Heavy – IRON BUTTERFLY***

Possession/Unconscious Power/Get Out Of My Life Woman/Gentle As It May Seem/You Can’t Win/So-Lo/Look For The Sun/Fields Of Sun/Stamped Ideas/Iron Butterfly Theme

Heavy was the debut album from the Californian heavy rock group Iron Butterfly. Their follow up later in the year would be an astonishing commercial success. (US:78)

“Not particularly 'heavy', actually: this is certainly lighter and less tripped-out than it would soon come to be.”

“Here are many awesome psychedelic rockers like for example Unconscious Power,Fields Of Sun and the greatest song of the album, the closer Iron Butterfly Theme. Mostly these songs are effective but there are also some not so amazing tracks too.”

“This particular album features some of the most infectious melodies of the trio, with hardly a clunker among the cuts. Add to the mix liberal doses of fuzz guitar, Voxxorgan, cool vocal harmonies, and you've got a recipe for a well deserved favourite of mine.”

“For me this is the most enjoyable Iron Butterfly album. It has got a good mixture of songs and has a psychedelic feel to it. Iron Butterfly Theme is one of the best instrumental pieces of the time, a very haunting tune and one of the best they wrote.”

“I love this album. Granted, it's not perfect. The sound quality is a bit muddy at times,and a few of the performances resemble rough drafts which were never expanded upon or finished. But there are some killer tracks, with the trademark Butterfly sound already in place.”

“Iron Butterfly is truly a perfect name for this band; the way they blend light and heavy sound is amazing. They were the true pioneers of heavy metal, yet their music is melodic due to the keyboards. This is their debut, and it is probably their best album as well.”

“Butterfly both directly and indirectly influenced more bands than arguably anyone else. However, this album shows they were not a one-trick-pony, and also dabbled in psychedelia, pop and other styles too.”