Hot Fudge Sundae!

Their repertoire was pretty standard for the late 1960s: a Lennon/McCartney tune here, a Bacharach and David song there, a Motown cover for good measure, even “The Windmills of Your Mind.”  But similarities ended there between Vanilla Fudge and their MOR-covering contemporaries.  Over the course of five albums for the Atco label, the Fudge brought a psychedelic touch to the gestating sound of so-called “heavy rock” with blues-drenched, extended takes on familiar songs.

Shadow Morton, famed producer of The Shangri-Las’ “Leader of the Pack,” masterminded the foursome which consisted of Carmine Appice on drums, Tim Bogert on bass, Vince Martell on lead guitar and Mark Stein on organ.  While the group only existed between 1966 and 1969, disbanding at the dawn of a new decade, the Vanilla Fudge sound was influential to many adventurous bands that followed.  Their legacy is celebrated with the May 3 release of Rhino Handmade’s Box of Fudge.  And it sure looks delicious…

Containing 41 tracks over 4 discs (yes, their recordings were often that long, easily hitting the 10- or even 20-minute mark!), Box of Fudge offers key album tracks and singles together with unreleased material from both the studio and the concert stage.  The band’s short-lived 1980s reunion is even represented by 2 tracks.  The unreleased performances account for over a third of the box set, totaling 15 tracks.  The box is foil-wrapped, and looks like another unique set from the Rhino factory.  (As usual for Handmade releases, it’s only available through Rhino directly.)  Intrigued by trippy covers of the Supremes, Curtis Mayfield, Nancy Sinatra and even Sonny and Cher?  The 41 candies comprising the Box of Fudge can be found after the jump!