Heavy (Iron Butterfly album)

Heavy is the debut studio album by the rock band Iron Butterfly, released on January 22, 1968.

Heavy
Studio album by
Iron Butterfly
ReleasedJanuary 22, 1968
RecordedOctober 1967
StudioGold Star Studios, Hollywood, CA
Nashville West, Hollywood, CA
Genre
Length30:45
LabelAtco
ProducerCharles Greene; Brian Stone
Iron Butterfly chronology
Heavy
(1968)		 In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
(1968)

The first two tracks, "Unconscious Power" and "Possession", were released as the respective sides of a single.

Three of the group's members (Darryl DeLoach, Jerry Penrod, and Danny Weis) left the band shortly after the album was recorded, leaving drummer Ron Bushy and organist Doug Ingle to find replacements. Despite being a debut album with no hit single to provide an entry point for the casual listener, Heavy was a commercial success, reaching number 78 on the Billboard Charts[1][2] and eventually going Gold in the US.

Cover art

The album's artwork depicts the band members playing their instruments beside a large monument of a human ear. It was designed by Armando Busich (artwork) and Joe Ravetz (photography).

Background

Iron Butterfly had amassed a considerable body of material by the time Heavy was recorded, much of which was held over for later albums. In addition to the ten songs on Heavy, songs from this era include "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" (later recorded for the album of the same name), "Lonely Boy", "Real Fright", "Filled with Fear" (all later recorded for Ball), "Evil Temptation" (an instrumental version of which was later used as the B-side to "Possession"), "It's All Up to You", and "Gloomy Day to Remember".[3]

Reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[4]

Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine rated Heavy three-and-a-half out of five stars. He stated that "most of the album was not particularly well written" but that "the band's overwhelmingly loud sonic attack occasionally made up for the weakness in the material."[4]

Track listing
Side one
No.TitleLyricsMusicLead VocalsLength
1."Possession"Doug IngleDoug IngleIngle with DeLoach2:45
2."Unconscious Power"Ron BushyIngle, Danny WeisIngle with DeLoach2:32
3."Get Out of My Life, Woman"Allen ToussaintAllen ToussaintIngle with DeLoach3:58
4."Gentle as It May Seem"Darryl DeLoachWeisIngle with DeLoach2:25
5."You Can't Win"DeLoachWeisIngle with DeLoach2:41
Side two
No.TitleLyricsMusicLead VocalsLength
1."So-Lo"DeLoachIngleDeLoach with Ingle4:05
2."Look for the Sun"DeLoachIngle, WeisDeLoach and Penrod2:14
3."Fields of Sun"DeLoachIngleDeLoach with Ingle3:12
4."Stamped Ideas"DeLoachIngleDeLoach with Ingle2:08
5."Iron Butterfly Theme"-IngleInstrumental4:34

Personnel

Iron Butterfly

Technical

Singles
US singles
International singles
  • "Iron Butterfly Theme" b/w "So-Lo"

References
  1. "Billboard 200 - Iron Butterfly". Billboard. Retrieved September 25, 2017.
  2. Joynson, Vernon (1995). Fuzz, Acid, & Flowers Archived 2011-08-25 at the Wayback Machine. London: Borderline Books.
  3. Thompson, Dave (2014). Iron Butterfly: Live at the Galaxy 1967 (Liner notes). Purple Pyramid Records.
  4. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Heavy - Iron Butterfly at AllMusic. Retrieved July 5, 2011.
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