From dsurkin@optonline.net Fri Jun 04 17:45:37 2010
Subject:Re: nNw Vanilla Fudge Video

I grew up on LI in the 1960s, and I'd like to chime in.

The Rascals came first, before the Vagrants. One way to tell is by listening to the guitar parts--Gene Cornish played the first album using a Gibson Barney Kessel with a clean sound, using a solid-state fuzzbox for a few solos. Leslie West played a Gibson SG through a heavily distorted tube amp.

Also note that Felix Cavalieri started playing Hammond when he was in Joey Dee's band, and the organist in the Vagrants was still using either a Vox or Farfisa at the time. So the heavy Hammond sound that defined LI bands started with the Rascals.

Don't forget the Hassles, Billy Joel's second band, which released their first record about a year or so after the Rascals did. There were some great arrangements on that first album, and some stellar Hammond playing.

The Vanilla Fudge definitely had less respect than the three bands mentioned above. Part of the problem was they got branded as the band that did slowed-down cover songs. I personally think the real problem was their version of "Season of the Witch." I challenge any one here to listen to it without laughing. Nevertheless, Mark Stein of the VF perhaps had the best voice of the bunch.

--Dean L. Surkin

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> According to a few guys from LI I knew while living in NC 66-69 the Vagrants were really the innovators of the whole "LI sound" [snip]