Vanilla Fudge was a band unlike any other doing something no one had done before or since. They basically set the template for hard rock with their 1967 debut album by taking current pop hits and slowing them way down, adding loads of psychedelia, and toughening up the sound. This revolutionary idea was a huge influence on bands like Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple who were both openers for the Fudge back in the day. Unfortunately, after that debut album broke down barriers with their #6 version of the Supremes' "You Keep Me Hanging On", the follow up album, The Beat Goes On, was an unmitigated disaster and they never quite got the momentum back. Singer and organist Mark Stein would go on to work with artists like Tommy Bolin and Dave Mason after the Fudge ended, but today the band is reunited and playing many gigs a year including several in 2018 headlining Hippiefest. Mark shares his stories about the ups and downs of his career, what it's like influencing so many legends, but remaining relatively obscure, the solo album he's currently toying with, and the time he worked with Michael Jackson. Enjoy!
Related - Episodes
Redbone are another of those excellent 70s hitmakers that are enjoying a career resurgence thanks to their inclusion on the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtracks. The band released many hits that decade like "The Witch Queen of New Orleans,"One More…
It's always a good feeling when artists you haven't heard from in a while come back with some of their strongest work. California's Rain Parade were one of the key bands of the Paisley Underground, the name given to indie…
Jacob Slichter was the drummer for the excellent alternative rock band Semisonic, whose 1999 hit "Closing Time" remains a staple to this day. But, we aren't here to talk about that. Jacob covered that story perfectly in his 2004 memoir…
