The original Fudge line-up re-form and put out a Zep covers album? Scarcely seems possible, but it’s true. They have every right to do so, too, as Zep opened for them in their earliest US tour days. Still, an original project would surely have made more sense in their 40th anniversary year.
The one area you’d rightly assume would take care of itself is the drum department, where Carmine Appice remains one of the world’s best. Yet while Moby Dick is more or less as you’d expect (and should be, as it was allegedly inspired by the Fudge’s 23-minute Break Song), the classic intro to Rock’n’Roll is all�but emasculated. Do we hear Bonzo spinning?
With the organ-based Vanilla Fudge sound, there’s room for creative re-interpretation, but the whole sounds strangely less than convincing (and Stairway To Heaven is conspicuous by its absence). The best tracks are All My Love, with an impressive lead vocal, and Babe I’m Gonna Leave You, at seven minutes the magnum opus of the album. Despite the odd flash of inspiration, this is one project that sounded better on paper.
