Iron Butterfly - A Hard Sell!

Get back here! Just be glad it ain’t the Vanilla Fudge! I like them too, but after carefully listening to way too much of them, I decided it would be darn near impossible to justify my love of the Fudge. (But some day...Cactus!)

I love Iron Butterfly and thanks to muxtapes, I’m gonna try my best and ask that you reconsider your disdain for the band, (if indeed you hate them) and give this stuff a listen. Comments welcome.

Forget about In-A-Gadda-Yadda-Yadda-Yadda-Da Vida. While the song is old school iconic, it’s probably most people’s only exposure to the band. I really don’t care if I ever hear that song again, like - really, but I did buy the single (edited down to just under 3:00!) when it came out, and eventually got the album. I’m a drummer, but I loathe drum solos for the most part, and the solo on the album version is as iconic as the riff, but it’s a pretty icky solo. I did see them live in Charlotte sometime around 1970 or so, and thought they were pretty great.

Here are the tracks, with a few comments:
1. Iron Butterfly Theme (from their debut album “Heavy” 1968) - I love band theme songs! Not nearly enough of them, though. Imagine what Scott Miller could’ve come up with writing “Game Theory Theme” ! This is an extremely psychedelic instrumental with a very cool lead/melody line that just buzzes out of a very fuzz toned-out guitar. It’s doubled by a really creepy sounding vocal and/or organ sound that suits me just fine. That sound would stay with the boys for many albums to come and it’s probably the hook type thing that draws me to them. Creepy. Much mind expanding guitar soloing after that first line, and that’s always a good thing.

2. Most Anything That You Want (from “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” also 1968!) - This is nothing more that a big fat slab of pure pop. It’s funny - they have a reputation as this heavy-ass rock band, but most of their stuff was fluffy-ass pop! This song features a killer melody, very cool guitar work and it all stays pretty baroque with the hot organ going on. Uh... maybe this is the time to bring up Doug Ingle’s vocals. This could be the big stumbling block for many, but I like it. Not quite as earnest as Mark Stein’s (Vanilla Fudge), but there is a sort of heavy ...push to his voice not unlike David Clayton-Thomas or...Phoebe Snow on steroids. The dude hits his notes and writes good songs!

3. Flowers And Beads (same as above) - Couldn’t you hear the friggin’ Monkees doing this?! Some of the wimpiest pop I’ve ever heard, but it’s awesome! Hippy pop! Funky bass and the ending is....beautiful vocal sweetness. I want some beads! And flowers! My love is true!

4. Soul Experience (from “Ball” 1969) - Seriously. This is one of my very favorite songs of all time. It’s incredible. What a strange...groove! All of the instruments have their own little syncopated space. Fabulous and ethereal sounds glisten and fall like waterfalls of peace and happiness. Cool use of delay and simply marvelous production. An outright beautiful song.

5. In The Time Of Our Lives (same as above) - This is all about the backing vocals. Almost horror movie-like. A very unusual arrangement.

6. In The Crowds (same as above) - More pure, wimpy pop. Almost sounds like what folks on the eastern seaboard call beach music, until of course the chorus creeps up and turns it into some other beast. Short and sweet. Love it

7. To Be Alone (bonus track on “Ball”) - I had never heard this before and it is pretty neat. Weird syncopated verse that appeals to me. Neat-o guitar and a pretty stripped down production for them, but I’m all over the weirdness of this track.

8. New Day ( from “Metamorphosis” 1970) - New guitarists appear, and the band gets a bit tougher sounding. What a cool guitar riff! Simple, but rocks hard. I’m a little partial to this tune because a band I was in (Ebenezer) covered it. Doug’s vocal are just as ...earnest, but maybe toned down just a tad. Flicks my Bic.

**** Hear the Butterfly here! ***

There you go! Hopefully you stuck through most of this and have been enlightened. If not, please don’t hurt me, and remember: No Vanilla Fudge!