Heavy

HEAVY !! Wow, psychedelia, strange beats/thythms and voices and vocals through a reverb. That was the sound of IRON BUTTERFLY and just a hint of mystique. Anyway, the 60's was full of groups and music from Britain and the West Coast and the garage bands from all over the place. When I first heard the Irom ButterflyTheme, I said to myself, I would like to utilize that song for something, such as if I were a dj that could have been my trademark theme song at the opening of every gig. Anyway, the rest of this disc is neat with all sorts of goodies. I really love the song called "The Unconcious Power" a sort of mystic song if I ever heard one and a rather great tune. Another great is You Can't Win and then there's Look for The Sun and Fields of Sun.I really really love the song titled "Stamped Ideas" , what a thumping song and quite powerful as well. Then,:of course, is the one and the only "Iron Butterfly Theme" a slithering psychedelic song that will "BLOW YOUR MIND". Lots of great stuff here and I love it all.

I prefer their first album over inagaddadavida would also recommend Ball and Metamorphosis all three are overlooked gems from iron butterfly the rhino rocktober reissue vinyl sounds very good though worth mentioning some of the mixes are ever so slightly different than the original mixes though they are still worth getting

I was at a concert in Sacramento's Memorial Auditorium just before they released In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida and was treated to a live version of that hit, but the "Heavy" album is the one that got me hooked. Iron Butterfly rocked the house...their last song was the IB theme song which blew out the breakers in the house and got them a standing ovation. Then The Who came out to finish the concert...those were the days...

I had this on vinyl back in 1968 when I was a young teenager. I loved it. I thought I would like to hear it again so I bought the CD. The music was very familiar and yet I heard things in it that I hadn’t heard before and gained an even greater appreciation for the members of Iron Butterfly as musicians. I highly recommend the album for anyone who likes blues, jazz and rock because it is all there to be enjoyed.

First of all this album is great. Don't automatically get "Inna-Gadda-Davida" and assume you "know" Iron Butterfly because you don't - until that is you get this record. I'm of the belief that the debut album is - in most cases - the purest and most unadulterated form of that band's artistic vision, and this is no exception. The first song, "Possession", takes you back to late '68 and takes "possession" of your mind in no time. The song starts out in the soon to be stereotypical Iron Butterfly organ and slow drum. Then coalesces into a LSD laced guitar drone. The tempo at first starts up-beat and then slowly winds down into one of the most entrancing head-banging riffs I've heard. The lyrics do leave something to be desired, however, it was never about the lyrics. This isn't Dylan, its Ingle & Co. Next up is "Unconscious Power". Uptempo bluesy psychedelic showcase of Ingle's organ in simpatico with the rhythm section. Awesome. "Get out my life woman", is a cover of a R&B single that is better than the original. Typical blues progression, but with the soul of that righteous Hammond organ. Good song that picks up in the end like a Southern Baptist shin-dig. I haven't read if IB were influenced by Cream or The Yardbirds, but after I heard "Gentle as it may seem", it certainly seems that way. Very Clapton heavy, but strong non-the-less. Here we go, classic Butterfly. Nice guitar and organ riff that means business in "You can't win". Great long solos, brooding organ that eludes to the impending, "destruction [which] is the only road we're headed for"...and the fact its the end of side one. Classic......."So Low". It took me a while to warm up to this song. It's slow to start, very peculiar in its arrangements and altogether odd. Add the overly-eager prepubescent voice of Darryl DeLoach on lead vocals and you wind up with a surprisingly addictive song that lingers in your head longer than any other on the album. Not the best on "Heavy" but not the worst. Good God, after listening to "Look to the Sun" for the first 30 seconds, I thought I'd dropped some Sandoz. Super bluesy and jive riffs that culminates in the chorus return that you waited for. Classic Psychedelia."Fields of the Sun" is most notable for the operaesque arpeggios in the bridge. Generic for my tastes. "Hey guys, what are we going to put before The Iron Butterfly Theme?" Obviously "Stamped Ideas" of course! Seems out of place and too poppy....Maybe they did that in order to balance out the demonic spirits that would soon invade your record player come the final song.Keep in mind this was 1968. Holy Crap. Opens with a slow, dark hum. Then the guitar wails out its lament mirrored by tourtured souls echoing in hell! (Okay, Okay...that was over the top , but still! :) The Hammond organ that was once used for cool tunes earlier is now killing innocent bystanders for fun in it's menacing cacophony of minor keys. This is some heavy s***. This is the kinda stuff you play in a '71 Dodge van with a painted wizard on the side. This IS Iron Butterfly. All in all, this is SUCH an underrated album....Yes, we all know the psychedelic mainstay that is "Ina-gadda-davida" from their next album, and the the disappointing "Ball' the year after which was doomed to failure. But if you really wanna know what Iron Butterfly was all about in terms of unfettered vision, they should not be considered merely a trivial one-hit-wonder but are most certainly HEAVY.

Recorded in October of 1967 and released 1/22/68 on ATCO Records, HEAVY (SD33-227) is Iron Butterfly's first LP. For these sessions the band consisted of Doug Ingle (lead vocal, keyboards), Daryll DeLoach (backing vocals, tambourine), Ron Bushy (drums), Jerry Penrod (bass) and Danny Weis (guitar). Darryl, Danny and Jerry left the group soon after the album's completion.HEAVY didn't make Billboard's 200 Albums chart, nor did its lone single "Unconscious Power" b/w "Possession" crack their Hot 100. Following the success of Butterfly's next LP, IN-A-GADDA-DA-VIDA (SD33-250), which peaked at #4 and was RIAA's first-ever Certified Platinum record, its 17 minute title track was severely shortened and issued as a single. That #30 record's flip was "Iron Butterfly Theme" from this earlier HEAVY set.The instrumental "Theme" may be the group's best track, for it doesn't include one of Ingle's exaggerated vocals. For an example of his melodramatic Mark Stein-like singing, check out the first few lines of "Possession." Even with Doug's distracting vocal, it's argaubly the album's second best cut. The only thing that saves this LP from total dreariness is the group's enthusiastic playing of simply structured, repetitive songs.SIDE ONE[2:41] Possession[2:29] Unconscious Power[3:54] Get Out of My Life, Woman[2:25] Gentle as it May Seem[2:38] You Can't WinSIDE TWO[4:02] So-Lo[2:11] Look For the Sun[3:10] Fields of Sun[2:04] Stamped Ideas[4:35] Iron Butterfly ThemeTOTAL TIME: 30:09