Mark Stein (musician)

Mark Stein (born March 11, 1947) is an American keyboardist, composer and arranger, who is a member of the Psychedelic rock group Vanilla Fudge. Stein also worked in the Tommy Bolin band and Alice Cooper's band during 1978 and 1979.

Mark Stein
Stein performing at the Regent Theater in Arlington, Massachusetts on March 26, 2011
Stein performing at the Regent Theater in Arlington, Massachusetts on March 26, 2011
Background information
Born (1947-03-11) March 11, 1947
Bayonne, New Jersey, U.S.
GenresRock, psychedelic rock, hard rock
Occupation(s)Musician, composer, arranger
Instrument(s)Vocals, keyboards, organ, accordion, guitar
Years active1966–present
WebsiteMark Stein's official website

Biography

Early life

Stein was born and raised in Bayonne, New Jersey. He began playing piano at age four and later attempted the accordion. Upon being exposed to rock and roll in the 1950s, Stein settled on the guitar. He worked his way through various bands in his high school. While performing with one of these early groups, he spied an "old beat-up organ on the stage and started jamming on it."

Vanilla Fudge

Stein and Tim Bogert had played in a local band called Rick Martin & The Showmen. The pair were so impressed by the swinging, organ-heavy sound of The Rascals they decided to form their own band in 1965. Originally calling themselves The Electric Pigeons, they soon shortened the name to The Pigeons. Eventually, Carmine Appice and Vince Martell joined the band and they changed their name to Vanilla Fudge when they signed to Atlantic Records. The name change came because Atlantic didn't like the name The Pigeons. The origin of the name Vanilla Fudge came from a woman called Dee Dee, who worked at the Page 2 Club in Long Island, who stated her grandfather nicknamed her Vanilla Fudge. The bands debut was released in August 1967 and is a Gold Record.[1] Their cover of The Supremes' You Keep Me Hangin' On is their most well known track. Vanilla Fudge are known for performing slow and heavier covers of fast and upbeat songs. Later hits include a cover of Junior Walker & The All Stars’ 1965 single Shotgun.

The band has been cited as; "one of the few American links between psychedelia and what soon became heavy metal."[2]

As of March 2023, Stein, Appice and Martell still continue to tour as Vanilla Fudge.

Solo

Mark was in the Tommy Cooper band from 1978 to 1979.

Mark published the autobiography, You Keep Me Hangin’ On in 2011.[3] Stein released the solo album There's A Light was on November 26 2021.[4] During the pandemic of 2020, Mark wrote, recorded and released the single “We Are One”, a reflection on the Black Lives Matter movement.[5]

Influences

Stein himself influenced organist Jon Lord (1941-2012) of the band Deep Purple. Lord, in a 1989 interview said; "[he] used to listen to Mark Stein of Vanilla Fudge in the late sixties. He was a useful source of tricks on the Hammond."[6][7]

Discography

Studio albums
Further information: Vanilla Fudge
Year Album US Top 200 AUS[8] Canada Certification
1967 Vanilla Fudge 6 – 12 US: Gold[9]
1968 The Beat Goes On 17 – –
1968 Renaissance 20 32 –
1969 Near the Beginning 16 – 10
1969 Rock & Roll 34 – 24
1984 Mystery – – –
2002 The Return – – –
2007 Out Through the In Door – – –
2015 Spirit of '67 – – –
2016 You Keep Me Hangin' On – – –

Collections and live albums
  • Vanilla Fudge – The Fantastic Vanilla (1969)
  • Best of Vanilla Fudge (1982)
  • The Best of Vanilla Fudge – Live (1991)
  • Psychedelic Sundae – The Best of Vanilla Fudge (1993)
  • The Return – Live in Germany Part 1 (2003)
  • The Real Deal – Vanilla Fudge Live (2003)
  • Rocks the Universe – Live in Germany Part 2 (2003)
  • Good Good Rockin' – Live at Rockpalast (2007)
  • Orchestral Fudge (live) (2008)
  • When Two Worlds Collide (live) (2008)
  • Box of Fudge – Rhino Handmade (2010)
  • The Complete Atco Singles (2014)
  • Live at Sweden Rock 2016: The 50th Anniversary (live) (2017)

Singles
Year Single

Both sides from same LP except where indicated

 Chart Positions Album
US Can AU UK
1967 "You Keep Me Hangin' On"

b/w "Take Me for a Little While"

  -  — 8 18 Vanilla Fudge
"Eleanor Rigby Part 1" (UK-only release)

b/w "Eleanor Rigby Part 2"

  -  -  — 53[upper-alpha 1]
1968 "Season of the Witch, Pt. 1"

b/w "Season of the Witch, Pt. 2"

 65 52  —  — Renaissance
"Where Is My Mind"

b/w "The Look of Love" (Non-album track)

 73  —  —  — The Best of Vanilla Fudge
"You Keep Me Hangin' On"

b/w "Come by Day, Come by Night" (Non-album track)

 6 2  —  — Vanilla Fudge
"Shotgun"

b/w "Good Good Lovin'" (Non-album track)

 68 59  —  — Near the Beginning
"Take Me for a Little While"

b/w "Thoughts" (from Renaissance)

 38 45  —  — Vanilla Fudge
1969 "Some Velvet Morning"

b/w "People" (Non-album track)

 103 69  —  — Near the Beginning
"Need Love"

b/w "I Can't Make It Alone"

 111  —  —  — Rock & Roll
1970 "Lord in the Country"

b/w "The Windmills of Your Mind"

  —  —  —  —
1984 "Mystery"

b/w "The Stranger"[10]

  —  —  —  — Mystery

Albums
  • There’s A Light (2021)

Singles
  • We Are One (2020)

Bibliography
  • You Keep Me Hangin’ On (released 2011)

Notes
  1. Chart position is from the official UK "Breakers List".

References
  1. "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  2. "Vanilla Fudge Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  3. Zimmerman, Lee. "Vanilla Fudge's Mark Stein stays true to himself with solo album". Goldmine Magazine: Record Collector & Music Memorabilia. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  4. MetalTalk (2021-10-14). "Vanilla Fudge / Mark Stein to release first solo album; Watch There's A Light | MetalTalk". MetalTalk | We are MetalTalk and we publish Rock 'n Roll. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  5. "Mark Stein". NAMM.org. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  6. Lalaina, Joe; Transcribed by David Yea (January 1989). "Jon Lord Interviews". The Highway Star. Modern Keyboard Magazine. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  7. "Ritchie Blackmore, Interviews". www.thehighwaystar.com. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  8. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 319. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  9. "Gold & Platinum - RIAA". RIAA. Retrieved 2018-09-05.
  10. Strong, Martin C. (2000). The Great Rock Discography (5th ed.). Edinburgh: Mojo Books. p. 1030. ISBN 1-84195-017-3.
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