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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Creative, and innovative, February 12, 2002
Perhaps Vanilla Fudge is not for everybody because of their unique style and strange vocals, but the truth of the matter is that they were original. This writer sees the album as possibly the first progressive rock release. There are quasi-classical introductions and interludes throughout, predating Yes, Emerson, Lake and Palmer and the like. The originality is remarkable, despite the fact that they only covered well-known pop songs of the day. The Beatles Ticket to Ride, the Zombies She's Not There, and the Supremes You Keep Me Hanging On, are the songs that may interest fans of heavy metal. The Fudge gave them a slowed down, dramatic treatment with the heavy organ, active bass, pounding drums, and fuzzy psychedelic guitar. Their version of the Impressions People Get Ready is quite effective with the band's unique vocals, and church styled organ. The only possible weak spot would have to be Sonny Bono's Bang Bang. It has the feeling of a corny soap opera at times, but there are passages between the high-pitched vocals that are extremely heavy. Take Me For a Little While is an effective soul/pop fusion, and was probably the most normal sounding cut. The album ends with a most disturbing, psychedelic, and climactic version of Elanor Rigby, which truly captured the flair the band had for dramatic intensity. This album contains the Fudge's only top 40 hits, Hanging On(#6), and Little While(#38), but the Fudge should really be seen as an albums band. This album is one of Vanilla Fudge's best, and recommended. NOTE: Some reviewers have made the incorrect assumption that the band was nothing more than a studio creation thrown together by the record company. Actually, they were an established band for some time before this album, known as Mark and the Pigeons, influenced by the Long Island Sound of the Rascals, and Vagrants.
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16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
sonic psychedelia, November 1, 2004
How many bands could produce an album that reached number three on the national charts consisting entirely of covers of classic compositions ranging from The Beatles, to The Zombies, to Sonny Bono, to The Supremes? That's exactly what Vanilla Fudge accomplished in 1967, "the Summer of Love", with their debut album. The organ heavy/heavy organ arrangements remained on the Top 100 for a remarkable 200 weeks.
'Vanilla Fudge' consists of Vince Martell on guitar, Mark Stein on organ and vocals, and the rugged rhythm section of Tim Bogert on bass and Carmine Appice on drums, who would in the 1970's team with Jeff Beck to form the minor supergroup (how's that for an oxymoron?) 'Beck, Bogert, and Appice'.
This groundbreaking album opens and closes with John Lennon/Paul McCartney compositions. The bombastic 'Ticket To Ride' features organ riffs that sound like a skateboard running over the keys. The band made up for whatever was lacking in their musical expertise through volume and intensity, and this track is the perfect example of that. An elegant funeral dirge-like arrangement of 'Eleanor Rigby' concludes the disc, with a last-second homage to 'Strawberry Fields' titled 'ELDS'. There are three other shorter-than-30 second blips on the disc, along with a couple announcements of tonal offerings from the engineer that lace the set with an atmosphere of experimental psychedelia. These brief tracks are titled 'WBER', 'STRA', and 'RYFI'. Lord knows what they stand for, but you can play them as anagrams for things like 'SLED', 'BREW', 'FIRY' and either 'RATS' or 'STAR'. Knock yourself out.
Other tracks covered on the disc are 'People Get Ready', sounding like a psychedelic church hymn, not up to par with 'The Chambers Brothers' version released the same year, or Curtis Mayfield's own original, but given it's unique treatment by The Fudge is still worthy of its six and one-half minutes. 'She's Not There' also doesn't approach The Zombies original, but it's an interesting cover nonetheless. The intro to Sonny Bono's 'Bang Bang' is something of an insane asylum's version of several childhood rhymes, and the song itself has a haunted feel to it. Great Halloween music.
The major classic on the disc is the white man's psychedelic take on The Supreme's 'You Keep Me Hanging On'. The song is one of two singles released from the album, and it rose to a deserving number eight on the national charts in August of 1968. Everything is right on this number (making it "right on" I suppose...), from the organ to the lead and background vocals, and especially Martell's nuanced lead guitar touches. The second single from the collection, 'Take Me For a Little While' was the band's sequel to 'You Keep Me Hanging On', and rose to number thirty-eight on the charts in October of '68. At 3:27 it's the shortest song on the album, while 'Eleanor Rigby' is the longest, timing out at 8:03. Most of the running times are beefed up by the band's penchant for extended, slowly emerging instrumental introductions. It's not uncommon for the band to stretch these covers into the five, six, and seven minute range, so that the seven major tracks total over 40 minutes of music.
There is nothing like this album. 'Vanilla Fudge', along with 'Creedence Clearwater Revival' were the two great cover bands of the 1960's, and this debut album is far and away their finest effort. Unfortunately the liner notes are nothing to write home about here, a serious shortcoming for far too many classic rock discs.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Stuff, December 7, 1999
Yet another of the great groups that played the Fillmore East. What a concert. This album is a favorite from those days. While "Illusions Of My Childhood" seems intrusive throughout side 2, this side is great. Their version of "You Keep Me Hanging On" is a classic. The music and the vocals take this Supremes hit to a new level. "Take Me For A Little While" is a big favorite of mine and the message true to some of the relationships we had in those days. Great stuff from a unique period of our history.
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~ Vanilla Fudge
~ Blue Cheer
~ Jefferson Airplane
~ Vanilla Fudge
~ Blind Faith
by Vanilla Fudge 
