1968 1st IRON BUTTERFLY HEAVY Acid FUZZ Garage PSYCH

$

159

ATTENTION!

RARE original 1968  fuzz guitar / swirl organ heavy psych            

         Iron Butterfly        

             HEAVY

                    ...USA - pink white and tan -   ATCO - 33 - 227

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RARE and sought 1967 *ORIGINAL*  pink white and tan Atco label vinyl pressing of the first Iron Butterfly LP...tightly woven psych tracks with gushing organ & fuzz guitar...

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This BUTTERFLY quintet is hailing from the LA psychedelic scene and is more of a local band than most of the groups hanging out in LA are, hoping for exposure. The LA scene at the time also had The Doors, Love, Spirit, The Byrds, The Standells, Electric Prunes, and quite a few others, and it was a major scene so much that most of the San Francisco scene came down to record their albums in the city (interestingly enough, SF did not have recording studios in the 60’s) and if the LA Sunset strip did not catch public imagination like the Haight Ashbury scene, the psychedelic rock was just as vivid as can be attested by the groups mentioned above. Interestingly enough also, LA was also a very strong Garage rock scene (check out the NUGGETS box-set in our Various Artists section for this), and as those groups became more adventurous and heavier, they also became psychedelic. In this regard, one can actually make a link between Garage rock and proto- progressive rock, and Iron Butterfly is one of those bands that help this transformation. Their first album "HEAVY" is a combination of hardrock & psychedelic meshings within tight self penned tracks that work, forming a cohesive formidable sound. This quintet had ambitions high enough to make popular pop music change into rock as we know it today. Deliberately choosing an intriguing and heavy name, they chose Iron Butterfly and to make their point come across more clearly, they named their debit album Heavy and they received plenty of praise for their groundbreaking (hard psych) approach. This debut album was quite an impressive one, and its striking artwork sure helped out the imagination of the listeners back then, and had quite an impact nationally as it stayed on the Billboard for 50 weeks a fact rendered even greater that the album contained no obvious hit, but was a very even collection of good songs. The first two tracks appeared also in a movie (Savage Green). Lead by keyboard man Doug Ingle, the music is a pure psych sound that one can assimilate to a cross of HP Lovecraft or early jefferson Airplane, but with a definite slice of garage rock. Opener Possession is one of those signature tracks (it does remind of HP Lovecraft’s sound, though) with instantly recognizable Ingle-played organ. Follow-up Unconscious Power is a lot more upbeat and has a good bass line. The next few tracks on the first vinyl side are very much in the crossroad of garage rock and would nicely fit on that Nuggets compilation: sometimes sounding like The Seeds, The Electric Prunes, Chocolate Watchband, Thirteenth Floor Elevators etc….

The second side has the even better Looking For The Sun  that slides into the killer-rated next track Fields Of Sun. Then, Stamped Ideas is a real highlight of this album side with its fuzz guitar and Ingle great organs. Particularly enjoyable is the closing Iron Butterfly Theme. All together a classic in the West Coast garage psych scene. First pressings on the tri-coloured Atco label are VERY hard to find in TOP shape.

1. Possession (2:45)
2. Unconscious Power (2:32)
3. Get Out of My Life, Woman (3:58)
4. Gentle as It May Seem (2:28)
5. You Can't Win (2:41)
6. So-Lo (4:05)
7. Look for the Sun (2:14)
8. Fields of Sun (3:12)
9. Stamped Ideas (2:08)
10. Iron Butterfly Theme (4:34)

CONDITION: The cover is stiff and solid "EX" (excellent) to M- REAL clean...that back group photo cover is near impossible to find without shelf wear, this back cover is MINT ....all said an instant collectors *classic* top level collectible cover!

The vinyl (both sides) are all glossy and have the original bright shiny luster ...

VG ++ having a couple or so minor nothing  top surface only (soft) scuff hairlines, like inner sleeve paper scuffs ... playing exceptional, play graded "excellent"... should provide much pleasure over many years...

  A cool addition to anyone's music library!      

SEE: SELLERS OTher items for similar cool sounds for "head" people...

EFFICIENT/CAREFUL GRADING

All imperfections are noted both cover & record