LINE-UP:
Mark Stein – lead vocals, keyboards     
Vince Martell – guitar, vocals
Carmine Appice – drums, vocals
Pete Bremy – bass, vocals

TRACKLISTING:
1.)"Rock and Roll"- From the untitled fourth studio album commonly known as Led Zeppelin IV was released on 8 November 1971 by Atlantic Records.
2.)"Immigrant Song"-Taken from Led Zeppelin ‘III’ released on October 5, 1970.
3.)"Ramble On"-from their 1969 album Led Zeppelin ‘II’ on October 22, 1969.
4.)"Dancing Days"-Taken from their album ‘Houses of the Holy’ released on May 12, 1973.
5.)"Black Mountain Side"- Taken from the band’s first album ‘Led Zeppelin released on January 24, 1969.
6.)"Your Time Is Gonna Come" - Taken from the band’s first album titled ‘Led Zeppelin’ released on January 24, 1969.
7.)"Dazed and Confused" - Taken from the band’s first album titled ‘Led Zeppelin’ released on January 24, 1969.
8.)"Trampled Under Foot" – Taken from the album titled, ‘Physical Graffiti’ released on April 2,1965.
9.)"Moby Dick" – Taken off the LP ‘II’ released on October 22, 1969.
10.)"All of My Love" – Taken off of Led Zeppelin sixth LP titled ‘In Through the Out Door’ released on August 15, 1979.
11.)"Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" - Taken from the band’s first album titled ‘Led Zeppelin’ released on January 24, 1969.
12.)"Fool in the Rain " - Taken off of Led Zeppelin sixth LP titled ‘In Through the Out Door’ released on August 15, 1979.

BIOGRAPHY:
   Stein and Bogert had played in a local band called Rick Martin & The Showmen. The pair was 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. Originally calling themselves The Electric Pigeons, they soon shortened the name to The Pigeons. 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. 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. But there was one drawback, however: Atlantic didn't want to sign a band called The Pigeons. Ahmet Ertegun, the label's founder and president, didn't like that name and told us we had to change it. 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. We tried to think up a new name but were getting nowhere until we played a gig at the Page 2 club on Long Island and ended up talking to a chick named Dee Dee who worked there. She told us how her grandfather used to call her Vanilla Fudge. Then she looked at us and added 'Maybe you guys should call yourselves that—you're like white soul music'. We liked it. We told our manager, Phil Basile. He liked it. We told Atlantic and they liked it, too. So Vanilla Fudge it was". A recording of The Pigeons, "While the World Was Eating Vanilla Fudge", was released by Scepter/Wand in 1970.
   Vanilla Fudge was managed by the reputed Lucchese crime family member Phillip Basile, who operated several popular clubs in New York. Their first three albums (‘Vanilla Fudge’, ‘The Beat Goes On’, and ‘Renaissance’) were produced by Shadow Morton, whom the band met through The Rascals. When Led Zeppelin first toured the United States in early 1969, they opened for Vanilla Fudge on some shows.
   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. This version featured Stein's psychedelic-baroque organ intro and Appice's energetic drumming. It was a Top 10 hit in Canada, the United States, and Australia and a Top 20 hit in the UK in 1967.
   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". The self-titled debut album quotes "Strawberry Fields Forever" at the end, with the lines "Nothing is real; Nothing to get hung about".
   According 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.
   Vanilla Fudge played a farewell concert at the Phil Basile's Action House on March 14, 1970. After that, Bogert and Appice departed to form another group, Cactus, which they had been planning since late 1969. They ended up leaving Cactus and formed Beck, Bogert & Appice with guitarist Jeff Beck in 1972.  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. But when nothing came from this, Stein ended up forming a new group, Boomerang, with Galluzi.
   Since the band's breakup in 1970, Vanilla Fudge has reunited several times. They reunited in support of the Atco Records release ‘Best of Vanilla Fudge’ in 1982. This resulted in Mystery, another album of new material, released in 1984.  Martell was not included in this initial reunion and Ron Mancuso played guitar on ‘Mystery’ instead, along with Jeff Beck, who performed under the moniker "J. Toad". Two reunion tours followed in 1987/1988, with Paul Hanson on guitar. Lanny Cordola was guitarist when the band took the stage on May 14, 1988, for Atlantic Records' 40th anniversary celebration. After that, band members went their own ways once again to pursue separate projects.
   In 1991, Appice revived the Vanilla Fudge name for a tour with Ted Nugent's former band members Derek St. Holmes (guitar, vocals), Martin Gerschwitz (keyboards, vocals), and Tom Croucier (bass, vocals)(Tom’s brother is Juan Croucier the bassist from the 80’s metal band Ratt), which resulted in the album ‘The Best of Vanilla Fudge – Live’.
   Three of the original members, Appice, Bogert, and Martell, reunited in 1999 with vocalist/organist Bill Pascali replacing Mark Stein to record a "greatest hits" album, ‘The Return / Then And Now’ (2001), with new recordings of previous songs and three new songs. 2002 had Pete Bremy and T. M. Stevens subbing on bass for an ill Bogert and 2003 saw a release of Vanilla Fudge's live album, ‘The Real Deal – Vanilla Fudge Live’, recorded on tour in 1987 with Paul Hanson on guitar. Martell overdubbed his guitar and vocals later. In 2003–2005, the group toured with Teddy Rondinelli standing in on guitar for Martell.
   In 2005, all four original Vanilla Fudge members reunited for a tour with members of The Doors (touring as Riders on the Storm) and Steppenwolf. Pascali returned in place of Stein for some 2005 and 2006 shows before leaving to join the New Rascals. Vanilla Fudge was inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame on October 15, 2006, with Billy Joel, Joan Jett, and producer Shadow Morton. Fellow Long Islander Felix Cavaliere of The Rascals inducted them.
   In the summer of 2007, HBO's final episode of The Sopranos featured "You Keep Me Hangin' On" (with Pascali's lead vocals) as a theme for their cliffhanger. The band also went back into the studio to record ‘Out Through the In Door, a Led Zeppelin’ cover album released in 2007 only in Europe. Also, the band (Stein & Martell with Steve Argy on bass and Jimmyjack Tamburo on drums) performed "You Keep Me Hangin' On" for the PBS fundraising program My Music: My Generation – The '60s for the March 2008 pledge drive.
   In March 2008, the original lineup of Vanilla Fudge embarked on a tour of the United States (mostly in New England). But in the summer of that year, Bogert and Appice left to concentrate on Cactus, which they had reformed in 2006. Stein and Martell continued on in 2008 and 2009 as Mark Stein and Vince Martell of Vanilla Fudge with a tour that was called "Let's Pray For Peace," with Jimmyjack Tamburo on drums and Pete Bremy returning on bass. Out Through the In Door was released in the US in 2008. Stein and Martell also performed shows during this period with Steve Argy and Jimmyjack Tamburo again as the rhythm section.
   In 2009 Tim Bogert announced his retirement from touring and was replaced later by Pete Bremy.
   In early 2011, Vanilla Fudge embarked on what was announced as their farewell tour. The lineup for the tour included Carmine Appice, Mark Stein, Vince Martell, and Pete Bremy (bass). On March 29, 2011, the band appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and performed "You Keep Me Hangin' On". This lineup has continued to tour since.
   In 2015 Vanilla Fudge released its first album in ten years, ‘Spirit of '67’.
   As of 2021, Vanilla Fudge is still performing concerts regularly. On January 13, 2021, Tim Bogert died at the age of 76 after a long battle with cancer. The band did release (on September 6, 2021) a cover version of "Stop! in the Name of Love" as digital streaming content and with an official music video on YouTube, dedicated to Tim Bogert.

A little fact of Carmine Appice influencing John Bonham:
"What it was I heard Led Zeppelin’s debut album.  We (Led Zeppelin and Vanilla Fudge) had the same attorney, and they were on the same label. And my manager was connected to their manager, Peter Grant; they were both heavyweights. So when that album came out — before it came out — they gave us a copy and they said, “We wanna put Jimmy Page's new band on with you guys.” We knew Jimmy Page; we used to do gigs with The Yardbirds. So when I heard the record and I heard the triplet on “Good Times, Bad Times”, I said, “Woah! What a foot on this guy. It's pretty amazing.” So on the very first gig that they played with us, I said to John, before the gig, I said, “I love your foot on the record. It's unbelievable.” And he said, “Thanks. I got that from you.” I said, “You did. I don't remember doing that.” He said, “Yeah, it's right on your Vanilla Fudge record.” I said, “Where is that?” Because in those days — still today, I don't play what I rehearse; I play whatever comes to me when I'm doing it. So I had done it somewhere on a record, so he pointed it out — I think it was on the 'Renaissance' record… And he said, “So I just got that concept from what you did and then did what I did.” And I said, “Wow.'” – Carmine Appice

THE REVIEW:
     In June of 2007, Vanilla Fudge recorded and released ‘Out Through The In Door’. On September 30^th 2023, the group that actually invented the Psychedelic Rock sound Vanilla Fudge released their eleventh studio album titled, ‘Vanilla Zeppelin’ through Golden Robot Entertainment.  Earlier this year Golden Robot Entertainment released three Led Zeppelin covers. (“Immigrant Song”, “Rock And Roll” and “Ramble On”) [Reviews of these singles can be read by clicking the links] 
   I completely was floored by how so many fans or critics despised this release.  Basically all Vanilla Fudge did was take songs that where good too begin with and enhance them.  One of things I always take into consideration with cover songs is what the song is and who is recording it.  The reason I do this is because for me I do not want a band to cover the song note for note.  What I want is the band to record the song as if they had written it.  That is basically what Vanilla Fudge based their entire career on.  Now did the band entirely transform the songs into something completely different as they did with “You Keep Me Hanging On”?  Well, no not at all.  However, they did enhance them with the addition of keyboards.  There are a lot of people that think all Bonham done was beat the shit out of his drums. Well, he did do that.  However, he added several subtle stick rhythms that his mics just did not pick up on the recordings.  Where Carmine played the drum patterns very laid back letting the listener hear those subtle stick rhythms.  Once again proving my point of enhancing the songs.  I read a review on this release and the writer stated that Vanilla Fudge was another tired, wore out old sixties band.  That was trying to capitalize on a popular group.  Would anyone say this if Zeppelin released an album today? Doubtful however it would be the same damn thing!!!  There is a ton of talent within Vanilla Fudge as much if not more than Zeppelin. 
   Every complaint about this release is the exactly the same thing Zeppelin did with Zep ‘I’.  They took cover songs and enhanced them!  %11 percent of that release are cover songs.  Jesus Christ people get over it! 
   If you are a die-hard Zeppelin fan than stay away from this release, however if you are a music lover and want to hear a great set of cover songs than you should give this release a chance.
Vanilla Fudge – ‘Vanilla Zeppelin’
 2024 UPDATE:
   This 2024 re-release left me with two questions.  First, how well did Vanilla Fudge cover the songs? Then, did Vanilla Fudge do Led Zeppelin justice?  As far as this Led Zeppelin fan, former musician and current editor of Blast Magazine is concerned.  HELL YES THEY DID!!!!  Vanilla Fudge re-arranged the songs in their own unique psychedelic rock sound that breathes new life into them. Making the songs their own much like what they did with, “You Keep Me Hanging On”.  They do such a great job at doing this that if you did not know these were covers songs you would think the band wrote them.  If you want to hear an amazing interpretation of great songs then this is an absolute must have….No scratch that this something every Rock or Led Zeppelin fan should have in their collection!!!