Press - Fats Domino I’ve Been Around - The Complete Imperial and ABC Recordings - offbeat.com
Bear Family Records is releasing a new box set, I’ve Been Around, which offers access to 312 tracks from the New Orleans singer-pianist Fats Domino. The set includes Domino’s work with Imperial Records (recordings from 1948-1962) and–collected for the first time in a Bear Family Records set–Domino’s ABC-Paramount Records sessions (recordings from 1963-1965). Also included are originally unreleased takes, undubbed masters and unreleased instrumental backing tracks, making this set a must-have for any collectors interested in Domino’s life and work.
Besides Domino’s iconic music, I’ve Been Around includes both a 60-minute and 90-minute cut of the PBS American Masters documentary Fats Domino and the Birth of Rock ’n’ Roll, which was released in 2016 and includes interviews with the late Dave Bartholomew and Crescent City studio owner Cosimo Matassa. The set also includes a 240-page full-color book, filled with updated notes by biographer Rick Coleman, commentary by producers Hank Davis and Scott Parker, a complete Domino sessionography and a collection of previously unpublished pictures.
During the 1950s, Domino was the first R&B artist to gain recognition by the younger generation, bridging the gap between African-American and white audiences. By leaving indelible marks on the history of music–such as “Ain’t it a Shame,” “I’m in Love Again,” “Blue Monday,” “Blueberry Hill” and “I’m Walkin’”–Domino was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. On Oct. 24, 2017, Domino died at his home in Harvey, LA at the age of 89.
Bear Family Records is releasing a new box set, I’ve Been Around, which offers access to 312 tracks from the New Orleans singer-pianist Fats Domino. The set includes Domino’s work with Imperial Records (recordings from 1948-1962) and–collected for the first time in a Bear Family Records set–Domino’s ABC-Paramount Records sessions (recordings from 1963-1965). Also included are originally unreleased takes, undubbed masters and unreleased instrumental backing tracks, making this set a must-have for any collectors interested in Domino’s life and work.
Besides Domino’s iconic music, I’ve Been Around includes both a 60-minute and 90-minute cut of the PBS American Masters documentary Fats Domino and the Birth of Rock ’n’ Roll, which was released in 2016 and includes interviews with the late Dave Bartholomew and Crescent City studio owner Cosimo Matassa. The set also includes a 240-page full-color book, filled with updated notes by biographer Rick Coleman, commentary by producers Hank Davis and Scott Parker, a complete Domino sessionography and a collection of previously unpublished pictures.
During the 1950s, Domino was the first R&B artist to gain recognition by the younger generation, bridging the gap between African-American and white audiences. By leaving indelible marks on the history of music–such as “Ain’t it a Shame,” “I’m in Love Again,” “Blue Monday,” “Blueberry Hill” and “I’m Walkin’”–Domino was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. On Oct. 24, 2017, Domino died at his home in Harvey, LA at the age of 89.
Press - Fats Domino I’ve Been Around - The Complete Imperial and ABC Recordings - the Vinyl District
Press - Fats Domino I’ve Been Around - The Complete Imperial and ABC Recordings - the Vinyl District
The collection also contains a DVD including both the 60-minute broadcast version and the 90-minute director’s cut of the 2016 PBS American Masters documentary Fats Domino and the Birth of Rock ’n’ Roll. The film — which includes interviews with the late Dave Bartholomew and Crescent City engineer and studio owner Cosimo Matassa — was directed by Joe Lauro and written by Lauro and Rick Coleman.
Befitting the wide, deep scope of the set and reflecting Bear Family’s longstanding commitment to quality presentation, I’ve Been Around includes a full-color, hardcover, large-format book of 240 pages. It contains updated and extended notes by biographer Coleman; track-by-track commentary by producers Hank Davis and Scott Parker (who have been involved in more than 50 Bear Family projects); a comprehensive Domino Imperial sessionography and the most complete ABC-Paramount discography available to date; and many previously unpublished images.
In its dimensions and clothbound elegance, the box replicates the packaging of two previously released, widely acclaimed Bear Family boxes devoted to a pair of Domino’s fellow inaugural Rock Hall inductees: Chuck Berry’s Rock and Roll Music Any Old Way You Choose It, which compiled the singer-songwriter-guitarist’s complete studio recordings, and Jerry Lee Lewis’ What the Hell Else Do You Need?, the most extensive collection ever produced of the singer-pianist’s Sun Records material.
The collection also contains a DVD including both the 60-minute broadcast version and the 90-minute director’s cut of the 2016 PBS American Masters documentary Fats Domino and the Birth of Rock ’n’ Roll. The film — which includes interviews with the late Dave Bartholomew and Crescent City engineer and studio owner Cosimo Matassa — was directed by Joe Lauro and written by Lauro and Rick Coleman.
Befitting the wide, deep scope of the set and reflecting Bear Family’s longstanding commitment to quality presentation, I’ve Been Around includes a full-color, hardcover, large-format book of 240 pages. It contains updated and extended notes by biographer Coleman; track-by-track commentary by producers Hank Davis and Scott Parker (who have been involved in more than 50 Bear Family projects); a comprehensive Domino Imperial sessionography and the most complete ABC-Paramount discography available to date; and many previously unpublished images.
In its dimensions and clothbound elegance, the box replicates the packaging of two previously released, widely acclaimed Bear Family boxes devoted to a pair of Domino’s fellow inaugural Rock Hall inductees: Chuck Berry’s Rock and Roll Music Any Old Way You Choose It, which compiled the singer-songwriter-guitarist’s complete studio recordings, and Jerry Lee Lewis’ What the Hell Else Do You Need?, the most extensive collection ever produced of the singer-pianist’s Sun Records material.
Press - Fats Domino I’ve Been Around - The Complete Imperial and ABC Recordings - the second disc
Get ready to find your thrill, as Bear Family Records has announced the ultimate tribute to singer, pianist, and rock-and-roll pioneer Fats Domino. The new 12CD/1DVD box set I’ve Been Around is due on November 8. It’s packed with 312 tracks including all of Domino’s recordings for Imperial Records, the label on which he made his name and recorded his biggest hits from 1948-1962, and ABC-Paramount Records, where he continued turning out stellar work between 1963-1965. This being a Bear Family box, it also features a treasure trove of originally unreleased alternate takes, undubbed and unedited masters, and backing tracks.
With his brash, joyful piano pounding, New Orleans native Antoine “Fats” Domino Jr. was one of the first “crossover” artists to bridge the divide between R&B and pop in the 1950s. It’s no surprise that he was one of the first ten inductees in the first class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as he was a major influence on such artists as Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Elton John, Bobby Darin, and Randy Newman. All 61 of his R&B chart hits (including nine No. 1s) are present on Bear Family’s box, including his 37 top 40 crossover hits. These songs are still as familiar today as they were six decades ago: “Ain’t It a Shame,” “Blue Monday,” “I’m Walkin’,” and of course, “Blueberry Hill.” The original master tape to the latter, a No. 1 R&B/No. 2 pop smash, is badly damaged, but is presented in superior sound here as derived from a clean, original 78 RPM disk.
Get ready to find your thrill, as Bear Family Records has announced the ultimate tribute to singer, pianist, and rock-and-roll pioneer Fats Domino. The new 12CD/1DVD box set I’ve Been Around is due on November 8. It’s packed with 312 tracks including all of Domino’s recordings for Imperial Records, the label on which he made his name and recorded his biggest hits from 1948-1962, and ABC-Paramount Records, where he continued turning out stellar work between 1963-1965. This being a Bear Family box, it also features a treasure trove of originally unreleased alternate takes, undubbed and unedited masters, and backing tracks.
With his brash, joyful piano pounding, New Orleans native Antoine “Fats” Domino Jr. was one of the first “crossover” artists to bridge the divide between R&B and pop in the 1950s. It’s no surprise that he was one of the first ten inductees in the first class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as he was a major influence on such artists as Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Elton John, Bobby Darin, and Randy Newman. All 61 of his R&B chart hits (including nine No. 1s) are present on Bear Family’s box, including his 37 top 40 crossover hits. These songs are still as familiar today as they were six decades ago: “Ain’t It a Shame,” “Blue Monday,” “I’m Walkin’,” and of course, “Blueberry Hill.” The original master tape to the latter, a No. 1 R&B/No. 2 pop smash, is badly damaged, but is presented in superior sound here as derived from a clean, original 78 RPM disk.