Iron Butterfly
Heavy

Artist: Iron Butterfly

Album: Heavy (1968)

Band Members:
* Doug Ingle - Vocals, Hammond organ
* Jerry Penrod - Bass
* Ron Bushy - Drums
* Danny Weis - Guitar
* Darryl DeLoach - Vocals

Iron Butterfly debuts with this, in my opinion, wonderful album. Contrary to what many say, there is not just "In a Gadda da Vida" as a masterpiece of this band; it is certainly the most known and prominent piece in their discography, but as I have already said, they have done much, much more beautiful work.

At the end of the recordings in 1967 (with the album still unpublished), Jerry Penrod (Bass), Darryl DeLoach (Vocals), and Danny Weis (Guitar) left the band. After a short period of pause, Ron Bushy (Drums) and Doug Ingle (Hammond Organ) started looking for new members for the band, finding Lee Dorman on bass and hiring the talented Erik Brann as a guitarist at just sixteen years old, with Ingle transitioning to lead vocals in addition to the Hammond. It was during this time that "Heavy" was released, featuring a cover very much in the band's style, with a very peculiar font (writing), and according to some, almost illegible, with the five members that composed it.

In its musical part, the album features ten tracks characterized by changes in rhythm and very rich melodies. The first track "Possession" is characterized, in my opinion, by a passage of moods because the track begins with a very melancholic introduction which is also maintained in the verses but transitions to a much lighter chorus. Notable are the relatively long solo parts performed by Danny Weis. From "Possession," it moves to "Unconscious Power," a much faster track than the first with a prominent keyboard motif during the verses and a crazy bass riff during the chorus; the break with Bushy's long drum roll culminating in a very melodic solo that repeats for four rounds is very nice. Note also the finale with a nice break at the end. The third track is "Get Out Of My Life Woman," which opens with quite slow drums and organ to then enter the heart of the song more in blues style than the previous ones and with the solo taking a quite country/southern style; the song then flows into a rhythm acceleration and finishes.

After the excellent "Get Out Of My Life Woman," there's "Gentle As It May Seem," where there is a drum break at the end of each verse, a really fitting feature for me; during the guitar solo, Ingle sets a classic blues riff with the keyboards, making the solo much more interesting. Finally, the track ends much more slowly compared to the previous ones. The fifth track is "You Can't Win," which this time goes straight to the point without an introduction; the verses are quite in their style, while the chorus seems to recall the Doors. There is a majestic break in countertime after the first chorus, after which there is a decent solo by Weis. It should be noted that the piece does not have a defined end like the others but concludes with the lowering of the recording volume. At this point, we come to "So-Lo," which presents itself as a very light piece, not very complicated or articulated from a musical point of view but with good harmony dictated by very melodic organ passages like those of the guitar, which, however, only performs phrases or solos. Note the introduction and the finale, which are played in the same manner. Even the seventh track "Look For The Sun" maintains the lightness of the previous one and returns a bit to the southern/country style; as a positive note, there are numerous and short drum breaks and a good organ solo by Doug Ingle.

"Fields of Sun" is the eighth track of this album; it begins with a wonderful piano introduction, after which the track, getting into its core, begins to show the first very psychedelic influences with the choruses accompanied by the organ during which Bushy showcases his particular inventive characteristics on the drums. The song ends with the classic suspense that a drum roll provides, which seems like those from an orchestra.
We are thus at the ninth song "Stamped Ideas," which, after "Fields of Sun," returns a bit to the lightness of "Look For The Sun" and "So-Lo," but presents an excellent song-opening break consisting of a drum roll that then characterizes the song; it is notable for having an excellent solo in this brief piece. Finally, we have "The Iron Butterfly Theme." The song a bit represents this album, the first real psychedelic song composed by the band. An entirely instrumental piece, it features effects used by the guitar during Bushy's crazy rolls overlapped with a good bass and keyboard riff with a conclusion also very much in the psychedelic style.

Conclusion:
What can I say, an exceptionally great album from a musical perspective that highlighted all the good there is in these artists. The band, although not yet defined in the genre of music that would become psychedelic rock, still has "Fields of Sun" and, above all, "The Iron Butterfly Theme," which infuse psychedelic riffs, rhythms, and atmospheres in this fantastic band.