If You're Only Going to Buy One Greatest Hits Set From... Fats Domino

There isn’t much to say about Fats Domino that isn’t already known. Antoine Domino Jr. (yes, that was his real last name; “Fats” was a fairly obvious nickname) was a lifelong Louisiana resident, born in New Orleans in 1928 and dying today at his home in Harvey, on the opposite side of the Mississippi River. In the 89 years in between, he created, with trumpeter/arranger/producer Dave Bartholomew, the boogie-woogie and R&B sounds that became rock and roll standards. Anything from originals like “Ain’t That a Shame” and “I’m Walkin’” to standards like “My Blue Heaven” and “Blueberry Hill” became indelibly associated with The Fat Man. He had 68 songs hit Billboard’s pop singles charts between 1952 and 1968, with many of them double-sided hits. After his chart days ended, Domino continued to tour for years after, then curtailed his touring to play concerts primarily in New Orleans.

Most of Domino’s hits were on Imperial Records in the 1950s and 1960s. When that label started slipping, Domino switched to ABC-Paramount, joining Ray Charles there. Histories note he was forced to record in Memphis and Nashville rather than New Orleans and wasn’t allowed to work with Bartholomew (who, by the way, is still around at age 98), but truth be told he’d stopped hitting the top half of the charts before making the switch in any case. (Felton Jarvis was his producer for ABC, and perhaps while not as sympathetic as Bartholomew, Jarvis would produce Elvis Presley, Mike Nesmith, Willie Nelson, and plenty of other country acts. Perhaps it just wasn’t the right fit.) He made a few other label stops over the next two decades, but the bulk of Domino’s income would come from concerts and songwriting royalties.

Imperial eventually was folded into Capitol Records, which is now part of Universal Music Group – which also inherited ABC-Paramount’s catalog. However, all of the current Domino hits sets only include his Imperial hits – nothing from the later years, including a pretty good version of The Beatles’ “Lady Madonna,” which came out on Reprise. (Paul McCartney had written the song trying to emulate Domino’s sound.) Maybe someday UMG will get around to releasing an all-encompassing set. In the interim, there are a few other options out there. Here’s my choice to start:

The Fats Domino Jukebox

At 20 tracks, this 2002 set is a little skimpy, and at least a couple of seminal hits (“When My Dreamboat Comes Home,” “My Blue Heaven”) aren’t included. But the price is definitely right ($8.99 for the download on either Amazon or iTunes, $7.93 for the disc on Amazon), so you could download those two songs elsewhere and still beat the next-most expensive option. I would recommend this for those who want to watch the budget, but still want a good Fats selection. (Please note most of Fats’ hits ran roughly two minutes long, give or take a few seconds, so a 20-song set isn’t as long as you might think.)

Here are some other options. No links to Wikipedia this time; Fats had so many hits sets nobody’s written them up there.

Legendary Masters (1971) – I purchased this 28-song set on two LPs back when I was in college, and it was nearly impossible to find back then, so you’ll really have to scour the used record stores now. It’s got some decent liner notes and pretty much all of the good Imperial hits. I don’t think this ever came out on CD.

My Blue Heaven: The Best of Fats Domino (1990) – another 20-song set (it’s only 44 minutes long), and I have this. The song selection may be slightly better (“When My Dreamboat Comes Home” and “Blue Monday” are here), but it’s not significantly different from The Fats Domino Jukebox – and it’s out of print and unavailable for download, anyway.

They Call Me The Fat Man (1991) – record companies were releasing box sets in record numbers in the early 1990s, and I guess Capitol did pretty well with this one; it’s still in print and available for download. My gripe is the songs aren’t in chronological order, and even though there are four discs and 100 songs, not every chart hit is here (and, as I noted, even 25 songs/disc means there’s still a bunch of unused space). You’ll need to be a major Domino fan to purchase this one. $47.49 for the Amazon download and $49.99 on iTunes; $48.99 for the physical box set on Amazon, which comes with an 84-page booklet.

Greatest Hits: Walking to New Orleans (2007) – released after a burst of publicity after Hurricane Katrina (Domino waited out the storm at his home, primarily because his wife Rosemary was in poor health), this is a perfectly good 30-song set that just misses besting The Fats Domino Jukebox because of the price point. The only top 20 hit missing is 1960’s “Three Nights a Week,” which you can probably skip. $11.49 for the physical disc on Amazon, $13.49 for the download ($13.99 on iTunes). It’s real close between this and Fats Domino Jukebox – if you feel like spending the extra few bucks, do it.

Sweet Patootie: The Complete Reprise Recordings (2009) – “Lady Madonna” was the only chart hit from the Reprise years (the late 1960s and early 1970s), so don’t think you’re getting the classics here (although Domino didn’t rerecord any of his old hits for the label). It’s an option to hear more Fats, but it’s not a hits set. $12.49 for the download on Amazon and $12.99 on iTunes; it appears to be out of print on disc.

All-Time Greatest Hits (2011) – Curb Records has been leasing out catalogs for years, cherrypicking the best songs and putting a fairly high price on the finished product (and allowing only the entire album to download, rather than selected songs). 13 songs here, which is a little short; at least UMG usually prices their shorter reissues at bargain prices (I guess they haven’t gotten around to Fats yet). $9.49 for the download and $13.74 for the disc on Amazon; obviously you’re much better off with The Fats Domino Jukebox.

The Complete Hits 1950-62 (2015) – I hate, hate, hate to recommend sets on nonamo record labels, but I’m making an exception here. Acrobat Records appears to be a reissue label in England that takes advantage of the more lax copyright laws there (anything older than 50 years old goes into the public domain – the United States seems to be pushing that back further and further, probably on the behest of the Disney Company so that 90-year-old Mickey Mouse cartoons don’t fall into the hands of cheap DVD manufacturers). Anyway, the result is this three-disc, 79-song set, which is probably not from the original master tapes (if they even exist anymore), but from what I’ve heard, they sound like the original recordings – and I’ve got to say it isn’t like the original recordings were all that well recorded anyway. This has every chart hit from Fats that appeared on Imperial, and in chronological order, too. I will probably download this someday. Not available for download on Amazon or iTunes, but $16.62 for the three physical discs – certainly a better option than They Call Me the Fat Man. (Note to Naperville, IL residents like me: this is available for download through our library system, or for streaming.)

Note: I’m also in the market for Live From Austin, TX: Fats Domino (2006), which comes from a 1987 concert recorded for the PBS series Austin City Limits. The DVD itself is out of print, but there are a few clips available on YouTube, and it looks like Fats is having a ball.

Here are Fats Domino’s hits and where to find them:

Song Title	Year Released	Billboard Chart Peak	Complete Hits 1950-1962	They Call Me The Fat Man	The Fats Domino Jukebox	Greatest Hits: Walking to New Orleans
Goin' Home	1952	30	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Going to the River	1953	24	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Ain't That a Shame	1955	10	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Bo Weevil	1956	35	Yes	Yes		Yes
I'm in Love Again	1956	3	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
My Blue Heaven	1956	19	Yes	Yes		Yes
When My Dreamboat Comes Home	1956	14	Yes	Yes		Yes
So Long	1956	44	Yes	Yes		Yes
Blueberry Hill	1956	2	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Blue Monday	1956	5	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
What's the Reason I'm Not Pleasing You	1956	50	Yes	Yes
I'm Walkin'	1957	4	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Valley of Tears	1957	8	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
It's You I Love	1957	6	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
When I See You	1957	29	Yes	Yes
What Will I Tell My Heart	1957	64	Yes	Yes
Wait and See	1957	23	Yes	Yes		Yes
I Still Love You	1957	79	Yes	Yes
Big Beat, The	1957	26	Yes	Yes
I Want You To Know	1957	32	Yes	Yes
Yes My Darling	1958	55	Yes	Yes
Sick and Tired	1958	22	Yes	Yes
No, No	1958	55	Yes	Yes
Little Mary	1958	48	Yes	Yes
Young School Girl	1958	92	Yes
Whole Lotta Loving	1958	6	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Coquette	1958	92	Yes
Telling Lies	1959	50	Yes	Yes
When the Saints Go Marching In	1959	50	Yes	Yes
I'm Ready	1959	16	Yes	Yes		Yes
Margie	1959	51	Yes	Yes
I Want to Walk You Home	1959	8	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
I'm Gonna Be a Wheel Someday	1959	17	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Be My Guest	1959	8	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
I've Been Around	1959	33	Yes	Yes
Country Boy	1960	25	Yes	Yes
If You Need Me	1960	98	Yes	Yes
Tell Me That You Love Me	1960	51	Yes	Yes
Before I Grow Too Old	1960	84	Yes
Walking to New Orleans	1960	6	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Don't Come Knockin'	1960	21	Yes	Yes
Three Nights a Week	1960	15	Yes	Yes
Put Your Arms Around Me Honey	1960	58	Yes	Yes
My Girl Josephine	1960	14	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Natural Born Lover	1960	38	Yes	Yes
Ain't That Just Like a Woman	1961	33	Yes	Yes
What a Price	1961	22	Yes	Yes
Shu Rah	1961	32	Yes	Yes
Fell in Love on Monday	1961	32	Yes	Yes
It Keeps Rainin'	1961	23	Yes	Yes
Let the Four Winds Blow	1961	15	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
What a Party	1961	22	Yes	Yes
Rockin' Bicycle	1961	83	Yes	Yes
I Hear You Knocking	1961	67	Yes	Yes
Jambalaya	1961	30	Yes	Yes	Yes
You Win Again	1962	22	Yes	Yes
Ida Jane	1962	90	Yes	Yes
My Real Name	1962	59	Yes	Yes
Dance With Mr. Domino	1962	98	Yes	Yes
Nothing New (Same Old Thing)	1962	77	Yes	Yes
Did You Ever See a Dream Walking	1962	79	Yes	Yes
There Goes (My Heart Again)	1963	59
Red Sails in the Sunset	1963	35
Who Cares	1963	63
Lazy Lady	1964	86
Sally Was a Good Old Girl	1964	99
Heartbreak Hill	1964	99
Lady Madonna	1968	100