DAY 06: FATS DOMINO "THIS IS FATS" (1956)

I once saw a documentary about The Doors. There was a comment there by the band's producer on one of his interviews that I'll never forget. The reason why I remember it is because it's straight forward and honest. He said that he was not impressed by the band's performance when he first saw them play their first set in a place called The Whiskey. He could have left right away but he stayed. When he heard their second set, he was blown away. I guess some things are really worth the second look.

This album right here required that second look. My first attempt last night was a no go. I failed. I blame the lack of sleep, and the fact that I was hungry and could not find anything decent in my fridge. I felt ungrateful and could not appreciate anything.

And then there's the I-might-still-be-under-the-spell- of Louis Prima that's why my ears could not entertain another person's brilliance so I went for a little sleep.

When I woke up, I had a decent meal and started all over again. With an open mind and a happy stomach, I played the record for the second time.

Before I did that, I took some time and did a couple of reading first. Sometimes you need  to find out how songs are made so you can appreciate them more. I remember having more respect to Hip-Hop or Rap after I saw a Tupac documentary. I thought a little research will help me and it did.

According to the book, 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, Fats Domino is "most responsible for bridging the gap between R&B and rock." And that is why I gave it another chance.

The song Blueberry Hill became my favorite in the album. Bear in mind that I quit listening to this song after 10 seconds during my first attempt but it grew on me very quickly. I even listened to Sir Elton John's version and I liked it even more and when I heard of Louis Armstrong's version, I died in an instant and went to heaven! I later found out that the song was recorded by a lot of artists back in the day.

The more I listened to the album, the more I came to like his voice. By the third song "What's The Reason? (I'm Not Pleasing You?) I was hooked. I wanted to hear more. My second favorite song in the album would be "La-La". It's a very short song with just a few words in it but is beyond brilliant.

La la
La la la la
I know why I'm in love with you, woo
I haven't found another woman to treat me like you do
You're so fine, I'm glad you're mine, woo

So take it from me when you come across a piece of music that you heard and did not like for the first time. Give it a second chance. It's worth it!