"Heavy" was penned by Serene Dominic, who used to be a frequent contributor to the Phoenix New Times, one of this publication's sister papers. Granted, the article's very funny -- but Westword printed it in November 1996. So imagine our surprise when a letter writer chose this morning to weigh in on Vanilla Fudge's The Beat Goes On, Dominic's choice as the nadir of long-playing conceptualism. "While I agree that The Beat Goes On was not a good album," the e-mailer noted, "their rendition of 'Fur Elise,' in my opinion, was awesome."
At last, justice for Vanilla Fudge. Better late than never. -- Michael Roberts