Iron Butterfly
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
Play In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
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MOG Editorial Review
Few songs embodied the mainstream era of '60s psych-rock better than the title track of In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. Clocking in at over 17 minutes, the song nearly eclipses the length of the album's other five songs combined, constantly changing moods and riffs while always remaining trippy and sprawling. Though the length borders on self-parody, it's rare that a song remains compelling as long as the track does, and the brief, flashing moments displayed on songs like "My Mirage" simply seem like icing on the cake for an album destined to remain a cult classic for years to come.
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AMG Review of In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida [Deluxe Rhino]
Stephen Thomas Erlewine
All Music GuideWith its endless, droning minor-key riff and mumbled vocals, "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" is arguably the most notorious song of the acid rock era. According to legend, the group was so stoned when they recorded the track that they could neither pronounce the title "In the Garden of Eden" or end the track, so it rambles on for a full 17 minutes, which to some listeners sounds like eternity. But that's the essence of its appeal -- it's the epitome of heavy psychedelic excess, encapsulating the most indulgent tendencies of the era. Iron Butterfly never matched the warped excesses of "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida," either on their debut album of the same name or the rest of their catalog, yet they occasionally made some enjoyable fuzz guitar-driven psychedelia that works as a period piece. The five tracks that share space with their magnum opus on In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida qualify as good artifacts, and the entire record still stands as the group's definitive album, especially since this is the only place the full-length title track is available. [Rhino Records reissued In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida as a Deluxe Edition containing two bonus tracks -- a live version and a single edit of the title cut -- plus a booklet filled with interviews, liner notes, and photographs.]
 "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida")
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