's most memorable son ...

''. In addition, the album recycles seven songs from Fuller's previous album ''

KRLA King of the Wheels ''KRLA King of the Wheels'' is the debut studio album by The Bobby Fuller Four. It was released by Mustang Records in November 1965 in stereo and mono. It was released in promotion of the local Los Angeles radio station, KRLA. Background The ...

'', including the band's previous hit single, " Let Her Dance" and "I Fought the Law"'s B-side, "Little Annie Lou". Many songs are also reworkings of older songs recorded by Bobby Fuller in his home studio in El Paso, including "I Fought the Law", "Julie" and "Only When I Dream" are new songs. "She's My Girl" is listed on the front cover but does not appear on this album as it did on the first. ''I Fought the Law'' became the group's only Billboard charted album, peaking at #144 in April 1966.

Track listing

Personnel

The Bobby Fuller Four

Bobby Fuller Robert Gaston Fuller (October 22, 1942 – July 18, 1966)Bashe, P. R., & George-Warren, H., ''The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll'' (Third ed.). New York, Fireside, 2005, p. 360 was an American Rock and roll, rock singer, songwriter, ...

–

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

lead vocals The lead vocalist in popular music is typically the member of a group or band whose voice is the most prominent melody in a performance where multiple voices may be heard. The lead singer sets their voice against the accompaniment parts of t ...

DeWayne Quirico Robert DeWayne Quirico (better known as simply DeWayne Quirico; born June 19, 1942) is a professional drummer, best known for his work with The Bobby Fuller Four. One of his most notable works is his unique percussion work on the band's biggest hi ...

–

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

* Jim Reese – guitar,

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are use ...

* Randy Fuller –

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

, backing vocals

Technical

* Robert Keane – producer

References

{{Authority control 1966 albums Albums produced by Bob Keane The Bobby Fuller Four albums