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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
"Fats Domino: Greatest Hits: Walking to New Orleans" (September 2007) is a good, thorough, one disk compilation of all the 1950s hits, on Imperial, that made the piano-playing Domino famous. And a few more seminal bits and pieces, too: the CD's got 30 cuts in all. It's also a solid illustration of what makes Domino one of his hometown's --New Orleans -- most engaging, entertaining exports.
The cuts included here, like all Domino's work for Imperial, were produced by his close, long-term friend Dave Bartholomew, and what a stroke of luck that proved for the musicians. Domino and Bartholomew also wrote many of the biggest hits together: I expect those royalties have added up to quite mountain of Carnival gewgaws over the years. Seems like Domino got in on the ground floor, when Bartholomew and Lew Chudd, owner of Imperial, joined forces, and went looking for exciting new acts around the Big Easy. They found the barely twenty year old Domino playing a local club, utilizing a half-forgotten old-style of pianism, what they called locally jailhouse blues. Nobody else was doing it - Bartholomew and Chudd were blown away. The trio cut their first single, "The Fat Man," in 1950, and, for several years thereafter, Domino's work languished in rhythm and blues. But times were changing, and Domino crossed over into rock and roll with "Ain't It A Shame," in 1955. If you were around at the time, you'll know that white singer Pat Boone quickly covered it, as "Ain't That a Shame," and had a pretty big hit with it, too. But Domino and Bartholomew were getting the royalties, even so, and were able to cry all the way to the bank.
Many more hits followed, several of them covered by white performers at the time. But the hits live to this day, alive on the radio and in our hearts, in Domino's smooth stylings. Every one of them is in this compilation: "My Blue Heaven", "I'm In Love Again," "When My Dreamboat Comes Home," "Blueberry Hill, "Blue Monday," "I'm Walking," "Whole Lotta Loving," "I Want to Walk You Home," and "Walking to New Orleans." You have to say that these guys had a big hand in creating rock and roll, ribald, good time category.
Some years ago, I was lucky enough to see Domino in person, in Las Vegas. He was good-humored, highly entertaining - and, perhaps he was inspired by the venue, but those diamond rings all over his piano-playing hands winked, flashed and sparkled in the limelight: I sure admired the one on his right pinky finger. The man is definitely one of the more engaging exports to come out of New Orleans.
The cuts included here, like all Domino's work for Imperial, were produced by his close, long-term friend Dave Bartholomew, and what a stroke of luck that proved for the musicians. Domino and Bartholomew also wrote many of the biggest hits together: I expect those royalties have added up to quite mountain of Carnival gewgaws over the years. Seems like Domino got in on the ground floor, when Bartholomew and Lew Chudd, owner of Imperial, joined forces, and went looking for exciting new acts around the Big Easy. They found the barely twenty year old Domino playing a local club, utilizing a half-forgotten old-style of pianism, what they called locally jailhouse blues. Nobody else was doing it - Bartholomew and Chudd were blown away. The trio cut their first single, "The Fat Man," in 1950, and, for several years thereafter, Domino's work languished in rhythm and blues. But times were changing, and Domino crossed over into rock and roll with "Ain't It A Shame," in 1955. If you were around at the time, you'll know that white singer Pat Boone quickly covered it, as "Ain't That a Shame," and had a pretty big hit with it, too. But Domino and Bartholomew were getting the royalties, even so, and were able to cry all the way to the bank.
Many more hits followed, several of them covered by white performers at the time. But the hits live to this day, alive on the radio and in our hearts, in Domino's smooth stylings. Every one of them is in this compilation: "My Blue Heaven", "I'm In Love Again," "When My Dreamboat Comes Home," "Blueberry Hill, "Blue Monday," "I'm Walking," "Whole Lotta Loving," "I Want to Walk You Home," and "Walking to New Orleans." You have to say that these guys had a big hand in creating rock and roll, ribald, good time category.
Some years ago, I was lucky enough to see Domino in person, in Las Vegas. He was good-humored, highly entertaining - and, perhaps he was inspired by the venue, but those diamond rings all over his piano-playing hands winked, flashed and sparkled in the limelight: I sure admired the one on his right pinky finger. The man is definitely one of the more engaging exports to come out of New Orleans.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Fats always used to be one of those solid, reliable guys, never let you down unlike some of the flashier sorts. He didn't get all the media attention but he always delivered. We used to think of him as good old Uncle Fats. And even when he had that first hit with "Ain't that a shame" you got the impression that he'd already been round the block quite a few times - there was already a back story there to use today's language. And, as we found out later, that was true - he'd hit the R&B charts with "The Fat Man", his very first single. There always seemed to be more depth to Domino - so many of the others were kids in comparison. And I never believed all those people at the time who used to say that there were plenty of better pianists in New Orleans and vocalists as good, as well. What a load of tosh! Over the last decade or so we've had a glut of material from the Crescent City, from the 40's and 50's and while it's fair to say that there were a lot of interesting performers, the Fat Man easily tops them all for consistency and quality of his recordings.
And Fats outlasted them all. While this album represents his Imperial period from 1950 to 1963 which was by far his best, he didn't stop recording and even managed the occasional flirtation with the hit parade in subsequent years. The legend continued to grow and for many locals he was the spirit of New Orleans well before Katrina hit. If you've ever read the novels from James Lee Burke which are set in South Louisiana, you'll have already picked up on the manner in which Fats was, and is, revered in the city. His survival, post Katrina, only served to cement the myth.
And this set is a more than decent reminder of what that Imperial period was like. Faced with the problem of boiling down so many great records, sometimes with equally good flip sides, into 30 tracks, the compiler hasn't done a bad job at all. I'd like to have had "Sick and Tired" and "Mardi Gras in New Orleans" and perhaps the odd one or two more in there, but this set could have been a lot worse. The fact that the tracks are in order is, in itself, an improvement over several other hits cum best-of sets.
And then there's the title track itself, which manages to give the lie to the comment that the addition of strings inevitably ruins a rock'n'roll record. Let's just let Fats (and writer Bobby Charles) take us out:
I've got no time for talkin'
I've got to keep on walkin'
New Orleans is my home
That's the reason why I'm goin'
Yes, I'm walkin' to New Orleans
And Fats outlasted them all. While this album represents his Imperial period from 1950 to 1963 which was by far his best, he didn't stop recording and even managed the occasional flirtation with the hit parade in subsequent years. The legend continued to grow and for many locals he was the spirit of New Orleans well before Katrina hit. If you've ever read the novels from James Lee Burke which are set in South Louisiana, you'll have already picked up on the manner in which Fats was, and is, revered in the city. His survival, post Katrina, only served to cement the myth.
And this set is a more than decent reminder of what that Imperial period was like. Faced with the problem of boiling down so many great records, sometimes with equally good flip sides, into 30 tracks, the compiler hasn't done a bad job at all. I'd like to have had "Sick and Tired" and "Mardi Gras in New Orleans" and perhaps the odd one or two more in there, but this set could have been a lot worse. The fact that the tracks are in order is, in itself, an improvement over several other hits cum best-of sets.
And then there's the title track itself, which manages to give the lie to the comment that the addition of strings inevitably ruins a rock'n'roll record. Let's just let Fats (and writer Bobby Charles) take us out:
I've got no time for talkin'
I've got to keep on walkin'
New Orleans is my home
That's the reason why I'm goin'
Yes, I'm walkin' to New Orleans
Format:MP3 Download
Great collection of songs with all the classics included, but sound quality and remastering not done brilliantly so it sounds a bit too tiny for my liking.
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