Vanilla Fudge "The Return" 2002***

On October 17 2003 (of course I had to google the date - it's not exactly etched in my brain) I went down to Liossion street in Athens  to see Vanilla Fudge play the Gagarin 205 club. Two weeks before that, I had no idea the band still existed. I'm guessing most of you still don't know the Fudge are out there, playing gigs and making records. The concert went by more than smoothly, with the band tearing through old classics and a few "new" covers, including Rod Stewart's "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?". Their comeback had began the previous year with this album, featuring 3/4 of the original group: Vince Martell on guitar, Tim Bogert on bass and Carmine Appice on drums. Newcomer Bill Pascali provides ample replacement for Mark Stein on keyboards while guitarist Teddy Rondinelli poses for the CD booklet but does not play a single note in the record. The band all share vocal duties. "The Return" contains reworkings of 4 out of the 7 songs from their 1967 debut, The Zombies' "She's Not There" and soul classics "Take Me For A Little While" (Evie Sands), "You Keep Me Hangin' On" (Supremes), and "People Get Ready" (Curtis Mayfield). Donovan's haunting "Season Of The Witch" (from "Renaissance", 1968) and Junior Walker's explosive "Shotgun" ("Near the Beginning", 1969) also get rehashed. The new versions don't try to sound identical to the old ones but neither do they stray far from them: Imposing organ, heavy guitar, bombastic drumming and soulful vocals - just like in the 60's. Despite the fact that its material consisted of covers of contemporary pop hits, the Fudge's 1967 debut became the blueprint for many later hard rock bands. In the words of Jon Lord "When Deep Purple started, we just wanted to be the English Vanilla Fudge". It's obvious when you listen DP's first albums, with their organ-dominated Beatles and Donovan covers. The Fudge's "Return" opens likewise with classical-style organ leading to a heavy soul version of Marvin Gaye's "Ain't That Peculiar". Original compositions "Good Lovin'" and "Need Love" are more straight hard rock, with screaming guitar and organ and frantic drumming. They remind me of Free, Deep Purple and Uriah Heep. The latter song also sports some nice Jon Lord/Ray Manzarek style Hammond. Rod Stewart's disco hit "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?" seemed to me like a curious choice when I heard it live. Little did I know that Carmine actually co-wrote the song, when he was Stewart's drummer back in the day. Whatever, suffice it to say that the Fudge's version kicks ass, with its trademark classical organ, torrential drums, funky bass, heavy guitar, David Coverdale-style lead vocals and Kiss-like chorus. An ill-advised short rap section prevents it from being the album's highlight. That honor belongs to "Tearin' Up My Heart" which, I was surprised to learn, is a cover from boy-band 'N Sync. The Backstreet Boys also get a nod with "I Want It That Way". Now, you'd be excused to think that hard rock covers of such fare are done as a joke. But The Fudge treat them just as seriously as they did with "Hanging On", keeping the songs' melodic pop core and investing them with their familiar trappings. I guess they just figured that 'N Sync and Backstreet Boys are the modern-day Beatles and Supremes. Which is, sadly, kinda true. Anyway, the end result justifies their odd cover choices. It's always pointless to compare classic rock groups to their 60's or 70's heyday, but it's safe to say that Vanilla Fudge can still look their old selves in the eye - metaphorically of course, doing it literally would pose a problem. Fans of classic rock and 60's psychedelia won't find much to complain about here - and, for my part, any album featuring Carmine Appice's drumming is worth hearing - the man is a good candidate for rock's best drummer ever. He'd probably lose the title to Keith Moon or John Bonham, but he's got one big advantage on them: He's still breathing - at 68, he's actually already lived more than both of them combined.

**** for You Keep Me Hangin' On, Tearin' Up My Heart, Shotgun, Season Of The Witch, Do Ya Think I'm Sexy

*** for Ain't That Peculiar, People Get Ready, Take Me For A Little While, Good Lovin', I Want It That Way, Need Love, She's Not There, Tearing Up My Heart (Psychedelic Radio Edit)