Back when I was eleven, one of my grade school teachers opted to fill half the ‘in class’ time with music from bands he favored and their by now classic albums. One of them was the 1968 In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida album by Iron Butterfly. He didn’t just play it once. He played it twice a week for several months (along with Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band for the other days).
Iron Butterfly helped to define Acid Rock in a progressive style. And while I never would call them progressive musically, they certainly were an interesting band. They would go on to sell four million copies of In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida in the US. During their prime, they would release seven studio albums, five of them with Atco Records, and their final two with MCA. They would disband in 1975.
On November 27, Esoteric Recordings (UK) will release a 7CD Box containing their Atco Records albums, and pack in 25 bonus tracks (18 previously unreleased. The box will also contain the full sets from April 26 and 27 in 1968 at Fillmore East in NYC. Overall, the box to be called Unconscious Power: An Anthology 1967-1971, will hold 87 tracks, all newly remastered. Their first Atco album, Heavy (1968) will be included in Stereo, and the Mono album (previously unreleased on CD). Live (1970) will also be included as Stereo and Mono. A designed booklet with photos and essay, as well as a poster is added to this boxed set.
Unconscious Power: An Anthology 1967-1971 – Iron Butterfly
CD1 (Heavy) [1968]
Heavy – Stereo Mix
01 Possession
02 Unconscious Power
03 Get Out Of My Life Woman
04 Gentle As It May Seem
05 You Can’t Win
06 So-Lo
07 Look For The Sun
08 Fields Of Sun
09 Stamped Ideas
10 Iron Butterfly Theme
Heavy – Mono Mix
11 Possession
12 Unconscious Power
13 Get Out Of My Life Woman
14 Gentle As It May Seem
15 You Can’t Win
16 So-Lo
17 Look For The Sun
18 Fields Of Sun
19 Stamped Ideas
20 Iron Butterfly Theme
Bonus Tracks
21 Don’t Look Down On Me
22 Possession (1967 Recording)
CD2 (In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida) [1968]
01 Most Anything You Want
02 Flowers and Beads
03 My Mirage
04 Termination
05 Are You Happy
06 In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
Bonus Tracks (A/B-sides – July 1968)
07 Iron Butterfly Theme (Single Version)
08 In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (Single Version)
CD3 (Ball) [1969]
01 In The Time of Our Lives
02 Soul Experience
03 Lonely Boy
04 Real Fright
05 In The Crowds
06 It Must Be Love
07 Her Favourite Style
08 Filled With Fear
09 Beldo-Beast
Bonus Tracks
(A/B-sides – June 1969)
10 In The Time Of Our Lives (Single Version)
11 In The Crowds (Single Version)
A/B-sides – September 1969
12 I Can’t Help But Deceive You, Little Girl
13 To Be Alone
CD4 (Live) [1970]
Stereo Mix
01 In the Time Of Our Lives
02 Filled With Fear
03 Soul Experience
04 You Can’t Win
05 Are You Happy
06 In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
Mono Mix
07 In The Time Of Our Lives
08 Filled With Fear
09 Soul Experience
10 You Can’t Win
11 Are You Happy
12 In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
CD5 (Metamorphosis) [1970]
01 Free Flight
02 New Day
03 Shady Lady
04 Best Years Of Our Life
05 Slower Than Guns
06 Stone Believer
07 Soldier In Our Time
08 Easy Rider (Let The Wind Pay The Way)
09 Butterfly Bleu
Bonus Track
10 Silly Sally (Single – April 1971)
CD6 (Live at The Fillmore East NYC – April 26, 1968)
First Show
01 Fields of Sun
02 You Can’t Win
03 Unconscious Power
04 Are You Happy
05 So-Lo
06 Iron Butterfly Theme
Second Show
07 Stamped Ideas
08 In-A-Gadda Da-Vida
09 So-Lo
10 Iron Butterfly Theme
CD7 (Live at The Fillmore East NYC – April 27, 1968)
First Show
01 Are You Happy
02 Unconscious Power
03 My Mirage
04 So-Lo
05 Iron Butterfly Theme
Second Show
06. Possession
07. My Mirage
08. Are You Happy
09. Her Favourite Style
10. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
11. So-Lo
12. Iron Butterfly Theme