"Iron Man" is almost an anthem for people of a certain generation. It’s one of the first heavy metal songs many of us heard, and it sticks with you. Occasionally hiding in your subconscious for a while, then jumping up to bite you in the ass when you least expect it. Next to “Smoke on the Water” by Deep Purple, this song just might have the most infectious power chords ever written.

Perhaps that is why Phish has performed the song onstage three times in the last 15 years; but always as a short instrumental. It’s unfortunate, yet almost a necessity that the slowed down intro vocals of “I...Am...Iron Man” have been omitted, as that sound would be difficult to reproduce in a live setting. But how many bands can say that they welcomed a New Year with the combo of “Auld Lang Syne” > “Iron Man”? Surely an original thought. The Black Sabbath tribute seems hastily played on 12/31/03. Or is it a band caught up in the moment? Either way, the tune is sped up and, as further proof I dare anyone to hear Page’s chops on the LivePhish.com version. Seems almost like he sat this one out. While longer then the quick jam-by-request from 6/19/88 and Mike’s tease of it during the 2/20/93 "Wilson," 12/31/03 tracks at only one minute and twenty five seconds. Compare that to the six-minute original version that became an FM and 8-track tape staple in the early 70’s.

It is still “Iron Man,” however. A Rock and Roll classic from a golden era, when a young Ozzy Osbourne didn’t need a music studio to process his voice to an extreme. The song continues to stand up historically with “Stairway to Heaven,” “Free Bird” and their ilk. Seek out the original album for some seriously influential heavy metal.

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