1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die - #123. Iron Butterfly - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (1968)

Iron Butterfly - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (1968)

Label – Atco
Producer – Jim Hilton
Art Direction – Loring Eutemey
Nationality – USA
Running Time – 36:00

Track Listing (standout tracks listed in bold)

1. Most Anything You Want
2. Flowers And Beads
3. My Mirage
4. Termination
5. Are You Happy
6. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida

This is the second record by Iron Butterfly, and to be honest, the only one I have ever heard by them. I remember buying this record as a teenager in high school. With its endless, droning minor-key riff and mumbled vocals, "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" is easily the most recognized and celebrated song of the acid rock era. Legend has it that the song was actually titled "In the Garden of Eden" but when recording the band was so stoned lead singer Doug Ingle couldn’t pronounce the words correctly and hence it became the classic we know today. The track rambles on for a full 17 minutes which seems like an eternity. I do like the track, but must admit that I like the trimmed down version much better.
The other tracks on the record are also pretty heavy with lots of organ work in them, but I enjoyed listening to it again after all of these years. The entire record still stands as the group's definitive album, and the one that best represents them and the times it was recorded and released in.
The LP peaked at #4 on the Billboard charts and was given the distinction of being the first album to be awarded platinum status when the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) began that achievement level in 1976. Today it is a multi-platinum album with sales of over 25 million copies. It was also Atlantic Records' biggest selling album until it was surpassed by Led Zeppelin IV. It is recommended.


You can purchase the CD here

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ON THIS DATE
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2008 Lenny Kravitz has severe symptoms of bronchitis, therefore he is admitted to a hospital in Miami Beach, Florida

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