Psychedelic Sundae (The Best Of Vanilla Fudge) - Vanilla Fudge

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...Wow wierd album. The Fudge (Vince Martell, Mark Stein, Tim Bogert and Carmine Appice), on their very first release, slap bang in 1967's Summer Of Love, forgo the usual debut album thing of a straight set of the band's own songs and maybe a cover version. Instead we have a whole album's worth of cover versions; and not merely standard covers either. The whole thing is slowed-down and expanded out covers, which lets the band explore the song structures and have a little bit of fun playing around with them. This really is the kind of record that could only have been made in 1967. A couple of Vanilla Fudge-y facts: Tim Bogert and Carmine Appice went on to play with sludge merchants Cactus and later teamed up with Brit guitar vituoso Jeff Beck in the stunningly named Beck Bogert & Appice. It is rumoured that the Fudge were... Read review

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Advantages: some more fine 70's rock
Disadvantages: most people won't have heard of it

...This eponomously named album was the first offering from this US hard rock act,  who were made up of the ex-Vanilla Fudge rythym section Tim Bogert and Carmine Appice,  together with Detroit garage veterans Jim McCarty and singer Rusty Day.    At its time of release (early 1970) the "supergroup" was all the rage,  this being a somewhat short-lived stage in music that brought together top-class musicians who either made a very good career for themselves (Led Zeppelin, The Meters, Deep Purple Mk 2) or more usually made a good studio LP before disintegrating amongst a welter of inflated egos (Blind Faith, Jeff Beck Group etc).    Cactus belong in the latter category and specialised in what was known as "sludge",   pounding hard blues-rock with a heavily-emphisised bottom end.  Poor Rusty Day did his own disentegrating,  in a hail of bullets... Read review

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Advantages: A comprehensive history of one of the greatest guitarists of all time
Disadvantages: Hi Ho Silver Lining

...with Carmine Appice and Tim Bogert , previously with Vanilla Fudge and Cactus. The music was heavy blues featuring heavy use of Beck's guitar and this Cd includes a version of Stevie Wonder's Superstition and two extend libe workouts, Black Cat Boan and Blues Deluxe/BBA Boogie the latter clocking in at almost seventeen minutes. The final volume kicks of with Becks solo instrumental work when he was moving into jazz rock. The guitar playing gets better and more refined as the collection progresses, but still keeps the excitement factor high."Freeway Jam" and "Diamond Dust" are particularly excellent. Unfortunately "Star Cycle" from the "There and Back" album (and used as the theme to "The Tube") is not included, but we can forgive this. The collection finishes with a selection of songs from the 1980's including a gorgeous version of "People Get... Read review

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