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!

Disc One

1. All in Your Mind
2. Take Me for a Little While
3. Ticket to Ride
4. People Get Ready
5. She’s Not There
6. You Keep Me Hanging On
7. Where is My Mind
8. The Look of Love
9. Sketch
10. The Beat Goes On
11. Come By Day, Come By Night
12. The Sky Cried – When I Was a Boy
13. That’s What Makes a Man
14. Faceless People
15. Season of the Witch

Disc Two

1. Shotgun
2. Some Velvet Morning
3. You Can’t Do That
4. People
5. Good Good Lovin’ (Unedited Version)
6. Heartache Jam *
7. Need Love
8. Lord in the Country
9. Street Walking Woman
10. The Windmills of Your Mind
11. Jealousy
12. My World is Empty Without You

Disc Three *

1. She’s Not There (Live)
2. Shotgun (Live)
3. People Get Ready (Live)
4. You Keep Me Hanging On (Live)
5. Season of the Witch (Live)
6. Break Song (Live)

Disc Four *

1. Good Good Livin’ (Live)
2. Ticket to Ride (Live)
3. Medley: Moonlight Sonata/Fur Elise/Eleanor Rigby (Live)
4. Take Me for a Little While (Live)
5. Like a Rolling Stone (Live)
6. Love Jam
7. Movin’ On
8. VF Studio Jam

* denotes previously unreleased tracks
Disc 1 Track 1 from Psychedelic Sundae: The Best of Vanilla Fudge (Rhino, 1993)
Disc 1 Tracks 2-6 from Vanilla Fudge (Atco, 1967)
Disc 1 Tracks 7-8 from non-LP single (Atco, 1968) later included on the expanded edition of Near the Beginning (Sundazed, 1998)
Disc 1 Tracks 9-10 from The Beat Goes On (Atco, 1968)
Disc 1 Track 11 is a non-LP B-side (Atco, 1968) later included on the expanded edition of The Beat Goes On (Sundazed, 1998)
Disc 1 Tracks 12-15 from Renaissance (Atco 244, 1968)
Disc 2 Tracks 1-2 from Near The Beginning (Atco 278, 1969)
Disc 2 Track 3 from The Beat Goes On expanded edition (Sundazed, 1998)
Disc 2 Track 4 from non-LP single (Atco, 1969) later included on the expanded edition of Near the Beginning (Sundazed, 1998)
Disc 2 Track 5 from Near the Beginning expanded edition (Sundazed, 1998)
Disc 3 Tracks 7-10 from Rock & Roll (Atco, 1969)
Disc 2 Tracks 11-12 from Mystery (Atco, 1984)
Disc 3 and Disc 4 Tracks 1-5 recorded live at the Fillmore West, 12/31/1968 and 1/1/1969
Disc 4 Tracks 6-8 from Atlantic Recording Studio session, 1969