Vanilla Fudge ...

[uwe]

I believe that no sweat! You hear that debut and it is a new sound, yes, but it is just one sound throughout the album. As a band they were a one-trick-pony and it is telling that they were at a loss what to do next after just one album.

[mc2NY]

One of the bands from my home turf of Long Island. Backed by "Mob money."
I think a few things really hurt The Fudge:

1) They couldn't write. Their best stuff was just he vied-up cover songs.

2) One of the few bands that was actually SMALLER than its parts. A great band is usually GREATER than the sum of its parts.

3) Not the greatest looking bunch.

4) Largely a "one hit wonder" with airplay limited to its cover of "Keep Me Hangin' On."

5) they were stupid enough to hire Led Zepplin open for them on their first U.S. Tour.


Mountain, another Long Island band in the same general vein, was a MUCH better band and COULD write.

Hell, even The Hassles (Billy Joel,) Blues Magoos ("We Ain't Got Nothin' Yet") or The Rascals...all from Long Island during the same period, spite out a better written one-hit, cover songs or breakout star.

IF Vanilla Fudge were better writers, it would have written/recorded In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (recorded on Long Island)...instead of the similar Iron Butterfly carpet bagging to NY from CA to do it, to have the biggest album of that year. Ironically, Iron Butterfly ALSO had Led Zep open for them in NYC BEFORE Page & Co left with VF.

A funny aside....Carmine Appice saw my band play in a Germany in the 90s and hounded me for days, trying to go out with my female guitarist, who was actually MY GF!!  Hahaha

[uwe]

Yes, they weren't writers for the hell of it, but neither were other 70ies heroes with much better sales such as Rare Earth and Three Dog Night.

[westen44]

Yes, they weren't writers for the hell of it, but neither were other 70ies heroes with much better sales such as Rare Earth and Three Dog Night.

Rod Richards who quit Rare Earth in 1971 was capable of writing, though.  He wrote most of the songs for Road's 1972 album.  (Noel Redding and Leslie Sampson.)  He also did most of the singing.  Of course, the band was so obscure, I'm not sure if this really counts.