Important Fats Domino Reissues
Christopher Bonds | 12/16/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If you are a fan of New Orleans Rhythm and Blues, Fats Domino is required listening. "This is Fats Domino" was my first Fats Domino LP, so I'm biased! I'm happy to see these are coming out in their original formats.
Before these Collectibles sets came out the only way to my knowledge one could get all these songs on CD was to shell out for the Bear Family complete Fats Domino recordings "Out of New Orleans"--something I couldn't afford. The 4-CD box set that was widely available a few years back confined itself mainly to hits. But many gems were omitted, and some of those appear here. In particular, the instrumentals "Swanee River Hop," and "Fat Man's Hop" (not "Shop", as printed on the Amazon playlist) show more the extent of Fats's piano skills than most of his hit songs. Buy this CD and settle back for some REAL rock and roll!"
The fat man brings the house down!
Laszlo Matyas | 12/25/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Sure, Elvis and Chuck and Buddy were great, but it would be a crime to forget about Fats Domino's contributions to early rock `n' roll. His music was a sumptuous (and supremely danceable) mixture of New Orleans R&B and chugging r `n' r, complete with pounding piano runs and forceful (yet surprisingly sensual) vocals. This collection brings together two of his finest albums- Fats Domino Rock And Rollin' (his second album, and not to be confused with its follow-up, Rock And Rollin' With Fats Domino) and This Is Fats Domino (his fourth album, not to be confused with a later record entitled This Is Fats). These albums feature some of the greatest songs of the rock `n' roll era, from the jazzy swing of "My Blue Heaven" and "Careless Love" on the Rock And Rollin' album to the hypnotic, rolling rhythms of "Blueberry Hill" and the gritty stomp of "Honey Chile" on This Is. Despite Collectables' passable-at-best packaging, this is one of the greatest discs of rock `n' roll that money can buy."