Iron Butterfly, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida - A Classical Musician’s First Listen and Reaction

[@claymccoy]

Kudos for listening to the full length version.

[@petervandebeek5980]

Is the only version that should be listening to. I have the original single somewhere, but it's just off.

[@jeffking4176]

@@petervandebeek5980 Agreed 📻🙂

[@TheCelltek]

@@jeffking4176 Agreed!

[@Mixey360]

I didn't think I'd ever see anyone react to this song. What a treat.

[@timkeane7469]

The original title was In the Garden of Eden but Ingle (organist and vocalist) drunkenly sang it as Ina gada da vida. They liked it and left it. Music history was made

[@purefoldnz3070]

in the garden of eden baby....

[@manontherails4937]

Been there...i've been there

[@richardkawucha1232]

Ingle was plastered when he sang it.

[@alin02919]

The censors of that time felt that saying “In the garden of Eden was to risqué. Truth, I was alive rock ‘n roller at the time.

[@WilliamJCaryIII]

Exactly

[@jonswebilius6900]

The first time I heard this, I was in the army, stationed in Virginia. As you said, it was 1968. A different world from the one you know. It was early evening when one of my buddies came into the barracks and called out, “Hey! You guys GOTTA hear this.” We all sauntered down to his rack as he set up his cheap record player on his foot locker and put the album on. We stood there and listened. We were not sophisticated. We never dissected music for intellectual enlightenment. We couldn’t. We wouldn’t know how. We were just low-ranking common soldiers hot and sweaty after a long-day’s work, standing there - listening. Strange. The song was so uncharacteristically long, and yet we listened. Then, when it finally ended… DAMN! We stood there and listened again! I wish I could explain what we all experienced that night, but no. You hadda be there. You hadda know what we knowed. Don’t get me wrong. It wasn’t a life-altering experience, but it was significant. Today, I tell your generation that the Beatles’ music dominated the 1960s, but that In A Dadda Da Vida more truly represents the era.

[@lloydrobinson4877]

After I came back from Vietnam, sometimes I would set my pioneer speakers with 12 inch woofers on the floor, pointed towards each other and I would lay between them and play this Iron Butterfly song or the 1812 Overture, with cannon, over and over. It was very relaxing and peaceful for me even playing it loud. Thank you, that was a great memory still today.

[@dyson9422]

That is how I listed to my favorite music too when I lived in an apartment. I called it getting inside the music.

[@johnguess5675]

Thought you were going to say when you got back from Vietnam it was still playing

[@deanjarva1373]

I remember when Bart Simpson got his church congregation to sing this. "Hey Marge, remember when we used to make out to this hymn?" Good times.

[@claymccoy]

"In the Garden of Eden" by I. Ron Butterfly.

[@BlindGordie]

I was thinking the same thing and this reminds me, that maybe Amy could do some TV themes, video game or movie music, or something like that in the future. Also on The Simpsons, why not do them and all their albums, whether it's songs from the TV show or not? There is plenty to go around and spread over a good amount of time.

[@hullbarrett]

_"This sounds like Rock and/or Roll."_ 🤣

[@davidgessin-mccully3919]

The organist passing out or dying, its ambiguous, lmfao after I think it says 15 minutes later makes me almost cry even after all these years when that episode came out.

[@larsonjc]

"Hey Marge, remember when we used to make out to this hymn."

[@terrykennedy-lares8840]

Welcome to the world of Psychedelic Rock which preceded the Heavy Metal era. Thank you so much for doing this one! It took me back to that era. So, to understand this I'm glad you were wearing headphones, because this and other songs by like, the Beatles on St. Peppers, and Revolver and the White albumn, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, and Pink Floyd (you should listen to some of the Meddle album) were created for pure listening pleasure especially when we old Hippies were smoking weed or tripping on LSD. You talked so well about how it took you on a trip. That's what it was supposed to do. The Lyrics as you have probably figured out were inconsequencial and your giggling about that was appropriate. They were silly, just meant to drag you into the trip. This was the time that quadrophonic sound (surround sound) was made prominent. In the Hippie movement this was a great part of our social activity. Going to our friends "pads" , getting high, lying around on the floor with a great stereo system, and listening to great musics that took you on "trips" in your mind. Lot's of us got to know the classical greats like, Beethoven, Bach, Vivaldi, etc. this way. A Hippie could be dirt poor, but always had weed, munchies, and a great stereo system. LOL Another interesting factoid was that the names of the groups Led Zeppelin, Iron Butterfly, and others were chosen to describe the mixture of light and heavy sounds in their music.

[@WastrelWay]

Then there's Quicksilver Messenger Service that experimented with chamber music in "The Fool" and symphonic-style music in "Calvary". "Calvary" really stretches the limits of what a four-piece band can do, and I think it's never been equaled. That was 1969.

[@jefft2485]

More research was needed on your part as to the history of band members earlier lives especially to the organist Doug Engel, you would know how he got his style of churchy baroque bach sound. If you keep in mind the bastardized title thinly disguised In The Garden Of Eden, the 'Jungle' sound guitars are the representation of the voices of the serpent, papa Dios, and the culprit couple Adam and Eve. Keeping that in mind you can follow the conversations fairly closely. This album gained popularity just for the drum solo not for intensely or bombastic complexity but for the fact that the drums were fitted with electric pick-ups much like the ones on electric guitars, it's obvious if you know what drums actually sound like. The tone of the drums changes all thru this song and actually add to the melody of the song as much as percusion. This is a trait I look for in truly great drummers being able to make drums add to or drive the melody of the tune instead of just keeping time or punctuate the rhythm. Ginger Baker I think was the very best at this. Your analysis of this tune was very good I think but better if more background was known. In many discussions about who/when heavy metal started this band was in my mind is where it solidified especially on their album 'Ball' or 'Heavy. Thank you so much for your efforts, you give me so many insights as to why I like music so much

[@terrykennedy-lares8840]

@@jefft2485 While you presented interesting information directed at Amy it was inappropriately tagged on to my comment. Next time post it in your own comment and it won't get lost in the mix.

[@edifying]

Nice comment. Very apt description of the time and the purpose of much of the music back then. A great deal of what my friends and I listened to was not meant for background music. Pink Floyd, King Crimson, Moody Blues, etc. Like you, it was at this time I found classical music with Bach, Beethoven, Bartok, and Stravinsky, being my favorites. Listen to everything the Kronos Quartet and Terry Riley put out to this day. Also led me into becoming a big fan of Jazz Fusion with, of course, Miles being the pinnacle of that mountain.

[@mudducke8]

Great description of psychedelic rock. I "discovered" psychedelic rock in Navy boot camp in early 75. We had a stereo in our break room. I was napping under one of the tables when someone put Dark Side of the Moon on. When the bells on Time started, I set, or tired to set straight up. Hit my head on the bottom of the table then the floor. I've been hooked on Pink Floyd and psychedelic rock ever since.

[@daveman15]

Amy, I'm loving your reaction to the first part - you're so amused - I think, because of its naivete. Back in the day, when I was 12 years old, we took it quite seriously! Moving into the instrumental section, you seem to be listening harder. This was the first "long jam" to become popular in the pop/rock genre. Basically, one chord revolving around the bass ostinato, which creates almost a trance. As you say, creating a ground for gradual development. Challenging for a musician to sustain interest, but I do think this recording holds up. It helped at the time that many of the listeners were enjoying this song while relaxing with some herb. I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@ilionreactor1079]

Almost a jazz improvisation format, where the rhythm section vamps over the same figure and someone "takes twelve bars," complete with the breakdown.

[@daveman15]

@@ilionreactor1079 Absolutely. Modal jazz albums such as "Kind of Blue" and "Take Five" got our ears ready for long-format jams over minimal chord changes.

[@cleverlies4713]

Has she listened to Kenny Rodgers sing Jut Dropped In (to see what condition my condition was in), with the First Edition, 1966.

[@markpashia7067]

@@ilionreactor1079 Oh you have it so WRONG. This song was structured and composed as a guide for LSD tripping and every note was plotted to impact emotions and create visions. Nothing impromptu at all. If it had it would have broken the spell and caused a bad trip.

[@turdferguson3475]

The organ blending in to the end of the drum solo is one of my favorite moments in music.

[@theironbutterflychannel9400]

Dun Dun da da. I love that parts especially the left hand part

[@J.R.Psych74]

It's hypnotic. Great to enjoy with a spliff. 😙👌💭

[@dyson9422]

I first heard of In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida in 1969 in the Philippines, but the first time I heard it was in 1970 while walking across a college campus. It was a live performance in a small indoor basketball court. I was able to get close to an exterior door where people were dancing. Headphones can't give the the sensations in the abdomen and chest. It was one of the best experiences of my life.

[@garylester8621]

Ron Bushy's drum solo wasn't fast and flashy, but It was melodically beautiful.

[@jemogan]

Saw him play it with Mike Pinera's Iron Butterfly at a bar here in Denver years ago. I wasn't more than 15 feet away at the time. As a long time rock band guitar player I was quite interested to see how he went about playing it. The skills he was using were tremendous, playing in different places on the drum heads to vary the sounds, and using tons of dynamics, rather than just pounding them all through the solo. I had always thought that the wavering sounds of the drum solo on the record was courtesy of some recording effects. Nope. It was ALL his technique. It's no wonder this drum solo went down in history in spite of it not being overly complex. First album I ever bought and I've always loved it, even though my tastes leaned against prog-rock later on. Many kudos to Amy for noticing and appreciating the wonderfulness of the solo.

[@garylester8621]

@ cool story 👍

[@WastrelWay]

No cymbals!

[@jemogan]

Good point! Unless you count the pedal hi-hat that comes in on the offbeat halfway through... I don't think I do....​@@WastrelWay

[@Phillyfan45]

Tropical Jungle…wait til she gets to the 10 minute drum solo…the ultimate drummer workout.

[@harlandnelson8278]

In March 1968 Iron Butterfly performed at my high school, South High, Torrance, California. I was a Junior. They performed In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida at this gig. No one had ever heard this song before. This was months before the song was ever recorded and released. During the drum solo the rest of the band left the stage in the auditorium to take a break. Then one by one they returned and fell in on their instruments. The audience was enthralled over this performance. Ron Bushy, the drummer passed away on Aug 29, 2021 at age 79. Doug Ingle, vocalist and organist. was the last surviving member of the group passing on May 24 2024 at age 78.

[@johnverkler3962]

Awwww maaaaan. I didn't know that! Didn't the album say they did this song all at once in '1 take'?

[@tonythegoodman]

That's so cool..

[@paulalansmith]

wow Harland, I also went to South High In Torrance :). but I JUST missed this one - went from 69 -73. I did see Jimmie Carl Black's Geronimo band (some Mothers of Invention), and I had a chance and tried to get Focus to play there (Hocus Pocus) but some squared-y cats on the student council thought there might be a rock n roll riot ... Anyway, I ended up playing in lots of bands later, some touring and studio, and played In-a-gadda-da-vida with maybe 20 or 30 different bands. I did it with some good players at Burning Man over last Labor Day ... small world , kind of :)

[@angelaackerman8934]

May they rest in peace. I have this album since it was released in 1968. My kids will inherit some great records.

[@bluehuerue6893]

A drum solo not smothered with cymbals: fairly rare!

[@robertflowers5389]

This is considered ACID Rock. You will never find another rock song quite like this. Masterpiece.

[@keithkruse2595]

Never say never. The Moody Blues’s Knights In White Satin. Like you said, Acid Rock.

[@arthurshingler2025]

​@@keithkruse2595 Nah..... not even close.

[@matty1953565962]

You might be surprised to learn that Rolling Stone Magazine referred to this work as “trash”. As an organist and music professor, I’ve always thought that it seamlessly blends elements like minimalism and Baroque counterpoint to paint a very evocative picture. Nice to know that you agree!

[@stevebird9510]

Rolling Stone Magazine is TRASH so I wouldn't put much stock in sny of their biassed opinions.

[@daveman15]

RS - a bunch of snobs.

[@malaquiasalfaro81]

The psychedelic was so experimental, there was bound to be some songs that didn’t fit everyone’s taste. Personally this song along with others from the late 60’s were stepping stones for me to listening to longer pieces of music, to classical pieces themselves as well as traditional Indian folk (not Raga Rock.) So I’m very appreciative of these attempts to meld multiple style, they opened my mind (pun very much intended.)

[@RZK1966]

Well they never were very bright at Rolling Stone.

[@LucSchots]

The sustained bass line makes the whole thing very hypnotuc

[@michaelhughes838]

You need to react to. Hocus pocus. By. Focus

[@mikeconway9849]

Great reaction, Amy! I haven't listened to this song in 35 or 40 years at least. It was nice hearing it again, and i really enjoyed your comments.

[@richardruss7481]

Being really really high improves this song immensely.

[@cesarnarro6013]

Even just a little bit high as well 🥹

[@jefff3886]

I'm sure Iron Butterfly thought the same thing as they wrote it....

[@tomas347]

nothing can make this song anything but junk

[@richardruss7481]

@@tomas347 Have you ever smoked weed?

[@bloemundude]

@@tomas347 Blasphemer!! No magic brownie for you.

[@StephenBoulis]

So glad you enjoyed this. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida was a seminal piece in rock history that helped push rock music beyond the pop oriented three and a half minute paradigm and helped clear the path for both prog rock and metal. I couldn't tell if you caught the musical reference to "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" that was the basis for the exploratory theme the organist was playing around with. Once you hear it, you can't unhear it. As highly modified as it was much of the time, it really was foundational to most of the organ parts. Another great "long form" work from the period was "Salisbury" by the band Uriah Heep. They are completely different songs, but they do share the same cohesive quality through a wide range of interwoven themes and styles that masterfully takes you on a musical adventure.

[@wardka]

Yes, I've always heard God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman lurking in the background of the organ solo in places. Sadly I was already heavily into Jethro Tull when I first heard this. I thought Tull had referenced it first in a rock context, but evidently not.

[@StephenBoulis]

@@wardka 100%. Of course you are aware that Jethro Tull also took "long form rock composition" to an early pinnacle with Thick as a Brick, which was a single through composed piece that comprised both sides of an album. I only mention it because I would love to see this channel give its attention to that full length Magnum Opus at some point. Definitely an example of rock music at it's finest.

[@ReubenAotearoa]

Would love to see more react/reviewers get into Uriah Heep - the Anthrax of early English Hard Rock / Metal. Right up there with Sabbath, Purple and Zeppelin but for some inexplicable reason now overlooked compared to the others.

[@mwflanagan1]

Hands up if you drummed the drum solo on a table, book or your lap while it played.

[@kittehboiDJ]

Oh yes, I memorized that as a kid!

[@b1bmsgt]

Kitchen counter…

[@marcelqueiroz8613]

Finally a rock piece this week! A great classic. I love your enthusiastic analysis of this song.

[@johngleason9407]

This song is the main reason I wound up a composer, blew my brains apart when I was just 10 years old and happily I have never recovered 🤪

[@mikeduncan3953]

2 years ago: *guitar squeal* "Such annoying factory noise!" Now: *guitar squeal* "Is that a herd of elephants?" Ah, they grow up so fast!

[@neilpatrickhairless]

I always thought the guitar solo sounded like dinosaurs lol

[@mikeduncan3953]

@@neilpatrickhairless How do you know what dinosaurs sound like?!!!

[@bobbrinkerhoff3592]

It was supposed to be whale sounds .

[@johnsilva9139]

@@mikeduncan3953 From "Jurassic Park" maybe?

[@mikeduncan3953]

@@johnsilva9139 Ooooh, well as long as you know what a mix of an elephant and a backwards lion roar sounds like.

[@audiophileman7047]

Here we go. 🤩You're on a roll with this one, Amy. In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is an absolute psychedelic rock classic. 😻

[@zredband]

There is youthful exuberance, naivety, and even precociousness to this song. It just blew my mind when I first heard it in the 70s. And I still love it, not in spite of what it is, but because of what it is.

[@kennethbartlett4302]

I always thought of Iron Butterfly like a really edgy psychedelic Partridge Family, particularly this whole album. Their first album is much heavier. Somehow they get lost in the talk of Hard Rock and Metal but these guys were light years ahead of their time and extremely important in the genre.

[@frisco4758]

Interesting anecdote. 30 years ago Jim Kerr, a radio DJ in NYC, told a story where he went to see Iron Butterfly at a local club (I think it was the Fillmore East) in 1969. Led Zeppelin opened for them. Iron Butterfly came out and played In a Gadda da vida for over two hours!! 😂

[@christophermollan1684]

This is one of those songs that you just close your eyes...get into the vibe...and let it take you on that journey...and you will not be disappointed...great reaction!!!!!!

[@johncamarano183]

I don't know about all that "first metal song.." but it was definitely THE psychedelic song. The whole coloring book reference I think is perfect. Great song, and the drum solo is awesome the journey it takes you on.

[@michaelbrown8619]

The first metal song was “Fireball” by believe it or not “The Mercy” B side to “Love Can Make You Happy”.

[@stratocruising]

Title = drunk-speak for "In the Garden of Eden" When I was in High school, ('69-'72) A guy named James used to park his van just outside the school's baseball fields and leave it unlocked. He had this song on a cassette and two big speakers in the otherwise empty van. Lots of folks used to skip class, go out to his van and smoke joints for an hour or so. Listening to this song echoing in full stereo all the time. Nobody ever ripped him off. I was proud of us for that.

[@SuperSushidog]

That was the first riff I ever learned, back in 69, so I smell what you're steppin' in bro. Peace!

[@philrodriguez1948]

Thank you. Saw them live in 1968 during my freshman year of college. The school had a concert series with a variety of bands. So that same year I caught the Four Seasons live. Mind warp!

[@johnseely8781]

My very first rock LP was Iron Butterfly Live. One entire side was In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. Dad had a mono Hi-Fi setuo with a tube amplifier and a single very large speaker, similar to a Klipsch corner-horn. The neighborhood kids would come over and we'd listen to this song over and over, sometimes just repeating the drum solo. I think Mom had to drink an extra glass of wine while making dinner on those days. ;-)

[@bluetopguitar1104]

My parents had a big turntable and radio with a tube amp and speaker like that, all in two beautiful cabinets. My parents liked the Beatles so we could crank it a little. Love your story.

[@tinahorne6018]

At 8 years old I was captivated by this. My teenage neighbor was washing his car and blasting this. I was in heaven. Then at 13 my classical music teacher played this for us to practice our listening skills. She was fun and brilliant.

[@greg7129]

That is interesting ....... and very Groooovy !!

[@tobytanzer]

I was 15 when this came out - a violin student and self taught organ dabbler. I also was taken by the gradual transitions along classical lines. It was unlike anything else on the radio. The baroque feel to the organ drew me into it too.

[@ilionreactor1079]

When the midnight-to-six DJ needed a bathroom break...

[@unusual686]

More like a "smoke" break..

[@Mixey360]

lol. True. It was either this or stairway to heaven.

[@orcaflotta7867]

@@unusual686Smoke in the bathroom, why not. Remember in 68 everybody smoked - everywhere. All sorts.

[@orcaflotta7867]

@@Mixey360 Stairway is too short.

[@vonVile]

The Queen double whammy of "We Will Rock You" into "We Are The Champions" is the standard.

[@markforeman7082]

Great analysis and insight. Only now this stage of life do I pause to appreciate what I lived through. As teenagers we would get so excited when the radio disc jockeys would play the entire track uninterrupted. At the time, stereophonic sound was still finding footing in music albums. Newer electronics were emerging to allow listening and appreciating the stereo. Most in my circle did not nor could not afford headphones. Speaker placement and laying on the floor between them did the job.

[@continental_drift]

I still have the album i bought in 1968.

[@arthurshingler2025]

Me too..... bought in San Francisco....in 1970 It was a dance hall music closer then. Brought down the house, every time!

[@peters.6343]

Me too.

[@Jack-g3z]

Even though I listen to this infrequently now, I can still hear it in context of being 14 years old when it was released. It seemed evocative and revelatory as compared to other pop music at the time. Thanks for the treat.

[@Mr5thWave]

"I could spend more time with it." I've spent the last 56 years with it, and it's new every time.

[@jinggaddi]

The way she picked up on the cartoon element and primary colors without knowing it was featured on The Simpsons is astounding. Coupled with the fact that Simpsons animation resembles that of a coloring book and Bart's colors are primary colors -- red shirt, blue shorts, and yellow skin. Ay caramba!!!!

[@DavidWisner-yd3kd]

I saw Iron Butterfly live in 1969. The song was longer with a longer drum solo. It was fantastic. The album In-Gadda-Da-Vida was one of the first albums I bought.

[@RichardFraser-y9t]

This sounds like rock and/or roll

[@Fang70]

And now please rise for our opening hymn "In The Garden of Eden" by I. Ron Butterfly

[@moi01887]

"And". Definitely "and".

[@dogsmusicbookstravelscience]

Among the best moments ever on TV, that.

[@satorimystic]

Such a great reaction and analysis of one of the most iconic, classic `60's-flavored songs that's ever been produced. Thanks for pointing out the value of patient, active listening to a musical piece. The rewards are well worth the attentive expanse.

[@simonkoster]

I saw the title pop up in my feed and didn't hesitate a second: Got to see this! I think I get your "cartoon" vibe though.

[@LeeKennison]

Amy, I know I have said several times before this is my all time favorite reaction so far, which can start to sound meaningless as many times as I have said that. So I guess it is very much like my love of music itself, I tend to have lots of favorites. And coincidentally, this piece (much more than a song) has been one of my all time favorites of all time. So I am glad these two instances of different type of favorites, and yet not, since they are centered around our love of music, have come together on this one. Finally, this piece has gotten the attention and appreciation it deserves (we knew it back then, but then we tend to forget over the years). So I am so happy someone from your generation and talent recognizes that this is a very special one. I hope this goes viral and soon rises to over 1 million views, since it deserves it. Well done!

[@marcelqueiroz8613]

Hey man, I love your comments and your love for rock! Greetings from Brazil

[@LeeKennison]

@@marcelqueiroz8613 Thanks so much, greetings from the state of Arizona in the Southwest of the US. While I have never been to Brazil myself, my cousin's wife is from Argentina, and I know they have both spent a fair amount of time in Brazil too, so I hear their stories. And I am a fan of much of your culture, music and history (although I don't know a lot), so it is great to hear from a person that actually lives there.🙂

[@isaacfield432]

Sometimes I think we older folks who LOVED this song played it as background to getting high or tripping and the repeated phrases were trance -inducing,the guitar solo transporting and the drum solo very tribal and fun.

[@avlisk]

I first heard this tune 55 years ago, and it held my attention this time, too. Thanks for a new appreciation. (I always look forward to that cool drum fill at the end.)

[@KJ-4321]

I was excited to see this! I thoroughly enjoyed your reaction and perception of the various elements of this amazing song!!!! The guitarist Erik Braun was only 17 in this song. All 4 original members have died. Most recently was the singer Doug Ingle who died on May 24th of this year. Thank you Amy! Loved this!

[@gerryarsenault9270]

“Tour de force” reaction and review! Loved it ! Bravo Amy!

[@RCullis47]

This song brings back so many fond memories. It is a part of the musical tapestry of my life. I was introduced to this as a young 'un by my music teacher, Wally Belinsky, He said it combined, church, classical, rock, some African rhythms, etc. He concluded by saying, "It will blow your mind". It did and apparently blew a lot of other people's minds. I kept in touch with him and would tease that he was the one who took me to the "dark side".

[@leninaular4858]

What a journey!, Iron Butterfly were pioneers and excellents in the psychedelic music. That era with bands and musicians like the doors, Jefferson airplane, mammas and the Pappas, etc, was intense!.. Thank you one more time for your musical analysis

[@rexrobertson2219]

I saw this live in 1968 in a very small venue, knowing nothing about Iron buttery. was not prepared, mind-blowing, & one of my best concert memories.

[@gittar]

Over the years, when I've come back to this, I always hear something new... thoroughly enjoyable.

[@fredmcveigh9877]

It grows on you. I like it more every time I listen to it and I've been around for a long time and I love it.

[@dogsmusicbookstravelscience]

It certainly does. I enjoy it as much today, a sober grey-templed oldie, as I did back then as a young substance-enjoying adult, curious about every new sound on the radio and my friends' record players. It is in the minuscule percentage of music ever written that won't disappear in the mists of time.

[@THEBurg79]

Thank you for playing that! It's been so long since I've heard it!

[@reckybecki6143]

My parents played this song at their wedding reception in 1970 and my dad played the drum solo for my mom

[@johndef5075]

Your parents sound like alot of fun!

[@pnayer291]

Hell yeah 😎

[@harmono8766]

I remember coming home to this mysterious jungle music which was the drum solo then hearing funeral music. That drum beat really makes the song. Sort of a groove shuffle.

[@modernworldiscrap]

Great great song. What a riff, drum solo…

[@benridge6570]

I was 15 in 1968. A great year. Listening with my girlfriend. Sweet times and GREAT MUSIC. Where did it all go. Thank you for sharing. Keep Rocking.

[@kennethbartlett4302]

Had this on 8-track and the song is so long it would fade out in the middle of the drum solo switch tracks and fade back in. I still can't unhear it that way.

[@ilionreactor1079]

@kennethbartlett4302 Ha, so true! And Boston's first album on 8-track: "Gonna Hitch a Ride" fades at the beginning of the guitar solo, clicks, then re-starts the solo. I'm still startled when I hear it play through. Grand Funk's live album Caught in the Act fades "Closer to Home" for a click, and someone must've screwed-up the master, because the CD version still has the fade!

[@kennethbartlett4302]

@@ilionreactor1079 I have never listened to Cloer to Home on CD...LOL that is funny.

[@ilionreactor1079]

@@kennethbartlett4302 Caught in the Act is how I start any road trip, though these days I listen to the rip on my phone. Highly recommended.

[@RVHelper]

You can’t fully comprehend the significance of this song on the development of acid and psychedelic rock since you were not there. It was life changing for a generation.

[@dennisheape971]

I first heard this when it first came out and listened with friends. Totally blew us away. This was so different in the day.

[@jurgenschmidt2759]

A similar experience would be the long version of the Chamber Brothers "Time has come today", very good as well. My favorite Vanilla Fudge song though, "Some velvet morning"

[@vitob3926]

Amy's description of "process not destination" and enjoying the ride probably perfectly described the acid trip IB was on when they wrote and performed this piece.

[@jeffrogers210]

The first organ solo is SO GOOD! I have loved this band since 1968. The live version is also very fine.

[@dthoxie]

1967 was the "Summer of Love" in San Francisco, with "acid" (LSD) penetrating big-time the realm of Hippie. "Hey, Mr Tambourine Man, play a song for me . . ." "In a Gadda da Vida" is a musical acid trip, a journey on that "magic swirling ship." Moments up, moments down, moments at war, moments of peace, through lands of beauty and lands of despair wherever the Tambourine Man wills to take you.

[@bakman52]

The first concert I ever saw was in 1968 and it was this band performing this piece and it was magnificent. I must say that your first comment led me to believe that you just weren't getting it at all but all of your subsequent comments were spot on. It's one of those pieces that the more you listen to the more involved you become with it and at some point realize that it is one of the true musical masterpieces of the ages particularly considering it came from the Psychedelic age of the 60s. My grandfather was a world-renowned conductor composer and I think that even he would have had an admiration for this work

[@dstonetprs]

1968. I was nine years old. I remember going to my friend Bob’s house to race HO cars and listen to this song on his record player. After a few weeks of this he’d just put needle on the drum solo. We did this so often that you could see the drum solo grooved into the record from being played alone so many times. I knew the beat by heart and still find myself tapping it out in a distracted moment. I had to laugh at the image you paint Amy. It just tickled my funny bone. My father, unsympathetically called the song: Cro-magnon-he wasn’t a fan of rock. 😂

[@treeguy65]

In 1968 I went and saw Hendrix at Winterland in my buddy’s 68 bullet mustang loaded on acid. When we found the car after the show he tossed me the keys to drive back to the Central Valley. He played this on repeat 8 track.. 90 minute drive. When ever I hear this song, I’m back at the concert and driving a rocket ship up thru the Oakland Hills.✌️

[@badbob6689]

I always loved that each band member was given a chance to give a solo and their own dig on the song. In A Gadda -di-vida is the shortest 17 minutes in your life.

[@ThePyramidone]

I was 14 when this song was played on AM radio (the short version). This was the era of psychedelic rock and there was plenty of it going around - Jimi Hendricks - "Hey Joe", "The National Anthem", "Purple Haze"; The Chambers Brothers- "Time Has Come Today"; The Beatles - "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"; The Paul Butterfield Blues Band - "East-West"; Cream - "Sunshine of Your Love"; and Jefferson Airplane's "White Rabbit" were just a few of this music genre that rocked the AM and later the FM airwaves.

[@marysweeney7370]

After your first comment, I know you were thinking, how in the world can this be 15 more minutes long? I couldn't wait to see your reaction. It's psychedelic music pure and simple, meant for "relaxing" to.

[@rafehr1378]

They were special back then. This tune was played on underground radio FM in the 1960s when AM radio was the mainstream for POP music.

[@edwardrutledge2765]

I served in ‘68 Vietnam, where every third Cobra gunship seemed to have Iron Butterfly painted on its belly. Memories…

[@christophermollan1684]

Thank you for your service!!!!!

[@charlesballard5251]

One of my favorite graphic novels concerns 'Nam soldiers. They had a butterfly painted on the nose of their Huey which they'd affectionately named the IRON BUTTERFLY.

[@edwardrutledge2765]

@… they were ubiquitous in ‘68…God bless ‘em. When they unloaded Gaddis-Da-Vida, we were grateful.

[@mosriteminioncause7741]

Without the drug influence or the erotic influnce....Pure musical evaluation and appreciation..fantastically and wonderfully worded, Amy!!! (on one of the greatest rock epics and music of the 20th century.)

[@bogdog1755]

Such a seemingly simple, yet amazing song - - - and such an influential song

[@dennismason3740]

At 17:01 - Amy's very subtle headbanging.

[@oldnick4707]

Yep, the nod of a gentle-woman, appreciating a good scone, but we know better dammit!! 😊

[@dennismason3740]

@@oldnick4707 - wait till she invents slap-harp.

[@gregcorwin8316]

Doug Ingle's (singer/organist) father was a church organist, so Doug was likely introduced to Baroque / Bach at a very young age.

[@daytonarama]

This was VERY cutting edge in the day, when all top 40 songs that played on AM radio (the only place most people heard music) were 3 minutes or less. Broke all the rules. Long guitsr, keyboard jam. Long drum solo. The kids loved it! Known as underground rock at the time.

[@jeanneeco]

I was in jr high when this song came out. In my music class the teacher gave us an in-class assignment. She turned off the classroom lights and played In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, then had us immediately write an essay about how it affected us, what we were thinking about and feeling. I remember thinking how cool it was that my teacher was taking “our” music seriously!

[@dsolosan]

You were lucky. I had a music class like that in high school and when the teacher played Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield, I was in Heaven. The rest of the class didn't give a crap, so it was just the two of us, digging the music.

[@quentinmichel7581]

For me Iron Butterfly had two incarnations. Their first album HEAVY (incl Iron Butterfly Theme) with the lead vocals by Darryl DeLoach ... and second with Doug Ingle on vocals Loved both.

[@whatchutalkinaboutwillard6547]

This is the one we were waiting for 🌿🍄😀

[@Gunpaw1958]

love the song, love your reaction. all these years of listening to this song, i never thought of those as animal sounds. great catch on that

[@marysweeney7370]

I hear God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen in the middle of the organ solo.

[@CharlesSchaum]

Most definitely!

[@Phillyfan45]

RIP Iron Butterfly…what a group they were!

[@Czeiner]

What a very nice reaction. I happen to listen to this song mostly once a year on the radio, when there's the "SWR 1 Hitparade" in late october where they are playing the Top 1000 hits that were chosen by the listeners. It's a continuous chart show going on for a whole week and it mostly ends up with "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen as the number one.😉

[@WindmillChef]

Well this is the best commenting on this song that I've heard and Amy, while I take and feel the same as you listening to this, the truth is that this is stoner music. It is hailed as this iconic master piece, and in a way it is but the guys were stoned when they thought of this, they were stoned when they wrote it and when they recorded it. And people like to turn their rooms dark, not sit but sink back in their couch, in front of a decent stereo system, turn their brains 75% off with substances and let this music just woof and wallow into their brains. Good enough but it never was my state of being. Thanks for the great video.

[@randynelson4718]

I love listening to your reactions. Thank you!!

[@markdecker6190]

That sure takes you on a journey doesn't it?! Iron Butterfly was one of my very first big-name concerts I ever attended. It was somewhere around 1970 or 71, at Drew University in Madison, NJ. Listening to their album with headphones or just putting my head between the speakers on the floor and with the volumes I was listening to it is part of the reason I have tinnitus today. My mother who grew up in Germany with an appreciation for great classical music would sometimes comment on the rock I was listening to and she really enjoyed the baroque-ish organ passages.

[@nunyabiznis33]

What a great version of the Christmas carol “God Rest ye Merry Gentlemen” starting at 24:56!

[@nahkohese555]

I will let you in on a little secret about this song . . . LSD was not made illegal in the US until shortly after this song was released. Not saying this is any relationship between them . . . 😊

[@kencawley3121]

Every wanna be drummer in junior high school at the time beat the drum solo against anything available, rarely an actual drum kit.

[@CurtisDrew1]

So glad to hear you mention the drum solo on headphones. I always though of it as me sitting in an office chair slowly spinning in the chair as he played. KInd of spell binding when one wants to just float away with music and mellow out. So glad you enjoyed it. We had some great music in the late 60s and 70s. I knew so many talented artist back then. It was a great time to be alive and in the industry!

[@Veritas-TheGoader]

I remember seeing this 8-track tape in my parents, and aunts & uncles cars, and around stereo systems of my families’ homes.

[@joecromwell2471]

Now all you need to do for your next listen is blaze a big joint, close your eyes and watch the cartoons in your head! (LOL) Another great reaction, ha ha!

[@rieskorin2027]

Or spark an owl and put this track on while watching Nightmare Dream Warriors muted with the 3D glasses on 😂😂🤣🤣

[@jeffschulz6733]

Yes, baroque style organ, with the hymn “God rest ye merry gentlemen” cleverly imbedded in the solo.

[@frankperry1111]

I'm 73 now but was in 11th grade high school when this song was a hit. I am enjoying some of your videos. Of course the big difference in we just heard it nonstop the first time and if we liked it we played it over. It's still among my all time favorite heavy rock songs. To me the organ was expressing the soul and the drums and bass the primal beat, I thought of elephants too when I heard the guitar screeches. I like the whole piece. 1 very funny story that really happened. My high school sweety and I were alone when we listened to it together. We got the crazy idea, let's see if we can kiss nonstop through the whole song. It's the whole one side of the album. We did. Not what people would think, we only kissed and were willing to save certain things for if we got married later. The best kiss I ever experienced. I have to listen to this every now and then. I sing and play guitar covers at open mics. I like your musicals insights. 🦣

[@LucSchots]

NOw imagine listening to this in a darkened room with late 60ies lavalamp style projections 🙂

[@netuno60]

Great reaction Amy!

[@daleharris8509]

Far out and groovy!

[@rogerlie4176]

A LONG, mostly instrumental song. Do you all hear some distant tubular bells?

[@Anselmiankey]

She should react to Mike Oldfield