Ball (Iron Butterfly album)

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.

Ball
Studio album by
Iron Butterfly
ReleasedJanuary 17, 1969
Recorded1968
StudioGold Star, Hollywood
The Hit Factory, New York City
GenrePsychedelic rock
Length41:36
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

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 previously were available only on a 7" single although "I Can't Help But Deceive You Little Girl" had been released on the 1993 compilation Light and Heavy.

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

Original LP
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead VocalsLength
1."In the Time of Our Lives"Ron Bushy, Doug IngleIngle4:46
2."Soul Experience"Erik Brann, Bushy, Lee Dorman, IngleIngle2:50
3."Lonely Boy"IngleIngle5:05
4."Real Fright"Brann, Bushy, IngleBrann, Ingle2:40
5."In the Crowds"Dorman, IngleIngle2:12
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead VocalsLength
6."It Must Be Love"IngleIngle4:23
7."Her Favorite Style"IngleIngle3:11
8."Filled with Fear"IngleIngle3:23
9."Belda-Beast"BrannBrann5:46

1999 deluxe edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead VocalsLength
10."I Can't Help but Deceive You Little Girl"IngleIngle3:34
11."To Be Alone"Ingle, Robert Woods EdmonsonIngle3:05

Personnel

Iron Butterfly

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"

References
  1. "Billboard 200 - Iron Butterfly". Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  2. "Billboard Hot 100 - Iron Butterfly". Retrieved September 24, 2017.
  3. Joynson, Vernon (1995). Fuzz, Acid, & Flowers Archived August 25, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. London: Borderline Books.
  4. 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. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
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