One of the greatest and most influential bands ever, Vanilla Fudge is back with a bang. But the truth is, they never really went away.
Born 1966 in Long Island, New York, Vanilla Fudge created an immediate stir with their moody extended covers of popular songs of the day. Not only did the band fit right in with the psychedelic climate of the times, but they added something extra and exciting to the enterprising environment. Stately and weighty, Vanilla Fudge threaded their endeavors with improvisational escapades and symphonic measures, leading them to be quite a unique animal. The band definitely invented a style all their own, and are properly regarded godfathers of both progressive rock and heavy metal.
Although 1967 through 1970 was when Vanilla Fudge gleaned their biggest success, they reunited on numerous occasions to wild applause. The band’s latest incarnation, which features original members Mark Stein (lead vocals, keyboards), Carmine Appice (drums, vocals) and Vince Martell (guitar, vocals), along with Pete Bremy (bass, vocals), is slated to hit the tour circuit soon in support of a fantastic new album, Spirit of ’67 (due March 3, 2015 via Purple Pyramid) that pays homage to well-known songs of the fabled year.
Vanilla Fudge’s funk aspirations rise to the top on brash and bewitching versions of the Spencer Davis Group’s “Gimme Some Lovin'” and the Motown classic, “I Heard It Through The Grapevine,” while the Monkees are saluted on “I’m A Believer,” which snakes and shuffles with skull-crushing grooves and gospel-induced harmonies. Sparked by military drumming, Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth” then takes on a quieter tone before developing into a spinning jam.
The Rolling Stones would no doubt be impressed by the band’s left-field tweaking of “Ruby Tuesday,” which couples operatic moves with hard-fisted singing and playing, and the Who’s “I Can See For Miles” slings a sliver of jazz figures into a dazzling demonstration of acid-flecked gothic rock reflexes. Remodeled melodies and arrangements, stamped with Vanilla Fudge’s signature haunting touch that twist and stretch the songs like taffy, continue to tickle the ears on Procol Harum’s “A Whiter Shade Of Pale,” Smokey Robinson’s “The Tracks of My Tears” and “The Letter” by the Box Tops.
The final cut on the album, “Let’s Pray For Peace,” which was written by Mark Stein, hammers a positive message to a bright and shiny sheen smacking of heart and soul. The energy level on Spirit of ’67 is so edgy and electrifying that it belies the band’s age. It’s easy to hear Vanilla Fudge enjoyed making the album, and their enthusiasm is contagious. These guys are killer musicians whose chemistry is consistently locked and loaded.
Powerhouse vocals, escorted by thunderous drums, pounding riffs, Godzilla-sized choruses, doomy rhythms, and keyboards that are alternately gentle and aggressive, sum up the matter driving these pieces. Crammed tight with amazing tics and turns, Spirit of ’67 tells us Vanilla Fudge still has what it requires to stand apart in the crowd. Experimental rock at its finest and freakiest is what you’ll encounter on this gold-star album.
- How ‘Hollies Sing Hollies’ Showed New Promise After Graham Nash’s Exit - November 14, 2024
- Barry Melton on Country Joe and the Fish, Woodstock – and That Chant - August 15, 2024
- Bachman-Turner Overdrive Set a New Standard With ‘Not Fragile’ - August 7, 2024
You can tell someone associated with the Fudge or the record label wrote this review, because any HONEST music reviewer wouldn’t have said that. Oh, he would’ve said 98% of what was written above if he has any taste in music….BUT he certainly wouldn’t say anything positive about that terrible religious song Mark threw on at the end. The other 10 songs are way too brilliant to let this final song ruin the album…but it certainly has no place on this masterpiece. If it weren’t for that mistake at the end, this album would definitely get my vote for Rock Album of the Year! Now I’ll have to wait for that Alice Cooper/Paul McCartney/Johnny Depp album to come out before I vote.
So, in your view someone is being dishonest if they like something you don’t like? Also, they’re bought and sold by a corporation if they like something you don’t like? Oh, and P.S.: The reviewer is clearly a female.
You make a good point sir. Normally I would agree with you. But this song is just….so…bad….that I don’t see it as an opinion…just a fact. It lessens the powerful impact of the 10 great songs and ends the album on a very sour note….for me I guess. And I believe in God. I met Mark and almost worked with him a long time ago. I always thought he was Jewish. Apparently he’s a born-again…at least that’s what I get from this…and Silent Night, another VF masterpiece. Amazing that they still can sound so incredible and even without Tim aboard.
Or maybe the next Blue Coupe album.