In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
Studio album by
Iron Butterfly
ReleasedJune 14, 1968
RecordedFirst half of 1968 (side two was recorded on May 27, 1968)
Studio
Genre
Length36:15
LabelAtco
ProducerJim Hilton
Iron Butterfly chronology
Heavy
(1968) 		In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
(1968) 		Ball
(1969)
Singles from In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
  1. "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (edited)"
    Released: July 31, 1968

In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is the second studio album by the American rock band Iron Butterfly, released in June 1968. It is most known for its title track, 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 albums chart.[1][2] It sold more than eight million copies within its first year of release,[3] outselling every record in the history of recorded music to that time,[4] and achieved worldwide sales of over 30 million copies.[a] It was the biggest selling album for the year 1969 in the US.[12] For a number of years it was the biggest selling item in Atlantic Records' catalogue.[13] It was officially certified a Gold album in 1968 in the United States, then on January 26, 1993, it was certified 4× Platinum.[14]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[15]
Rolling StoneNegative[16]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[17]

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine calls the title track "the epitome of heavy psychedelic excess," and feels that the rest of the songs "qualify as good artifacts."[15] It was voted number 783 in Colin Larkin's All Time Top 1000 Albums.[18]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Doug Ingle, except "Termination", by Erik Brann and Lee Dorman.

Side one

  1. "Most Anything You Want" – 3:44
  2. "Flowers and Beads" – 3:09
  3. "My Mirage" – 4:55
  4. "Termination" – 2:53
  5. "Are You Happy" – 4:31

Side two

  1. "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" – 17:05

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": the 17:05 studio version; the 19-minute live version from Iron Butterfly's Live (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 flapping its wings and the band members jamming to the song.

Personnel

Iron Butterfly

All arrangements by Iron Butterfly

Technical

Charts

Chart performance for In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
Chart (1968–1970) Position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[20] 14
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[21] 5
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[22] 11
US Billboard 200[1] 4
1969 year-end chart performances for In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
Chart (1969) Position
US Billboard 200[12] 1
Chart performance for singles from In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
Year Single Chart Position
1968 "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" US Billboard Hot 100[23] 30

Certifications

‹See Tfd›‹See Tfd›
Certifications for In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[24] Platinum 70,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[25] Gold 50,000^
France (SNEP)[26] Gold 100,000*
Germany (BVMI)[27] Platinum 500,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[28]
2001 release 		Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[29] 4× Platinum 4,000,000^
Summaries
Worldwide — 30,000,000[a]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Singles

US singles

Overseas singles

Notes

  1. ^ a b Attributed to multiple references:[5][6][7][8][9][10][11]

References

  1. ^ a b "Iron Butterfly Chart History: Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  2. ^ Joynson, Vernon (1995). Fuzz, Acid, & Flowers Archived August 25, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. London: Borderline Books
  3. ^ March, Jeff (1999). Echoes of the Sixties. Billboard Books. p. 17. ISBN 978-0-8230-83169.
  4. ^ "Legendary band Iron Butterfly to perform in Kennett April 4". March 21, 2019. Archived from the original on June 3, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  5. ^ Harford, Jeff (October 6, 2012). "Gloriously indulgent orgy from Iron Butterfly". Otago Daily Times Online News. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  6. ^ "Iron Butterfly's Lee Dorman dies in Laguna Niguel". Orange County Register. December 22, 2012. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  7. ^ Coleman, Miriam (December 22, 2012). "Iron Butterfly Bassist Lee Dorman Dead at 70". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  8. ^ "Lee Dorman, Iron Butterfly bassist, dies at 70". Associated Press. March 26, 2015. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  9. ^ "Iron Butterfly bassist dies at 70". TODAY.com. December 22, 2012. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  10. ^ "Saturday Evening Post -Iron Butterfly brings Metal to the Charts". www.saturdayeveningpost.com. July 20, 2018. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  11. ^ "London Free Press- Iron Butterfly Bassist Lee Dorman Dead At 70". lfpress.com. December 22, 2012. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  12. ^ a b "Billboard.com - Year End Charts - Year-end Albums - The Billboard 200". Billboard. January 16, 2008. Archived from the original on January 16, 2008. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  13. ^ Larkin, Colin (1997). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Sixties Music. Virgin Books. p. 247. ISBN 9780753501498.
  14. ^ "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Retrieved October 10, 2019.
  15. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida - Iron Butterfly". Allmusic. Retrieved August 24, 2005.
  16. ^ Pomeroy, Jim (November 23, 1968). "Records". Rolling Stone. San Francisco: Straight Arrow Publishers, Inc. Retrieved July 15, 2014.
  17. ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
  18. ^ Colin Larkin, ed. (2000). All Time Top 1000 Albums (3rd ed.). Virgin Books. p. 246. ISBN 0-7535-0493-6.
  19. ^ "Combo Organ Discography".
  20. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 149. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  21. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Iron Butterfly – In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  22. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Iron Butterfly – In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  23. ^ "Billboard Hot 100 - Iron Butterfly". Billboard. Retrieved July 30, 2020.
  24. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2001 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  25. ^ "Canadian Gold For WB, Atl. LP's" (PDF).
  26. ^ "French album certifications – Iron Butterfly – In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved March 7, 2020. Select IRON BUTTERFLY and click OK. 
  27. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Iron Butterfly; 'In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved August 20, 2016.
  28. ^ "British album certifications – Iron Butterfly – In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 27, 2019.
  29. ^ "American album certifications – Iron Butterfly – In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 20, 2016.
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