Sun and Steel | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
![]() | ||||
Studio album by | ||||
Released | October 1975 [1] | |||
Recorded | 1974–1975 | |||
Genre | Hard rock | |||
Length | 35:05 | |||
Label | MCA | |||
Producer | John Ryan | |||
Iron Butterfly chronology | ||||
|
Sun and Steel is the sixth and final studio album released by Iron Butterfly in 1975. It explores a wider variety of styles than any other Iron Butterfly album, yet always remains within the contemporary conventions of hard rock. Tracks from this album are usually left out of Iron Butterfly compilations/greatest hit collections. It is also the band's only album to fail to chart on the Billboard 200. In Canada it made an appearance at number 89, December 27, 1975. [2]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Only Solitaire | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Allmusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine delivered a negative review of Sun and Steel, rating it one out of five stars. He said it "was an outright disastrous attempt at reshaping the band's signature sound to '70s hard rock conventions, lacking even the curiosity value of Scorching Beauty." [3]
George Starostin's Only Solitaire page gave a positive review of the album, rating it eleven out of fifteen. He said that "This is the best Iron Butterfly album I've heard so far" and that "as I'm not a fan of the 'heavy soul' genre, I have to admit the band worked some mini-wonders on here", singling out "Scorching Beauty" as the best track.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead Vocals | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "Sun and Steel" | Brann | Brann | 4:01 |
2. | "Lightnin'" | Bill DeMartines, Philip Taylor Kramer | Kramer | 3:02 |
3. | "Beyond the Milky Way" | Ron Bushy, DeMartines | DeMartines | 3:38 |
4. | "Free" | Brann | Brann | 2:41 |
5. | "Scion" | Brann | Brann | 5:02 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Lead Vocals | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
6. | "Get It Out" | Brann | Brann | 2:53 |
7. | "I'm Right, I'm Wrong" | DeMartines, Kramer | Kramer | 5:27 |
8. | "Watch the World Going By" | Brann | Brann | 2:59 |
9. | "Scorching Beauty" | Brann | Brann | 6:42 |
Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard rock music was produced by the Kinks, the Who, the Rolling Stones, Cream, Vanilla Fudge, and the Jimi Hendrix Experience. In the late 1960s, bands such as Blue Cheer, the Jeff Beck Group, Iron Butterfly, Led Zeppelin, Golden Earring, Steppenwolf, and Deep Purple also produced hard rock.
Iron Butterfly is an American rock band formed in San Diego, California, in 1966. They are best known for the 1968 hit "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", providing a dramatic sound that led the way towards the development of hard rock and heavy metal music. Although their heyday was the late 1960s, the band has been reincarnated with various members with varying levels of success with no new recordings since 1975. Their second album, In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (1968), remains a best-seller, and Iron Butterfly was the first group to receive an in-house platinum album award from Atlantic Records.
No. 4 is the fourth studio album by the American rock band Stone Temple Pilots, released on October 26, 1999, by Atlantic Records. The album was a return to the band's earlier hard rock roots, while also blending elements of heavy metal, psychedelic rock, and alternative rock. Despite the lack of promotion due to singer Scott Weiland's one-year jail sentence shortly before the album's release, No. 4 was certified Platinum by the RIAA on August 7, 2000, and by the CRIA in August 2001. The song "Down" was nominated for Best Hard Rock Performance at the Grammy Awards. The album also produced one of STP's biggest hits, "Sour Girl", which charted at #78 on the Billboard Hot 100, their only song to appear on that chart. The CD was originally released as a digipak, then later changed to a standard jewel case.
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, making Ball more immediately successful than In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. In Canada the album reached number 4. 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 and number 50 in Canada, and despite its nightmarish musical tones and morbid lyrics, "In the Time of Our Lives" managed to reach number 96 and number 81 in Canada. This is the second and final studio album to feature the famous lineup of Ingle, Bushy, Dorman and Brann.
Squeeze is the debut studio album released by English group Squeeze. The album title was simply Squeeze in the United Kingdom, but in the United States, Canada, Australia and other countries the album, like the band, was marketed under the name U.K. Squeeze to avoid confusion with similarly-named American and Australian groups.
Heavy is the debut studio album by the rock band Iron Butterfly, released on January 22, 1968.
Douglas Lloyd Ingle was an American musician, best known as the founder and organist, primary composer, and lead vocalist for the band Iron Butterfly. Ingle wrote the band's iconic song "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", which was first released in 1968. He was the last surviving member of the classic 1967–1969 lineup.
Ron Bushy was an American drummer best known as a member of the rock band Iron Butterfly and as the drum soloist on the band's iconic song "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", released in 1968 although performed in the band's earlier appearances. Bushy was the only member of the group to appear on all six of its studio albums.
Douglas Lee Dorman was an American bass guitarist best known as a member of the psychedelic rock band Iron Butterfly. He was also a founding member of the British-American supergroup Captain Beyond.
Erik Keith Brann, also known as Erik Braunn, was an American guitarist with the 1960s acid rock band Iron Butterfly. He was featured on the band's greatest hit, the 17-minute In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida (1968), recorded when he was 17.
James Leslie Binks is a Northern Irish heavy metal drummer. He was the drummer for Judas Priest from 1977 to 1979.
Metamorphosis is the fourth studio album by Iron Butterfly, released on August 13, 1970. It reached number 16 on the US charts and number 31 in Canada. Mike Pinera and Larry "El Rhino" Reinhardt became members of Iron Butterfly in the early part of 1970.
Scorching Beauty is the fifth studio album released by the American hard rock group Iron Butterfly. Released four years after their original breakup, it was recorded by a reformed lineup with only one member remaining from their previous album, drummer Ron Bushy. In addition to Bushy, this lineup includes Erik Brann, Phil Kramer, and Howard Reitzes. The album cover was designed by Ernie Cefalu and illustrated by Drew Struzan. This album, along with Sun and Steel, failed commercially. Tracks from this album tend to be ignored on Iron Butterfly compilations/greatest hit collections.
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida is the second studio album by the American rock band Iron Butterfly, released in June 1968. It is most known for its title track, a 17-minute composition which occupies the whole of Side B.
Fire on the Bayou is the sixth studio album by the funk band The Meters.
Where We All Belong is the third album by the Marshall Tucker Band. Released in 1974, the double album consists of a studio album and a live album; the former focuses on progressive country songs, while the latter focuses on jazz rock and Southern rock jamming. Musician Charlie Daniels guests on two songs, one from each album.
Black Butterfly is the fourth studio album by American hard rock band Buckcherry. The album was released on September 12, 2008, in Japan, Canada, and the United Kingdom while being released on September 16 in the United States. It had been in production since late 2007. The limited fan edition was included with two demo songs, "Nothing" and "Stayin' High". Along with the bonus songs, the case came with a year free membership to the Buckcherry Fan Club, "Buckcherry's Bomb Squad". Black Butterfly debuted at number eight on the Billboard 200, making it the band's highest-charting album in the United States.
High Voltage is the first internationally released album by Australian hard rock band AC/DC. It contains tracks completed from their first two previous Australia-only issued albums, High Voltage and T.N.T..
"I'm in Disgrace" is the opening track on the second side of The Kinks' 1975 concept album, Schoolboys in Disgrace. It was written by Ray Davies.
"Young Volcanoes" is a song by American rock band Fall Out Boy, released as the fourth single from their fifth studio album Save Rock and Roll (2013) and commissioned to radio on November 4, 2013. The song was released to YouTube early for streaming before the album's release, joining "My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark " and "The Phoenix", although it would be months before its release as a single. The song's accompanying music video was the third to be released as part of The Young Blood Chronicles.