****Excellent ***Good **Fair *Poor : COMPACT DISCS

“The Best of Fats Domino.” EMI America. This is the kind of disappointing CD that makes you long for the “old” days of vinyl albums. Where UA Records put terrific liner notes and 28 of the New Orleans rock pioneer’s classic tunes (including “Blueberry Hill”) in a 60-minute, double-record set as part of its early ‘70s “Legendary Masters” series, this disc offers only 15 songs (32 minutes) and skimpy liner notes. Worse, the sound quality is sometimes woeful. Though sound can be tricky on ‘50s recordings, there’s no excuse for not giving us a more complete and respectful look at one of the most engaging figures ever in rock. * 1/2