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Versione 1
Rating: After the worldwide success of "In-a-gadda-da-vida," which is worth remembering as one of the 40 best-selling albums in music history with over 30 million copies, by the end of 1969, Iron Butterfly was one of the most famous groups, competing with the Doors and Jefferson Airplane for leadership in the States. Therefore, they were rightfully enrolled in the Woodstock Festival, which they unfortunately did not attend due to logistical problems. From this context, it is evident how high the expectations were for the release of the subsequent "Ball," which only partially disappointed, probably due to the much more melodic approach clearly evident in some tracks like "In the Crowds" and "Lonely Boys," less so in others like "Belda Beast," a voluntary "reinterpretation" of what was produced by their great rivals, including Brann's Morrison-like polished voice aimed at the British market where it was launched as a single in the early '70s. Conversely, the most successful domestic track was the famous "Soul Experience," which represents a commercial compromise between "In a Gadda da Vida" and the record requirements of ATCO Records, which initially had already insisted on "cutting" the Iron Butterfly masterpiece by a third.........
Nevertheless, the soul of the group meets in the opening track, in "It Must Be Love" and especially in "Filled with Fear," including the "pranks" on the organ, even though everywhere reigns supreme the unmistakable voice of leader Doug Ingle, except in the charming minuet of "Her Favorite Style," where Dorman's bass and Ingle's organ interjections take the lead. To conclude, the rhythm of "Real Fright" is quite "stressful," perfect for a modern-day advertisement.
"Ball" is overall quite enjoyable and was rewarded by sales, reaching the third position in the American chart, which translates to great success, though not equal to the previous LP. Despite this, it was not enough to win the critics' approval and consequently led to discord within the quartet, culminating soon in Brann's departure and the group's death knell with the release of the subsequent "Metamorphosis," orphaned of its distinctive voice. With this in mind, the judgment is quite simple, ample sufficiency, I think of 3 and a half stars, which I round up due to the excellent acoustic performance of an album released when stereophony was still a luxury reserved for the richer and more sponsored groups.
I conclude by merely appreciating the two tracks present in the expanded version, namely "I Can't Help but Deceive You Little Girl" and "To Be Alone," side A and B respectively of the 45 released with still-unreleased material at the time of Brann's departure from Iron, tracks in which it is easy to find the style that made this great group famous.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
02 Soul Experience (02:53)
Be yourself and live a little,
Don't bother painting your face;
Tomorrow it may rain and colors run,
Better it quench the flowers thirst.
Don't be afraid to live a little,
Don't be afraid of the people that belittle our love,
Oh our love.
Open up your thoughts and listen to others,
Your fellow man may surprise you;
He offers a unique item,
Soul experience, help yourselves to each other.
Don't be afraid to live a little,
Don't be afraid of the people that belittle our love,
Oh our love.
Just be yourself.
Just be yourself.
Oh our love, oh our love.
04 Real Fright (02:45)
Real fright's the story of a maddening darkness,
It leaves your hands and your face real tight,
Your mind starts to wander while your body starts shaking,
Your mouth feels dry as your bones start aching.
You want to know the pattern thas has gripped your life,
Your heart starts pounding while you're breathing real fright,
A face chalk white that starts the sight,
Ears hear the sounds of real fright.
05 In the Crowds (02:13)
I look for the sun
in dire need of someone, somewhere,
I look for the sun
in dire need of someone, somewhere.
Words lost in the past
of memories that will never last.
My mind wanders the crowds in a search,
In the search of the one that I feel is my life,
It the crowds.
For me this is the end.
For me this is the end.
For me this is the end.
For me this is the end.
For me this is the end.
For me this is the end.
For me this is the end.
07 Her Favorite Style (03:15)
Exciting were her eyes
And refreshing was her smile.
So loving was her attitude she maintained all the while.
She reaped in her softness which created a gentle mood.
And if I ever felt hunger, she would hand me a bit of food.
Ah true, she was exciting,
refreshing and loving
and still found a way in which she maintained all the while;
that was her faith,
that was her favorite style,
that was her favorite style.
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