Iron Butterfly - Live At The Galaxy 1967
Purple Pyramid Records
http://cleorecs.com/store/shop/iron-butterfly-live-at-the-galaxy-1967-cd/

Rating: C

Where in the hell did Purple Pyramid even find the tapes to this long lost concert?  Iron Butterfly in 1967; proto-type heavy metal at its finest.  Well, not its finest sounding, that’s for sure, as this sounds pretty much like a soundboard recording.  So, what you get is warts-and-all, and a less than perfect sound.  That said, it has its moments. 

The band was dirty and dangerous and out of control, and that is exactly the feel this sucker gives off. This is a true live album; in fact, an album doesn’t get any more live than this, which is both a positive and a negative.  The good side is that it is a true snapshot in time.  The drawback is that the sound is weak, and unless you are a hardcore Iron Butterfly fan you probably won’t be able to sit through this, as it kind of has a nails-on-the-chalkboard vibe at times.  Purist and fanatics will say that’s what makes it special, and in some ways they are correct.

The set list is cool, but note there is none of that famous song that they do…you know the one. The band was more than that one song…some may say not much more, but others say they were much, much more.  That’s what makes music fun: it is subjective, and with historical releases like this, the rock nerd in us all can debate the good and bad with anyone who cares to listen. 

The fact that this diamond in the real-rough contains music from before their first album was released, is pretty cool… and for that alone, it gets this writers nod of approval. 

Track Listing
1. Real Fright
2. Possession
3. Filled With Fear
4. Fields of Sun
5. It’s Up To You
6. Gloomy Day To Remember
|7. Evil Temptation
8. So-Lo
9. Gentle As It My Seem
10. Lonely Boy
11. Iron Butterfly Theme
12. You Can’t Win

By Jeb Wright