Heavy (Iron Butterfly album)
| Heavy | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.PNG) | ||||
| Studio album by Iron Butterfly | ||||
| Released | January 22, 1968 | |||
| Recorded | October 1967 | |||
| Genre | Psychedelic rock, blues rock, acid rock, hard rock | |||
| Length | 30:45 | |||
| Label | Atco | |||
| Producer | Charles Greene; Brian Stone | |||
| Iron Butterfly chronology | ||||
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Heavy is the debut studio album by the rock band Iron Butterfly, released in early 1968.
The first two tracks, "Possession" and "Unconscious Power", were released as the respective sides of a single.
Three of the group's members (Jerry Penrod, Darryl DeLoach and Danny Weis) left the band shortly after the album was recorded, leaving Ingle and Bushy 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 #78 on the Billboard Charts[1] and eventually going Gold in the US.
Contrary to rumor, tambourine player Darryl DeLoach contributed lead vocals to only a few songs on Heavy. As with all of Iron Butterfly's albums prior to Scorching Beauty, most of the lead vocals are by Doug Ingle.
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).
Reception
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |    [2] |
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."[2]
Track listing
Unlike most albums of the time (including Iron Butterfly's other releases), the songwriting credits on the sleeve of Heavy differentiate between who wrote the music and who wrote the lyrics.
| Side one | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Lead Vocals | Length |
| 1. | "Possession" | Doug Ingle | Doug Ingle | Ingle | 2:45 |
| 2. | "Unconscious Power" | Ron Bushy | Ingle, Danny Weis | Ingle | 2:32 |
| 3. | "Get Out of My Life, Woman" | Allen Toussaint | Allen Toussaint | Ingle | 3:58 |
| 4. | "Gentle as It May Seem" | Darryl DeLoach | Weis | DeLoach | 2:25 |
| 5. | "You Can't Win" | DeLoach | Weis | Ingle | 2:41 |
| Side two | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Lead Vocals | Length |
| 1. | "So-Lo" | DeLoach | Ingle | DeLoach | 4:05 |
| 2. | "Look for the Sun" | DeLoach | Ingle, Weis | Penrod, DeLoach, Ingle | 2:14 |
| 3. | "Fields of Sun" | DeLoach | Ingle | Ingle | 3:12 |
| 4. | "Stamped Ideas" | DeLoach | Ingle | DeLoach | 2:08 |
| 5. | "Iron Butterfly Theme" | - | Ingle | (instrumental) | 4:34 |
Singles
- US singles
- "Unconscious Power" b/w "Possession"
- "Iron Butterfly Theme", "Possession" b/w "Get Out of My Life, Woman", "Unconscious Power" (Radio EP)
- International singles
- "Iron Butterfly Theme" b/w "So-Lo"
Personnel
- Darryl DeLoach - tambourine, backing and lead vocals
- Danny Weis - guitar
- Doug Ingle - organ, lead and backing vocals
- Jerry Penrod - bass, backing and co-lead vocals
- Ron Bushy - drums
References
- ↑ Joynson, Vernon (1995). Fuzz, Acid, & Flowers. London: Borderline Books.
- 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Heavy - Iron Butterfly at AllMusic. Retrieved July 5, 2011.