Legendary drummer Carmine Appice opened up about one of his biggest career regrets in an interview shared on Joann Butler In Studio With, explaining why he believes Vanilla Fudge never should have released their second album, The Beat Goes On.
When asked what his current self would tell his younger self, Appice did not hesitate to point to the band’s ill-fated second record as the turning point that derailed their momentum.
“Never release a second Vanilla Fudge album,” Appice said. “Because it was horrible. It was horrible. It wasn’t music. It was kind of a statement, but it was too early in the career, you know.”
Appice went on to describe the concept behind the album and why it failed to connect with audiences.
“It was called ‘The Beat Goes On,'” he continued. “Taking music from the beginning, you know, Mozart and all that going all the way up to the Beatles — to, you know, at the time the Beatles. Then talk about like how music through wars and everything, black power and, you know, Seyle, Black Power, nothing to do with music, right? The only song on it with Flur Dele and a piece of classical piece — that was it. Couldn’t even play that on the radio.”
He then recalled the damaging reaction the album received upon release, despite the strength of their debut.
“On the strength of the first album was number four on the charts — that came out and every radio station FM place players they played it whole record, you know,” Appice said. “And everybody started calling in — they were on LSD and stoned down — calling telling them to take it off, it was depressing them. Ruined our career.”
Appice reflected on the missed opportunity, noting how their peers from the same era went on to achieve lasting success while Vanilla Fudge went in the opposite direction.
“Everyone around us — Jimi Hendrix, the Queen, the Doors, Jefferson, everybody around us that was on the charts in the top 10 at the same time — went on to be giants, right?” he said. “Vanilla Fudge went the other way. All we had to do is the same thing we did on the first album. But we didn’t. But we knew — we didn’t know any better.”
To understand just how steep the fall was, it helps to look at what the band had built before that second album arrived.
Vanilla Fudge formed in New York City in 1966 and quickly established themselves as one of the early American bands to blend psychedelia with heavy rock. As Abbey Road on the River noted, their self-titled debut was released on June 2, 1967 — the day after The Beatles dropped Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band — and still managed to make a major impact. The album was built largely around dramatic, slowed-down covers of pop songs, pushing rock music to its emotional and sonic limits.
Wikipedia reported that the debut consisted entirely of half-speed covers along with three short original instrumental compositions. That format gave the band a distinctive identity and helped earn them a devoted following almost immediately. Their first single, “You Keep Me Hangin’ On,” became a defining moment for the band and a blueprint for the heavy psychedelic sound they were pioneering.
The contrast with The Beat Goes On could not have been sharper. Where the debut was focused and radio-friendly, the second album was an ambitious but unwieldy concept record that traced the history of music from classical composers through the rock era. Best Classic Bands highlighted that the debut had been celebrated for its emotional drama and raw power — qualities that were entirely absent from its follow-up.
Wikipedia noted that the band originally stayed together until 1970, releasing five albums during that first run. Despite later reunions and continued touring, they never recaptured the commercial momentum of their debut years. Appice’s candid reflection makes clear that, in his view, the damage done by The Beat Goes On was both immediate and lasting — a single misstep that cost the band the giant-level career that their peers went on to build.
