Ball - Iron Butterfly

Released in 1969 following the massive success of the fourteen-hour long (OK it just seemed like it) rock epic In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, this was the third offering from those Cali hippie heads known as Iron Butterfly. Gave them a US no 1 album too, spending nearly a year on the charts.

The Butterfly have sometimes been credited (wrongly, in my opinion) with inventing heavy metal. True, they did have Erik Braun's scratchy guitar sound, but ...
...organ and Lee Dorman's walking basslines. "Ball" by Iron Butterfly is a mix of seriously mellow hippy sounds, wacked-out trippy stuff and naïve but sweet pop and all the better for it. Sadly there's no 17-minute composition on this album, nor does Ron Dorman get another 3-minute drum solo either, but overall this CD is kinda cute.

The big, rumbling Butterfly epic In The Time Of Our Lives opens things up, all deep and meaningful, ... more

Released in 1969 following the massive success of the fourteen-hour long (OK it just seemed like it) rock epic In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, this was the third offering from those Cali hippie heads known as Iron Butterfly. Gave them a US no 1 album too, spending nearly a year on the charts.

The Butterfly have sometimes been credited (wrongly, in my opinion) with inventing heavy metal. True, they did have Erik Braun's scratchy guitar sound, but dominating throughout we have Doug Ingle with his magic organ and Lee Dorman's walking basslines. "Ball" by Iron Butterfly is a mix of seriously mellow hippy sounds, wacked-out trippy stuff and naïve but sweet pop and all the better for it. Sadly there's no 17-minute composition on this album, nor does Ron Dorman get another 3-minute drum solo either, but overall this CD is kinda cute.

The big, rumbling Butterfly epic In The Time Of Our Lives opens things up, all deep and meaningful, leading into the trippy, bottom-end stop-start delights of Soul Experience. The blissed out Lonely Boy is just pure honey dripping out of the speakers. Laugh at Doug Ingles lyrics "aaahmm suuuuuch...a loooneely booooooooy" but it's also clear he'd been listening to some Stax soul as well. This is just fabulous to drift off to.

Filled With Fear, as the title suggests, starts off with all urgent pounding bass and gallops along very nicely indeed. More jiggy organ. Yes there are similarities with The Doors, but also with Jefferson Airplane and The 13th Floor Elevators as well.

The strangely named Belda-Beast is over before you know it, barely two minutes, and it's more bouncy Doorisms on It Must Be Love, which lets Erik Braun cut loose for his first solo of the album. Her Favorite Style is very similar to My Mirage from the "In-A-Gadda" set, it's basically an extended jam with lyrics. The last two songs are not quite up the standard of the others but that's just me I suppose.

Another scary sound comes along in Real Fright "my mind is just churning an burning with fear", though knowing this band it's more likely their minds were burning with LSD…..more blazing Braun axe work sets things off nicely and it's now the last track on this Butterfly trip is reached: In The Crowds. Very far-out it is too. A great "bye-bye" line repeated over some groooooovy organ.

But wait….there are two "bonus" tracks….I Can't Help But Deceive You, Little Girl and To Be Alone; judging by the rough production of both they were probably outtakes from the session. Both point to the heavier direction that the Butterfly would take in later albums like "Scorching Beauty" and "Metamorphosis".

Not a very easy recording to get hold of, this one, I had to order it from a classic rock stockist in Illinois. Try Amazon for around a tenner. You certainly won't be trampled in the rush, but any fans of groovy 60's stuff will find this much to their liking. They really don't make em like this any more. This is great stuff.
 

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