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Rating: Besides my beloved heavy metal, I've been listening to and researching the most important and beautiful bands of the sixties and seventies for a while. The genres include progressive, southern rock, hard rock blues, psychedelia, and a touch of jazz. One of the bands that I really like is the American Vanilla Fudge. They are one of the bands that most influenced many subsequent groups, achieving good success at the end of the sixties. They formed in 1966 in New York with a lineup consisting of Mark Stein on vocals and keyboards, Vinnie Martell on guitar and backing vocals, Tim Bogert on bass, and Carmine Appice, Vinnie's brother, on drums. Their sound is a very energetic and powerful psychedelic rock, a genre that was trendy at the time with bands like Iron Butterfly and the early Pink Floyd. Vanilla Fudge is composed of musicians of depth and great technique, starting with the formidable and innovative drummer Carmine Appice. He is considered the first rock drummer ever, even before John Bonham, Ian Paice, and Keith Moon!! Carmine has a vast cultural knowledge, spanning from jazz to rock to metal, and he has influenced people like Portnoy and Vinnie Paul. In Vanilla Fudge, he experimented with new grooves and, thanks to his musical versatility, he can also play simply (listen to the tracks "Young Turks" or "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" by Rod Stewart). He boasts collaborations with artists like Ozzy, Rod Stewart, Pink Floyd, John Entwistle, and Ted Nugent. I remember he is the brother of Vinnie, who is the drummer for Ronnie James Dio and Black Sabbath! Returning to the band, they reinterpreted the covers "Ticket To Ride" and "Eleanor Rigby" by the Beatles, "You Keep Me Hangin On" (Supremes), "Some Velvet Morning" (Lee Hazlewood), and some classical music pieces in a psychedelic version. Truly incredible pieces!
The band debuted in 1967 with the self-titled album, which contained hits that topped the charts, like "You Keep Me Hanging On" and "Take Me For A Little While," and in 1968 the immense "The Beat Goes On" was released, where the group reinterpreted classical music pieces in a rock style, and "Renaissance," featuring "Seasons Of The Witch," "Where Is My Mind," and "That's What Makes A Man." The following year the quartet recorded another exceptional album, "Near The Beginning," where the band made their sound even heavier, for example in tracks like the hard "Good Good Lovin," the majestic "Some Velvet Morning," and "Shotgun." In 1970 it was time for their last work "Rock 'N' Roll," although in 1984 "Mystery" was released, which, despite having good elements like "Need Love" and "Street Walking Woman," did not reach the peaks of the previous ones. After this CD, Vanilla Fudge disbanded, and the members took different paths, like Carmine Appice and Tim Bogert, who formed Cactus and later the bassist also played with Rod Stewart's band.
"Psychedelic Sundae" is a collection of 18 hits released in 1993 and includes all the hits from the five albums. "You Keep Me Hangin On" starts with formidable bass solos and keyboard parts, then progresses into an energetic rhythmic section supported by Appice's double bass. Stein's vocal section is melodic and pleasant, as is the dreamy refrain, while the final part of the track is infused with pure psychedelia. "Where Is My Mind" is a good piece, with a powerful chorus accompanied by the always excellent performance of Stein behind the keyboard. A song that slightly recalls the early Iron Butterfly. "The Look Of Love" and "Come By Day, Come By Night" are calm tracks where the band also shows their excellent vocal abilities, the "classic" falsetto choruses like the early Beatles. And their passion and esteem for the Fab Four is demonstrated by the cover of "Ticket To Ride", thoroughly transformed and performed very well by the quartet. "Take Me For A Little While" is characterized by the beautiful melody of the keyboard and a somewhat sappy and unusual text for Vanilla Fudge. Nevertheless, it's another good and pleasant song. The seventh track is "That's What Makes A Man" where Mark's bright voice leads to an excellent and emotional refrain. "Seasons Of The Witch" has a rather particular atmosphere, akin to Jefferson Airplane and Velvet Underground's acid rock-psychedelic period. A track that remains in a surreal and martial area for a good seven minutes, with the vocalist's delicate and occasionally whispered voice. "Shotgun" showcases the more hard rock-blues side thanks to Martell's solos and Appice's boisterous and disruptive performance behind the drums. An energetic and rocking track that reminds me of some of Mountain's and Grand Funk's grittier hits... even though these two groups came a few years after Vanilla Fudge. So, this is proof of how seminal they were for seventies hard rock. In the rest of the track, the group has fun with guitar solos that could make even the untouchable Hendrix jealous, and Appice who surpasses himself at the end. "Thoughts" and "Faceless People" are decent songs, while "Good Good Lovin" returns to the realms of hard rock. Martell's breathtaking solos and riffs which support Stein's raspy and charged voice are excellent and sensational. Do you want to know where David Coverdale got the brilliant idea to write a piece like "Ready And Willing" ?? From here!! In other words, "Good Good Lovin". Listen carefully to the rhythmic section and the vocal part and then tell me if it isn't the same as "Ready And Willing"!!
"Some Velvet Morning" is something spectacular. It begins with the subdued keyboard, which after a beautiful introductory part, explodes into its riff along with the pompous bass and highly distorted guitar. Subsequently, Mark's delicate voice finds space and the sensational choirs in the catchy and exciting chorus. A song that has nothing to envy with the equally fabulous "July Morning" by Uriah Heep, "Master Of The Universe" by Hawkwind, or "In The Time Of Our Lives" by Iron Butterfly. After this moment of pure ecstasy, we arrive at the melodic and sappy soul of "I Cant Make It Alone" and the rather poor "Lord In The Country". Maybe they could have discarded this last track, perhaps adding the missing "She's Not There." However, Vanilla Fudge has three other very interesting pieces to present: "Need Love", "Street Walking Woman" and "All In Your Mind". The first is an energetic song with a wild riff like Led Zeppelin and a damn rock 'n' roll rhythm, while "Street Walking Woman" features a tight rhythmic section and Stein's raspy voice reminiscent of Nazareth. The last hit of the collection is "All In Your Mind" which, without prog virtuosity or psychedelic atmospheres, closes this delightful feast of Vanilla Fudge in a simple yet effective and convincing way.
I believe this review has said everything there is to say about this excellent band, which is sometimes underrated or forgotten. SHOTGUN!!
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