Reviews (page 3 of 8)
Nice Simpsons song, mid rest of it yaknow. Bring the drama divas x
Not really my thing but it was ok. Flowers and Beads was my fave.
Not a fan of his voice
3/24/26 - listened while driving. Very Doors-esque. I liked it and would listen again. But I wanted more songs and less of the 17 minute title track. Debated a rating but going to stick with a 4. Top Song - Are You Happy
holy MOLY why is that one song SOOOO long favorite song: flowers and beads least favorite: in-a-gadda-da-vida
It is what you'd expect, a jam band jamming
It was ok. Short, which I liked, but kind of repetitive.
It was a pretty short listen, not bad. 5.6/10
Dá sa to počúvať, ale opäť album, ktorý podľa mňa nepatrí do 1001...
60s acid-soaked hard rock of psychedelic bluesy elements, creating a organ-laden sound with prominent bass that’s both heavy and nimble. It’s a good album with good musicianship, though most of the album may not rise above their peers at the time (though the heavy organ at least helped a unique sound). The stand-out track is the epic closer In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. I enjoy this album and whenever I hear it think “I should check this out more”, but then it falls out of mind and seems to lack that hook to reliably pull me back in.
50
Obviously it is very much of its time. The album is different to what I thought it would be, having of course only known the title track. It's pretty good though, more psychedelic rock than the proto metal of the title track. Overall the songs are just decent, well written, tight numbers. Tbh the only let down is the 17 minute title track, which is just self indulgent jamming at its finest. Also remiss of me not to mention 'Marge remember when we used to make love to this hymn' (most likely along with everybody else).
I remember this from my dad's record collection. I know the title song, but I can't quite figure out why it's on the Top 1001 as it's just not that good. I assume it's because many point to this as the birth of heavy metal. I can honestly say I don't think I've ever listened to it from start to finish. The sound is dated and organ heavy but it sounds like 1968. It's a very connected album, not sure if that's a good thing or not, as it's a bit monotonous. 3 stars but more like 2.5. The album may have ushered in a harder sound but the songs don't hold up real well today.
At first this album was a little too much on the fence between being some rock and some psychedelic, but I thought that in the final stretch this album really came together into something really cool.
You'll be shocked that, with a 17-minute closer, this album is little more than twice that long. It's fine. Sorta lacks hooks. It's from an era of music that influenced genres that I enjoy (hard rock and heavy metal) but seems, itself, to lack the features of those genres that I find compelling. The organ work is notable (thanks to one Doug Ingle, apparently). I also enjoy the fat, round bass tone (Greg Willis). I'm not gonna name anyone else because I didn't care much about their contributions. I skipped through most of the album's "psychedelic" first half. 'Termination' had some interesting melodic guitar parts and the song structure was more than some simple 60's pop with a down-mixed fuzz guitar. 'Are You Happy' is a jam. It's not as good as Hendrix or Edgar Winter but it kicks off strong and persists in an alright capacity. The organ hook, doubled on bass is really cool. The guitar part that goes with it is interesting. The halfway tempo shift is pretty cool. I might just be bored by Doug Ingle's vocals. The title track is cool. The bass and guitar sharing the instrumental hook is a fun trick that would echo for decades through rock music. It sounds a bit like self-parody now but that's a risk of experimenting and accidentally striking a chord with the zeitgeist. Problem: two songs do not an album make, even if one is 17 minutes long. Maybe if each was a whole record side. But that's not the case, here. I wouldn't suggest skipping this album (that'll be a 1/5 review that I don't think I've given, yet) but I wouldn't hesitate to skip some songs. And maybe wait till you've got the patience for 'In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida'. An all-time great organ solo though, and we don't have many of those. I guess it's a begrudging 3/5 (still a full point better than Kid Rock, at least) but The List will give you much better albums.
This album can be looked at as two distinct parts - the title track and the five songs that precede it. I found myself much more invested in the build-up, as the nearly 20-minute centerpiece didn't fully land for me. The first half consists of some solid psychedelic tracks that, while somewhat repetitive, allow the vocal performance to shine alongside serviceable riffs and acid-laced lyrics. The title track, however, feels uneven. It has some interesting moments, but I would have preferred more self-contained songs and less emphasis on scale. My favorite track is "My Mirage".
Groovy baby
They sound like a poor man's Doors. Did the title song really need to be that long? Maybe it was to distract from the same lame two verses repeated multiple times. The album almost sounds like a parody roasting the music of that era. This wasn't a favorite.
So far, pretty milquetoast/boilerplate psychedelia. Sort of Beatles, sort of Doors, but not anywhere near as good. That trend remained all the way until the title track, which was 10x better than the rest of the album. This won't be fun to rate ⭐⭐ For the album ⭐⭐⭐⭐ For the song ⭐⭐⭐?
Couple of boring songs then the big one. It's somehow a bit less exciting than the organ version made it sound. Kudos to Bart I guess.
Garden of Eden…..
One of the best records $1 can buy
I'll always love the title track of this album, but I also listen to 45 minute extended Grateful Dead jams on a regular basis so..... The rest was alright. My limited knowledge of rock and roll history gives me some insight to the genre-defining moment this album's release was. 3.5 stars.
This album is a love letter gone awry. Is it a joke or a jam? It's Iron Butterfly baring their soul for over 17 minutes in epic fashion, that's for sure. The rest of the album is a consistent, heavier-than-thou portrayal of a tragic love story. It's got this raw, unpolished energy that feels genuine, but repetitive at times. Spins: 2 Playlist Additions - Most Anything You Want - Flowers and Beads - Termination - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
ganz chillig. 3.5.
Not going to be nice. Last song was the standout but it was far too long
Lo que más me sorprendió es lo parecido de la primera canción del álbum con "Light My Fire" de The Doors, ésto lo señalo como algo bueno. Rock psicodélico de los 60 que te sumerge en la atmósfera flower power, muchos colores y delirios, todo lo digo en forma positiva.
One decent song doesn't make a good album even if it is 18 minutes long. This album and genre are not for me . Maybe if I was on drugs that might help.
The first time I heard the title track of this album, when I was a teenager, I was absolutely stunned by its sheer brilliance, a true epic of psychedelia. Side 1 of the album is a little more twee, delving into flower-power a bit too much, but still a classic album I wouldn't be without.
36 minute album, last song is 14 minutes long, unexpected Garden of Eden. What a ride
Another foundational album for me.
It was pretty good but sounded very dated. I didn't hear anything unique.
Drum solo in the last song was the best part
Iron Butterfly - a duff version of The Doors. Similar psychedelic sounds in places but less personality.
Wannabe doors
The first half of this album contains 5 paint-by-numbers psych rock songs filled with every hippie-dippy cliché you can think of. You've got songs about flowers, beads, being groovy with a smattering of anxiety about Vietnam. The love songs on here are particularly sickly and mushy. There's nothing outright offensive on side one, but there is nothing standout either. The second side consists of one 17 minute track and would be the band's most known and celebrated song. Starting off with a killer psychedelic riff, the band then break out into extended jam where every instrument gets time to strut their stuff. For better or worse, you can blame this song for popularising the extended drum solo in rock music. I'd argue that this album does not belong on the 1001 albums list, but I have no issue on the title track making a list of 1001 songs to hear to hear before you die.
Felt like a generic psychedelic rock album. Nothing too special for me here.
So f good ????? 35 mins Lovely
I know I’m probably alone here but the album side track here gets a 4 from me on its own. I don’t even know if I have listened to the other side in its entirety before now, but I didn’t miss anything there. This song is the perfect melt away into the couch with some Indica and headphones. It takes you on a journey and weaves in and out of so many sounds and moods. The arrangement and progressions are awesome. The 3+ min drum solo is probably the signature moment, and overall it does an excellent job with building up to a big finish, walking it back down, then re-ascending. I have to be in the mood for it but I’ve always appreciated it. The mood, style and album cover helped define an era.
It’s impossible for me to not think of the pure gold Simpsons episode when hearing this. The one where Bart switches the church hymn music, from “In The Garden of Eden” by I. Ron Butterfly to this. It’s brilliant. Does that cultural relevance make it musically relevant as well? Hard to say. I’ve never listened to Side A of this record, and it appears I wasn’t missing much. The single side 17-min back half is the obvious standout. Probably more so if I was high as kite. As a band, if you get featured on the Simpsons…well…what else matters.
An iconic closing track can’t quite drag this album above the average rating for me. Some decent material before you get to the title track, but nothing mind blowing
Most of this is quite mediocre. I really wanted to be hip and like the title track….but I was checking my watch waiting for it to end. Let’s wrap it up boys! I actually like the electric organ, but this was a lot. 2.5 and prob a coin flip if I go up or down.
Yesterday, I rounded down on an album that has a 17 minute final song...and today I am rounding up on an album that has a 17 minute final song. But it is THE 17 minute song after all. Still pretty meh on the album overall. 2.75/5
Wait a minute... this sounds like rock and/or roll. The entire rest of the album feels like a warmup to the title track, which continues to sound like the notoriously overambitious acid-rock staple it's known to be. Only let down by an otherwise lame drum solo, the organ work is masterfully done. I. Ron Butterfly's sound has always reminded me of Focus. Is Focus on this list? Fav tracks: In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
Trippy
Title track is incredible. Rest is forgettable.
It peaks too soon.
Essential and important
It's so cool listening to this album and hearing the protozoa influence they have on so many genres and artists down the line. I love the use of the organ. Adds a level of drama to the music. "Are You Happy" was the favorite on this one.
Never heard the whole thing. My art teacher showed our class the music video and told us if we sniff glue this is what we would sound like. 7/10
Not a big fan of this album. I enjoy acid rock but this is just a lot of hootin and hollering. The 17 minute song at the end of this album should have been 3. Didn't even have a good drum solo to warrant anything like this.
Generous 3
Groovin'
Carried by the title track, which is very decent!
U, poznam ta komad, itak, nism pa nikoli kaj več od njih. Lepo videt samo 6 komadov na albumu in lepih 36 minut dolžine albuma (kokr mi je bil včerajšnji album všeč, je ena ura A LOT). Ha, nism pričakovala, da bosta prve dva komada najbl ljubezenska? Pa tko, innocent sounding vse skp. "My Mirage" je kul. Zanimiv ritem vmes. In potem, druga polovica albuma - samo 17 minutna verzija komada "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida". In ga že v drugo poslušam, da se odločim, a mi je kul al ne (mogoč nism bla najbl pozorna v prvo). Iiiin, kul je. Zanimiv drum solo. Ampak, one great song doesn't make a great album. Bolj ok.
This is great fun. A bit early prog, a bit metal, a bit sweet 60s pop/rock. The title track is 17minutes of goofy fun, even though the drum solo is a bit rudimentary and goes on a bit long.
I listened to this twice in the hopes that it wasn’t just me being overly negative about it, but it turns out, I was spot on, this is terrible, and god only knows how this is considered inside the top 1000 albums in the history of music !?
Jak album, najjače mi što su oživeli Elvisa da im peva rispeeeektt 💯💯💯 Ocena za album je 3,75
#864. Honestly, they could've put a 7 minute long version of the title track on the album and kept the drum solos for the live performance, and the album would've been just as good if not better. Still pretty good though. 4/5: pretty good
Pretty good! Lot of vocals, but instruments go crazy too. 4/5
Sup, me mateys. I'm going for my provisional plateys. I've got an hour to kill while I wait, so I figured I'd smash out one of these reviews in the meantime. I've seen this album while flicking through the book before. Easy prediction this time around. It's obviously a psychedelic album going off of the cover. Hopefully a short one, too - I've been put through the wringer with these album lengths lately. Let's get into it. Thirty-six minutes. Phew, I was right. This was okay, but nothing in here really hooked me. Psychedelia only really appeals to me once digital production starts to enter the frame. These guitar-centered, analogue tracks are a little too milquetoast for me. I'm not entirely sure how to articulate my point, but 60s psychedelic rock sounds a lot mustier than the other genres of rock which were popular at the time. I'm pretty sure it's the organ, which has solidified itself as a deep polariser within my music taste. It sounds too blown out and droning on this album. The guitars lack much bite, too, which I suppose comes down to the production of the time. The vocals are generally unremarkable too, which has been my experience with other albums of its ilk. Overall, a fine album, but nothing which really holds my attention. Still, I worship that runtime. I used to bitch and moan about these 60s rock albums for clogging up the list, but I can now appreciate them as a much-needed, brief, 30-minute reprieve. Book time. First album to break a million sales - that's a surprise. The album's success was due to to the title track. That's also a surprise. This is the first time I've heard of a lengthy track driving the success of an album (aside from maybe Free Bird). The title track is an "unprecedented epic", which I suppose I can believe for 1968. The guitarist was a teen when this album was recorded. Apparently, the title track was composed when one of the band members got drunk on red wine. The name of the song was meant to be "In the Garden of Eden", but his slurred speech resulted in what the album is named today. That's a funny bit of trivia. In Da Gadda whatever received massive airplay on FM radio. The title track was also covered by Slayer, sampled by Nas and was re-arranged for the "Bart Sells His Soul" Simpsons episode which is also, once again, yet another surprise. Wikipedia reaffirms that this album is only really notable for its title track. Apparently the song was also a precursor to hard rock and heavy metal, which I can believe. Quite a long rap sheet for this album, but I dunno. There are quite a few albums on this list which are in here purely for having one notable track, and such seems to be the case with this album, too. Granted, that one track just so happens to occupy half of the album. TECHNICALITIES, BAYBEEEE. I don't need to scrounge for a replacement album like I usually do. I cosign this inclusion.
Me when I do Pearl Jam at karaoke
Half of it was one song and that was wild! I like some of the organ and guitar on this album buuuttt don’t think I’ll listen again.
I thought they were a rock band? I think his slurred voice thing only works with the title track. Otherwise he just sounds weird. The electric guitar is 👍 Even in a gadda da Vida, which I've heard before, is meh. THIS SONG IS 1000 YEARS LONG. Also what's with the sound like a lawn mower being cranked? I know its the guitar but ouch I LOOKED AND ITS 17 MINUTES. STOP. How you gonna have a 36 min album and one song is half of it?!?! Not my jam
Side A is surprisingly solid. Side B is a classic.
Most Anything You Want - 3/5 Flowers and Beads - 3/5 My Mirage - 4/5 Termination - 4/5 Are You Happy - 3/5 In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida - 5/5 Average score: 3.7/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ ehhhh, last track was the only one worth listening to (even if it is hella long). i've heard better psych rock from better groups. didn't really care for the vocalist either
This album is all about Side 2, of course. "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" has all of the excesses of any long, free-flowing jam session, but its listenability remains high after nearly six decades and its influence on the music that followed it (from CCR's "Born on the Bayou" to Rush's "2112 and beyond) is undeniable. It's the very rare case where a single song (albeit one that runs for nearly 20 minutes in this case!) is good enough to elevate an entire album to an "above average" rating.
Album 112. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (https://open.spotify.com/album/4L1Qw49gKwFuQwQovBxsKI?si=7Vsgo7KzSoG0xUzItZHzyw) — Iron Butterfly (1968) Short album, lyrically simple. Influential, but dull and outdated rock. No liked songs 2/5
I am of the age where this can ONLY remind me of the Simpsons episode. You know the one. Had never listened to the rest of the album before. It sounds about how you would expect after listening to the title track. I could have seen myself being a fan of this band and their whole vibe back in 1969, but it doesn't do a lot for me in 2026.
As cool as the main musical idea is, In Da Gadda Da Vida does not make this album great. It honestly just barely makes it good. I'd put this at a low 3. But everyone should hear the hook of the titular song.
Didnt found that much of enjoyment but its still music.
Heavy and great drink singer work.
So good! So awful! Another album I grew up with, I don't think we ever played side one, the Butterfly side, I guess, the gagworthy side of 60's. Flip to the hilariously diggable Iron side of 60s psychedelia In the Garden of Eden, or the mumbled version of the title, just darn wonderful. I'd forgotten about the endless drum solo, a regular part of all pre-80's live shows, but I'm surprised how restrained and funky it is - love all the solos. I'm calling this a one-sided great album with no docked points for the comedy bonus side.
“Wait! This sounds like rock and or roll.”Milhouse is a snitch and the only reason I know any of Iron Butterfly’s music is because of Bart Simpson. I respect that In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida was made to be the complete side B of this record when released. Which I guess is what artists did back in the day to be edgy. Otherwise this album sort of seems like all they cared about was making one long song.
Honestly id have rated this higher if they just chopped off all the fat and left the juicy meat. That being In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. Phenomenal song. Watered down album.
Psychedelic 60s. It overall sounded good but I didn't need the 17 minute version of their band song.
The title track can't save this album from flower power mediocrity, as it's only about 1/3 good itself.
Trippy 60s rock. One of the biggest selling albums. Heavy organ. Psych rock. Precisely one of my most disliked genres. Contains that one nig hit.
= the Beatles
pretty nice
Another Simpsons joke with way more depth than I appreciated
A whole album based around one 17 minute song The 17 min song is what it is I dont really know what to say The simpsons ep is good
Ok
I like it, but not for everyone
Tylsäähän tämä oli.
Kävin kaupassa levyn nimikkokappaleen aikana, kunnon menoa. Ei tästä paljoa ole sanottavaa, nämä on näitä hardrockin/psykerokin uranuurtajia. Ei herättänyt suuria tunteita suuntaan tai toiseen, meni taustamusiikkina oikein hyvin.
He'll yeah
I did not previously know that the song In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida was 17 minutes long. The beginning and end of the song was fine but the middle from when the drum solo started to about 13:30 minutes was pretty weird. The drum solo was bad, there was a section of “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” played on the organ, and a bunch of plagal cadences that made it sound like you were at church. If the song was originally supposed to be “In the Garden of Eden” then I guess the church-sounding music makes sense. The 5 songs on the A-side were pretty forgettable.
Not a fan. It's good just not something I would choose to listen to.
Reminds me of the doors. I don’t really like the doors :(
Started promisingly but quite a disappointment tbh
more 60s, 70s forgettable rock. Pick any of the other 60 or 70s forgettable rock on this last and substitute / add as you please, you wouldn't know any different.
Meh
The album is mercifully short but the song is mercilessly long. That said, the song makes this a 3 star release.
Centered around a single riff and aesthetic stretched far beyond its natural lifespan. The extended jams feel repetitive rather than exploratory, turning psychedelia into stagnation. More historically curious than musically rewarding.
Acid Rock, perhaps? The title song is stuff of legends, at least to a certain subset of the cultural landscape, and the people that grew up hooked to The Simpsons, like I was. I think the record as a whole gets overshadowed by the title track, but its a listenable record overall. The psychedelic part is my favorite.
First impressions are of a group of bespectacled Austin Powers lookalikes in purple velvet suits. Very Doors sounding. I adore the keyboards on this. The guitar isn't too bad either. Subsequent listens highlight the mediocrity of the bass, drums and vocal though. Best track is the whole of side 2, although the drum solo spoils it a little, the keyboards ride to the rescue. I even caught a snippet of 'Good Rest Ye Merry Gentleman' in there. Biggest selling US Album of 1968 you say? It's not bad, but that surprised me.
Кислотный диджей, кислотный мьюзик
I was a bit skeptical at first of it being placed in hard rock but I understood it the further I listened. Right off the bat though, the keys and guitar had a bit of funk to it that was quite catchy. The star of the album for me were the keys, idk how to fully explain it but it added so much to the sound. “Are You Happy” is where the songs go from unassuming to ramping up towards the album’s full potential. I can’t talk about the album without getting to the title track. I don’t mind a long track unless it feels like it’s dragging along unnecessarily. That wasn’t the case for In-A-Gadda-Vida. While its lyrics are sparse, the instrumentals are able to carry the majority of the song. Each component of the group (keys, drum and guitar) have the time to shine individually and avoid sounding disjointed. Listen again?: Yes
It had the one song that lasted half of the album, and the rest was forgettable.
In da garbo; a zero, honey. Hate when this idiot author clearly includes an album for just one song. (& I’ve always disliked this song) Anytime I have to endure a bullshit nothing psych album I’m putting on an album by a WuTang member. I’ll probably be out of albums by March. Listened to Ironman by Ghostface Killah - 3 stars
Really liked it until the title track
I see that Iron Butterfly went to the Lynyrd Skynyrd school of blue balling the listener so hard for half an album that the overly long final track sounds incredible as a result. Only one small problem this time – the track wasn’t all that great to begin with. “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” is a guy mumble-singing “In the Garden of Eden, baby” with like 13 minutes of random instrumental passages in the middle. Don’t get me wrong – it’s the most memorable song on this album by a mile, but it’s not great enough to warrant the whole LP being here (in my opinion). Highlights: Are You Happy, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
people seem to reckon the last song on the album is why this is on the list…… i don’t agree with that, it dragged on for way too long
Pretty basic album honestly, but still good. Did this mean a lot in 1968?
All the songs sound the same. This is boring. I don’t have anything to say. Apparently the only song that stands out is the one that is parodyed in the Simpsons, but I had to be reminded.
I like the super long title track, like if The Doors were fronted by an Elvis impersonator, but in a fun way. Even then it's pretty much just a fun psych wigout, but not that much more. The rest is pretty much 60s filler tbh. I just can't really think of a lot to say about this record I'm sorry Iron Butterfly. Good name tho!
This is like the Platonic Ideal of “music I actively do not like.” It transcends the mundane “eh, I could do without this” into something else. It’s a 2 for music and a 1 for lyrics, rounded down.
The first couple songs are like Blood Sweat and Tears or something. The title track is good; I think I like the monumental excess of it? And it’s a really good riff. Not necessarily a great album, but one with some good elements!
Honestly I like music like this. Dug the A side, dug the B side. I wasn't compelled to immediately listen a second time, but I'd happily revisit this in the future!
It wasn't terrible, but definitely not my style of music choice. I listened and didn't have a strong opinion on it. Obviously, I knew the main song from the album. Everything else was stuck between the 60's psychedelic and 70's rock.
Every young HS band growing up in the 70' and 80's always learned how to expand their craft playing the title cut! I wonder if they chose the name "Iron Butterfly" to copy "Led Zeppelin"? I mean, heavy, metal object that would not fly? Or am I going too deep...(pass the blunt this way, bro, and don't slobber on it...)
This sold over 30 million copies worldwide? How?! In 1969 it outsold Led Zeppelin I, Johnny Cash At Folson Prison and The Beatles White Album. How high was everyone in 1969?! 2/5.
man we shouldn't have ordered the appetizers
Listening by full albums by one-hit wonders is always a gamble. Sometimes beyond the big song we get a complete slog to go through (this is most common for 90's records just because they're so long!) This album, however, is pretty good, even if the title track is clearly the main event and nothing else comes close in terms of quality. The other songs are not that bad and because there's only 5 of them, the record doesn't overstay its welcome. Definitely worth your time if you like very (very) drugged out 60's psych-rock. Key tracks: Most Anything You Want In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
Pretty horrible hippie dribble. Organ sounds were a bit cool but mostly pants.
It's okay - I only got 6 minutes into In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida before I gave up. Not something I'd opt to listen to on my own.
🥱🥱🥱🥱🥱🥱🥱🥱🥱 Can't see why this album is an album I MUST listen to. This album feels like accidentally going to a local gig in the town hall and the performers don't know how to end the songs.
O baixo é bue fixe em tds as música ahah amei A faixa in a gadda da vida do nd virou ums batimentos do gristo KAAKAKAKAK
Much better album than I remembered it to be!
I didn’t know about these guys. Side 1 is a bunch of songs that feel very West Coast USA of that era. It’s impossible to listen to them without thinking of The Doors, although I don’t know who in fact was influencing who in real time (but I do know it made me appreciate what a good vocalist Jim Morrison was…much better and more engaging than the guy singing with Iron Butterfly). Side 2, the long title track, is another story though. Really interesting and innovative (including sounds and rhythms from other cultures) and it kept the attention for its full 17 minutes despite a couple of minutes of drum solo (usually a massive turn-off). The quasi-religious sounds towards the end took it somewhere unexpected, and the main guitar riff of the song is really cool: I can see how it influenced heavy metal and associated genres, which is what I read.
Psychedelic rock from the 1960s which has a lot of similarities to other psychedelic rock from the 1960s. Unfortunately that means there's not a lot to make it particularly special.
Wow, this is a blast from.the past. 60s psychedelic prog. I can remember first hearing this on the simpsons as a kid, then searching it out a few years later. My dad would go on to burn a copy of the cd for me, being the kick ass hippie/rocker that he was. Even if you don't remember any other track from the album, the title track is iconic. 3/5 based on that track. Unfortunately, the rest of the album is a bit....generic. Listening to this again for the first time in 25 years reveals why I probably put it away for the first time. There's a lot of good ideas, but I think if they had created more in this vein then we could have had another truly special band in the same place as The Doors. Instead we got budget Doors and Windows.
A song does not need to be 17 minutes long. Overall album ain't bad 5.5/10 3.3/5
Brilliant, more psychadelic rock slop. This era of music is so disproportionately overrepresented on this list to the point that I forget that a lot of good music did actually come out of it. I love Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, The Doors, just to name a few. But there's a good reason that most of the bands of this era have faded into obscurity and stopped being household names. You could actually say the exact same thing about any genre or era of music, but the author of the original 1001 clearly has such a raging hard on for psych rock, and so it has ended up being the one I have the most awareness of all the shit music it has to offer.
Was expecting something a bit more Velvety but it was still quite trippy.
I thought the title track was really nice, and I'm glad that I have heard it now since there are so many jokes about the name. Nothing about the album was bad, but I didn't like it enough to rate it in the upper end of my range.
无聊，再加上极品卡痰音
Very stylish
They really let any white dude with LSD and an iota of talent into the studio in the 60s.
it was extremely fine. 17 minutes is a really long time to be playing a song. some might even say too long.
this sounds like if the doors only had one memorable song but wanted it to take up an entire side of a record. i'm not a big fan of the doors. the shorter (single-length?) version of IAGDV is definitely more my speed, but i lowkey hate this song because the version they added to Rock Band includes tap notes (cowbell/tambourine) on vocals for the ENTIRE instrumental section in the middle and it SUCKS SO HARD. whoever charted that one must've hated singers so much that they never wanted them to play this song ever again. favorites: most anything you want, flowers and beads, in-a-gadda-da-vida
I can only see The Simpsons episode when I hear this song. And It really is the 1 song isn't it. It's an interesting track but like the album cover it's just interesting. 3 Stars for nostalgia and Rev Lovejoy. It's rock and or roll.
Pretty dire to begin with but the final 2 tracks are impressive. I will listen to more of them just from those tracks alone.
I liked it and worth exploring further.
It was fine, but I doubt I’ll remember such outside of In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. 2.5 / 5
2.5/5
favorite - flowers and beads 7/10
Good but short!
Meh
Really nice
That was actually interesting, love the psychedelic vibe.
Odd, proggy, chaotic - a forerunner of GOAT? My first introduction to this band was via The Simpsons and it’s an association that won’t budge.
Should be a 1 but In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. Man.
The first side is oddly appealing. The second side, well, you know.
it gets to a point
Me gustaron las primeras canciones cortitas pero la larga del final fue un no rotundo
The doors without the good bits. Last song saves it
Favorite tracks: In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, Are You Happy I was happy to see this album pop up because I've always enjoyed the song In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, but boy oh boy did I discover do I only want to listen to Iron Butterfly in single song increments of about 3 minutes. Give me the radio version and get this 17 minute crap out of here.
Lots of meh on this album. The one track everyone knows is inexplicably long. I had it on in the background and I was so confused when the main riff kicked back in I thought something had gone wrong.
Side A: Dull. Only thing keeping me awake is horrible production. Side B: Excellent 2min50 single. Album version inexplicably dragged out to 17 uninteresting minutes. Bart Simpson did it better.
Hell yeah brother
It’s not bad but also not very interesting. I can let it play in the background without paying attention to it.
Some pretty fun psychedelia but the vocals sound like vocals I sing ironically to annoy my wife. The title track is great. Overall I like it but as an album, it doesn't blow me away.
This was cool! I enjoyed it. The title track is the whole reason for the album. It’s fantastic. Psychy and weird. It’s a rad song.
I think they tried.
3,1/5
4/10
old Doug Ingle. . . lol, Tidal has him listed as "Doug Tingle"
- Definitely enjoy the funky main riff (bass, guitar, and the accompanying organ) of the title track. That said, I’ll never get the appeal of super long songs (especially long drum solos); I don’t get lost in them, I usually just wish they’d end. - The rest of the album was super mid. There was some good bass, organ, and guitar, but the lyrics were not good and the mix felt so far back and muddy that it was overwhelmed by the (underwhelming) singer.
Honestly kinda average and I’ve never loved the title track especially as a 17 minute long song, the shortened version is decent but this is too long
Interesting, not exactly The Pink Floyd but still pretty good. Lyrically a bit poor but music wise very enjoyable, especially the guitar. I’d never heard of this band till today so the list strikes again!
My dad had this one when I was a kid. The album cover was different
It was a nice listen but I didnt particulary enjoy it. Day note: It has been snowing a lot its beautiful. But I cant wait for summer
Terrific 17 minutes of psychadelic rock to finish
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is a classic. I have no problem with a long jam, but, it is too long. And although there are some solid tracks, so this album. Highlights: "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" and "Stone Believer"
2 Stars (5/15)
"It's most well known for the entire B side being one long mess" LMAOWUT This is an ok prog rock album, but I'm not sure why it's on here. 2*
Overall: 5/10 5 mediocre songs and one absolute banger of epic length. I almost want to relisten to this at a later date after taking obscene amounts of mushrooms. I was also told by a friend that Iron Butterfly were a super heavy band, but I don't agree. Even for the time, there were heavier groups than this. Fav Song: In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida
Inicio pesado con Most Anything You Want, cercanos al heavy. Más ligero con Flowers and Beads (como unos Moody Blues) Rock ácido de California. Are You Happy? es otro buen tema, más psicodélico. Un disco, con portada icónica, que tuvo enorme éxito y prestigio. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida rompió moldes y sigue siendo un monolito. Aquí nacen el Heavy y otros desvaríos como el rock progresivo...
Eh
Nothing wrong with it, but pretty forgettable
Greatest long track ever.
early psychedelic acid rock and a 17 minute one side track - the sort of song that gets the aux snatched off you. Similar vein to doors etc.
Groovy! Typ 3,5
No me atrapo
In-A-Gadda-Da-too much psychic hammering for me thanks. There are many more enduring enjoyable examples of heavy and psychedelic from the 60's that aren't this. Iron Butterfly were neither original nor excellent - why is this on the list??
Me diverti bastante na audição desse álbum. Psicodelia muito bem executada e destaque bem legal para o contrabaixo. QoA Vesper.
Well other than the title track there’s not much here, but what an epic track
Quirky but what started out as funky 60s pop rock + organ transitioned into jam band + organ and I lost interest.
Actually a good album, only knew a cover of the last song and never knew that this was the original.
I thought I was listening to The Doors. It’s a 3.5. I’m in a generous mood, so I’ll round up today. I love the drums in this record more than anything. They were recorded well.
Meh
A couple strong tracks and I don’t really think the title track quite gets there. There is some great music going on behind the lyrics and way-too-serious vocal delivery. This came out in 1969… go back two years and find the Doors first album doing everything this was trying to do, so much more successfully. But hey, getting a classic from 1969 is welcome nevertheless.
What started as fairly pedestrian psychedelic rock ended in a defining and self-indulgent sinister sounding track from which the album derives its title. Apparently, they have other songs and albums. I have no interest in hearing them.
This whole experience centers on the magic in a bottle they somehow captured with “in-a-gadda-da-vida”. The album is named after it and when it finally comes on after some pretty standard 60s throwaway tracks it’s refuses to end. Now, I remember being a kid and being inspired by this song in my mom’s collection. “It’s still going!!” we would marvel. Now I am saying “it’s still going!” but in an entirely different way.
3.5
3.5
I am a huge fan of the '68 heavy psych period, which to me was the final link in the lead in to early heavy metal and most importantly influenced the sound of Sabbath. Of course the 17 min side 2 magnum opus is the most essential tracks on the album,but side one (albeit more single oriented) has some incredible hidden gems. From the radio ready openers "Most Anything That You Want" & "Flowers And Beads" to they incendiary guitar solo in "Are You Happy", which really ponts the way early 70s guitar work of Sabbath and Purple, this album is more than just it's monster hit. (10) ★★★★★
Cool psychedelic rock, almost proto-prog at times. 4 stars
This album by I. Ron Butterfly is a perfectly cromulent album whose noble spirit embiggens the smallest man. 3 stars.
3.5
Crusty but legendary late sixties acid rock that helped forged heavy metal. In A Gadda Da Vida is a jam… literally for 17 shaky sprawling minutes. Pretty much the riff of Cream’s Sunshine Of Your Love played on organ, it’s also a timeless church hymn and basis of one the all great opening scenes in The Simpsons. The other side of the record is ok if a bit patchy and sounds like Frank Zappa if he was trying to make sincere hippie dippie flower power baroque rock splodge. A 3.5 mainly for the influentialness of title song and also for the Simpsons factor.
I was going to write that for some reason Iron Butterfly seemed like a punchline as a millennial kid, but then I thought about it and realized that memory was probably entirely rooted in the Reverend Lovejoy “I. Ron Butterfly” gag. Sort of surprised to enjoy this as much as I did, I’m not big on rock organ but some of this was a lot of fun.
It's a fun 1 hit. The album as a whole is good but wouldn't make my top 1000 cut.
Recht typischer 60er Rock. Kein echtes Highlight aber auch nichts, was stört. 3/5
I. Ron Butterfly
Gear: HEDD Audio HEDDphone Two Artwork: ️🔮🌋💡 Production: 🕰️👂😖 Music: 🌀💊🤷 Rating: 🦋🦋(🦋)/5
Some doors style organ action
This sounds like a budget version of Deep Purple. Not essential to me at all. The keys are pretty good, drums are OK, but overall it sounds amateurish. Judging by the reviews, people seem to love the title track. I don't understand why. 90% is the same riff (a good one) run into the ground with some mediocre improvisation on top of it. Not bad enough for 1 star though.
Very 70's Psychedelic. great extended version of the title track. one to keep an eye out for defo 3
It’s like Prog, but in more palatable bite size chunks! Until the title track of course. But that was an epic 17 minutes. Better than any other Prog I’ve listened to, so a solid 3 from me.
Prog royalty. But thankfully before they became prog. This was a solid album of good tunes. Even the 17 minute monster on the B side didn't feel too much of a chore to listen to. A pleasant surprise.
Kanskje litt i overkant psykedelisk for mæ, men for all del.
Good ol acidic fun - feel fairly middle of the road about this. Not sure the last track needed to be 17 mins but it was fairly inoffensive - maybe less drum solos?
They struck gold with the title track, but mixed about 14 minutes of bronze into it to completely diminish its splendor. The other tracks? Nothing precious about those metals either. Standard fare psychedelia.
The title song is the most noteworthy thing, and other people would do extended jams better.
Apparently I am in the minority here, but Iron Butterfly blows. Listen, I love a good long epic song, but the one song anyone can name on this album is 17 minutes of ass. An argument could be made that this isn't even within the top 20 albums of 1968 let alone making the cut of albums you MUST hear before you die. 2 stars just for what could be considered its influence on heavy music.
It was fine - I feel pretty neutral about this one
12/9/25. Will need to listen more, but really enjoyed what I heard on the first go round. More pop-driven songs toward the beginning, and later diving into great instrumentals and jamming with a psychedelic twist. Always enjoy that!
This went on! And helped with a Simpsons joke. Very stoner energy
Very much of its time. I.e. shit
Glad it ended
Title track is great, rest is a bit so-so.
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida!! Love that riff and the keyboards. As for the rest of the album, yeah, it's okay. If not for In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, probably a 2.5. Now a 3.5, but I can't round it up; the rest is just too ordinary. 3.00
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida wurde 1968 im Gold Star Studio in Hollywood und im Ultra-Sonic Studio in Hempstead aufgenommen. Iron Butterfly stammen aus den USA und verbinden auf diesem Album psychedelischen Rock mit deutlichen Acid-Rock-Elementen, gelegentlich bereits mit einem härteren Unterton. Die bekannten Stücke der ersten Seite – etwa Most Anything You Want, Flowers and Beads oder My Mirage – zeigen eine Band, die zwischen kompakten Songs und fließender Stimmung arbeitet. Der fast siebzehnminütige Titeltrack auf Seite zwei ist das Zentrum des Albums: ein repetitives Riff, Orgelteppiche, ein langes Schlagzeugsolo und ein allmählich entstehender Sog, der für die späten Sechziger typisch ist. Insgesamt wirkt das Album konzentriert, atmosphärisch und klar in seiner Ausrichtung, weniger auf Perfektion als auf Wirkung bedacht. Als Gesamtwerk bleibt es ein Verdichtungs-Moment jener Ära und hat seinen Reiz vor allem in der Mischung aus Einfachheit und hypnotischer Spannung.
This one is fine. Honestly the first side would be great, but then there's the infamous 17 min In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. Ok we get it, its a thing and probably without it these guys wouldn't really have made the mark on music like they did. Honestly, I've heard it before, but I have no need to ever listen to it in its entirety again. It's bordering on that jam band noodling that just goes on for way longer then it needs to. If you've never listened, check it out, but once you've hear it, it's just ok.
I classic song on a forgetful album
1.08
I mean I don’t hate it. There’s good parts. There’s average parts. There’s also 11 minute alternating solos. The Simpsons referencing it gives them an extra half rounding them up to a 3/5.
hoje não
bem mediano, nada demais mas a música de 17 minutos até que eh bacaninha, vai. deve ser bom pra ouvir drogado.
sounds a bit like the Guess who. not enough here to keep me sonically interested .. yawn ho hum..
I’m shocked how bad this album is. The songwriting is awful. Childish, sappy, cliche’ love songs set to droaning bad long form jams. The title track, which supposedly is the highlight of the album, is too long because the jam is just not good. There are many superior bands during this period that are so much better. The Doors, the Dead, Pink Floyd, etc. This is most definitely not required listening.
This album is like driving in 1985 Chrysler Town & Country Wagon. Think panels and no suspension. Its bumpy rhythm sets a carefree mood, and the vintage smell mixed with gasoline is exciting. You never know what will come up next, but you'll remember it fondly.
Nope. It's like Tom Jones fronting Deep Purple having just purchased a rhyming dictionary. Putting the spine in Spinal Tap.
It's ok, very 60s.
Loved it! Give me psychedelic rock all day long!!
It was fine. Nothing crazy.
It's fine, the song drags a bit.
Actually quite enjoyed this. is new to me, in the main. Was almost as bonkers throughout as the title track, which I did alreadyknow. One of those albums that seemed like it was made because the band wanted to make it and enjoyed doing so, rather than any 'higher' purpose. It is a little overblown in places, but that seems indicative of the time it was made as much as anything. Fun. And the typography on the cover is top notch.
Of course this album is preposterous. That's the appeal. I spent most of the time listening to the bass lines. I really wanted to buy a copy. I even found a cheapo copy on ebay. But it's a crap album. That's why it's so cheap. Doh! In summary: I like the idea of the album, but not the execution.
Huh, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is supposed to be some sort of psychadelic, hippi-epic. I don't know what I should have expected, something like Bohemian Rapsody fits the term 'epic proportions' in my mind. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida did try to open a door to some unholy dark place, but I was not the one to enter. Maybe it is something real special, in another time, in another state of mind..
Good vibes, cool to hear all the samples taken from these songs
28/11/2025 It was definitely different, that's for sure. Spotify listeners: 312.1k
Not bad for stoner rock!
Bonus points for being obviously influential on a lot of music I love. It’s just a little too acid rock / psychedelia for me.
Fairly standard 60s pop rock for the most part. The last track has a great riff that cream completely stole for sunshine of your love and would have been a great 3 minute track bit they decided to pad it out with some jam sections that didn't go anywhere and an underwhelming drum solo. That's about it really, I think it's a 2.5.
I only really enjoyed In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, the other tracks were non-starters (totally forgettable). One absolutely brilliant song does not a great album make.
I thought I knew the name iron butterfly from a Simpsons episode, but after listening to most of the album I thought I must've been wrong, but that song was there and I was correct! Must be decades since I've seen that episode. I also thought the lyrics were "in the garden of Eden", again from the Simpsons and on looking that's the lyrics they used in the episodes. Anyway, enough rambling...... The album was very 60s psychedelic rock. But nothing really stood out as special. It's all fine, but ultimately forgettable. The baseline in in-a-gadda-da-vida is great, but I don't need a 17 minute long track. 3, likely won't be back but it's ok. The name suggests something more interesting
I think the album shines with "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", a mysterious, 17 minutes long, scary, funky, ballady, legendary song, and the rest of the album is just appetizers that don't really increase my appetite.
...
I should hate this, but it’s fabulous. Almost like if The Monster Mash was a band, that occasionally took acid.
Rock and or roll
not a huge fan of hard rock or songs that are longer than 5 minutes and constitute half of the album run time
I went into this album knowing very little about Iron Butterfly. I knew even less about this album other than it's title track, and even that I could recognize the famous riff but not much beyond that. I didn't even know it was a 17-minute epic, I just thought it went hard and sounded great as a rap sample a la Nas's "Hip Hop Is Dead." At the conclusion of side A, I was ready to slap down a 4 star rating on this bad boy, but then came the reason everyone bought this album. And man, does it pay off. Does a track need to take up an entire side of a record? Of course not! It's excessive. It's indulgent. But I'm not pressed by it. I'm a Phish head and one of my favorite albums is Miles Davis's A Tribute to Jack Johnson, which consists of a single 25 minute+ track on each side. On the contrary, I thoroughly enjoyed this and it easily took my review up another notch. I really do wish this website had half stars because I feel like this falls just short of a five-star album. My official rating would be 4.5, but in this case I'm going to go ahead and bump it up.
1st song was good. Second song was pretty good. I forgot to rate the other but so far “Are you happy” is really good. I’m not sure if I like the vocal on it but the instrumental is really good. Self titled song is really long but amazing.
Pretty catchy, I do have a soft spot for some psychedelia. Hang on, this is the song from that episode of The Simpsons!
Really enjoyable psychedelic rock album. There's hard rock, pop, and some early heavy metal in these songs. Side A is a fun batch of shorter songs, and Side B is the 17-minute title track "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida." I had fun jamming to this today. 3.5 Side note: I've been paying more attention to fonts lately and man oh man, the font on this album cover is terrible! It's obviously dated but even still... those I's and A's look ridiculous.
"In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" is such an interesting song to me, I always thought it was good but felt that it's kind of like a not-as-good "Smoke on the Water", with a similar super catchy hook that's strengthened by a super catchy riff. Or maybe it's the other way around... a super catchy riff that's strengthened by a catchy hook? Even though this came out a few years before "Smoke on the Water", I think the former is far more notable. Regardless, it's a really great track and this is a fun album. It's rife with the great Doors-like organ parts, great guitar sections and tones, and fun confident vocals. I don't know if the title track needs to be 17 minutes long but you know it's just that period of time. There's a couple of mix decisions that I feel hurt the songs a bit too much. The first track, "Most Anything You Want" is such a weird mix.. the drums so heavy in the right ear is something I always dislike, and the vocals are way too muddy and hidden in the mix. Despite that, there's a lot to like in this record. It rocks, it goes places, and it's even really beautiful at times (like the end of "Flowers and Beads").
Interessant. Are you happy føles ut som mario kart gjennom slottet til bowser. Funker.
The keyboards - although dated sounding - really make this. The opener is quite heavy. The second track is something approaching a standard 60s psychedelic rocker, the keys now in a supporting role but still ever present. It's a pleasant song with a pretty outro. My Mirage is delightfully trippy, keyboard driven again but the guitar and bass more than keep up. Everyone sounds good. Termination has a few nice guitar licks and then side 1 ends with Are You Happy, back to heavier riffs and a big solo. I don't mind going song by song here because there's only one more - the epic title track, which is the entirety of side 2. The riffs are heavy and a bit more experimental, the brooding bassline carrying everything along. There's a lengthy breakdown with just drums and then the keys re-enter, spooky and atmospheric. The guitar refrain comes back and there's a cool bass riff before yet another cool keyboard riff. Finally the chorus once more. Somewhat surprisingly, it's almost perfect.
The Iron Butterfly was Len Houmous’ signature move in the bedroom. Most of his wives said that this was what made him such an addictive lover. 2.3 5/6 Are You Happy
Not my jam
Vibes: 2/5 Instruments: 4/5 Production: 4/5 Emotional Value: 3/5 Storytelling: 2/5 Stand Outs: Termination, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida Overall Rating: 3
The tracks before In-a-gadda-da-vida are just backfill and waiting for this legendary 17 minute jam. 3.5
The same song repackaged throughout the album. But I liked the song so I was ok with this.
The A-side was standard-grade rock noise and not particulaly enjoyable. The B-side was one of the oldest and greatest classic rock songs of all time.
Kinda bland
Mid.
Well, they're not Iron Maiden, are they? All pretty forgettable, although I can see how the album might have been considered groundbreaking in its day.
Good 60s jam band
Needs more iron, less butterfly.
I just don't like anything here. The few guitar parts were cool but nothing else
Nice psych rock album that has a bit sunshine pop, doors like darkness, prog all encompassed in this hard rock psych rock mix.
Start with side 2. The title track filling all of side 2 is where the genius in this record has always rested. 17 minutes of progressive rock and psychedelia with drug influenced babbling that defines for a generation what it means to “trip”. This is not to say that the track is perfect - there are easily several minutes beginning around the 4:00 minute mark and ending around the 12:50 mark that is just a drum beat. No wonder the single cuts out about 14:00 minutes. Unfortunately, side 1 is not nearly as inspiring and is rather insipid particularly the absolutely hideous piece entitled Flowers and Beads. The rest of side 1 is equally uninspiring. Generic riffing with underwhelming vocals that compel the listener to shut off the album and find something with a pulse. This is a huge miss. Only nostalgia is responsible for this record appearing on these lists. This album is a precursor to the bloat that would lead to the punk rock explosion several years later. So I guess it was good for something.
god-tier title track, the rest of the album does not compare. 3.55/5
Beautiful magic.
Interesting sound. The title track has by far the best hook. I guess maybe Iron Butterfly is important as a predecessor to metal--but I don't really enjoy most metal. So shrug.
One great song. The rest is pretty good.
3/4
Funny Simpsons jokes aside, I thought this album as a whole was mostly bad. Generic, paint-by-numbers acid rock that boils down to five tracks of “Oooo baby I love you so” before we get to the title track that has its moments, but it’s way too fucking long and goes nowhere in the middle. Very disappointing listen. 2/5
Not terrible but they're pretty much a one hit wonder band
I like 60s psychedelia so this was enjoyable. I love the album cover too. My son's really big into Jelle's Marble Run.
I only know this band through the title track, which I've heard several times, but not for a long time. But I thought this was a really hard rocking band but it turns out - not so much. Song 1: pretty dance-hippie with plenty of 60s rock organ. It's really more of a pop song than a rock song. It's not at all what I expected when I hit play. Song 2: More pop! If you told me this was the title song to a Brady Bunch type of TV show I'd believe you with no hesitation. Song 3: I have been gravely mislead. Was this band big with the teeny bopper American Bandstand crowd? This is just shitty hippie pop music. Song 4: OK, it's still a bit light in the ass, but I can at least hear some rock stylings here. It's like they're reaching for something and they haven't quite gotten there. Song 5: Last song before the main event and now we're talking! The first 30 seconds actually sounds like Rock and Roll! Then the singing starts and I've been let down, again. Still, this is the rocking-est song so far. As an aside, I know it was a different time, but the mix is goddamned awful. It's so tinny and thin, there's almost no bass, and the kick drum sounds like a little puff of air. The guitar has its moments, but the real star of this album is the organ. They really made sure it was predominately front and center. OK, here we go: Song 6, the title track, the money maker. I've never heard the 17 minute album version, so is this song enough to save the album? No. It is not. Look, it's a decent song, but being 17 minutes certainly doesn't help it, especially when what seems like 10 of those minutes id the most rudimentary drum solo I have literally ever heard. This album sold more than 30 million records and was, in fact, the bestselling Atlantic Records album until Led Zeppelin IV blew it out of the water. Still, 30 million records is a metric fuckton of records sold, and it goes to show that in the old days, if you had one banger you could make a killing selling records, because people had no choice but to buy the whole thing. I appreciate that this album had the decency to only be 36 minutes long, but not as much as I appreciate the fact that I never have to listen to it again.
9/1001 просто терпимый, небесячый рок, который не действует на нервы не впечатлило, но и слушать было не в напряг
голос бесит немного, в целом норм
Meh
6/10
Hey Marge. Remember making out to this hymn?
One hit wonder and the one hit is a tedious, meandering slog that milks a catchy bassline for all it's worth.
Danced & jammed. Spacey!
interesting rock fusion thing
Didn’t finish, didn’t want to do this. Made it through Flowers and Beads which is just so sad when a sweet love song is so boring and the person’s voice is so annoying you can’t even unpack your groceries to it
oh god no. this is why I don't do drugs. ok the drum solo whatever is good I guess but I still hate everything about this.
A bit The Doors-y.
Obviously, the experimental quality of Side B is epic, like a psychedelic space opera. But also, Side A is freakin sweet. I noted, 'this has some super fun Doors vibes' and sure enough, I found a fantastic concert poster with Iron Butterfly supporting The Doors... Long winded way of saying I quite enjoyed the Acid-Psych-prog rock aesthetic.
Slapped
I remember playing this song in marching band. Luckily not the 17 minute version of it
Oh god, Iron Butterfly. Well, the title track is still kind of fun in its ridiculous way, but as an album it's not exactly one of the enduring artworks of its age.
shout out to my cousin Kelly, who used to put this on every morning when she woke up and would challenge herself to be completely ready for school by the time it ended. not a great song, but I agree it is something you have to listen to before you die.
Another strange album. The list of albums that make up this fine list are certainly eclectic. The vocalist sounded like Vic Reeves doing the club singer on Shooting Stars. Musically it couldn't have sounded more 60's if it tried. It was ok, I listened to the whole album but never really got into it. I was never in danger of turning it off. I think 2 stars is about right.
Its great psychedelic rock but its not my psychedelic rock
I saw psychadelic and that worried me, but this was more proggy which was good, and the last track was particularly fun.
Wait a minute, this sounds like rock and or roll
I played this tape cassette a lot when I was in grade 12. I recalled it as long and meandering. Turns out it’s pretty tight and good.
The I. Ron Butterfly gag in the Simpsons still brings a big dumb grin to my face whenever I hear this band, well let’s face it, song
Y'know, there's a lot of albums out there that suffer from a little thing I like to think of as the "title track issue." It's those albums where the title track is not only the first song, and not only the longest song, but the best and most well-remembered song on the entire record. Think of Rush's 2112, Funkadleic's MAGGOT BRAIN, Don McLean's AMERICAN PIE... So on. Looking from the outside in, they're albums where it can feel like everything else doesn't really matter. You could probably just slap a "& Other Great Songs!" on the cover and that's just how they'd be remembered. Luckily, though, the rest of the lot had always managed to pull through, and I'd yet to've found an album that truly fell victim to this issue. Note the tense of that last sentence. I'd long had my suspicions about Iron Butterfly being here on this list. If you somehow stumbled across this review on this website and don't know who they are, to put it in short, they're a 60's heavy psych band and also (yes, as well, indeed) a one-hit wonder. If you were to ask anyone about this band, they might not recognize the name, but hum the title track's riff and, oh, boy, they'll get it. Now, I wanna say, it's not because they're a one-hit wonder I was suspicious of them — or at least, not strictly. After all, they're not the only band or artist on this list who could be classified as such. Dexys Midnight Runners, for instance, has **two** albums on this list. But here's the thing about bringing a band like Dexys up into this conversation: Dexys has the clout. While to the general public they're only recognized for "Come On Eileen", if you're in the know, you know what a big deal they are. They're a similar case to, say, Chumbawamba — or, if you're German, Falco. Iron Butterfly, conversely, does not have that clout. Sure, I've seen this album get good reviews, and given that it's on this list **someone** is repping for them... But the honest question you hafta ask is, "Is Iron Butterfly even worth listening to outside of 'In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida'?" For a moment, let's recognize what an ask that is. "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" isn't as famous as it is for nothing. The original idea for the song was just a simple love tune, but somewhere in the band jamming out on the thing, it got inflated into a seven-minute epic filled with cool organ, neat guitar trickery, the drum solo to end all drum solos, and a monster riff. Seriously, **the** riff of the 60's, let's not be dishonest here. In total, the song is a journey that sounds like the acid death of the 60's death. That's a massively tall order to follow up on, even if, y'know, I'll be real, it's not a **perfect** song? I adore the scope of it, of course, and that's what keeps me coming back... But, boy howdy, I've never been one for drum solos. If I may reference Todd In The Shadows, maybe this thing **should have** ended the drum solo. But that's enough about "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida". Peek behind the curtain, I didn't even listen to it for this review; I was just going off of memory. The only thing I listened to was side one, because that's truly where I wanna place my attention. We all know how incredible that song is — does the rest hold its own? You'll remember my sentence tense from earlier. Like, mm, ah, gosh, believe me, I was rooting for Iron Butterfly here. Honestly, seriously I was; I think their one big hit proves they do have some good chops. They could very easily be applied to a whole record side's worth of equally worthy songs. Certainly, for heavy psych, I don't think they did too badly at all. Across the board, the organ still rips, and Doug Ingle's voice is incredibly distinct. The ingredients are all here, if they could just mix them together in the right way... Mm, no. No, not really. They got **so close**, 'coz I really did like these songs. It's just, did I like them on the scale of "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida"? No, I wouldn't say so. They didn't do too badly for heavy psych, that's true, but... Yeah, it's just heavy psych. There's no big hook that pulls me in, like, say, "Something For Nothing" on Rush's 2112 does. If you mixed these songs in with a dozen or so other psych bands from the same year, I don't think I'd be able to tell the difference besides Doug's voice. Though, at the same time, I'd also hafta admit that I'd probably enjoy Iron Butterfly's songs a click more than the others they'd be mixed in with? Maybe I'm contradicting myself here, I'unno. There might not be any big hooks, but they're still good enough songs, like... I'unno. The problem might just be that they're stuck in the shadow of a giant, so it's hard to really compare. If these things were on a different album, without the title track, I might be singing a different tune. So, I suppose in the end the ultimate answer to my question is... "Maybe?" If you really wanna dig into side one, you'll probably find some stuff you'll like if you dig Vox organ. It's **far** from bad stuff. All the same, however, I don't feel like you'd be missing too much if you only listened to side two and the big hit. Iron Butterfly don't strike me as an like, say, Chumbawamba, The Proclaimers or Scatman John where I'm just **dying** to dig into their back catalog. Discovering the other half of this album is good is a nice surprise, but I doubt I'd return to it as often as the title track. Jus' how it ended up being. If nothing else, no matter how I ended up feeling about side one, "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" is still an achievement unto itself. If I were Iron Butterfly, I'd feel pretty proud about that. Don'cha know that I love it...
The tracks on side 1 are good on their own merit, but side 2 is just an absolute masterclass of what would eventually become prog. 4.5 bumped up to 5.
I’m at a 4.5 that I’ll bump up to a 5. I’ve vaguely heard of Iron Butterfly before, mainly as it relates to the title track. I didn’t think I’d ever heard it before, but it hit me right as I saw the title that Weird Al threw the track’s chorus into one of his polka medleys. That’s all I knew of it though – a remarkably small taste. It’s a hell of a track once you get to it, though, and absolutely a highlight for 1960s rock, feeling like the extended solo on Light My Fire & somehow pulling even more out of it. There are 19 minutes before that track though, and… I really liked most of them. “Most Anything You Want” is a really strong opener that sets the tone, with a fun interpolation of “Light My Fire” in there. He also sounded like Rick Astley to my ears, so that was kinda fun. For Track 2 and 3 though… there’s a cardinal sin to my ears that has me at a 4.5; both “Flowers and Beads” & “My Mirage” essentially loop halfway through. I can partially excuse it for the former, since it does at least have a fun outro & a catchy melody that stops it from being too much of a bother. The latter, however, is inexcusable, mainly since it’s a slower track that already takes about 2:30 of repetition to get through before the first loop, his vocal style feels like it’s stretching for time, and I have absolutely no idea what the lyricism means. It also doesn’t help that both tracks are back to back, so hearing the same looping trick done twice in a row after I was already bothered by it the first time did not help the pacing of the album at all. Thankfully, “Termination” has a really cool afterlife-y atmosphere that feels like a breath of fresh air, & “Are You Happy” is a very strong & very energetic entree to the main course that is “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida”. I’m not really sure I can say too much about the track, since it’s one that deserves to be heard rather than read about, but the sense of journey & progression that comes through the track, with each member getting a little showcase (most fun to my ears on both the extended drum / organ solos) is super cool. In a way, it sort of goes nowhere, but that would be doing a disservice to how complex / technically sound each solo is, especially for 1968. Of all the really long tracks we’ve gotten so far throughout the 657 albums we’ve done, this one might be the one that’s flown by the fastest. Part of that is just getting a lot more used to / appreciative of long tracks, but I got totally lost in the grooves here and before I knew it, I was 13 minutes into the track with only a light scattering of “this sounds cool” notes. It’s a track that obviously lifts this album to a 5 by itself, and honestly, it could lift up higher if there’s even more intricacies to it that my brain just didn’t catch on this first listen. So, yeah, this certainly lived up to the acclaim for me. I can only vaguely understand the 2.93 on the site; if that repetition on tracks 2 & 3 hit that badly, or if the Doors-esque instrumentation didn’t click right, then fair enough, but it just feels like robbing yourself of enjoying a roller coaster ride because you saw a few drops of rain. This is a very good album; even with one half-flop to my tastes (the first half of “My Mirage” isn’t *that* bad), the title track alone is worth the price of admission, and the journey to get there is pretty good all the same. This is an easy bump up to a 5, and I liked it a lot.