Martell was not included in this initial reunion and Ron Mancuso played guitar on Mystery instead, along with Jeff Beck, who guested under the moniker 'J. This resulted in Mystery, another album of new material, released in 1984. They reunited in support of the Atco Records release Best of Vanilla Fudge in 1982. Since the band's breakup in 1970, Vanilla Fudge has reunited several times. But when nothing came from this, Stein ended up forming a new group, Boomerang, with Galluzi. Stein, left on his own, tried to keep Vanilla Fudge afloat with two new players, Sal D'Nofrio (bass) and Jimmy Galluzi (drums), both of whom had been members of a Poughkeepsie, New York, group known as The Dirty Elbows. They ended up leaving Cactus and formed Beck, Bogert & Appice with guitarist Jeff Beck in 1972. After that, Bogert and Appice departed to form another group, Cactus, that they had been planning since late 1969. Vanilla Fudge played a farewell concert at the Phil Basile's Action House on March 14, 1970. The self-titled debut album quotes ' Strawberry Fields Forever' at the end, with the lines 'Nothing is real Nothing to get hung about'.Īccording to Ritchie Blackmore and Jon Lord, Vanilla Fudge's organ-heavy sound was a large influence on the British band Deep Purple, with Blackmore even stating that his band wanted to be a 'Vanilla Fudge clone' in its early years. The members of Vanilla Fudge were great admirers of the Beatles, and covered several of their songs including ' Ticket to Ride', ' Eleanor Rigby', and ' You Can't Do That'. It was a Top 10 hit in Canada, the United States, and Australia and a Top 20 hit in the UK in 1967. This version featured Stein's psychedelic-baroque organ intro and Appice's energetic drumming. The band's biggest hit was its cover of ' You Keep Me Hangin' On,' a slowed-down, hard rocking version of a song originally recorded by The Supremes. When Led Zeppelin first toured the United States in early 1969, they opened for Vanilla Fudge on some shows. Their first three albums ( Vanilla Fudge, The Beat Goes On, and Renaissance) were produced by Shadow Morton, whom the band met through The Rascals. Vanilla Fudge was managed by the reputed Lucchese crime family member Phillip Basile, who operated several popular clubs in New York. A recording of The Pigeons, 'While The World Was Eating Vanilla Fudge', was released by Scepter/Wand in 1970. Then she looked at us and added 'Maybe you guys should call yourselves that-you're like white soul music'. She told us how her grandfather used to call her Vanilla Fudge. We tried to think up a new name but were getting nowhere until we played a gig at the club on Long Island and ended up talking to a chick named Dee Dee who worked there. We didn't mind, in fact, I had always thought The Pigeons was a weird thing to be called but had just gone with it. Ahmet Ertegun, the label's founder and president, didn't like that name and told us we had to change it.

But there was one drawback, however: Atlantic didn't want to sign a band called The Pigeons. Appice was asked to join The Pigeons and in his 2016 autobiography, Stick It!, Carmine explained the name change to 'Vanilla Fudge': 'In April 1967 the Pigeons got signed to Atlantic Records. In December 1966, Brennan moved on to The Younger Brothers Band and Bogert became impressed with a young drummer named Carmine Appice he had heard playing at the Headliner Club on 43rd Street in a cover band called Thursday's Children. Originally calling themselves The Electric Pigeons, they soon shortened the name to The Pigeons. The pair were so impressed by the swinging, organ-heavy sound of The Rascals they decided to form their own band in 1965 with Martell and Rick Martin's drummer, Mark Dolfen, who was quickly replaced by Joey Brennan. Stein and Bogert had played in a local band called Rick Martin & The Showmen.

Vanilla fudge keep me hangin on