Join us for a holiday weekend as we look back at MusicRadar’s greatest hits…
Best of Music Radar: In the late ’60s, American rockers Vanilla Fudge were called psych-rock, but their influence goes far beyond that.
The New York-based band, featuring Tim Bogart on bass and vocals, Mark Stein on keys and vocals, Vince Martel on guitar, and Carmine Appice on drums, influenced everything from prog to heavy metal.
Their signature hit was a cover of the Motown classic “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” by the Supremes.
watch on
But that’s not all Vanilla Fudge had to offer, Appice told MusicRadar.
“There’s a lot of talk on the internet about the influence of vanilla fudge,” says Appice. “If Vanilla Fudge had stuck together, we could have been as big as Led Zeppelin, or at least as big as Deep Purple. We didn’t, but we had so much to offer!”
Indeed, Vanilla Fudge were the pioneers of heavy rock in the late ’60s. Their self-titled debut album, featuring “You Keep Me Hangin’ On,” was released in 1967, along with other breakthrough albums such as Cream’s Disraeli Gears, The Doors and The Velvet Underground & Nico’s self-titled albums, and The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s Are You Experienced? and “Axis: Bold As Love,” Pink Floyd’s “The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn,” and most famously, The Beatles’ “Sgt.” Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
Appice is keen to point out that Vanilla Fudge released albums before Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple.
“We influenced Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, I mean…the list goes on and on. The organ sound with the heavy rhythm section and our amazing arrangements, dynamics, harmonies, that’s what it was all about.”
“All our arrangements, the way we put together, all our voices and great playing, all of that influenced progressive rock. We were unlike anyone else. To this day, no one can play Vanilla Fudge right, except in the actual band.”
Apis says the chemistry between the band members is unstable.
“There was always friction between Tim and Mark,” he says. “It was always a little bit of a chore, and there were times when we came up with crazy things, but I think it all worked together to create what we have.
“Tim was a crazy bass player who influenced a lot of people. Technically, I was studying drums, so we had that too.”
He says of his approach: “I wasn’t a hard hitter to begin with. I had to do it because there was very little PA back then and I needed my opinion to be heard.”
“Tim Bogart always had two. [Fender] Dual Showman amps, Mark had two Leslies with 300 watt amps and I didn’t have any. I had to hit the drums hard to make the sound! ”
This is why he chose large Ludwig drums and heavy cymbals.
He explains: “I went to a pawn shop and got a 26-inch Ludwig bass drum and said, ‘Wow, if I get a bigger bass drum, maybe I can hear it.’ And I put a red glitter design on it to match the rest of the kit. That’s the kit I played. [with Vanilla Fudge] on the Ed Sullivan Show.
“No one else had anything like that at the time, but I did. It started a trend. Next thing you know, it was all oversized bass drums. And when John Bonham got his drums, it became Led Zeppelin’s drum set and it became very famous.”
During the band’s heyday from 1967 to 1970, Vanilla Fudge produced five albums, four of which reached the US Top 20.
Carmine Appice remains extremely proud of their accomplishments, especially that explosive version of ‘You Keep Me Hangin’ On.’
“It was emotional and dynamic,” he says. “That’s why it’s never going away. It’s in movies and shows like The Sopranos. It’s in airline commercials and Coke commercials…”
It’s a song Appice still performs in live shows featuring hits from his days with Rod Stewart in the ’70s and ’80s.
“I’m doing a show honoring Rod Stewart,” he says, “and I’m also doing ‘You Keep Me Hangin’ On,’ which I did on Rod Stewart’s first album, ‘Foot Loose & Fancy Free.’ That’s always the highlight of the show.”
“Even with all of Rod’s hits, it’s still a highlight.”
#stuck #big #Led #Zeppelin #big #Deep #Purple #Heavy #rock #innovators #powerful #drummers #stars #John #Bonham