AtoZ

Although only a going concern for less than three years, the post-Vanilla Fudge outfit headed by bassist Tim Bogert and drummer Carmine Appice nonetheless put out four albums, and the addition of a plethora of live recordings means there’s enough material to fill eight discs on this boxset. Stylistically, it’s a more streamlined version of the Fudge’s rock grandeur, with erstwhile Amboy Dukes singer Rusty Day upping the blues elements, most notably on covers of Willie Dixon and Mose Allison. Of the original LPs, 1971’s stands out, especially the grit and grind of “Hometown Bust” and the Allmanslike strut of “Rock’n’Roll Children”, but the records bookending it have a tendency to overindulge the outfit’s love for stoner rock with little in the way of light and shade. Swansong is a looser affair, closer in spirit to the barroom vibes of the Faces. None.