Authored by Dale Nickey:
Vanilla Fudge – “You Keep Me Hangin’ On”
If Rock Music historians want to track down the antecedents of Prog kings Yes, the logical starting point would be The Beatles. But, I would be shocked if the Yes men of 1968 weren’t profoundly influenced by this musically ambitious American band. All the prog elements are there. A flashy, jazz influenced drummer, a flamboyant Hammond player, a thundering bassist/vocalist (Tim Bogert) . Moreover (like early Yes), Vanilla Fudge made radical makeovers of pop hits their calling card.
This treatment of The Supremes’ top tenner failed to set the Billboard charts alight. However, it’s still a musical thrill ride that rips apart the pop-soul chassis of this girl group plaint and turns it into a testosterone fueled lament of operatic intensity.
THE MUSE PATROL 