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Son of JayJamJah · 07-06-2008, 10:01 AM

1. Ticket to Ride
2. People Get Ready
3. She's Not There
4. Bang Bang
5. Keep me Hanging on
6. Take me for a little While
7. Eleanor Rigby

1967 was a big year for Psychedelic Rock. Pink Floyd, the Doors and the Dead emerged on the scene, they would come to represent the movement in progressive, hard and jam rock respectively over the next decade and beyond. The Beatles Magical mystery Tour, Captain Beefheart's Safe as Milk, The Velvet Underground and Nico and Jimi Hendrix' Axis: Bold as Love, four of the greatest Psych-Rock albums of All-time also emerged. So with all this happening what was my brother listening to...Vanilla Fudge. Well all that other stuff and Vanilla Fudge.

The Fudge trackers major claim is having headlined Zeppelin's US debut tour in 1968. There music was a sort of obvious psych-rock played without consideration to technical merit. They were obsessed with the Beatles, often times their shows would feature over 50% Beatles covers. However they lack of personal creativity, which lead them to cover songs in their own tripped-out way made their music instantly identifiable and fairly popular for about 18 months.

I got this album from aforementioned Sibling sometime in early 1969 i believe, but I could be off by a year either way. He tired of it so I gave it a few plays and threw it in a crate. My guess is the last time it was listened to gasoline in America was probably 80 cents a gallon. (appx 1.5 #'s a liter)

The record still plays pretty clean, I think they were going for the distant echoy sound. Anyway it opens with a Beatles cover after about 90 seconds of feedback and distortion of course. The melody is very similar to the actual song not much change at all. Next is Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready" which opens with an extremely over the top grandiose 2 minute explosion of fanfare and haunting Organ chords straight out of Phantom of the Opera. The the group harmonizes the chorus line and delivers a somber interpretation of the song. You can't get through this stuff without laughing. That's not to say I don't love it, it's just hilarious is all. "She's not there" is next and it sounds remarkably like the last two songs. The side one close is a version of Sonny Bono's "Bang Bang" that reinforces just how good Nancy Sinatra's version is. The reimagining includes another superfluous introduction with the signature marching style rhythms of Carmine Appice as well as more of the group 'harmonizing all four members on the vocal tracks"

On Side Two "You Keep Me Hanging On" The Supremes number was the only song to hit the charts for them, it's pretty catchy actually. A little cleaner then the other songs and more upbeat but of course does include another big time introduction. "Take me for a while" is their most straight song on the track and I suppose their attempt at a love song. It's not bad, it's not good either though. Finally "Eleanor Rigby" as only Vanilla Fudge can deliver it.It takes the typical two minutes to get to the point as the band must uphold their dramatic reputation first. Distant and dark, if you are partially in the barrel you'll enjoy it, otherwise you might fall asleep.

Overall I give 2 out of 5 Timothy Leary's

07-06-2008, 10:01 AM	#2 (permalink)
Son of JayJamJah Occams Razor Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: End of the Earth Posts: 2,472	Vanilla Fudge - Vanilla Fudge (1967) 1. Ticket to Ride 2. People Get Ready 3. She's Not There 4. Bang Bang 5. Keep me Hanging on 6. Take me for a little While 7. Eleanor Rigby 1967 was a big year for Psychedelic Rock. Pink Floyd, the Doors and the Dead emerged on the scene, they would come to represent the movement in progressive, hard and jam rock respectively over the next decade and beyond. The Beatles Magical mystery Tour, Captain Beefheart's Safe as Milk, The Velvet Underground and Nico and Jimi Hendrix' Axis: Bold as Love, four of the greatest Psych-Rock albums of All-time also emerged. So with all this happening what was my brother listening to...Vanilla Fudge. Well all that other stuff and Vanilla Fudge. The Fudge trackers major claim is having headlined Zeppelin's US debut tour in 1968. There music was a sort of obvious psych-rock played without consideration to technical merit. They were obsessed with the Beatles, often times their shows would feature over 50% Beatles covers. However they lack of personal creativity, which lead them to cover songs in their own tripped-out way made their music instantly identifiable and fairly popular for about 18 months. I got this album from aforementioned Sibling sometime in early 1969 i believe, but I could be off by a year either way. He tired of it so I gave it a few plays and threw it in a crate. My guess is the last time it was listened to gasoline in America was probably 80 cents a gallon. (appx 1.5 #'s a liter) The record still plays pretty clean, I think they were going for the distant echoy sound. Anyway it opens with a Beatles cover after about 90 seconds of feedback and distortion of course. The melody is very similar to the actual song not much change at all. Next is Curtis Mayfield's "People Get Ready" which opens with an extremely over the top grandiose 2 minute explosion of fanfare and haunting Organ chords straight out of Phantom of the Opera. The the group harmonizes the chorus line and delivers a somber interpretation of the song. You can't get through this stuff without laughing. That's not to say I don't love it, it's just hilarious is all. "She's not there" is next and it sounds remarkably like the last two songs. The side one close is a version of Sonny Bono's "Bang Bang" that reinforces just how good Nancy Sinatra's version is. The reimagining includes another superfluous introduction with the signature marching style rhythms of Carmine Appice as well as more of the group 'harmonizing all four members on the vocal tracks" On Side Two "You Keep Me Hanging On" The Supremes number was the only song to hit the charts for them, it's pretty catchy actually. A little cleaner then the other songs and more upbeat but of course does include another big time introduction. "Take me for a while" is their most straight song on the track and I suppose their attempt at a love song. It's not bad, it's not good either though. Finally "Eleanor Rigby" as only Vanilla Fudge can deliver it.It takes the typical two minutes to get to the point as the band must uphold their dramatic reputation first. Distant and dark, if you are partially in the barrel you'll enjoy it, otherwise you might fall asleep. Overall I give 2 out of 5 Timothy Leary's