Ball
Studio album by
Iron Butterfly
ReleasedJanuary 17, 1969
Recorded1968
StudioGold Star, Hollywood
The Hit Factory, New York City
GenrePsychedelic rock
Length35:00
LabelAtco
ProducerJim Hilton
Iron Butterfly chronology
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
(1968)		 Ball
(1969)		 Live
(1970)
Singles from Ball
  1. "Soul Experience"
    Released: February 1969
  2. "In The Time Of Our Lives"
    Released: May 1969

Ball is the third studio album by the rock band Iron Butterfly, released on January 17, 1969. After the enormous success of In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida, Iron Butterfly modified its acid-rock sound somewhat and experimented with more melodic compositions. The band's trademark heavy guitars, however, are still evident on such tracks as "In the Time of Our Lives" and "It Must Be Love". The album reached number 3 on the Billboard 200 charts,[1] making Ball more immediately successful than In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. Ball was certified Gold in March 1969. It also spawned two minor hit singles: "Soul Experience", an uncharacteristically uplifting song for the group, went to number 75 on the Billboard charts,[2] and despite its nightmarish musical tones and morbid lyrics, "In the Time of Our Lives" managed to reach number 96.[2][3] This is the second and final studio album to feature the famous lineup of Ingle, Bushy, Dorman and Brann.

In 1999, Collector's Choice Music released Ball with two bonus tracks, "I Can't Help But Deceive You Little Girl" and "To Be Alone", which were both recorded during the same era as Ball (although not necessarily during the same recording sessions) and were previously released as the two sides of a 7" single. "I Can't Help But Deceive You Little Girl" had also been released on the 1993 compilation Light & Heavy: The Best of Iron Butterfly.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[5]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[6]

AllMusic rated Ball three out of five stars. Reviewer Stephen Thomas Erlewine explained that the quality "is wildly inconsistent", but that it "was a more ambitious album" than In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. He concluded by calling it "a more consistent album than their two previous records".[4]

Track listing

Side one

  1. "In the Time of Our Lives" (Doug Ingle, Ron Bushy) – 4:49
  2. "Soul Experience" (Ingle, Bushy, Erik Brann, Lee Dorman) – 2:50
  3. "Lonely Boy" (Ingle) – 4:57
  4. "Real Fright" (Ingle, Bushy, Brann)[lower-alpha 1] – 2:40
  5. "In the Crowds" (Ingle, Dorman) – 2:10

Side two

  1. "It Must Be Love" (Ingle) – 4:23
  2. "Her Favorite Style" (Ingle) – 3:13
  3. "Filled with Fear" (Ingle) – 3:46
  4. "Belda-Beast" (Brann) – 5:46

1999 CD reissue bonus tracks

  1. "I Can't Help but Deceive You Little Girl" (Ingle) – 3:34
  2. "To Be Alone" (Ingle, Robert Woods Edmondson) – 3:05

Personnel

Iron Butterfly

  • Erik Brann – guitars, backing vocals, lead vocals on "Belda-Beast"
  • Doug Ingle – organs, lead vocals (except on "Belda-Beast")
  • Lee Dorman – bass, backing vocals
  • Ron Bushy – drums, percussion

Technical

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[7] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Singles

US and overseas singles

  • "Soul Experience" b/w "In the Crowds" (No. 75 on the Billboard Hot 100)[2]
  • "In the Time of Our Lives" b/w "It Must Be Love" (No. 96 on the Billboard Hot 100)[2]

UK-only singles

  • "Belda-Beast" (4:59 edit) b/w "Lonely Boy"

Post-album singles

  • "I Can't Help but Deceive You Little Girl" b/w "To Be Alone"

Notes

  1. ↑ There is considerable confusion around the authorship of "Real Fright". The credit of (Ingle, Bushy, Brann) given on the album itself seemingly contradicts the fact that the song dates back to Iron Butterfly's early days, long before Erik Brann was associated with the group. A July 1967 live recording of "Real Fright" which appears on the album Live at the Galaxy 1967 seems identical to the version on Ball in terms of composition, apparently eliminating the possibility that Brann made changes to the song after he joined. Moreover, the song was registered with BMI twice, with two completely different songwriter credits, neither of which matches the credit given on the album. The first time, BMI Work #1232752, the song was credited to Ingle and Brann. The second time, BMI Work #1232753, the song was credited to Danny Weis and Darryl DeLoach (the original guitarist and tambourine player of Iron Butterfly, respectively.)

References

  1. ↑ "Billboard 200 - Iron Butterfly". Billboard. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Billboard Hot 100 - Iron Butterfly". Billboard. Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  3. ↑ Joynson, Vernon (1995). Fuzz, Acid, & Flowers Archived August 25, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. London: Borderline Books.
  4. 1 2 Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Ball - Iron Butterfly at AllMusic. Retrieved July 5, 2011.
  5. ↑ Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
  6. ↑ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 345.
  7. ↑ "American album certifications – Iron Butterfly – Ball". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
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