In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
Iron Butterfly
1968
Album Summary
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is the second studio album by the American rock band Iron Butterfly, released in June 1968. It is most known for its title track, a 17-minute composition which occupies the whole of Side B. The In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida album peaked at number 4 on the Billboard albums chart. It was the biggest selling album for the year 1969 in the US, although Billboard does not give any exact sales figures. For a number of years it was the biggest selling item in Atlantic Records' catalogue. It was officially certified a Gold album in 1968 in the United States, then on January 26, 1993, it was certified 4× Platinum.
WikipediaI hope the '1001 LPs' folks led you to the same YouTube channel that I just enjoyed while listening to 'In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida.' A bonus visual of multi-colored lights pulsating from within the two large orbs on the cover, recreating the feel of the liquid light shows that were characteristic of psychedelic rock concerts in the mid to late 60s. And this particular group possessed one of my favorite band names, again so reminiscent of the times: Iron Butterfly. Strawberry Alarm Clock is not even close. Moby Grape? Getting there, but not quite. 'In-A-Gada-Da-Vida,' Iron Butterfly’s second studio album, outsold every record in the history of recorded music to that time- 8 million copies. No doubt on the strength and success of that famous title track, all 17 minutes of the entire second side! And if you haven’t heard it in its entirety, do yourself a favor and drop the needle. It’s worth the time; that is, if you like this particular genre of music, which according to Wikipedia is labeled, variously, as hard rock (no), heavy metal (hell no), occult rock (huh?), and finally, acid rock (we have a winner!) But side one has been virtually overshadowed by the title track, and sadly, I fear, forgotten; while, I find it just as enjoyable, maybe more so. Don’t go searching for anything profound here, lyrically speaking. With the exclusion of ‘Mirage (I’m guessing an LSD inspired song),’ and ‘Termination (either the death of material life, or possibly the death of one’s ego experienced during an LSD trip?),’ the two openers and the closer on side one are all about the joy of being in love. And a sweet, innocent joy it is: ‘I met a pretty girl on a date last night… I kissed the pretty girl, and I held her tight. And let me tell you now, she was groovy (‘Are You Happy’).’ And while he’s not exactly T.S. Eliot, Doug Ingle can sing- an interesting voice for a rock singer, deeper than most and with a slight, undiscernible accent, but sung with the unmistakable happiness of just being young and alive. But the real reason why we listen to Iron Butterfly is not for the lyrics, but the music: bright, tenor organ contrasting the thundering walking bass and pounding tribal drum beats. And, the integral part to every good acid rock band: that fuzz tone, distorted, wahwah pedal, bending notes, loud (very important) psychedelic guitar. If you’re not burning some patchouli incense and dancing like a whirling hippie dervish until your love beads get tangled up in the flowers adorning your long hair… then Iron Butterfly just isn’t your bag. But don’t get hung up on it, man. Admittedly, for many (most especially, the many who weren’t there in ’68), this band is an acquired taste. But hey, so’s caviar and cabernet. I believe my favorite part of the whole LP comes at about the two minute mark on ‘Termination.’ The music takes an abrupt stop, and then for the remainder of the song (about another minute) there is the most tender, almost mystical duet between guitarist Erik Brann’s lovely, soft fingerpicking of his electric guitar (sans distortion) and I’m guessing drummer Ron Bushy on tinkling wind chimes. That little minute, for me, always takes me back to the late 60s of my childhood and, if only for a brief moment in American history… allow me to defer to a real poet from the same generation, Paul Simon, on 'Bookends': ‘Time it was and what a time it was. It was a time of innocence…’ There was an awful lot of corruption back then, too, of course. But I was nine years old when 'In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida' was released, and mostly still innocent myself. Well, I certainly lost mine a long, long time ago- that’s for sure (and shame)- but I’m still able to find it, rediscovered, in this remarkable LP. And that makes me very happy, even despite the lack of a groovy, pretty girl with a pair of luscious lips to kiss and some curvy hips to hold tight. Just as Doug Ingle lets us know on this LPs opening song that ‘Most anything that you want, girl, is all right by me,’ I’m letting them (and you) know that most anything that Iron Butterfly wants to play, boy, is all right by me, too.
lemme tell you, driving into the sun after a long work week after only getting about 20 cumulative hours of sleep for the past week and mildly going insane... quite a trip. I've never done drugs, but I feel like that was an honorary high. I swear I could see and smell the music.
You don't have to take drugs to listen to this album, but it would help.
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida should easily be on the list of 1001 songs you must listen to before you die, but not on the list of 1001 albums you must listen to before you die. This was completely forgettable. 2.5 stars and the one song probably bumps it up a star.
Landfill Psychedelica. The 1968 equivalent of The Fratellis/Chelsea Dagger, The Zutons/Valerie or The Kooks/Naive. A 2/5 at best song, an album and then... poof... they're gone.
In grade 5 Anthony Parry's sister got this album on release. I remember we were locked out of his house one day after school and were climbing in through an unlocked window since we knew we would have the stereo, and her albums, all to ourselves. One of the neighbours saw us and called the cops so we ended up in handcuffs until they connected with his parents to confirm we were not robbers. Back then we were so intrigued by the psychedelic bands. Iron Butterfly had that hippie cool look and everyone's parents hated that look and didn't like the music. Also, the cover was so cool and they had just one song on Side 2. These added to the magic. Parry and I were a couple of wide eyed 10 year olds and probably scratched the hell out of side 2. Rating this one is tricky. Most psychedelic albums haven't aged well. This aged better than average but still . . . . On the other hand it was certainly influential. First the organ playing influenced the sound of many bands (like Deep Purple and Yes) over the next few years and into the 70s. Iron Butterfly helped the momentum of this but arguably was not the trailblazer since Ray Manzarek was already moving the organ to a place of prominence by 1968. Songs like "Are You Happy" were also influential for the heavy rock to come but again Hendrix was already doing this. On the negative side, I think drum solos are pompous and I worry the 2+ min drum solo on Side 2 might have made them common place. The solo does have an African influence -some say influenced by Missa Luba who I quite like. This which reduces the drum solo pain. Anyway, for old time's sake I'll give +1.
Beatles crossed with the doors with a spritz of Zappa. Title track easily takes this from a 2 to a 3
I've never liked the title track, possibly because I thought (and still think) the drum solo was uninspired and technically deficient, like he could have played it with his elbows. The keyboard solos aren't top drawer either. Comparing it to the first full-side songs I was introduced to (by Pink Floyd or Yes or Mike Oldfield) this one was more simplistic, like a 3-minute single that got extended. I just read that IGD inspired heavy metal and that's an interesting point - the riff that runs throughout is pre-metal, and they were playing this song a lot in 1967. Side one is ok, the singer has a a rich voice, for a psychedelic band. They were on the same page as The Doors in many ways, but less diverse and without Robbie Krieger's guitar playing and knack for writing hits. Funny story about the song title.
His voice is weird. Feels like nickelback cringe + elvis. I'm feeling annoyed. The guitar / rhythm is good though. one star
Una de las canciones más estúpidas de todos los tiempos. Y por lo mismo, una de las más memorables. En el mismo lugar de por decir, Thong Song, El Gato Volador y cosas por el estilo. El potencial creativo de la estupidez es algo que ya no se ve ni se nota en estos tiempos obsesionados con la perfección digital. Gran canción, favor de escuchar la versión completa. El resto del álbum es basura, francamente pero es mi basura.
Doors-esque psych-rock. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is a sleazy, slinky classic.
that was a really cool album, fun old school rock with some proggy elements 10/10 I also really like the Bongo Rock cover
Pleasant surprise! It sounds great, the musicians are very, very good, every track is a hell of a good time, and despite ending with 17 minutes on a single theme, it doesn't overstay the welcome, amazingly. Everyone knows the title track, but I bet few have listened to it all the way. I know I hadn't. I will be returning to this for sure!
I enjoyed this album more than I thought I would. It was the perfect album to just vibe to. The 17 minute long title track was surprisingly bearable and the other tracks weren't bad either. All around this album was a good time.
Even with this high a score, slightly underwhelming given my love of witchy or occult sounds. The real game changer is the epic title track.
Me gustó, pero no estoy seguro si lo volvería a escuchar, probablemente la última canción larguísima le dé otra escucha porque me gustó que está vertiginosa. Las 2 que elijo para canciones que más disfruté en son: Termination, es concisa y la guitarra tiene un sonidito cómico a ratos yIn-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, según el spotify está canción fue de las que hicieron viables las canciones de larga duración en la radio y no sé si eso es de celebrarse o no, porque igual ya ni escucho radio, y no sé si duró mucho esa tendencia o cuanto habrá pegado, pero respect por poner una canción tan larga en el mainstream, veo porque, a pesar de su duración, podría tener engaged a la audiencia 17 minutos.
In a Gadda da Vida has got the title track, which is a 17 min epic. Really hits hard, great riffs and just and awesome bass and organ underlay. Big big fan of this track. The rest of the album is just like the doors which is not a bad thing. But final track is just epic.
Everyone's talking about the title track, but I think the other tracks are also amazing. Everyone gets their shine. The organ is so surreal and I'm so glad it plays at least some major lead in most of the songs. The bass and drums get their epic moments, but when they all come together like the intro of "My Mirage", it's perfect harmony. "Flowers and Beads" has strong baroque pop tied with The Doors influence. "Termination" is the outlier in music direction and subject material, due to it not being written by Ingle, which I feel is the weakest but does have its strong points, and I like the chimes ending. But holy shit the title track. From the organ intro to the vocals to the bass solo followed by the organ intrusion. Then in a moment's silence around 3:20 you hear the guitar but the other instruments fight back for control (including the energetic bass), but at that point it's too late and you can hear the guitar proud in the background until the bass goes crazy again. Silence again around 6:20 but hold up, now the drum wants to dance around you. Around 9:00 we take an occult turn, and it really feels like a satanic ritual with the drums all over the place and the unsettling organ. Starts to feel schizophrenic around the 10:50 mark before the organ takes you for another ride. But then the bass comes back from vacation to hit you with reality. Some crazy riffs by the bass, and Ingle's guitar finally shines before ending the song with more vocals. And damn does it know how to leave on a high note.
This is an album. I have it on vinyl and it’s a cool record. Obviously the total track is just a masterpiece. Classic riff - great jamming. Kind of overstays, but the rest makes up for it. I dig the whole guitar centric rock anthem vibe. Just solid 60s rock. Reminds me of the Guess Who.
I'm usually not a big fan of the early 70s psychadelic rock, but this is a little before that I guess, and I do like that. I really liked "Flowers and Beads". In the title track I keep waiting for rasputin to kick in.
If you don't like 60's Psychedelia, you won't like this. I do like 60's Psych so I love this. Of course the title track is the loss-leader to get you in the door and it's great but my favorite here has always been "My Mirage". It's a banger all around and I'm surprised no hip hop act has ever sampled that riff. It's hot and heavy.
I will always at least enjoy organ, and this brings that instrument and spades. Plus surf licks and just the right amount of cheese. It's far from perfect - saying it's "dated" is probably tired but definitely true - but always fun. The placement in 1001 Albums is absolutely deserved. My rating is a bit generous because it's psych. That final track is a statement, though. And something I can only speculate about the contemporary reaction to: There have been far too many echoes in the ensuing fifty years.
This went better than expected. Very enjoyable, even the 17 minute song.
To sie nazywa poleconko, jeden z praszczurow hardego rokowania jak sie slyszy, drugi studyjny album Iron Butterfly, czyli czteroosobowej formacji rodem z hameryki, kalifornia, dawno nie bylo tak kompaktowego albumu do odsluchu, 6 trakow na 36 minut, przy czym pierwsze 5 tworza jednego sajda winylkowego, natomiast tytulowy In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida to 17 minutowy epik, dla ktorego przedwszystkim warto przesluchac ten album, o ile pierwsza strona brzmi jak wiekszosc psychodelicznego roka z tamtego okresu, specyficzny wokal, bakujace wokale na harmoniach, tematycznie milosc dzieci kwiatow i wszytko co przyjemne, brzmienie w ktorym pierwsze skrzypce graja organy pana Douga Ingle, ktory byl takze glownym wokalem, teksciarzem i kompozytorem kawalkow, wiec lider czlowiek liderujacy bandzie, dopiero druga strona jak dla mnie zrobila odsluch, 17 minutowy monster tematycznie nadal opowiadajacy o milosci tym razem z motywami biblijnymi, jak tytul wskazuje mowa o edenie dzikich wezach, jablkach i wygnaniach, chociaz sam tekst zawiera sie w pierwszych i ostatnich dwoch minutach, pozostale 13 to jest doslowne jamowanie, bo orginalny trak mial sie konczyc w okolicach 2 minut, a chlopaki sobie graly ktos kliknal rekorda i tak zjamowali 17 minutowy traczek, ktory stal sie ich najlepiej sprzedanym songiem i ktory znaczaco wplynal na rozwoj hardego rocka, a nawet metalu, bo zarowno na materialach deep purple, jak i czornego sabata slychac ich influencje, glownie jesli chodzi o ostre gitarkowe riffowanie, ale jak dla mnie najlepszym momentem kawalka jest drumowa solowka pana Rona Bushiego miedzy 6:30 do 9:00, ale caly trak jest tak rowny, ze nawet linie melodyczna basisty musialbym pochwalic za takie trzymanie sie gitarki prowadzacej w pierwszej czesci, do tego dochodza organy rodem z zaboru zielonoswiatkowcow i traczek o rajskim ogrodzie jak znalazl, przypadek jak zawsze najlepszym przewodnikiem, jako ze material sie sprzedal, to trzeba bylo stworzyc z tego singla i udalo sie go skrocic do ponizej trzech minut, ale jak dla mnie brakuje mu juz tej szorstkosci, nawet wokale brzmia inaczej, o solowkach nie ma co marzyc, jedynie pozostaja charakterystyczne ostre jak na tamte czasy elektrykowe riffy, na plejke leci b sajd, a z pierwszej strony termnation najbardziej psychodeliczne granie calej plyty, jesli chodzi o liryke, bo co moze byc bardziej psychodelicznego niz zakonczenie zywota
Swingende psychedelische hard-rock. Onbekend voor mij tot hier toe. De titelsong zit goed ineen. Van de drumsolo, het kerkorgelstukje, de gitaarriff.
I could listen to the title track all day. Not just because it was sampled on one of my favourite nas albums either. Pop music doesn't have enough church organ solos.
Short and sweet. I knew of the title track but hadn't ever heard the extended instrumental before, but liked it.
Jai aime l’alb7m mais certaines chansons etaient un peu toi much pour moi. ceoendant le son et le style de tout l’album est. Raiment mon style.une deuxîeme ecoute serait bine pour moi. 4.
The rest of this album is pretty tight, but "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" goes so hard to this day. That song is epic!
Some cliches live up to the reputation, don't they, and I suppose IB was one of the reasons the ‘60s were the ‘60s? This could provide the soundtrack to any number of films from that decade. It’s heavy-heavy, with a bit more organ than ideal, and too sprawling, generally. (Infinite Jest might be the In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida of contemporary novels.) But the songs are surprisingly layered and varied. If you’re up for (maybe I mean down for) the heaviness, it’s a solid listen throughout, even intermittently tuneful and sweet. Not terrible for being terribly cliched, in other words. It would be cool to hear some contemporary groups cover these songs, but current acolytes seem thin on the ground. Still, it’s easy to see how they might have become Pink Floyd. “Flowers and beads are one thing" -- truer words have never been spoken. A for effort – meaning 3.6 for 4.
This is one of the milestones I've been waiting for since I started this journey. This is the first album that I get to listen to on vinyl instead of Spotify. My pre-relisten review is that it has a unmemorable A-side but the titular 17 minute B-side is a classic Psychedelic-Rock track that is fun to get super high and just jam out to. I think I will give it a 4/5. Now for the relisten review. "Flowers and Beads" is better than I remembered and feels like it should be on a Peter Quill Awesome Mix. As for the rest of the front side "Most Anything You Want" is also a good track, but as predicted the rest falls flat. I could have done with a little less electric organ or at least slightly lower in the mix at times. The titular track is pretty much exactly how I remember it a groovy psych track with a great drum interlude around the 7 minute mark. The only detracting part is the strange elephant type of noise. I normally am against long songs, but this is how you do a long song right. It holds your attention the entire way through. The album as a whole held up to my expectations and I stand by my 4/5.
Dragged on a little too long, but was overall enjoyable. Lots of solos.
Well, I like psychedelia. So, will be listening again, especially the eponymous song.
Flat production means a lot of this plods along. There were some interesting tracks like the trippy 'My Mirage', fuzzy pop-psych on 'Termination'. The title track takes up half the album and thankfully this is a good one, but it is overlong. In the right environment (on campus in a smoke filled room back in '68) I imagine this was quite a cool stoner album. I've rated it in that context.
Iron Butterfly was an awesome band. I listened to this album as a kid. Totally amazing
Think I was way too sober to enjoy this entirely, but nonetheless, it's a great psychedelic album.
Not my type of rock but I did enjoy it as a different vibe. Better to listen to on loud speakers than headphones. Super short album
Very prog, but also pretty heavy at points. Title track is my favourite, but not just because of the Simpsons!
Very heavy sounding psychedelic rock for being from 1968. I like it! The main riff in In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida sounds very similar to Cream's Sunshine of Your Love. You can sense the hard rock and almost proto heavy metal vibes but the album doesn't quite reach that heaviness. It's good heavy psychedelic rock.
-Side A was pretty good, but not the most thrilling or innovative rock I've ever heard. All quick pleasant tracks that sound like relatively standard psychedelic rock tracks with a single tick more intensity. Not bad by any means, but also not as intense as side B would have led me to expect -Side B: aka just the one song: "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida." A classic rock tune with a killer riff. Overall the jam is great, I like the individual solos. At one point the Jan really slows down and that part was weak, but the whole intro and all the singing parts are killer and absolutely classic pieces of rock music.
I was fully expecting a band called Iron Butterfly to be some sort of proto-metal band. This very much isn't proto-metal. It is much, much more butterfly than it is iron. It's a butterfly that went absolutely massive on the '60s California flower power scene.
It’s like a cross between pop and rock from back in the day. Classic stuff
Last two songs got me moving to the beat. InAGaddaDaVida will always be a classic.
Kind of unexpected in a good way. Psych-rock with some interesting instrumental touches. Nothing jumped out to me as a whole but I enjoyed it quite a bit.
Interesting combo of psychedelic ear candy on one side, and one enormous proto-metal sludge fest on the other. Though I am usually fairly partial to psychedelia, the side long ripper is the clear winner here.
Side A is pretty good, but let's be real - we're here for the title track, and it is killer.
First impression I got was they're very similar to the Doors, opening track sounds like something off "The Doors" album. I love the doors so I'm liking this. The final track is an epic, maybe a bit too long but loved it's use in the Simpsons so I'm giving this FOUR STARS
Ah this was great fun. Obvs the simpsons one was a highlight, great fun. I like the idea of them saying In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida and then, hey let's make a 17 minute song out of this.
Exotic, weird, and confusing. In short, it's psychedelic. But it isn't the sophisticated trippiness of the likes of The Beatles and Beach Boys, nor is it the solemn and dark compositions of the likes of The Doors, despite the slight similarity of the sound. It's the wild and feral psychedelia of Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd and Dr. John. It's like getting lost in the middle of an unfamiliar jungle, with all those unfamiliar creatures and tribes around. Of course, this type of psychedelic rock isn't necessarily better than the respected classics of the genre, nor is it worse. In fact, it's a completely different domain. Apples and oranges. I agree that this is the most difficult to get into, but I can't deny that this is the psychedelia in its purest form. It's messy, chaotic, and exotic. I mean, what could be purer a psychedelic track than a song performed when they were so high it goes on for 17 minutes?
this is kind of a vibe while i'm a little stoned doing work from home i am halfway through the title track and this is lowkey sick loved it
I actually liked this one! Sounds like a mix of the Doors and the Moody Blues. Late 60s heavy psychedelia with cool proggy keyboards
Well, the album is dominated by its title track, so I guess I'll stick to mostly reviewing that (especially since the other tracks have similar sounds). Wow, great track. I mean, like the rest of the world, I've of course always known it, but sitting down to evaluate it, wow, great track. I love the way the song unfolds into a solid jam sesh. I ended up reading about the history of the song, and that's damn cool, too!
A good pyschedelic rock album with a classic song on it - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, the 17-minute long acid rock classic.
Surprisingly entertaining psychodelic album that has elements of both directions such as Beatles but also Hard Rock/Metal. Biggest shine was the 15 minute closing epic
Really solid from start to finish. The last one is a standout but even otherwise, the consistent quality of bass/drums, despite the real lack of variety in the songs, was right up my alley. The influence it had on metal bands is quite clear as well. Lowish 4/5.
Genre: Rock Review: The eponymous track is the standout, but the other songs are pretty good too. A real gem from the early Progressive era. Rating: 8/10