Heavy (Iron Butterfly album)

Heavy
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
Heavy
(1968)
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
(1968)

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
SourceRating
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. TitleLyricsMusicLead Vocals Length
1. "Possession"  Doug IngleDoug IngleIngle 2:45
2. "Unconscious Power"  Ron BushyIngle, Danny WeisIngle 2:32
3. "Get Out of My Life, Woman"  Allen ToussaintAllen ToussaintIngle 3:58
4. "Gentle as It May Seem"  Darryl DeLoachWeisDeLoach 2:25
5. "You Can't Win"  DeLoachWeisIngle 2:41
Side two
No. TitleLyricsMusicLead Vocals Length
1. "So-Lo"  DeLoachIngleDeLoach 4:05
2. "Look for the Sun"  DeLoachIngle, WeisPenrod, DeLoach, Ingle 2:14
3. "Fields of Sun"  DeLoachIngleIngle 3:12
4. "Stamped Ideas"  DeLoachIngleDeLoach 2:08
5. "Iron Butterfly Theme"  -Ingle(instrumental) 4:34

Singles

US singles
International singles

Personnel

References

  1. Joynson, Vernon (1995). Fuzz, Acid, & Flowers. London: Borderline Books.
  2. 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Heavy - Iron Butterfly at AllMusic. Retrieved July 5, 2011.
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