Heavy
by Iron Butterfly

Heavy by Iron Butterfly
Year: 1968
Overall rank: 9,953rd   Overall chart history
Average Rating: 
72/100 (from 45 votes)
  Ratings distribution   Average rating history
Accolades:
Award Top albums of 1968 (134th)
Award Top albums of the 1960s (715th)
Award Best albums of all time (9,953rd)

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Iron Butterfly bestography

Heavy is ranked 2nd best out of 11 albums by Iron Butterfly on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by Iron Butterfly is In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida which is ranked number 1847 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 907.

Iron Butterfly album bestography « Higher ranked (1,847th)
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
This album (9,953rd)
Heavy
Lower ranked (34,829th) »
Metamorphosis

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

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Heavy rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 9,953rd | 1960s rank: 715th | 1968 rank: 134th
Filter Filter
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YearSourceChartRankRank Score
2026 RockyRaccoonTop 100 Music Albums of 196899/1000
2026 RockyRaccoonEarly Psychedelic Rock Pt. 258/100 -
2026 FischmanTop 100 Music Albums of 196865/1002
2026SkernsTop 55 Music Albums of 196844/551
2026 TamthebamTop 100 Music Albums of 196897/1000
2025 CharlieBarleyTop 65 Music Albums of 196865/650
2025 Repo1968: Heavy Shit! (Psych/Prog/Blues & Rock)7/13 -
2025sleepr2d2Top 24 Greatest Music Albums6/2470
2025JohnnyoTop 85 Music Albums of 196868/851
2023 MW19704UTop 65 Music Albums of 196855/651
2023GuigouTop 100 Music Albums of the 1960s86/1003
2022 mdbaxterTop 44 Music Albums of 196842/440
2021 desh79Top 50 Music Albums of 196843/501
2020Steppenwolf666More debut albums40/86 -
2020AlienCinemaTop 81 Music Albums of 196876/810
2020 Tha1ChiefRockaTop 71 Music Albums of the 1960s48/717
2019Steppenwolf666Pokora's masterpieces of music (Part 3)60/100 -
2019WayneMC'Classic Rock' The Real 100 Greatest Albums Of The 60s90/100 -
2019Classic Rock DeutschlandDie besten Alben der 60er90/1002
2019 GrouseTop 24 Music Albums of the 1960s8/2414
Total Charts: Help The total number of charts that this album has appeared in. 30
Total Rank Score: Help The total rank score. 120
You can include this album in your own chart from the My Charts page!

Heavy collection

Heavy ratings

Average Rating: 
72/100 (from 45 votes)
  Ratings distribution Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album.  | Show all 45 ratings for this album.

Sort Sort by
RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
10/100
 
03/29/2026 14:40 Rswiv  Ratings distribution  784/100
 
65/100
 
01/14/2026 06:16 Exist-en-ciel  Ratings distribution  8,94170/100
 
65/100
 
07/18/2025 16:21 Igtonumama  Ratings distribution  10,79163/100
 
85/100
 
07/19/2023 20:12 RockyRaccoon  Ratings distribution  6,92284/100
 
55/100
 
03/20/2023 08:49 MW19704U  Ratings distribution  6,99059/100

Rating metrics: Help Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)

This album has a Bayesian average rating of 71.6/100, a mean average of 70.1/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 71.5/100. The standard deviation for this album is 14.8.

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Heavy favourites

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Heavy comments

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From 02/21/2023 16:17 | #294288
"Heavy" by Iron Butterfly is a classic album that represents a defining moment in the evolution of heavy rock music. Released in 1968, this album is a prime example of the band's unique sound, which was characterized by heavy and distorted guitar riffs, extended instrumental sections, and psychedelic elements.
This is not very well know among the album listed when speaking about heavy rock origins. This has got some elements of it but is not very HEAVY yet,

One of the standout tracks on the album is "Iron Butterfly Theme," which features a memorable guitar riff, the distorted guitar is particularly effective
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 11/16/2017 06:09 | #201424
I dont listen to this album as much as I should. Its not their best and definatly not their worst
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 10/24/2014 17:21 | #125245
Even though Iron Butterfly is a talented group of musu=icians, "Heavy" doesn't have a great producer, and the lyrics sometimes contradict the style a bit. The album would be great if the production was a bit better.

Composition: 100
Consistency: 70
Diversity: 75
Instruments: 85
Production: 68
Rhythms: 75
Vocals: 72
545/800 = 78
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Best Albums of 1968
1. The Beatles (The White Album) by The Beatles
2. Electric Ladyland by The Jimi Hendrix Experience
3. Astral Weeks by Van Morrison
4. Odessey And Oracle by The Zombies
5. The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society by The Kinks
6. Beggars Banquet by The Rolling Stones
7. White Light/White Heat by The Velvet Underground
8. Bookends by Simon & Garfunkel
9. Music From Big Pink by The Band
10. At Folsom Prison by Johnny Cash
11. Waiting For The Sun by The Doors
12. A Saucerful Of Secrets by Pink Floyd
13. Lady Soul by Aretha Franklin
14. We're Only In It For The Money by The Mothers Of Invention
15. The Notorious Byrd Brothers by The Byrds
16. Cheap Thrills by Big Brother And The Holding Company
17. Os Mutantes by Os Mutantes
18. Wheels Of Fire by Cream
19. Sweetheart Of The Rodeo by The Byrds
20. S.F. Sorrow by The Pretty Things