Vanilla Fudge

One of the first heavy rock bands, Vanilla Fudge was also a pioneer of the "long version." The band evolved from New York bar bands and named themselves Vanilla Fudge in early 1967. Originally called the Pidgeons, Vanilla Fudge so name themselves because a girl told them they were "white soul." Their half-speed tempo, Gothic organ, and quasi-raga guitar covers of "Eleanor Rigby," "Ticket to Ride," "People Get Ready" and "Bang Bang" went gold. The band broke up after their fifth album due to diverging musical ideals: drummer Carmine Appice and bassist Tim Bogert wanted to go in a more hard rock direction.