It wasn't until Fats Domino's New Orleans house was heavily damaged in Hurricane Katrina that many people realized the great R&B pioneer was still alive. Now 79 and fairly reclusive, Domino had a tremendous influence on '50s popular music, his infectious boogie-woogie and triplet-based piano style forming much of the DNA of rock, and influencing scores of artists from Elvis Presley to the Beatles and beyond. To show their appreciation, a plethora of luminaries from rock, jazz, R&B, country, folk, and blues have united for this two-disc, 30-track valentine to Domino, which features modern takes on his timeless music. "United" is a literal term here--while some performers appear solo (Elton John on "Blueberry Hill," Corinne Bailey Rae on the scorching live cut, "One Night (of Sin)"), many of the tracks offer unexpected gumbo-like "mixtures," i.e., Joss Stone teaming with Buddy Guy and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band on "Every Night about this Time." Occasionally, things stray remarkably far from Domino's blueprint (jazz great Herbie Hancock churns it up with George Porter, Jr., Zigaboo Modeliste, and Renard Poche on "I'm Gonna be a Wheel Someday"), while Paul McCartney goes the other route, offering a too-worshipful vocal impersonation ("I Want to Walk You Home"), with fellow legend Allen Toussaint on piano. Still, fine performances abound, especially Neil Young's "Walking to New Orleans," which seethes with political anger, Lucinda Williams' roots-romance of "Honey Chile," and Robbie Robertson and Galactic's visionary "Going to the River." Almost secondarily, the collection serves as an eye-opening look at the thematic span of Domino's recorded output, and, like his Greatest Hits: Walking to New Orleans, released in August 2007, it should bring renewed awareness of his legacy. The iconic musician suffered more than damage to his house in Katrina--looters stole many of his possessions, including his '50s gold records. Here's hoping Goin' Home… will yield a replacement. --Alanna Nash
Paul McCartney might not have been the coolest or most cosmic ex-Beatle, but none of his former bandmates could touch his knack for creating perfect pop singles. Say what you will about their "lack of depth," but the 12 songs on Wings Greatest considerably brightened AM radio playlists during the 1970s, and most of them have actually improved with age. Wings' pure rock power is ably represented by "Band On the Run," "Hi Hi Hi," "Jet," "Live and Let Die" and the underrated non-LP single "Junior's Farm," all of which positively explode from the speakers. Paul's gooey streak shows up on "My Love," "Silly Love Songs," and the bagpipe-infused "Mull of Kintyre," but only "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" still contains a high cringe quotient. Some key tracks are missing--most notably "Maybe I'm Amazed" and "Venus and Mars/Rock Show"--but Wings Greatest is still a thrilling document of Macca at the peak of his pop abilities. --Dan Epstein
Released in the glow of Wings' biggest and best album, Band on the Run, Venus & Mars found Paul McCartney in his element--a working rock star, being screamed at again, cheerfully riding the last rays of his youth. Adulation always brought the best out of him, and Venus & Mars is nearly the equal of its more lauded predecessor. McCartney never strays from his favorite themes (sex, drugs, rock & roll, and marriage), but his confidence is high as he mixes gorgeous, airy production numbers like "Listen to What the Man Said" and "Letting Go" with the ribald and hilarious. "Rock Show" matches the Who's "Long Live Rock" as the finest and funniest of those self-celebratory '70s stomps. McCartney's effortless marshalling of melody and arrangement hoists the blander material out of trouble, and the best stuff's powered by genuine, rediscovered verve. Facile and frivolous, but not at all bad. And their version of the "Crossroads" theme is wicked. --Taylor Parkes
Digitally remastered reissue of their hit 1976 album, which spent seven consecutive weeks at #1! Features the #1 smash 'Silly Love Songs' and the #3 'Let 'Em In', plus three bonustracks: 'Walking In The Park With Eloise', 'Bridge On The River Suite' and 'Sally G'. 14 tracks total. 1993 EMI release. The original album was released on EMI/ Parlophone.
