I AM WORKING ON A PIECE for this blog that inÂspired this brief piece below. It’s tiÂtled “What Was the First Rock & Roll LP Album of the ’50s?” and at one point I turned to Wikipedia for inÂforÂmaÂtion. SpecifÂiÂcally, I was inÂterÂested in deÂterÂmining the reÂlease date of Fats DomiÂno’s first album, Rock And Rollin’ With Fats Domino. I wasn’t preÂpared for what I found, alÂthough I should have been.
But first, some backÂground: reÂcently, I pubÂlished anÂother arÂticle on my A Touch Of Gold webÂsite. It adÂdressed the error-ridden Wikipedia entry for ELVIS’ GOLD RECORDS, VOLUME 2, inÂcluding the alÂbum’s sub-title “50,000,000 Elvis Fans Can’t Be Wrong.”
My arÂticle is tiÂtled “50,000,000 wikipedia conÂtribÂuÂtors can’t be wrong,” and Frank Daniels made major conÂtriÂbuÂtions to the reÂsearch. 1
AfÂterÂward, he and I were chatÂting about the state of Wikipedia as a go-to source, and he made a piÂquant (don’t just read on—look it up) observation:
“It’s inÂterÂesting for me to obÂserve this sort of slopÂpiÂness yet again in Wikipedia, given that their arÂtiÂcles on quantum meÂchanics and graduate-level mathÂeÂmatics are quite acÂcuÂrate. That’s the difÂferÂence beÂtween having a sciÂence proÂfessor as an edÂitor and, oh, say Elvis’ 50,000,001st fan.”
And Amen to that!
And since that exÂchange, both Frank and I have found inÂciÂdent after inÂciÂdent where Wiki enÂtries are facÂtuÂally chalÂlenged. Granted that many are enÂterÂtaining, but only if the reader knows that they are erÂrors. If not, they’re just adding more drivel and misÂinÂforÂmaÂtion alÂready cirÂcuÂlating among the milÂlions of webÂsites of othÂerÂwise well-intentioned site owners.
And the beat goes on (lah-dee-dah-dee-dah) and now back to the Fat Man . . .
This is the cover to Fats DomiÂno’s second album: ImÂpeÂrial LP-9004, which everyone refers to as ROCK AND ROLLIN’ WITH FATS DOMINO beÂcause of this cover, which cerÂtainly seems to inÂdiÂcate that is the corÂrect title. TechÂniÂcally, when the title on the jacket and the record conÂflict, the title on the label is usuÂally conÂsidÂered the ofÂfiÂcial title. Here the label for LP-9004 is simply FATS DOMINO—and that’s the corÂrect title of the album, reÂgardÂless of the cover above.
Rock and rollin’ with Fats Domino
Here is the main text in the entry “Rock and Rollin’ with Fats Domino” as it apÂpeared on Wikipedia on July 17, 2016. The text is exÂactly as it apÂpeared in the opening secÂtion and the “ReÂlease hisÂtory” for this entry on Wikipedia.
ExÂcept I broke the text up into smaller paraÂgraphs, and I elimÂiÂnated the exÂcesÂsive hyÂperÂlinks so common to Wikipedia text. More imÂporÂtant, I also elimÂiÂnated the Wiki footÂnote numÂbers at the end of senÂtences within the text.
I then added my own footÂnote numÂbers so that I could adÂdress each error in this arÂticle in a reader-friendly manner. These numÂbers are in blue suÂperÂscript so that they are easily seen and recÂogÂnized. My numÂbered comÂmenÂtary folÂlows the Wiki article:
Rock and Rollin’ with Fats Domino, origÂiÂnally reÂleased as Carry on Rockin’ [1], is the 1955 debut album by R&B piÂanist and voÂcalist Fats Domino, comÂpiling a number of his hits and other maÂteÂrial, some of which would soon beÂcome hits [2].
The album, which feaÂtured a woodcut porÂtrait of the muÂsiÂcian, reached #17 on the BillÂboard “Pop AlÂbums” chart [3]. It is beÂlieved to have been proÂduced by enÂgiÂneer Bunny Robyn due to the noÂtaÂtion on the cover “A Robyn Recording” [4].
Wikipedia got the title wrong, they got the catÂalog number wrong, and they got the year wrong. But at least they got the artist right!
The album was first reÂleased on ImÂpeÂrial Records, catÂalog #9009 [5], under the title Carry on Rockin’ in NoÂvember 1955 [6] and reisÂsued under the title Rock and Rollin’ With Fats Domino [7].
VarÂious dates are given for the re-issue [8]. The Great Rock DiscogÂraphy inÂdiÂcates that ImÂpeÂrial 9009 was reisÂsued under alÂterÂnate title in OcÂtober 1956 and March 1957, but the Domino biÂogÂraphy Blue Monday inÂdiÂcates April 1956 [9].
When Domino left ImÂpeÂrial in 1963 to join ParaÂmount, ImÂpeÂrial reÂtained the rights to this and sevÂeral other of DomiÂno’s noÂtable alÂbums, reisÂsuing it on LP as reÂcently as 1981. It has subÂseÂquently been reisÂsued in conÂjuncÂtion with anÂother early Domino album, MilÂlion Sellers By Fats, as Rock and Rollin’ with Fats Domino/Million Sellers By Fats [10].
That is the end of the text from the Wikipedia entry that I am using for this arÂticle. There is a little more (song info, track listing, etc.), but it has nothing to do with this issue.
Here is the British verÂsion of ROCK AND ROLLIN’ WITH FATS DOMINO from London Records. Great photo of Fats but the title is rather awkward—unless the phrasing has meaning in EngÂland that is lost on us here in the States.
Facts are only facts when they’re factual
Here are my comÂments on the stateÂments above. While this may seem like anyÂwhere from petty to overkill, it’s Wikipedia’s sole purÂpose is to transfer inÂforÂmaÂtion. And erÂroÂneous inÂforÂmaÂtion ain’t no inÂforÂmaÂtion at all.
1. Carry On Rockin’ was NOT the origÂinal title of this album. Quite the opÂpoÂsite: Carry On Rockin’ was the title given by London Records for the British verÂsion of the album reÂleased a few months after the US origÂinal. London hanÂdled manÂuÂfacÂturing and disÂtriÂbÂuÂtion of ImÂpeÂrial product in the UK and on the Continent.
2. Rock And Rollin’ With Fats Domino is a comÂpiÂlaÂtion of preÂviÂously reÂleased maÂteÂrial, being comÂpiled of sides from hit sinÂgles reÂleased 1949-1956. Wiki got the “would soon beÂcome hits” part wrong beÂcause they have an inÂcorÂrect reÂlease date for the album (see 6 below).
3. In the ’50s, the BillÂboard LP survey was tiÂtled “PopÂular AlÂbums.” BeÂlieve it or not, it had only fifÂteen to thirty poÂsiÂtions! It did not exÂpand to 150 poÂsiÂtions until 1963, when it was known as “Top LP’s.” And Rock And Rollin’ With Fats Domino didn’t reach #17 on the BillÂboard survey until March 1957. 2
4. The note “A Robyn Recording” did not apÂpear on the iniÂtial jackets for ImÂpeÂrial LP-9004 (above top); it was added to later jackets (above bottom). Abraham “Bunny” Robyn owned Master Recorders studio in Los AnÂgeles, where he often acted as enÂgiÂneer for the sesÂsions held there—such as the ones with Fats. DomiÂno’s proÂducer was alÂways Dave Bartholomew.
This is Fats DomiÂno’s second album: ImÂpeÂrial LP-9009, which everyone refers to as just ROCK AND ROLLIN’ beÂcause of the jacket. Please noÂtice that the title of the album on the record’s label is simply FATS DOMINO. When the tiÂtles on a jacket and a record conÂflict, the title on the label is usuÂally conÂsidÂered the ofÂfiÂcial title of the album.
5. The catÂalog number for Fats DomiÂno’s first 12” LP album Rock And Rollin’ With Fats Domino is ImÂpeÂrial LP-9004. The catÂalog number for Fats DomiÂno’s second 12” LP album, the simÂiÂlarly tiÂtled Rock And Rollin’ from later in 1956, was ImÂpeÂrial LP-9009.
6. ImÂpeÂrial inÂauÂguÂrated its line of 12″ long-playing alÂbums in July 1956 by reÂleasing sevÂeral tiÂtles at once. This inÂcluded LP-9004, Rock And Rollin’ With Fats Domino.
7. This senÂtence has four erÂrors, two of reÂgard the alÂbum’s title, which were covÂered in 1 and 6 above.
8. Since Wiki has the tiÂtles conÂfused, they refer to the origÂinal title as the re-issue.
9. Martin Strong’s The Great Rock DiscogÂraphy: ComÂplete DiscograÂphies Listing Every Track Recorded by More Than 1,200 Artists apÂpears to be the source of much of the “data” in this Wiki entry. Alas, it is one of the most error-ridden and conÂfusing books ever pubÂlished about any music genre.
Based on this Fats Domino entry and so many other Wiki arÂtiÂcles on popÂular music that I have read lately, the Strong book must be reÂquired reading for Wiki contributors.
10. What they meant to say is that the two LPs Rock And Rollin’ With Fats Domino (LP-9004) and MilÂlion Sellers By Fats (LP-9195) were isÂsued toÂgether on one comÂpact disc (ColÂlecÂtables ‎COL-CD-2722). 3
ImÂpeÂrial broke the twelve-track LP album up into three EP alÂbums of four tracks each (ImÂpeÂrial IMP-138, 139, and 140). They kept the same artÂwork and title but changed the main color for each number.
My conclusions will cause confusions
1. The corÂrect title of Fats DomiÂno’s first 33â…“ long-playing album (ImÂpeÂrial LP-9004, July 1956) is FATS DOMINO.
2. The corÂrect title of Fats DomiÂno’s second 33â…“ long-playing album (ImÂpeÂrial LP-9009, SepÂtember 1956) is FATS DOMINO.
3. But let’s conÂtinue calling these two alÂbums by their inÂcorÂrect tiÂtles: ROCK AND ROLLIN’ WITH FATS DOMINO (9004) and ROCK AND ROLLIN’ (9009). That way we can difÂferÂenÂtiate one from the other. 4
FiÂnally, as Mark Twain so faÂmously (supÂposÂedly) said, “It ain’t what you know that gets you in trouble—it’s what you know that just ain’t so.”
FEATURED IMAGE: The photo at the top of this page was taken in the mid-1950s. Fats has his tradeÂmark flat-top haircut but only two rings.
FOOTNOTES:
1 There was a follow-up arÂticle tiÂtled “50 neal umphred fans can’t be wrong.”
2 That it would take the album eight months to peak may seem weird, but aside from Elvis, rock & roll alÂbums reÂally didn’t sell that many copies in the ’50s—especially those by black rhythm & blues artists.
3 Look up the word conÂjuncÂtion, beÂcause the Wiki conÂtribÂutor and his edÂitor didn’t.
4 “Most of the time, with the smaller comÂpaÂnies and the cheapo budget laÂbels, the cover is corÂrect and the laÂbels conÂtain little inÂforÂmaÂtion. ImÂpeÂrial wasn’t a cheapo, but it’s clear from the deÂsign that they did not reÂally inÂtend to have two alÂbums named only FATS DOMINO. They just didn’t put the title on the label.” (Frank Daniels)
By the way, folks, I do mainÂtain that for the first 29 reÂleases in the 9000 seÂries, ImÂpeÂrial did not put the tiÂtles of ANY alÂbums on the record label. They listed only the artist name.
The rest is a rather surÂprising (or perÂhaps not!) look at Wikipedia. In some matÂters, Wikipedia is quite acÂcuÂrate. But when it comes to Fats Domino albums....you might as well read tea leaves if Wikipedia is your alternative.
There are more than fifty ten-inch ImÂpeÂrials listed on Both Sides Now. Why they didn’t do one for Fats is strange. I alÂways asÂsume that the record comÂpaÂnies asÂsumed that the white folks with the 33 1/3 turntaÂbles in the early ’50s weren’t buying that kind of music. At least until rock & roll happened . . .
i looked over the list of 10 inch imÂpeÂrial lps and i see why i only have one of them in my colÂlecÂtion, the promo one. i alÂways skip over stuff like this when looking thru records. the reason i kept the promo one is it has a cut that was very popÂular on my radio shows in col springs in the early 80s. it’s from the early 1950s and it was very difÂfiÂcult to find a clean sounding copy to play on the air. neiÂther of the staÂtions i was on in col springs had a 78 speed on the turntaÂbles. it’s on the 10 inch promo lp and sounds quite good. later on i was forÂtuÂnate to find a new conÂdiÂtion 45 of the song. i alÂways feaÂtured all the local records i could as long as they were good. [good as in deÂterÂmined by me]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JupicVfIRQM
Does anyone care about Yma Sumac (?) records anymore?