Fat Man

There appears to be some confusion with this Fats Domino compilation as the main blurb shows 10 tracks but when you click on the images above to get the back of the jewel case you will see 16 tracks. I have a copy of an import CD released in 1987 by World Star Collection in the EEC with the EXACT same cover but with these 16 tracks: The Fat Man (2:36); 2. Don't Lie To Me (2:17); 3. Mardi Gras (2:17); 4. Swanee River Hop (2:54); 5. Going To The River (2:29); 6. Please Don't Leave Me (2:41); 7. Fats' Frenzy (2:31); 8. "44" (2:25); 9. Little Mama (2:41); 10. All By Myself (2:18); 11. La La (1:55); Ain't It A Shame (2:27); 13. Troubles Of My own (2:17); 14. Bo Weevil (2:05); 15. Poor Me (2:18); 16. What's The Reason (I'm Not Pleasing You?) (2:08).I can't find the particular CD I have in front of me in Amazon's listing which, I recall, was gladly gobbled up by fans of the R&R icon as there were simply few (if any at that time) compilations emerging in North America. The AAD sound is quite good, but it contains nothing in the way of liner notes other than a tri-language description of the CD format.Most will recall Fats from his breakthrough (in terms of the more lucrative Billboard Pop charts) smash in 1955, Ain't It A Shame? (track 12 here). But, in fact, he had been around entertaining since the late 1940s and by the time Ain't It A Shame was climbing to # 1 (11 weeks at the top) R&B and # 10 Billboard Pop Top 100, he already had 13 R&B hits in the bag dating back to his first in February/March 1950, The Fat Man, which leads off this album as well as the one I have. It reached # 2 R&B on Imperial 5058 (b/w Detroit Blues), and set him on a long career that would see him register 63 R&B hits and 66 on the Pop charts to 1968. He even made the Country charts in 1980 with Whiskey Heaven (Warner 49610) after it was featured in the Clint Eastwood film Any Which Way You Can (the flip was Beers To You by The Texas Opera Company). Small wonder he was among the first inductees into the R&R Hall Of Fame in 1986 and The Blues Hall Of Fame in 2003!Other early hits in the volume I have include: Please Don't Leave Me, # 3 R&B in August 1953 (Imperial 45-5240 b/w The Girl I Love); Bo Weevil, # 5 R&B/# 35 Pop (his second Pop entry) in March 1956 (Imperial 5375 b/w Don't Blame It On Me); Poor Me, # 1 R&B in December 1955 (Imperial 5369 b/w I Can't Go On - aka Rosalie); All By Myself, # 1 R&B (for 3 weeks) in October 1955 (Imperial 5357 b/w Troubles Of My Own - see track 13); and What's The Reason (I'm Not Pleasing You?), # 12 R&B/# 50 Pop in February 1957 as the flip of the monster hit Blue Monday on Imperial 5417.All of these have since become available in Fats Domino box sets and that series covering his singles from Ace of London, complete with discographies and copious liner notes, and much improved sound quality. But at the time the album I have came out, finding some of his lesser sides (i.e., non-hits) on CD was impossible. And I grabbed my copy because it contained these rare (at the time) sides:Don't Lie To Me (or Don't You Lie To Me) - Imperial 5123 - 1951; Going To The River - Imperial 5231 - 1953; Swanee River Hop (originally titled Swanee River Boogie) - from Imperial E.P. IMP-141 - and LP-9009 - August 1956 - recorded February 1953; Fats' Frenzy (originally titled Blow, Wind, Blow) - from Imperial E.P. IMP-143 and LP-9009 - August 1956 - recorded September 2, 1953; "44" - from Imperial LP-9055 - August 1958 - recorded September 19, 1953; Little Mama - from Imperial LP-9227 - January 1963 - recorded July 1954; Mardi Gras In New Orleans - Imperial 5231 - March 1953; La La - 1st version - Imperial 5348 - April 1955.From all appearances it seems Classic Sound re-released the 1987 volume I have here (or volumes - there may have been more) from World Star Collection using the same covers but re-arranging the tracks. Why the blurb above shows 10 tracks but 16 on the reverse is anyone's guess.

Excellent Blues1