Iron Butterfly | ||
| Allmusic Biography : The heavy, psychedelic acid rock of Iron Butterfly may seem dated to some today, but the group was one of the first hard rock bands to receive extensive radio airplay, and their best-known song, the 17-minute epic "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida," established that more extended compositions were viable entries in the radio marketplace, paving the way for progressive AOR. The track was written by vocalist, organist, and bandleader Doug Ingle, who formed the first incarnation of Iron Butterfly in 1966 in San Diego with drummer Ron Bushy. After the group moved to Los Angeles and played the club scene, it secured a recording contract and got national exposure through tours with the Doors and Jefferson Airplane. Following the release of their 1968 debut album, Heavy, original members Jerry Penrod (bass), Darryl DeLoach (vocals), and Danny Weis (guitar) left the band and were replaced by guitarist Erik Braunn and bassist Lee Dorman. Weis went on to join Rhinoceros. The new lineup recorded In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida later that year, which sold four million copies and spent over a year in the Top Ten. (The title has been translated as "In the Garden of Eden" or "In the Garden of Life.") A shortened version of the title track, which contained extended instrumental passages with loud guitars and classical/Eastern-influenced organ, plus a two-and-a-half-minute drum solo, reached number 30 on the singles charts. The follow-up, Ball, showed greater musical variety and went gold, but it also marked the beginning of the bands decline. Braunn left the group and was replaced by guitarists Mike Pinera and Larry "Rhino" Reinhardt, but the groups success was largely over. Iron Butterfly broke up in 1971; Braunn and Bushy re-formed the group in the mid-70s without success. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 13 Title: In‐A‐Gadda‐Da‐Vida Released: 1968 Tracks: 6 Duration: 36:05 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Most Anything You Want (03:42) 2 Flowers and Beads (03:06) 3 My Mirage (04:53) 4 Termination (02:51) 5 Are You Happy (04:30) 6 In‐A‐Gadda‐Da‐Vida (17:02) |
| In‐A‐Gadda‐Da‐Vida : Allmusic album Review : With its endless, droning minor-key riff and mumbled vocals, "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" is arguably the most notorious song of the acid rock era. According to legend, the group was so stoned when they recorded the track that they could neither pronounce the title "In the Garden of Eden" or end the track, so it rambles on for a full 17 minutes, which to some listeners sounds like eternity. But thats the essence of its appeal -- its the epitome of heavy psychedelic excess, encapsulating the most indulgent tendencies of the era. Iron Butterfly never matched the warped excesses of "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida," either on their debut album of the same name or the rest of their catalog, yet they occasionally made some enjoyable fuzz guitar-driven psychedelia that works as a period piece. The five tracks that share space with their magnum opus on In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida qualify as good artifacts, and the entire record still stands as the groups definitive album, especially since this is the only place the full-length title track is available. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 13 Title: Heavy Released: 1968-01-22 Tracks: 10 Duration: 30:42 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Possession (02:46) 2 Unconscious Power (02:32) 3 Get Out of My Life, Woman (03:58) 4 Gentle as It May Seem (02:28) 5 You Cant Win (02:41) 6 So-Lo (04:05) 7 Look for the Sun (02:14) 8 Fields of Sun (03:12) 9 Stamped Ideas (02:08) 10 Iron Butterfly Theme (04:35) |
| Heavy : Allmusic album Review : Iron Butterflys 1968 debut album, Heavy, established the bands trademark sound, relying on plodding, heavy guitar riffs and thundering drums. Most of the album was not particularly well written -- the riffs were the songs, not their foundation -- but the bands overwhelmingly loud sonic attack occasionally made up for the weakness in the material. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 13 Title: Ball Released: 1969 Tracks: 9 Duration: 35:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic Wikipedia Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 In the Time of Our Lives (04:52) 2 Soul Experience (02:53) 3 Lonely Boy (05:00) 4 Real Fright (02:45) 5 In the Crowds (02:13) 6 It Must Be Love (04:26) 7 Her Favorite Style (03:14) 8 Filled With Fear (03:47) 9 Belda-Beast (05:47) |
| Ball : Allmusic album Review : Following the huge success of their second record, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, Iron Butterfly scored a second straight Top Five album with Ball. While it didnt have any acid rock freak-out to compare with the epic "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida," Ball was a more ambitious album, as the group experimented with shorter, more melodic songs. Like any Iron Butterfly album, the quality of the material is wildly inconsistent, yet cut for cut, Ball is a more consistent album than their two previous records, as the group trimmed away some of the acid rock excesses of their earlier records while retaining their brutally loud trademark heavy guitars. | ||
 | Album: 4 of 13 Title: Metamorphosis Released: 1970 Tracks: 9 Duration: 40:43 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Free Flight (00:49) 2 New Day (03:17) 3 Shady Lady (03:57) 4 Best Years of Our Life (03:59) 5 Slower Than Guns (03:49) 6 Stone Believer (04:25) 7 Soldier in Our Town (03:19) 8 Easy Rider (Let the Wind Pay the Way) (03:07) 9 Butterfly Bleu (13:57) |
| Metamorphosis : Allmusic album Review : On Ball, Iron Butterfly began to expand their sound, attempting to write more concisely. On Metamorphosis, the group continued their musical explorations, adding a layered production to their sound. However, only keyboardist/vocalist Doug Ingle was enthusiastic about the bands new musical direction and most of the group refused to participate in the recording of the album, claiming it strayed too far from Iron Butterflys signature sound. The truth of the matter is the rest of the band was right -- under Ingles direction, the group tries stylistic diversions that they do not have the ability to accomplish, including funk and acoustic ballads. Nevertheless, this ambition makes for an interesting listen, since Iron Butterflys albums can be weighed down by their relentless heaviness. Despite a handful of strong tracks -- particularly the single "Easy Rider (Let the Wind Pay the Way)" -- most of the album doesnt hold up on repeated plays. | ||
 | Album: 5 of 13 Title: Live Released: 1970-02-20 Tracks: 6 Duration: 38:52 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 In the Time of Our Lives (04:42) 2 Filled With Fear (03:41) 3 Soul Experience (04:09) 4 You Cant Win (03:26) 5 Are You Happy (04:02) 6 In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (18:49) |
 | Album: 6 of 13 Title: Scorching Beauty Released: 1975 Tracks: 9 Duration: 37:42 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 1975 Overture (04:19) 2 Hard Miseree (03:42) 3 High on a Mountain Top (04:02) 4 Am I Down (05:22) 5 People of the World (03:23) 6 Searchin Circles (04:38) 7 Pearly Gates (03:25) 8 Lonely Hearts (03:14) 9 Before You Go (05:34) |
| Scorching Beauty : Allmusic album Review : Five years after their breakup, Iron Butterfly reunited in 1975 and released Scorching Beauty, an undistinguished album that fell between the groups heavy acid rock and mid-70s arena rock conventions. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 13 Title: Sun and Steel Released: 1975 Tracks: 9 Duration: 36:23 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Sun and Steel (04:01) 2 Lightnin (03:02) 3 Beyond the Milky Way (03:38) 4 Free (02:39) 5 Scion (05:02) 6 Get It Out (02:53) 7 Im Right, Im Wrong (05:27) 8 Watch the World Going By (02:58) 9 Scorching Beauty (06:43) |
| Sun and Steel : Allmusic album Review : If the 1975 comeback Scorching Beauty was faceless, Iron Butterflys 1976 follow-up, Sun and Steel, was an outright disastrous attempt at reshaping the bands signature sound to 70s hard rock conventions, lacking even the curiosity value of Scorching Beauty. | ||
 | Album: 8 of 13 Title: Light and Heavy: The Best of Iron Butterfly Released: 1993 Tracks: 21 Duration: 1:14:51 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Iron Butterfly Theme (04:35) 2 Possession (02:46) 3 Unconscious Power (02:32) 4 You Cant Win (02:41) 5 So-Lo (04:05) 6 In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (02:54) 7 Most Anything You Want (03:45) 8 Flowers and Beads (03:06) 9 My Mirage (04:53) 10 Termination (02:51) 11 In the Time of Our Lives (04:52) 12 Soul Experience (02:53) 13 Real Fright (02:45) 14 In the Crowds (02:13) 15 It Must Be Love (04:26) 16 Belda-Beast (05:47) 17 I Cant Help but Deceive You Little Girl (03:33) 18 New Day (03:17) 19 Stone Believer (04:25) 20 Soldier in Our Town (03:19) 21 Easy Rider (Let the Wind Pay the Way) (03:07) |
| Light and Heavy: The Best of Iron Butterfly : Allmusic album Review : Although the compilation is quite generous, featuring 21 tracks on CD, Light and Heavy:The Best of Iron Butterfly isnt all that entertaining, due to Iron Butterflys difficulties with producing compelling material. All of the groups highlights from 1968-1970 are included, although the career-making, 17-minute "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" is presented in its three-minute single edit. Since that is the only Iron Butterfly song most listeners know, the lack of the full-length version could potentially sink the album, but the fact of the matter is, "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" gets quite repetitive over the course of nearly 20 minutes. While the quality of the rest of Light and Heavy is spotty -- ranging from heavy psychedelic rock to light psychedelic pop -- it is a more intriguing listen than In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, even if it doesnt have the period-piece charm of the original hit record. | ||
 | Album: 9 of 13 Title: Vanilla Fudge & Iron Butterfly: Hits Released: 1997 Tracks: 10 Duration: 41:14 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% AlbumCover | 1 You Keep Me Hangin’ On (03:01) 2 Ticket to Ride (05:56) 3 Season of the Witch, Part 1 (07:47) 4 Shotgun (02:37) 5 Take Me for a Little While (03:26) 6 In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (02:54) 7 In the Time of Our Lives (04:52) 8 Flowers and Beads (03:06) 9 Stone Believer (04:25) 10 Easy Rider (Let the Wind Pay the Way) (03:07) |
 | Album: 10 of 13 Title: Fillmore East 1968 Released: 2011-10-17 Tracks: 22 Duration: 1:59:45 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Fields Of Sun (04:01) 2 You Cant Win (03:17) 3 Unconcious Power (03:10) 4 Are You Happy (04:22) 5 So-Lo (04:05) 6 Iron Butterfly Theme (04:55) 7 Stamped Ideas (03:18) 8 In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (17:20) 9 So-Lo (04:11) 10 Iron Butterfly Theme (05:40) 1 Are You Happy (04:46) 2 Unconcious Power (02:49) 3 My Mirage (04:50) 4 So-Lo (04:00) 5 Iron Butterfly Theme (05:04) 6 Possession (05:48) 7 My Mirage (05:00) 8 Are You Happy (04:24) 9 Her Favorite Style (02:53) 10 In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (15:34) 11 So-Lo (04:43) 12 Iron Butterfly Theme (05:35) |
 | Album: 11 of 13 Title: The Triple Album Collection Released: 2012 Tracks: 22 Duration: 1:45:40 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Possession (02:46) 2 Unconscious Power (02:32) 3 Get Out of My Life, Woman (03:58) 4 Gentle as It May Seem (02:28) 5 You Cant Win (02:41) 6 So-Lo (04:05) 7 Look for the Sun (02:14) 8 Fields of Sun (03:12) 9 Stamped Ideas (02:08) 10 Iron Butterfly Theme (04:35) 1 Most Anything You Want (03:42) 2 Flowers and Beads (03:06) 3 My Mirage (04:53) 4 Termination (02:51) 5 Are You Happy (04:30) 6 In‐A‐Gadda‐Da‐Vida (17:02) 1 In the Time of Our Lives (04:42) 2 Filled With Fear (03:41) 3 Soul Experience (04:09) 4 You Cant Win (03:26) 5 Are You Happy (04:02) 6 In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (18:49) |
 | Album: 12 of 13 Title: Ball / Metamorphosis Released: 2014 Tracks: 18 Duration: 1:15:40 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 In the Time of Our Lives (04:52) 2 Soul Experience (02:53) 3 Lonely Boy (04:57) 4 Real Fright (02:45) 5 In the Crowds (02:13) 6 It Must Be Love (04:26) 7 Her Favorite Style (03:14) 8 Filled With Fear (03:47) 9 Belda-Beast (05:47) 10 Free Flight (00:49) 11 New Day (03:17) 12 Shady Lady (03:57) 13 Best Years of Our Life (03:59) 14 Slower Than Guns (03:49) 15 Stone Believer (04:25) 16 Soldier in Our Town (03:19) 17 Easy Rider (Let the Wind Pay the Way) (03:07) 18 Butterfly Bleu (13:57) |
 | Album: 13 of 13 Title: Original Album Series Released: 2016-11-11 Tracks: 40 Duration: 3:01:24 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Possession (02:46) 2 Unconscious Power (02:32) 3 Get Out of My Life, Woman (03:58) 4 Gentle as It May Seem (02:28) 5 You Can’t Win (02:41) 6 So-Lo (04:05) 7 Look for the Sun (02:14) 8 Fields of Sun (03:12) 9 Stamped Ideas (02:08) 10 Iron Butterfly Theme (04:34) 1 Most Anything You Want (03:42) 2 Flowers and Beads (03:06) 3 My Mirage (04:53) 4 Termination (02:51) 5 Are You Happy (04:30) 6 In‐A‐Gadda‐Da‐Vida (17:02) 1 In the Time of Our Lives (04:52) 2 Soul Experience (02:53) 3 Lonely Boy (05:00) 4 Real Fright (02:45) 5 In the Crowds (02:13) 6 It Must Be Love (04:26) 7 Her Favourite Style (03:15) 8 Filled With Fear (03:47) 9 Belda-Beast (05:46) 1 In the Time of Our Lives (04:42) 2 Filled With Fear (03:41) 3 Soul Experience (04:09) 4 You Can’t Win (03:26) 5 Are You Happy? (04:02) 6 In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (18:49) 1 Free Flight (00:49) 2 New Day (03:17) 3 Shady Lady (03:57) 4 Best Years of Our Life (03:59) 5 Slower Than Guns (03:49) 6 Stone Believer (04:25) 7 Soldier in Our Town (03:19) 8 Easy Rider (Let the Wind Pay the Way) (03:07) 9 Butterfly Bleu (13:57) |