During the progressive music revolution in the late 60s, one of the most surprising successes was that of Iron Butterfly. Together, they were arguably the first to amalgamate the terms 'heavy' and 'rock', following the release of their debut album called "Heavy" in 1968.
On September 7, 1968, Iron Butterfly's second effort entered the charts with what was to become its signature album, "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida".
The title was supposed to be "In The Garden Of Eden." Someone had written "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida," possibly while drunk, on a demo copy. A record company executive saw it and decided to use it as the title, since it sounded mystical and Eastern spirituality was big at the time, with The Beatles going to India and The Rolling Stones experimenting with Indian instruments.
The 17-minute title track of that album was one of the pioneer songs that spurned the popularity of extended jams in progressive rock. The album became a multi-million-seller and was for a number of years the biggest-selling item in Atlantic Records' catalogue. The album also became the record industry's first platinum disc, selling over 4 million copies. It contained everything a progressive rock fan could want, - neo-classical organ with Far East undertones, a solid beat, screeching guitar parts, barbed-wire feedback and an long drum solo. A singles version of the song hit No. 30 on the U.S. national charts. Magnificently overwrought at the time, the intervening years have been less kind to its standing.
By 1993, the legendary "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" album had sold an astonishing 25 million copies.