Published on Apr 6, 1997
C’mon, you knew it was only a matter of time before I dug
this one out of the Pierce Memorial Archives (don’t drink
the bong water), right?
At one point in time, Iron Butterfly’s career-defining album
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida was the top seller in the Atlantic
Records catalog (before Led Zeppelin and Hootie & The
Blowfish). It is both the object of public scorn and held up as a
gem of the psychadelic era. Its title track has a drum solo so easy
you could fart it.
It is an album that is incredibly dated… and is one of the
most prized possesions I have in the archives, next to my
autographed CDs from Melissa Etheridge and AC/DC.
For the time being, let’s forget about the song
“In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” – we’ll get to it soon enough. (We have no
choice; the record has only six songs.) Okay, purged that from your
memory yet?
Now then… while Iron Butterfly was one of the most popular of
the psychedelic groups, their musicianship was actually pretty
good. Of special note is the bass work of Lee Dorman, who often
sounds like he is sliding up the neck to reach the notes he is
playing. It is an effect that works. Doug Ingle’s vocals are
powerful, even if his organ work often sounds like he played organ
in church. (Not coincidentally, Ingle’s father
was a church organist.) Guitarist Erik Brann seems to be
pushed to the side on this one, and when he is given the limelight,
he doesn’t do too much with it. And drummer Ron Bushy? Well….
let’s say he provides a solid backbeat.
I think the hidden gem on
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is the opening track “Most Anything You
Want,” a song I often used to open my radio show when I was in
college. (It was about that time my listeners probably turned off
their radios in disgust.) Dorman’s sliding bass lines are here,
along with an interesting combination of rhythm guitar and organ.
Sure, it’s not “Stairway To Heaven,” but it’s a nice way to spend
four minutes.
The other gem on this one is “Are You Happy,” which allows the
band to pull out all the stops and have some fun. Bushy’s trap work
is at its best here, while Ingle yanks chords from his organ that
probably were never meant to be played. It works, and the song ends
all to quickly.
Of the remaining songs on side one, “Flowers And Beads” would
have worked without the angelic “oohing” at the end of the song,
while “My Mirage” and “Termination” are so-so tracks that don’t do
anything for me.
Okay, now for the moment we’ve all been waiting for –
“In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida,” all seventeen friggin’ minutes of it. (Rhino
Records, in re-releasing the album for its 25th anniversary, threw
on the twenty-plus minute live version on the remixed CD.) The
title allegedly was the drugged-out response to a question posed to
a member of the band – in retrospect, it was the perfect name for
such an ambling, rambling cut. The track itself is actually pretty
good – though I’ll admit I’d probably go on a three-state killing
spree if I had to listen to it every day.
And there are weaknesses in the song. Sure, it’s nice that each
member of the band was given a chance to do a solo (though Dorman’s
bass work throughout the track seems to serve as his solo), but
Bushy’s drum solo is laughable. Even I, a drummer I would describe
as “piss-poor,” could have done a better job – and I wasn’t even
alive when this album came out. Also, Ingle’s solo reminds me a
little too much of organ doodlings I’d occasionally hear a church
musician whip out. I almost felt like I had to drop to my knees in
prayer at this point – though Brann’s power-saw guitar riffs work
me out of that stupor.
You really have to have an open mind when you listen to
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida for the first time. You have to transport
yourself back to 1968, when music like this was considered cutting
edge. If you can do this, you will find yourself mildly surprised
that you like the album. Otherwise, you’ll be putting it out on the
lawn with the Tony Orlando & Dawn records at your next garage
sale – which was where I bought this album in the first place. Best
25 cents I ever spent.