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| | Vanilla Fudge | | | Music Artist : | | Vanilla Fudge | | Music Style : | | Psychedelic Rock | | Record Label : | | Elektra / Wea | | Release Date : | | 1990-10-25 | | Store Price : | | $13.96 | | Artistopia's Price: $13.96 | | Usually ships in 24 hours | | |
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CD Tracks/Songs
Disc 11. Ticket to Ride
2. People Get Ready
3. She's Not There
4. Bang Bang
5. Stra (Illusions of My Childhood, Pt. 1)/You Keep Me Hangin' ...
6. Take Me for a Little While/Ryfi (Illusions of My Childhood, Pt. 3)
7. Eleanor Rigby/Elds
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Other Artist Albums
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Customer Reviews of This Album/CD |
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 Excellent Service
Submitted on: 2009-09-12 |
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I received the CD in excellent condition and on time as promised. I would absolutely continue to make purchases. |
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 Psychedelic rock weds Church of England & Harlem church 7/10
Submitted on: 2009-08-13 |
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Thought I'd check out this album as I was under the impression that maybe they had a cover of a pop song which featured in the documentary "Metal: A headbanger's journey". That cover made me think that THAT song was the FIRST true heavy metal song. Not sure that this was the band...MAYBE it was Blue Cheer. Anyway, this album is interesting on its own terms, as pleasant, organ based music, which does get heavy at times. The organ used brings to mind the kind of organs you hear in church...say, an Anglican church. The music on this album is also quite soulful at times, which brings to mind the kind of church music played in African American neighbourhoods in the 60s, at least.
There are technically seven songs on this album, but one track (by title) is spead between other tracks. The broken 'track' is a pointer to the kind of psychedelia that influenced this band, namely, The Beatles. All the main songs are covers, I think, and some of the 'between' tracks draw on well known pieces of music.
Generally, the songs are all quite listenable, with nothing particularly standing out. Maybe their cover of The Supremes "You keep me hanging on" qualifies as the best track on this album (and the one which made me think that this was the song featured on the documentary).
Here's my rundown on all the tracks on this album, in order:
Ticket to ride - has a spoken word intro, of a technical nature. Solid drumming, organ, and some screeching vocals.
People get ready - has a pleasant guitar sound, with an organ intro. Multi-vocal harmonies, with a churchy organ throughout.
She's not there - organ, meandering bass guitar. Has slowed down singing and the guitar sounds like The Beatles, circa Revolver, with their Indian influences appearing, towards the end of the song.
Bang bang - has a nursery rhyme kind of intro...perhaps it's "A-tisket a-tasket". Organ, and more Indian style guitar. A pleasantly done song, with an outro which reminds one of the intro to the first track.
"Stra" (broken up song title, 'between' tracks piece of music) - military style drumming, bass, organ and the melody from "Three blind mice", I think.
You keep me hanging on - I like the drumming in this track, especially for the intro and the outro. Has Indian style guitar and an eerie synth note. Perhaps the drumming and bass guitar are of the kind you can find in heavy metal, with a very driving rhythm. The vocals are also good in this song, and the synthesiser brings to mind David Bowie's classic "Starman", which came after this song, I think. The only annoying thing about this song is the acting the singing does to provide emphasis. Jangly at times and featuring the organ.
"wber" - the organ plays a nursery rhyme kind of melody. Think that there may be a difference between what my cd display says is the track's length ():23) and what the sleeve notes say (0:14).
Take me for a little while - a pleasant track. Organ, and a bass guitar mini solo near the end.
"ryfi" - the organ plays what sounds like the melody from the nursery rhymes "Three blind mice" and "The farmer takes a wife" (or whatever the nursery rhyme s called).
Eleanor Rigby - seems to have a little bit of an unrelated intro to it, like the broken up track. Has what might be described as some 'speed' drumming on it, and it's quite an insistent knocking at times, too. Features the organ and what may be a cello or some such instrument. Has harmonies in it. The song becomes pleasant later on. However, once again, the singer does annoy with his 'acting' voice when he want to emphasise a word.
"elds" - if you are lost at to the meaning of the broken up track or its inspiration, the lyrics in this piece should provide the answer you seek.
Personally, I don't mind this album. If you enjoy bands that utilise the organ, like The Doors and Deep Purple, this may appeal. Perhaps knowing the songs covered may make this album more desirable too. On average, the main tracks are over 6 minutes in length. Amazon was meant for albums like this...I don't think I could have bought this here in Australia, even at well stocked stores. |
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Best bar band
Submitted on: 2009-07-21 |
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Bold interpretive debut of popular classic cover songs can come across heavy-handed at times but ultimately plays out as an authentic and spirited tribute to highly influential material.
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Can you call an album a "One Hit Wonder?"
Submitted on: 2009-03-27 |
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The eponymous debut album by Vanilla Fudge was produced by Shadow Morton, who, earlier in the decade, was the guru/Svengali behind the Shangri-Las. The band - all kids from out on the Island (Long, that is) - were enamored (in no particular order) with The Beatles and The (Young) Rascals. Morton knew how to merge sound and emotion to create, at the least, an aural pastiche and, at the most, a Spectoresque emotional event. The band - for whatever reason(s) - went along with an all-covers production of material ranging from the trite (I `m sorry, while I admit being a Sonny and Cher fan, I also stipulate that `Bang, Bang' is kitschy) through workman-like (`You Keep Me Hangin' On' and `Ticket to Ride') to the sublime (`Eleanor Rigby').
But, what separates this all-cover CD from stuff available from unknown and/or semi-known bands on collectors labels like Sundazed and Collectables was the decision by all concerned to acknowledge that - to paraphrase the Darth Vader of music, Simon Cowell - a performer had to take control of a song and bend it to their style. After all, it was one thing to play at the dance held at the local high school/VFW/CYO/Union hall. Simply performing the current hits live for the too young to drink/too young to drive crowd was fine. But, if you wanted to play clubs (and reach the point where - to quote Ray Davies - "You can earn some real money!), you were expected to deliver a lot more.
This meant giving the people something different...
And so, under the direction/guidance/dictatorship of Mr. Morton, Messers Appice, Bogert, Martell and Stein took seven songs; two real or contrived audio tests (one for each side of the LP, get it?) and some nursery rhymes as between-cut filler (and tagged in code from another Beatles song). They slowed them down while adding - I guess - a Hammond B-3 organ and blues/soul riffs ala the aforementioned Rascals.
To be sure, the result does not meet the American Bandstand criterion of "It's gotta good beat and ya can dance to it!" It does, however, work more than it does not with the sound, underpinned by the organ and rather in-your-face bass lines, becoming - like Morton's work with the Las - more than just music; in fact evolving into a state of mind. At the same time, material such as this, performed in this manner, does run the risk of pretentiousness. This occurs with the songs containing more complex narrative (`Eleanor Rigby,' for example).
The band did not fare as well with subsequent releases that adhered more-or-less to the same format. After 1970, the band splintered with two members joining up briefly with Jeff beck. More recently, Vanilla Fudge has been performing with varying numbers of members on live and televised oldies circuits.
The album, however, stands the test of time.
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 I can't believe I was soooo "heavy".
Submitted on: 2009-01-13 |
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| Listening to Vanilla Fudge after so many years/decades made me realize how "heavy" I was and how much fun I had. Brings back some fun memories. |
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