Album of the Day

On this day in 1968, Iron Butterfly carved out a place in rock history with the release of IN-A-GADDA-DA-VIDA. The San Diego quartet's second album featured five fine originals on the first side ranging from Summer-of-Love pop to proto-metal, but listeners really hit paydirt when they flipped the record over. Powered by Doug Ingle's hypnotic organ riff and ominous vocals (and one of the all-time great drum solos from Ron Bushy), the 17-minute title track is the ultimate in acid rock. The collection went on to sell more than 4 million copies and earned the first-ever R.I.A.A. Platinum sales certification. The gloriously excessive IN-A-GADDA-DA-VIDA is more than Iron Butterfly's magnum opus – it's a '60s touchstone.