Near the Beginning
| Near the Beginning | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 1969 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | Psychedelic rock | |||
| Length | 44:10 (original LP) 46:56 (1991 CD) 57:44 (1998 CD) | |||
| Label | Atco | |||
| Producer | Vanilla Fudge | |||
| Vanilla Fudge chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Džuboks | (Mixed) [2] |
Near the Beginning (ATCO Records 33–278) is the fourth album by the American psychedelic rock band Vanilla Fudge. It was released early 1969 and featured a cover of the Jr. Walker & the All Stars song "Shotgun".
The album peaked at #16 on the Billboard album charts in March 1969.
As of 2025, the album has not been added to streaming services.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Shotgun" | Autry DeWalt | 6:10 |
| 2. | "Some Velvet Morning" | Lee Hazlewood | 7:34 |
| 3. | "Where Is Happiness" | Carmine Appice | 6:59 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4. | "Break Song" (Live at the Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles) | Carmine Appice, Tim Bogert, Vince Martell, Mark Stein | 23:27 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "The Look of Love" | Burt Bacharach, Hal David | 2:46 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5. | "Good Good Lovin'" (Unedited version) | Carmine Appice, Tim Bogert, Vince Martell, Mark Stein | 5:45 |
| 6. | "Shotgun" (Single version) | Autry DeWalt | 2:33 |
| 7. | "People" (Single) | Carmine Appice, Tim Bogert, Vince Martell, Mark Stein | 5:20 |
Personnel
- Carmine Appice - drums, vocals
- Tim Bogert - bass, vocals
- Vince Martell - guitar, vocals
- Mark Stein - lead vocals, keyboards
Charts
| Chart (1969) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Italian Albums (HitParadeItalia)[3] | 1 |
References
- ^ Near the Beginning at AllMusic
- ^ Vrdoljak, Dražen. "Vanilla Fudge - Near the Beginning". Džuboks (in Serbian) (11 (second series)). Gornji Milanovac: Dečje novine: 24.
- ^ "HitParadeItalia - Top Album N.39 del 27 Settembre 1969" (in Italian). HitParadeItalia.