PSYCHEDELIC SUNDAE: THE BEST OF VANILLA FUDGE

Vanilla Fudge pioneered a heavy grunge sound with lots of swirling organ. Their forte was cover versions of popular songs, performed in a unique and exciting way. Tracks 1 and 4 on this collection give an excellent indication of this, being covers of a Motown classic ("You keep me hanging on"), and a Beatles standard ("Ticket to ride") respectively. "Seasons of the witch", a Donovan cover from the "Renaissance" album also proves the band's creative talents in interpreting and arranging less known songs.

Bands like Uriah Heep, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath were clearly influenced by Vanilla Fudge's early work, indeed it would be reasonable to credit them with laying the foundations for the sub-genre we now call heavy prog.

Psychedelic Sundae purports to be a "Best of collection". Whether it does in fact represent their best is debatable, but a good cross section of their albums is represented. Original albums "Vanilla Fudge", "Rock'n'roll", "Renaissance", "Near the beginning", and "I can make it" all contribute at least one track, the collection also including 2 non-album tracks. The songs are presented pretty much in chronological order, making it possible to see how the band progressed during their first and most significant existence.

One of the non-album tracks, "The look of love", which formed the B-side of the single "Where is my mind" is a soft yet heavy cover of the Bacharach/David song. The version of the Beatles "Ticket to ride" here is different to that on the band's first album, this being a single remix.

This collection is useful from the point of view that it contrasts rather nicely the band's cover versions with their rather overlooked original material. Songs such as "Come by day, come by night" and "Need love" demonstrate that Vanilla Fudge could also come up with some fine compositions themselves.

Carmine Appice and Tim Bogert provide the distinctive heavy back-beat on which the band was based. The two went on to form Cactus after their planned collaboration with Jeff Beck and Rod Stewart was thwarted by Beck's motorcycle accident. They would later work with Beck in Beck, Bogert and Appice.

In all, an excellent introduction to the music of Vanilla Fudge, but be warned, by buying it you will simply find yourself wanting to obtain the original albums anyway.

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