''In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida'' is the second studio album by the American 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 in June 1968. It is most known for its

title track A title track is a song that has the same name as the album or film in which it appears. In the Korean music industry, the term is used to describe a promoted song on an album, akin to a single, regardless of the song's title. Title track may a ...

, a 17-minute composition which occupies the whole of Side B. The ''In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida'' album peaked at number 4 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'' albums chart.Joynson, Vernon (1995)
''Fuzz, Acid, & Flowers''
. London: Borderline Books It sold more than eight million copies within its first year of release, outselling every record in the history of recorded music to that time, and achieved worldwide sales of over 30 million copies. It was the biggest selling album for the year 1969 in the US. For a number of years it was the biggest selling item in Atlantic Records' catalogue. It was officially certified a Gold album in 1968 in the United States, then on January 26, 1993, it was certified 4× Platinum.

Reception

In a retrospective review for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Music ...

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, oc ...

calls the title track "the epitome of heavy psychedelic excess," and feels that the rest of the songs "qualify as good artifacts." It was voted number 783 in

Colin Larkin Colin Larkin (born 1949) is a British writer and entrepreneur. He founded, and was the editor-in-chief of, the '' Encyclopedia of Popular Music'', described by '' The Times'' as "the standard against which all others must be judged". Along w ...

's ''

All Time Top 1000 Albums ''All Time Top 1000 Albums'' is a book by Colin Larkin, creator and editor of the '' Encyclopedia of Popular Music''. The book was first published by Guinness Publishing in 1994. The list presented is the result of over 200,000 votes cast by t ...

''.

Track listing

Original LP

1995 deluxe edition bonus tracks

Deluxe edition

A "deluxe edition" of ''In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida'' was released in 1995. It included material from newly discovered first-generation master tapes, bonus recordings, and a 36-page booklet with photos. This re-release includes three versions of "

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 ...

": the 17:05 studio version; the 19-minute live version from Iron Butterfly's ''

Live Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film *'' ''Live'' (Apocalyptica DVD) Music * Live (band), American alternative rock band * List of album ...

'' (which includes a short organ intro), and the 2:52 single edit. The deluxe edition also includes a new cover, similar to the original, but with a moving

butterfly Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The group compris ...

flapping its wings and the band members jamming to the song.

Personnel

Iron Butterfly *

Erik Brann Erik Keith Brann (born Rick Davis; August 11, 1950 – July 25, 2003), also known as Erik Braunn, was an American guitarist with the 1960s acid rock band Iron Butterfly. He was featured on the band's greatest hit, the 17-minute ''In-A-Gadda-Da-V ...

– guitar, vocals (track 4) *

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, percussion *

Lee Dorman Douglas Lee Dorman (September 15, 1942 – December 21, 2012) was an American bass guitarist best known as a member of the psychedelic rock band Iron Butterfly. After replacing Jerry Penrod following Iron Butterfly’s debut album, Dorman had f ...

– bass guitar, backing vocals * Doug Ingle –

Vox Continental The Vox Continental is a transistorised combo organ that was manufactured between 1962 and 1971 by the British musical equipment manufacturer Vox. It was designed for touring musicians and as an alternative to the heavy Hammond organ. It supp ...

organ, vocals All arrangements by Iron Butterfly Technical * Jim Hilton – producer, engineer * Bill Cooper – mixing engineer * Don Casale – engineer * Loring Eutemey – artwork *

Stephen Paley Stephen Drew Paley (born March 2, 1942, New York City, United States) is an American photographer, radio producer, television producer, music supervisor and actor. His photographs have appeared in ''Life'', ''Look'', ''Vogue'', ''Newsweek'', ''Ro ...

– photography

Charts

Certifications

Singles

US singles * "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" b/w "Iron Butterfly Theme" (both are edited versions) – Atco 6606 * "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" b/w "Soul Experience" – Atlantic Oldies Series 13076 Overseas singles * "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", "Flowers and Beads" b/w "My Mirage" (EP release) * "Termination" b/w "Most Anything You Want"

References

{{Authority control Iron Butterfly albums 1968 albums Atco Records albums Atlantic Records albums Albums recorded at Gold Star Studios