''Heavy'' is the debut studio album by the rock band

Iron Butterfly Iron Butterfly is an American rock band formed in San Diego, California, in 1966. They are best known for the 1968 hit " In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", providing a dramatic sound that led the way towards the development of hard rock and heavy metal musi ...

, released on January 22, 1968. The first two tracks, "Unconscious Power" and "Possession", were released as the respective sides of a single. Three of the group's members (Darryl DeLoach,

Jerry Penrod Jerry "The Bear" Penrod (born September 25, 1946 in San Diego, California) is a bass player. He was a member of Iron Butterfly and Rhinoceros A rhinoceros (; ; ), commonly abbreviated to rhino, is a member of any of the five extant species ...

, and

Danny Weis Danny Weis (pronounced ; born September 28, 1948 in Huntington Park, California) is an American guitarist, best known as a founding member of both Iron Butterfly and Rhinoceros, as well as co-writer of Rhinoceros's only charting single, "Apricot ...

) left the band shortly after the album was recorded, leaving drummer Ron Bushy and organist Don Ingle 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 number 78 on the Billboard ChartsJoynson, Vernon (1995)
''Fuzz, Acid, & Flowers''
. London: Borderline Books. and eventually going Gold in the US.

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).

Background

Iron Butterfly had amassed a considerable body of material by the time ''Heavy'' was recorded, much of which was held over for later albums. In addition to the ten songs on ''Heavy'', songs from this era include "

In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" (derived from "In the Garden of Eden") is a song recorded by Iron Butterfly, written by bandmember Doug Ingle and released on their 1968 album of the same name. At slightly over 17 minutes, it occupies the entire second ...

" (later recorded for the album of the same name), "Lonely Boy", "Real Fright", "Filled with Fear" (all later recorded for ''

Ball A ball is a round object (usually spherical, but can sometimes be ovoid) with several uses. It is used in ball games, where the play of the game follows the state of the ball as it is hit, kicked or thrown by players. Balls can also be used f ...

''), "Evil Temptation" (an instrumental version of which was later used as the

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record compan ...

to "Possession"), "It's All Up to You", and "Gloomy Day to Remember".

Reception

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."

Track listing

Personnel

Iron Butterfly

Ron Bushy Ron Bushy (December 23, 1941 – August 29, 2021) was an American drummer best known as a member of the rock band Iron Butterfly and as the drum soloist on the band's iconic song "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", released in 1968 although performed in the ba ...

–

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair of matching drumsticks ...

* Darryl DeLoach –

tambourine The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called " zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, tho ...

, vocals * Doug Ingle –

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

, vocals *

–

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

, vocals *

–

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

Technical

* Brian Stone – producer * Charles Greene – producer * Armando Busich –

artwork A work of art, artwork, art piece, piece of art or art object is an artistic creation of aesthetic value. Except for "work of art", which may be used of any work regarded as art in its widest sense, including works from literature ...

* Joe Ravetz –

photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is emplo ...

Singles

;US singles * "

Don't Look Down on Me "Don't Look Down on Me" is the debut single by American rock band Iron Butterfly. Lead vocals were by Darryl DeLoach with Doug Ingle on organ and backing vocals. The song " Possession", which is on the flip-side, is the same as the version on t ...

" (non-album track) b/w "Possession" (Early Version) * "Unconscious Power" b/w "Possession" * "Iron Butterfly Theme", "Possession" b/w "

Get Out of My Life, Woman "Get Out of My Life, Woman" is a song written by Allen Toussaint and first recorded by Lee Dorsey. It reached number five on the U.S. ''Billboard'' R&B chart and number 44 on the Hot 100 singles chart in 1966. Background In a song review for Al ...

", "Unconscious Power" (Radio EP) ;International singles * "Iron Butterfly Theme" b/w "So-Lo"

References

{{Authority control Iron Butterfly albums 1968 debut albums Atco Records albums Albums produced by Charles Greene (producer) Albums produced by Brian Stone Albums recorded at Gold Star Studios