Iron Butterfly

[Edie Antoinette]

I was a big fan of Iron Butterfly back in the day. It was the intro into psychedelia for us--bell bottoms and big hair and flower power. My memories are centered on how long it was--you would be 'all' sweated out if you tried to dance to it..lol Anyway, here's the history of a rare group of blue-eyed soul people:

The band was formed in 1966 in San Diego and released their debut album, Heavy, in 1968, after signing a deal with ATCO, an Atlantic Records subsidiary. The original members were Doug Ingle, Ron Bushy, Jerry "The Bear" Penrod, Darryl DeLoach and Danny Weis. All but Ingle and Bushy left the band after recording the first album in late 1967; the remaining musicians, faced with the possibility of the record not being released, quickly found replacements in bassist Lee Dorman and guitarist Erik Brann (aka Erik Braunn) and resumed touring.

Weis and Penrod almost immediately went on to form the supergroup Rhinoceros.

The 17-minute "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", the title track of their second album, became a Top Thirty hit in the US. (Doug Ingle is reported to have said the title was an alcohol-slurred version of "In the Garden of Eden", although this is probably apocryphal; see the song's page.) The members when In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida was recorded were Doug Ingle (keyboards and vocals), Lee Dorman (bass guitar), Ron Bushy (drums) and 17-year-old Erik Brann, also Braunn (guitar). The next album, Ball, topped the charts but more lineup changes followed. In 1970 with Erik Brann gone, Iron Butterfly released their fourth album, Metamorphosis with two new members, guitarist / vocalist / songwriter Mike Pinera (whose Blues Image had opened for the Butterfly's Vida tour and who later led Ramatam and played with Alice Cooper) and guitarist Larry "Rhino" Reinhardt. The album only managed to get into the top twenty. The band broke up in 1971. Dorman and Reinhardt later became members of the supergroup Captain Beyond.

The band was booked to play at Woodstock, but got stuck at an airport. When their manager called the promoters of the concert, they explained the incredible situation they had been dealt and asked for patience. However, the manager demanded that the Butterfly be flown in by helicopter whereupon they would "immediately" take the stage. After their set they would be paid and flown back to the airport. The manager was told that this would be taken into consideration and he would be called back. In truth, his outrageous demands were never given a second thought.

Iron Butterfly classic line-up. From left to right : Ingle, Bushy, Dorman and Brann

The band re-formed in 1974 with Ron Bushy and Eric Brann joined by bassist Philip Taylor Kramer and Howard Reitzes. (Kramer later made news with his 1995 disappearance and the discovery of his bones and minivan at the bottom of Decker Canyon in 1999). The albums released during this lineup: Scorching Beauty in 1975 with Reitzes and Sun and Steel early 1976 with DeMartines.

A very brief semi-reunion in 1978, enlisting Jimi Henderson on vocals and former Van der Graaf Generator / The Koobas / Juicy Lucy / Spooky Tooth bassist Keith Ian Ellis, imploded during a tour of Germany, when Ellis was found dead in a motel room.

The famous line-up of In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida got together for the Atlantic Recording Corporation's 40th anniversary concert and celebration, appearing on stage along with the surviving members of Led Zeppelin, and with Aretha Franklin among many other acts of the company's roster in 1988.

On October 3, 2002, original guitarist/vocalist Darryl DeLoach died of liver cancer at the age of 56.

On July 31, 2003 Erik Brann died of cardiac failure at the age of 52. He was working on a new solo album at the time of his death. The album to date remains unreleased, although friends and family of Brann are working on seeing its release.

As of 2004, the group is once again re-formed, and is touring with early members Ron Bushy and Lee Dorman. Iron Butterfly is now working on a new album that should be released in mid-late 2007.

[Edie Antoinette]

Yeah--they give the 'real' stuff to certain ones like cancer patients and those with glaucoma--but the THC me and my husband ingested was NOT the active ingredient in cannabis. We were idiots! But thanks C.

I love this cut too. They tear it up at around 9:00 like you say..give the drummer some! LOL

[Shelley "SoleMann" King]

Another case that has always fascinated me although i know i'm going off the blog topic is Charles Manson and LSD...I have read Helter Skelter 3 times and watched every movie and documentary on the case....Just found out that Sammy Davis Jr. was supposed to be in the Tate house that night....He was friends with Tate and his Hairstylist Jay Sebring was also one of the victims.

[Shelley "SoleMann" King]

[Shelley "SoleMann" King]

LSD, also known as acid, was first synthesized on November 16, 1938[1] by Swiss chemist Dr. Albert Hofmann at the Sandoz Laboratories in Basel, Switzerland.

On April 19, 1943 Dr. Hofmann intentionally ingested 250 µg of LSD, which he hypothesized would be a threshold dose, based on other ergot alkaloids. After ingesting the substance Hofmann was struggling to speak intelligibly and asked his laboratory assistant, who knew of the self-experiment, to escort him home on his bicycle, due to no vehicles being available from wartime restrictions.

On the bicycle ride home, Hofmann's condition became more severe and in his journal he stated that everything in his field of vision wavered and was distorted, as if seen in a curved mirror. Hofmann also stated that while riding on the bicycle, he had the sensation of being stationary, unable to move from where he was, despite the fact that he was moving very rapidly. Once Hofmann arrived safely home, he summoned a doctor and asked his neighbor for milk, believing it may help relieve the symptoms. Hofmann wrote that despite his delirious and bewildered condition, he was able to choose milk as a nonspecific antidote for poisoning.

Upon arriving the doctor could find no abnormal physical symptoms other than extremely dilated pupils. After spending several hours terrified that his body had been possessed by a demon, that his next door neighbor was a witch, and that his furniture was threatening him, that Albert Einstein was chasing him with a kitchen knife, Dr. Hofmann feared he had become completely insane.

In his journal Hoffman said that the doctor saw no reason to prescribe medication and instead sent him to his bed. At this time Hofmann said that the feelings of fear had started to give way to feelings of good fortune and gratitude, and that he was now enjoying the colors and plays of shapes that persisted behind his closed eyes. Hoffman mentions seeing "fantastic images" surging past him, alternating and opening and closing themselves into circles and spirals and finally exploding into colored fountains and then rearranging themselves in a constant flux. Hofmann mentions that during the condition every acoustic perception, such as the sound of a passing automobile, was transformed into optical perceptions.

Eventually Hoffman slept and upon awakening the next morning felt refreshed and clearheaded, though somewhat physically tired. He also stated that he had a sensation of well being and renewed life and that his breakfast tasted unusually delicious. Upon walking in his garden he remarked that all of his senses were "vibrating in a condition of highest sensitivity, which then persisted for the entire day".

[Shelley "SoleMann" King]

You can just imagine how stoopid we looked sitting with our legs crossed rolling baked banana peels..

ROFLMBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

BWAAAAAA...To bad you ain't got a pic of that....LOL

[Edie Antoinette]

The closest me and my first husband ever came to that kinna stuff was our experiment with THC. It stands for Tetrahydrocannabinol-the pure factor of weed, but that mess wasn't nothing pure..it was these little teenie granuals that they say was 'really' horse tranqulizer!

What dopes (pun intended) we were. We got into weed by accident and once my then husband told me he heard baked banana peels could get you high..so our behinds had the 'nerve' to try it.

You can just imagine how stoopid we looked sitting with our legs crossed rolling baked banana peels..

ROFLMBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[Edie Antoinette]

You know it! C'mon--"In-a-gadda-da-vida=In The Garden of Eden???" Yeah, they was on SOME kinna trip.

LSD was the thing then..check out these facts on it:

LSD stands for d-Lysergic Acid Diethylamide; it is a potent psychedelic drug derived from the fungus ergot. It has a profound effect on one’s nervous system affecting the way one thinks and perceives the surroundings. It is known to induce hallucinations in the user which depending on the dose may have an effect for as long as 72 hours. LSD’s street name is acid also known by names like stars, trips and strawberries; it is usually available in the form of bits of paper with the drug painted on it that are licked or in liquid or granular form. LSD primarily causes one to lose receptivity to the dimensions of time and space; it results in the person reacting unpredictably to various things. LSD also results in the user reliving past memories which may include unpleasant ones or his imagination may create a world of its own that could result in the user being badly terrified and may suffer a panic attack. There are several cases in which people have injured themselves or worse when under the influence of LSD. Long term effects of LSD on the psychological level are mental instability and paranoia that could lead to insanity while on the physical level it is known to cause sudden death due to heart failure.

[Shelley "SoleMann" King]

Interesting group with a sound meant for that era...How much you wanna bet that they dropped a few tabs of acid back in the day....LOL