In the second half of the sixties, the pivotal USA band Vanilla Fudge was a sensation; their hit single You Keep Me Hangin' On peaked the charts and to give you an impression of their fame, in those days even Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin were merely the support-act to Vanilla Fudge! Their sound is an unique blend of rock, gospel, classical and psychedelia, loaded with Hammond organ and heavy guitar work. Even legendary formations Yes, Deep Purple and Uriah Heep point at Vanilla Fudge as their main source of inspiration! After five albums, released between 1967 and 1970, Vanilla Fudge disbanded, but the band has reunited a few times since then.
Being a huge fan of the band, I was thrilled to discover Vanilla Fudge decided to reunite again and planned to head towards Europe for a tour, even playing near my hometown The Hague!

Around 120 mainly male 50+ fans witnessed a splendid performance by Vanilla Fudge, consisting of three out of four original band members. Original bass player Tim Bogert was replaced by Pete Bremy.
The sound was very close to that of their five albums and we were treated to some captivating improvisations. The leading man on stage was Mark Stein on keyboards and vocals, he talked to the audience and introduced the songs. He was visibly pleased with the highly excited crowd.
During this show, the focus was on Vanilla Fudge's eponymous first album (1967).The band played the entire album, including great renditions of Ticket To Ride, She's Not There and Eleanor Rigby. The lush Hammond B3 sound and the vocal harmonies delivered an extra dimension, giving sound to the signature 'Vanilla Fudge touch'. I was delighted with songs from their other albums too, such as Season Of The Witch, with compelling psychedelic overtones, Dazed And Confused, from their excellent Led Zeppelin tribute album Out Through The Indoor (2007), and a thundering drum solo by Carmine Appice (who once formed a trio with Tim Bogert and Jeff Beck) to boot.
For Vanilla Fudge, it once all started with You Keep Me Hangin' On and tonight it ended with that classic hit single.
Everybody was blown away by this classy bunch of rock veterans, who are in the same age category as the members of The Rolling Stones. Let's give a big hand for Vanilla Fudge!

Erik Neuteboom (edited by Esther Ladiges)