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Iron Butterfly - In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida CD (album) cover

IN-A-GADDA-DA-VIDA

Iron Butterfly

 

Proto-Prog

3.46 | 274 ratings

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Ivan_Melgar_M
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
2 stars The real one hit wonders

Never understood all the scandal made around IRON BUTTERFLY, yes they were a good band (not one of the best in the late 60's when the musical scenario was full of real genius), but they are not remotely an innovative or experimental band in 1968. Albums like "The Crazy World of Arthur Brown", "Procol Harum", "The Soft Machine"or even the poppy "Days of Future Passed were miles ahead of IRON BUTTERFLY in imagination and development of Rock.

It's undeniable that "Doug Ingle" is a very good organ player, but the music is mostly Acid Psychedelia with a powerful Hammond organ a lot of jamming and nothing more. Most of the tracks sound like a less versatile version of GRAND FUNK RAILROAD, because at least Mark Farner and company had the imagination that IRON BUTTERFLY lacks..

The sad thing is that when a child I considered them as the "Non Plus Ultra", but the magic is gone, listening the 36.35 minutes of "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida"in 2010 was almost a torture, at least until the title song reached, a track that we have to recognize is an icon off the 60's, even when the organ solo is very repetitive and excessively long.

That famous Hammond solo of the epic was a glorious moment in 1968 and marked an era, but four decades have passed and the song hasn't aged well, to the point that I didn't even listened the live version of the classic because once was enough.

Some albums are written in such way that time doesn't pass for them, but "In-A-Gadda-Da- Vida" is not one of this cases, can't rate it with less than two stars because of it's historical value, but can only recommend it to guys obsessed with the "Flower Power" generation.

EDIT: Listened the "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" live version that comes as bonus track in my disk, and must say that sounds much better than the original, but still not enough to grant an extra star.

Ivan_Melgar_M | 2/5 |

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