Plying their trade with deep-cut albums that allowed for maximum mood-noodling, Vanilla Fudge first came to prominence in 1967, and recorded a number of albums over a course of three years. Originally formed by Carmine Appice, keyboardist Mark Stein and bassist
Tim Bogert, the group added guitarist Vince Martell and enjoyed success in the American singles chart with a slowed-down arrangement of the Supremes hit “You Keep Me Hangin’ On” before finally parting ways in 1970. Now they’re back, on a concert DVD from five years ago.

Recorded in 2004, Vanilla Fudge: When Two Worlds Collide features core members Bogert and Appice alongside newer members Teddy Rondinelli, on guitar, and Bill Pascali, on keyboards. In this performance, the band run through key Vanilla Fudge songs including “Take Me For a Little While,” “Season of the Witch,” “She’s Not There” and, of course, “You Keep Me Hangin’ On.” An orchestral opening gives way to “Good Livin’,” and other tunes here include “Ain’t That Peculiar,” “People Get Ready,” “Shotgun,” “Tearin’ Up My Heart,” “Need Love” and “You Can’t Do That.” There’s also a cover of the Rod Stewart Hit “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy,” which seems like a weird cheat until you realize that Appice wrote while a member of Rod Stewart’s band during the ’70s.

In truth, though, this isn’t the greatest showcase for the group. The direction is overly processed, powered by too many cuts, and this undercuts the otherwise solid amount of close-ups that comprise the show. Apart from these misguided editorial choices, it’s also just a weird presentation of the music, to be honest. Pascali sports three stick-on diamonds on his face, under his mouth, and there’s faaaaar too much jam-band instrumental noodling for these tunes to take hold, even if it is mixed with some admittedly nice contributions from a sit-in orchestra.

Housed in a clear plastic Amaray case, Vanilla Fudge: When Two Worlds Collide comes presented on a region-free disc in 1.33:1 fullscreen, with an entirely adequate Dolby digital audio track. A too-long, literal-minded (look… it’s two planets… and they’re colliding!) animated set-up that can’t be force-stopped gives way to the main menu screen, where viewers can play the concert in its entirety or jump to specific tracks. Other bonus materials consists of an optional commentary track on the main concert, a nine-minute photo gallery with commentary from Appice and Bogert — probably the highlight of the disc, given some of their wry reminiscences — and a five-minute mini-documentary on the group comprised of interviews with all the players. Oh, there’s also five minutes of festival footage of the band performing the Back Street Boys song “I Want It That Way.” Yes, seriously. To purchase the disc via Amazon, click here. D (Concert) B (Disc)