Iron Butterfly - Metamorphosis with Pinera and Rhino 12" Vinyl LP Album
Iron Butterfly - Metamorphosis with Pinera and Rhino 12" Vinyl LP Album
Released in 1970, Metamorphosis marks Iron Butterfly’s shift from their signature acid rock to a more progressive, blues-influenced sound. With new guitarists Mike Pinera and Larry "Rhino" Reinhardt, the album experiments with Latin grooves, pop sensibilities, and extended jams, most notably the 14-minute epic "Butterfly Bleu." While some fans embraced the evolution, others felt the band had lost their edge. The surreal artwork and Robert Blue’s psychedelic visuals mirror the album’s themes of change, making Metamorphosis a fascinating yet divisive chapter in the band’s history.
Iron Butterfly - Metamorphosis Album and Artwork Description
Iron Butterfly's Metamorphosis: Pinera, Rhino, and the Sound of a Band Falling Apart
Album Description:
1970. The Summer of Love is a distant memory, Altamont's a fresh wound, and the dream of peace and love is lying in tatters. Enter Iron Butterfly, a band who once rode the psychedelic wave with their behemoth In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida. Now, they're back with Metamorphosis, a record that's less a transformation and more a band desperately flailing for relevance.
Gone is the monolithic, organ-driven sound of their earlier work. In its place, a watered-down concoction of pop sensibilities and half-baked experimentation. It's as if the band traded their acid-laced Kool-Aid for a lukewarm cup of conformity. This drastic shift in sound divided fans, with some embracing the new direction and others lamenting the loss of the band's psychedelic edge.
New additions Pinera and Rhino brought a Latin-tinged, progressive flavor to the mix, but it clashes with the band's established sound. "Easy Rider (Let the Wind Pay the Way)" is a prime example, a meandering tune that sounds like Santana jamming with a bunch of accountants. Despite the mixed reception, "Easy Rider" became a minor hit and remains a popular deep cut among Iron Butterfly fans.
Even the production, helmed by the band themselves, feels sterile and uninspired. Recorded at American Recording Company, the album lacks the raw energy of their earlier work. It's as if the band was more concerned with fitting in than breaking new ground. Some critics praised the album's cleaner production values, while others yearned for the gritty sound of the band's earlier releases.
The whole thing reeks of compromise, a desperate attempt to stay afloat in a changing musical landscape. "Butterfly Bleu" is a blatant attempt at a radio hit, sacrificing the band's trademark heaviness for a saccharine melody. It's a sad sight, like watching a once-mighty lion reduced to begging for scraps. The album's cover art, featuring a kaleidoscopic butterfly, sparked debate among fans, with some finding it visually striking and others dismissing it as a poor imitation of their earlier psychedelic imagery.
And the lyrics? Forget any profound musings on the human condition. We're treated to lines like "I'm a butterfly, I'm a butterfly bleu," which wouldn't sound out of place in a jingle for laundry detergent. It's embarrassing, man, a band once known for their psychedelic explorations now reduced to peddling lyrical clichés. The nonsensical lyrics of "Butterfly Bleu" became a source of amusement and derision for some fans, while others interpreted them as a tongue-in-cheek commentary on the band's changing identity.
Of course, the album wasn't without its controversies. Fans cried foul at the band's departure from their signature sound, and critics tore the album to shreds. The band's internal struggles were also boiling over, leading to more lineup changes and a downward spiral into obscurity. Metamorphosis became a symbol of the band's decline for some, while others defended it as an underrated gem that showcased their willingness to experiment and evolve.
Metamorphosis is a cautionary tale, a stark reminder of the dangers of chasing trends and abandoning your roots. It's the sound of a band losing their way, a butterfly trapped in a chrysalis of its own making. Despite its flaws and controversies, Metamorphosis remains a fascinating artifact of a band struggling to adapt to a changing musical landscape, a testament to the challenges and compromises faced by artists in the ever-evolving world of rock and roll.
The Psychedelic Evolution of Iron Butterfly’s Metamorphosis Album Art
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In the swirling, mind-expanding world of late '60s and early '70s rock, album artwork was more than just packaging—it was a portal into the music’s soul. Iron Butterfly’s 1970 album Metamorphosis stands as a prime example, not only for its sonic shift into more progressive and blues-infused territory but also for its striking, surreal artwork. The back cover, in particular, feels like a hallucinogenic fever dream, blending influences from Art Nouveau, Surrealism, and the psychedelic rock poster movement.
At first glance, the imagery is pure countercultural mysticism. A nude woman, glowing in unnatural pinks, yellows, and violets, sits atop what appears to be a melting tree stump, her form elongated and statuesque like something out of an Alphonse Mucha or Gustav Klimt painting. Her hand reaches toward a fluttering butterfly—a direct nod to transformation and rebirth, mirroring the album’s title. The background drips with an otherworldly haze, where stylized mountains, a reflective body of water, and molten, cloud-like shapes hover above, resembling the dreamlike landscapes of Salvador Dalí or Max Ernst.
Robert Blue and the Psychedelic Connection
This artistic approach wasn’t unique to Metamorphosis. The era saw a wave of rock bands embracing psychedelic visual aesthetics, most notably in the poster art of Rick Griffin and Victor Moscoso. But there’s another, lesser-known connection: the similarities between Metamorphosis's back cover and the Blue Album artwork by Robert Blue, a visionary artist whose work captured the cosmic, sensual, and surreal essence of the time.
Robert Blue was known for his striking, almost dreamlike female figures that seemed to exist in a world between reality and hallucination. His use of bold colors, flowing organic forms, and a deep sense of mysticism made his work a perfect visual companion to the psychedelic movement. Both the back cover of Metamorphosis and Robert Blue’s artwork feature an ethereal female form, bathed in unnatural hues, suspended in an altered-reality environment. Whether Iron Butterfly’s designers drew direct inspiration from Blue’s work remains a mystery, but the resemblance is undeniable—suggesting a shared artistic wavelength within the era’s trippy visual language.
A Total Sensory Experience
The late ‘60s and early ‘70s weren’t just about the music; they were about total sensory immersion. Albums like Metamorphosis weren’t just pressed onto vinyl—they were experiences, visually and sonically engineered to take listeners into new dimensions. The artwork was a visual LSD trip, setting the stage for what the music would do to the mind.
Whether directly influenced by Robert Blue or simply swimming in the same cosmic current, the back cover of Metamorphosis remains a powerful testament to an era where rock and art were inseparable. The music melted minds, and the artwork made sure you saw it happen.
Iron Butterfly - Metamorphosis Album Production Details
Music Genre:
Psych, Acid Rock
Collector's info:
Produced by Richard Podolor
Recorded at American Recording Company Studio City, California
Sound Engineer: Bill Cooper
Photography: Roger Webster, , Bob Jenkins
Album Artwork: Robert Blue
Album Production Information:
Gatefold/FOC (Fold Open Cover) Album Cover Design
Record Label & Catalognr:
ATCO SD 33-339
Media Format:
12" LP Vinyl Gramophone Record
Year & Country:
1970 Made in Canada
Track Listing of: Iron Butterfly - Metamorphosis
Side One:
Free Flight
New Day
Shady Lady
Best Years of Your Life
Slower Than Guns
Stone Believer
Side Two:
Soldier in Our Town
Easy Rider
Butterfly Bleu
Iron Butterfly - Metamorphosis Album Photo Gallery
Photo of Front Cover
Iron Butterfly’s 1970 album Metamorphosis takes flight into surrealism with its striking cover art. The image presents a dreamlike yet ominous scene: three wooden coffins floating precariously in foaming, churning white waters, their presence unnatural against the swirling currents. Jagged black cliffs rise in the background, their stark and rugged forms adding to the feeling of an impending unknown.
A golden sun sets over distant mountains, casting an eerie, hazy glow across the sky—halfway between the warmth of dusk and the foreboding of twilight. The water’s frothy turbulence contrasts with the stillness of the landscape, creating an almost supernatural tension.
One coffin, resting partially on the shore, stands out. Its lid is flung open, revealing a plush, red interior—luxurious yet unnerving, as if waiting for its occupant. The album title, Metamorphosis, appears in the upper left corner in bold, futuristic lettering, along with the names “Pinera & Rhino,” referencing guitarist Mike Pinera and Larry “Rhino” Reinhardt, who played key roles in this evolutionary phase of the band.
The art captures a liminal space—somewhere between life and afterlife, chaos and stillness, transformation and decay. A visual trip into the unknown, just as the album itself sonically explores new, more progressive territory.
Photo of Album's Back Cover
The back cover of Iron Butterfly’s 1970 album Metamorphosis is a pure psychedelic fever dream, bathed in acid-washed surrealism. A nude woman with an elongated, almost statuesque form sits atop a melting, lava-like tree stump. Her skin glows with unnatural hues—pink, yellow, and violet—while her red hair cascades in loose waves. She reaches out with a delicate, outstretched hand, beckoning a butterfly that flutters just above her fingers, a symbol of transformation.
The background is a hazy, dreamlike landscape where mountains emerge from a glassy, reflective body of water. The mountains are stylized, blending soft blues, purples, and oranges in a way that feels otherworldly, almost fluid. Billowing, organic shapes loom overhead like molten clouds, further pushing the painting into the realm of the subconscious.
Below, the album’s tracklist appears in orange, blending seamlessly into the flowing, organic elements of the composition. The bold, green-stamped album title, Metamorphosis, hovers near the horizon, mirroring the theme of change and evolution that defines the record. At the bottom, the familiar Atco Records logo sits in a small yellow box, grounding the scene in reality—just barely.
This back cover is a portal into a cosmic dreamscape, perfectly complementing the heavy, trippy, and progressive sound of the album itself. A visual invitation to let go and drift into the unknown.
Photos of the inner sleeve
The inner sleeve of Iron Butterfly’s Metamorphosis album presents a stark white background, disrupted by an eerie collage of five photographs of the band members, each captured in surreal, almost hallucinogenic moments. The layout has an intimate, experimental feel, blending mysticism, rock-and-roll swagger, and family life.
In the upper left corner, Les Dorman’s face emerges from the darkness, his piercing eyes staring straight ahead. He holds a glowing yellow orb near his mouth, casting an ethereal light onto his mustached face, making it seem as though he is breathing out pure energy.
To the right, Mike Pinera is reclining mid-air, seemingly floating on a cloud, playing his guitar. He wears a white shirt and yellow bell-bottoms, his long hair flowing back as he strums in a blissful state, suspended in an impossible dreamlike space.
In the lower left, Doug Ingle sits with an intense expression, wearing dark sunglasses and a wide-brimmed hat. In front of him, bright orange flames rise dramatically, though their origin is unclear—an illusion of fire or something more symbolic?
Next to him, El Rhino poses indoors with a child in a relaxed, candid moment. His curly hair frames his face as he gazes into the camera, while the child in a yellow dress looks away, adding a grounding human element to the otherwise surreal composition.
On the far right, Ron Bushy sits with a baby on his lap, a woman behind them partially enshrouded in shadow. The contrast between the darkness behind them and the soft light on Bushy’s face creates a striking visual dichotomy, merging rockstar lifestyle with domesticity.
The album’s tracklist, recording details, and credits appear in delicate pink text, scattered across the page, blending into the stark white background. The words feel almost ghostly, like they are fading into the ether, adding to the dreamlike and disorienting quality of the entire piece.
Printed at the bottom: Manufactured and distributed by Warner Bros. Records of Canada, Ltd.—a small but grounding reminder that even this trippy, mystical experience had to pass through the tangible world of record production.
Photos of the inner sleeve
The inner sleeve of Iron Butterfly’s Metamorphosis album continues the surreal and dreamlike aesthetic of the record’s artwork, blending mysticism, natural imagery, and rockstar nonchalance. The collage of photographs feels spontaneous yet carefully curated, reflecting both the psychedelic and personal sides of the band.
In the upper left corner, Doug Ingle is captured in profile, his long hair flowing as he gazes toward a glowing horizon, where the sun appears as an almost painted, reddish-orange burst. The effect is hypnotic, as though he is staring into another dimension.
To the right, a band member with curly hair crouches on a sandy beach, drawing a circular symbol in the sand. The stillness of the image contrasts with the vast, empty surroundings, creating an air of quiet reflection.
Below, a sequence of four images shows another musician, clad in a pale pink suit, wandering through lush green foliage. His expression remains serious, almost as if he is searching for something unseen. In the final frame of this sequence, he holds a blue butterfly in his fingers—an unmistakable nod to the album’s transformative theme.
In the lower left, a striking image captures two band members astride a powerful chopper-style motorcycle in front of a brick staircase. The leather jackets and laid-back posture scream classic rock rebellion.
The final image, tucked into the lower right, captures drummer Ron Bushy mid-swing on a playground set, dressed in dark clothing, his shirt open. There’s an almost childlike freedom in the motion, a contrast to the heavier themes present throughout the album.
Scattered across the page in delicate pink text, the tracklist for Side Two lists the epics “Soldier in Our Town” and the massive 14-minute closer, “Butterfly Bleu.” Further down, credits confirm that the back cover artwork was done by Robert Blue, a name well-known for his evocative and surreal imagery, with photography and inside art direction by Bob Jenkins.
This inner sleeve is more than just a collection of photos—it’s a visual trip, capturing the essence of Iron Butterfly’s evolution and their place in the vast, untamed world of early ‘70s psychedelic rock.
Close-up Photo of the Yellow and White ATCO Record Label with Catalognr SD 33-339
This close-up of the ATCO Records label from Iron Butterfly’s Metamorphosis album is a pure vintage rock artifact. Pressed onto classic black vinyl, the label is split between a bold yellow and white design, with the ATCO logo prominently displayed in large, blocky black text. The logo is stylized, with the letters “AT” on the left and “CO” on the right, framing the center hole of the record.
At the top, the catalog number SD 33-339 is printed, confirming this as the original stereo pressing. Below, the album title Metamorphosis is displayed in all caps, with “Iron Butterfly with Pinera & Rhino” underneath, acknowledging the lineup shift that saw guitarists Mike Pinera and Larry "Rhino" Reinhardt join the band.
The tracklist for Side 1 is neatly printed in black ink, listing six songs:
1. Free Flight (0:40)
2. New Day (3:08)
3. Shady Lady (3:50) – Lyrics by Robert Woods Edmonson
4. Best Years of Our Life (3:55)
5. Slower Than Guns (3:37) – Lyrics by Robert Woods Edmonson
6. Stone Believer (5:20)
The text confirms that all songs were written and arranged by Iron Butterfly, reinforcing the band’s creative control over their evolving sound.
At the bottom, fine print states that the record was manufactured and distributed in Canada by Warner Bros. Records of Canada, Ltd., adding a layer of regional specificity to this pressing.
This label is more than just functional—it’s a time capsule of the golden age of vinyl, when album labels carried a distinct identity, and every spin of the record meant something cosmic was about to unfold.
Iron Butterfly is a rock band that played an important role in the development of rock music. Their hit song "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" is considered a classic, and their influence can be heard in the work of many heavy metal and hard rock bands that followed in their wake. While the band's career was relatively short-lived, their impact on rock music is enduring, and their music continues to be appreciated by fans of the genre
IRON BUTTERFLY - In-a-Gadda-Da-Vida
Atlantic ATL 40022 , Yugoslavia
The centerpiece of the album, the eponymous 17-minute epic "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida," was like a sonic odyssey through the darkest recesses of the human psyche. It started with a simple, repetitive drum beat, like a primal heartbeat, and then slowly, inexorably, it built and built, layer upon layer of fuzzed-out guitar,
"Live (Original Rock Classics)" captures Iron Butterfly at the peak of their live performance prowess. The album showcases the band's electrifying energy, improvisational skills, and penchant for epic compositions. From the hypnotic opener "In the Time of Our Lives" to the monumental "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida""
IRON BUTTERFLY - Metamorphosis with Pinera and Rhino
ATCO SD 33-339 , Year , Country
New additions Pinera and Rhino brought a Latin-tinged, progressive flavor to the mix, but it clashes with the band's established sound. "Easy Rider (Let the Wind Pay the Way)" is a prime example, a meandering tune that sounds like Santana jamming with a bunch of accountants.
The album, recorded at the Record Plant in Los Angeles, was produced by the band themselves, a move that perhaps reveals their lack of direction and confidence. The production is slick and professional, but it lacks the raw energy and experimentation of their earlier work.
