Vanilla Fudge: Where Is My Mind – The ATCO Recordings 1967-1969

​DETAILS ALBUM

DISC ONE
Vanilla Fudge
The Mono album – Released August 1967
1 Ticket to Ride
2 People Get Ready
3 She’s Not There
4 Bang Bang
5 Illusions of My Childhood Part One
6 You Keep Me Hanging On
7 Illusions of My Childhood Part Two
8 Take Me for a Little While 9 Illusions of My Childhood Part Three
10 Eleanor Rigby
Bonus tracks
11 You Keep Me Hanging On (single version)
12 Illusions of My Childhood - Eleanor Rigby Part One (UK single 1967)
13 Eleanor Rigby Part Two (UK single 1967)

DISC TWO
Vanilla Fudge
The Stereo album – Released August 1967
1 Ticket to Ride
2 People Get Ready
3 She’s Not There
4 Bang Bang
5 Illusions of My Childhood Part One
6 You Keep Me Hanging On
7 Illusions of My Childhood Part Two
8 Take Me for a Little While 9 Illusions of My Childhood Part Three
10 Eleanor Rigby
Bonus tracks
11 Ticket to Ride (unissued single mix)
12 Take Me for a Little While (1967 single version)

DISC THREE
The Beat Goes On
The Mono album – Released February 1968 1 Sketch
2 Intro: The Beat Goes On 3 Eighteenth Century: Variations on a Theme by Mozart
4 Nineteenth Century: Old Black Joe
5 Don’t Fence Me In
6 12th Street Rag
7 In the Mood
8 Hound Dog
9 The Beatles: I Want to Hold Your Hand / I Feel Fine / Day Tripper / She Loves You / Hello Goodbye 10 The Beat Goes On
11 Beethoven: Fur Elise & Moonlight Sonata
12 The Beat Goes On
13 The Beat Goes On
14 Voices in Time
15 The Beat Goes On
16 Merchant / The Game is Over
17 The Beat Goes On
Bonus tracks
18 Where is My Mind
19 The Look of Love

DISC FOUR
The Beat Goes On
The Stereo album – Released February 1968
1 Sketch
2 Intro: The Beat Goes On
3 Eighteenth Century: Variations on a Theme by Mozart
4 Nineteenth Century: Old Black Joe
5 Don’t Fence Me In
6 12th Street Rag
7 In the Mood
8 Hound Dog
9 The Beatles: I Want to Hold Your Hand / I Feel Fine / Day Tripper / She Loves You / Hello Goodbye
10 The Beat Goes On
11 Beethoven: Fur Elise & Moonlight Sonata
12 The Beat Goes On
13 The Beat Goes On
14 Voices in Time
15 The Beat Goes On
16 Merchant / The Game is Over
17 The Beat Goes On
Bonus tracks
18 You Can’t Do That (recorded 1968)
19 Come by Day, Come by Night (B-side of single)

DISC FIVE
Renaissance
Released June 1968
1 The Sky Cried – When I Was a Boy
2 Thoughts
3 Paradise
4 That’s What Makes a Man a Man
5 The Spell That Comes After
6 Faceless People
7 Season of the Witch
Bonus tracks
8 Take Me for a Little While (1968 single remix) 9 Season of the Witch – Part One (A-side of single) 10 Season of the Witch – Part Two (B-side of single) 11 Break Song (studio version)

DISC SIX
Live at The Fillmore West 1st January 1969
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 SEVEN
Live at The Fillmore West 1st January 1969
1 Good Good Lovin’ (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)

DISC EIGHT
Near the Beginning Released February 1969
1 Shotgun
2 Some Velvet Morning
3 Where is Happiness
4 Break Song
Bonus tracks
5 Heartache Jam
6 Shotgun (single edit) (A- side of single)
7 Good Good Livin’ (B-side of single)
8 People (B-side of single) 9 Some Velvet Morning (short version)
10 Good Good Livin’ (unedited version)
11 Love Jam

DISC NINE
Rock & Roll
Released September 1969
1 Need Love
2 Lord in the Country
3 I Can’t make it Alone
4 Street Walking Woman
5 The Church Bells of St. Martins
6 The Windmills of Your Mind
7 If You Gotta Make a Fool of Somebody
Bonus tracks
8 Movin’ On
9 Studio Jam
10 All in Your Mind
11 Need Love (mono single version)
12 I Can’t Make It Alone (single version)
13 Lord in the Country (single version)

In 1967, verraste het Amerikaanse viertal Vanilla Fudge de wereld van de popmuziek met hun zeer ongewone versie van ‘You Keep Me Hanging On’. Hoewel het nummer over liefdesverdriet handelt, klonk de oorspronkelijke versie van The Supremes bijna vrolijk. Bij Vanilla Fudge echter, krijgen we een bak barok verdriet over ons heen. Ze vertragen het ritme, geven een hoofdrol aan de ritmesectie, passen netjes de sologitaar in en laten de toetsen huilen, terwijl de zanger zijn beklijvende stem boven haalt. Zo zit heel de eerste langspeler in elkaar en de formule, want het is een formule, slaat het best aan bij covers: ‘Ticket to Ride’, ‘Elenore RIgby’ [The Beatles], Bang Bang [Sonny Bono], ‘People Get Ready’ [Curtis Mayfield], ‘She’s Not There’ [Rod Argent] …
Vreemd genoeg, ging het viertal op hun tweede plaat [The Beat Goes On, 1968, gebaseerd op het gelijknamige lied van Sonny Bono] de experimentele toer op, in mijn ogen een muzikale mislukking – maar wel goed voor de Top 20! Er zitten leuke aanzetten tussen, maar de coherentie én de originaliteit zijn zoek.
Met ‘Renaissance’ uit 1969, keren ze terug naar de bron, maar ze overschatten de waarde van hun eigen composities. De cover ‘Season of the Witch” [Donovan] steek boven het gemiddelde uit en dat is met ‘Shotgun’ [bekend van Junior Walker & The All Stars] ook zo op ‘Near the Beginning’ [ook 1969].   
Het neemt natuurlijk niet weg dat deze Vanilla Fudge tot de top van de toenmalige ‘psychedelic symphonic rock’ behoort, al wil ik ze even graag gewoon onder ‘rock’ klasseren. Carmen Appice [drums] en Tim Bogert [bas], gingen daarna in zee met Jeff Beck.
Deze uitzonderlijke compilatie van Cherry Red bestaat uit niet minder dan negen cds: de vijf albums die ze op Atco uitbrachten tussen 1967 en 1969 [de eerste twee zowel in mono als stereo] en twee schijven vol live-opnames, sessies en rariteiten. Uiteraard allemaal netjes remastered en aangevuld met een bijzonder leerrijk boekje.
Radio 68 draait een selectie op woensdag 18 december van 12 tot 24 uur.

Eddy Bonte

In 1967, American quartet Vanilla Fudge took the pop world by surprise by turning The Supremes’ take on ’You Keep Me Hanging On’ into a baroque valley of tears – lasting six minutes and fourty seconds. The first album comprises more of the same, like ‘Ticket to Ride’ or ‘Bang Bang’. For optimum dramatic effect, Vanilla Fudge slowed down the speed, put the rhythm section to the fore, inserted solo guitar with care and loosened the reigns of the organ – allowing the singer to churn out as much as sadness as possible. It is simply a milestone of what the band themselves called ‘psychedelic symphonic rock’.
Surprisingly, they turned 180 degrees for the second album [The Beat Goes On], experimenting with self-written tunes. Although being both substandard rock and amateur avant-garde to my ears, it sold well.   
The foursome returned to the template of their first album for four more LPs on Atco. They keep insisting on playing their own stuff, though the covers still stand out, think ‘Season of the Witch’ on ‘Renaissance’ or ‘Shotgun’ on ‘Near the Beginning’, both released in 1969.
At any rate, Vanilla Fudge should be regarded a pillar of heavy rock – as early as 1967 - and an example of improvisation and inventiveness. Drummer Carmen Appice and bassist Tim Bogert would later team up with Jeff Beck.   
This Cherry Red box comprises no less than nine discs: all five albums on Atco between 1967 and 1969 [the first two in both mono and stereo] and two CDs with live recordings, singles and rarities – all nicely remastered and accompanied by an instructive booklet.
Radio 68  plays choice tracks on Wednesday 18 December, from 12 noon till 12 midnight CET, 11 till 11 GMT.