{{About|concept album by Roger Glover|the poem by William Roscoe|The Butterfly's Ball, and the Grasshopper's Feast}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2021}} {{Use British English|date=November 2011}} {{Infobox album | name = The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast | type = [[Studio Album]] | artist = [[Roger Glover]] | cover = Butterflyball.jpg | released = 18 November 1974 (UK)<br>16 October 1975 (US) | recorded = Summer 1974 | studio = Kingsway Recorders, London | genre = *[[Pop rock]] *[[psychedelic rock]] *[[hard rock]] *[[progressive rock]] | length = 48:28 | label = [[Purple Records]] (United Kingdom)<br>[[UK Records]] (United States) | producer = [[Roger Glover]], [[Alan G. Rainer]] | next_title = [[Elements (Roger Glover album)|Elements]] | next_year = 1978 | misc = {{Singles | name = The Butterfly Ball | type = studio | single1 = [[Love Is All (Roger Glover song)|Love is All]] | single1date = 8 November 1974<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Bloom | first1 = Jerry | title = The Road of Golden Dust | edition = 1st | publisher = Wymer Publishing | year = 2015 | pages = 190 | isbn = 978-1-908724-23-6}}</ref> }} }} {{Album reviews |rev1 = [[AllMusic]] |rev1score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-butterfly-ball-and-the-grasshoppers-feast-mw0000193761/releases | title = Roger Glover The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast review | access-date = 24 January 2022 | work = [[Allmusic]] | publisher = [[Rovi Corporation]]}}</ref> | noprose = yes }}

'''''The Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast''''' is a [[concept album]] and subsequent live [[rock opera]] written by [[Roger Glover]]. It appeared in 1974 and 1975 respectively, and was based on the [[The Butterfly's Ball, and the Grasshopper's Feast|children's poem of a similar title]]. The album cover design is from [[Alan Aldridge]]'s design for a 1973 book based on the poem.

== Origin and production history == The work was originally conceived as a solo vehicle for [[Jon Lord]] to be produced by [[Roger Glover]] who had recently left [[Deep Purple]]. However, Lord proved too busy with Deep Purple, and Glover took up the reins on his own. Using his connections, Glover recruited a large cast of noted rock musicians, with a different vocalist for each character, including [[David Coverdale]] and [[Glenn Hughes (British musician)|Glenn Hughes]]. [[Les Binks]], later of [[Judas Priest]], and [[Michael Giles]] of [[King Crimson]] play drums on the album. <ref>{{cite book |last1=Thompson |first1=Dave |title=Smoke on the Water: The Deep Purple Story |date=2004 |publisher=ECW Press |isbn=978-1-55022-618-8 |page=207 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LzzCw6xs9roC&dq=butterfly+ball+jon+lord&pg=PA207 |access-date=11 January 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

An accompanying animated short film, ''The Butterfly Ball'', was made by the [[Halas & Batchelor]] company.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cowie |first1=Peter |title=International Film Guide 1979 |date=1978 |publisher=Tantivy Press |isbn=978-0-498-02241-8 |page=451 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mtNkAAAAMAAJ&q=halas+and+batchelor+butterfly+ball |access-date=11 January 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

On 16 October 1975, a one-off performance at the [[Royal Albert Hall]] took place. Again it had a star-studded cast of rock musicians, most notably [[Ian Gillan]] who was drafted in at the last minute and received a standing ovation on his entrance. He replaced an unavailable [[Ronnie James Dio]] who had commitments with [[Rainbow (rock band)|Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow]] (although Dio did eventually get to perform the song at the [[Royal Albert Hall]] in 1999 as the guest of [[Deep Purple]]). Gillan had not performed since leaving [[Deep Purple]] in 1973. Also notable was the appearance of [[Twiggy]] as singer and actress and [[Vincent Price]] as narrator. Apart from most of the musicians involved in the studio recording, the concert also featured [[Jon Lord]]. The live concert was filmed and released in 1976, produced by [[Tony Klinger]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Donnelly |first1=Kevin |title=Pop Music in British Cinema: A Chronicle |date=26 February 2002 |publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=978-0-85170-863-8 |page=85 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qRsJAQAAMAAJ&q=Tony+Klinger+Butterfly+Ball |access-date=11 January 2022 |language=en}}</ref>

== Later appearance == [[Colin Meloy]] of [[The Decemberists]] has used the piece as intro music for the band's shows.<ref name=TM>Schweber, Nate, [http://www.umt.edu/montanan/w09/making.asp "The Making of Meloy"], ''The Montanan'', Winter, 2009. Retrieved 2011-04-08.</ref>

== Track listing == {{tracklist | all_writing = [[Roger Glover]], additional writers where noted | headline = Original album | extra_column = Vocals | title1 = Dawn | length1 = 1:21 | title2 = Get Ready | length2 = 2:06 | extra2 = [[Glenn Hughes (musician)|Glenn Hughes]] | title3 = Saffron Dormouse and Lizzy Bee | length3 = 1:25 | extra3 = [[Barry St. John]], Helen Chappelle | title4 = Harlequin Hare | note4 = | length4 = 1:26 | writer4 = [[Ronnie James Dio]], [[Micky Lee Soule]] | extra4 = Neil Lancaster | title5 = Old Blind Mole | length5 = 1:11 | extra5 = [[John Goodison (musician)|John Goodison]] | title6 = Magician Moth | length6 = 1:33 | title7 = No Solution | length7 = 3:28 | extra7 = Soule | title8 = Behind the Smile | length8 = 1:46 | extra8 = [[David Coverdale]] | title9 = Fly Away | length9 = 2:22 | extra9 = Liza Strike | title10 = Aranea | length10 = 1:37 | extra10 = Judi Kuhl | title11 = Sitting in a Dream | length11 = 3:40 | extra11 = Dio | title12 = Waiting | length12 = 3:11 | extra12 = [[Jimmy Helms]] | title13 = Sir Maximus Mouse | length13 = 2:35 | extra13 = [[Eddie Hardin]] | title14 = Dreams of Sir Bedivere | length14 = 4:09 | title15 = Together Again | length15 = 2:05 | writer15 = Dio, Soule | extra15 = [[Tony Ashton]] | title16 = Watch Out for the Bat | length16 = 1:41 | extra16 = [[John Gustafson (musician)|John Gustafson]] | title17 = Little Chalk Blue * | length17 = 3:44 | writer17 = Hardin | extra17 = [[John Lawton (musician)|John Lawton]] | title18 = The Feast | length18 = 1:48 | title19 = [[Love Is All (Roger Glover song)|Love is All]] | length19 = 3:14 | writer19 = Hardin, Dio | extra19 = Dio | title20 = Homeward | length20 = 4:12 | writer20 = Hardin | extra20 = Dio }} {{tracklist | headline = 1995 Reissue bonus tracks | title1 = Love is All (Demo Version) | length1 = 3:04 | title2 = Dawn (Remix) | length2 = 1:35 | title3 = Magician Moth (Remix) | length3 = 1:37 | title4 = Harlequin Hare (Remix) | length4 = 1:33 | title5 = Magician Moth (Remix) | length5 = 1:34 | title6 = No Solution (Remix) | length6 = 3:58 | title7 = Waiting (Remix) | length7 = 3:58 | title8 = Fly Away (Remix) | length8 = 2:24 | title9 = Aranea (Remix) | length9 = 1:38 }} {{tracklist | headline = Film version from the concert 16 October 1975 | title1 = Dawn (feat Vincent Price) | title2 = Get Ready (feat [[Glenn Hughes (British musician)|Glenn Hughes]]) | title3 = Saffron Dormouse and Lizzy Bee (feat Helen Chappelle and Barry St. John) | title4 = Together Again (feat [[Tony Ashton]]) | title5 = Old Blind Mole (feat [[Earl Jordan]]) | title6 = Magician Moth (feat Vincent Price) | title7 = Watch Out for the Bat (feat [[John Gustafson (musician)|John Gustafson]]) | title8 = Aranea (feat Judi Kuhl) | title9 = Sir Maximus Mouse (feat [[Eddie Hardin]]) | title10 = Behind the Smile (feat [[David Coverdale]]) | title11 = Little Chalk Blue (feat [[John Lawton (musician)|John Lawton]]) | title12 = Waiting (feat [[Al Matthews (actor)|Al Matthews]]) | title13 = Sitting in a Dream (feat [[Ian Gillan]]) | title14 = No Solution (feat [[Micky Lee Soule]]) | title15 = The Feast (feat [[Vincent Price]]) | title16 = Love is All (feat [[Ian Gillan]] ) | title17 = Homeward (feat [[Twiggy]]) | title18 = Love is All (encore) }}

* = Little Chalk Blue is on CD Reissue only

==Charts== {| class="wikitable" |- !Chart (1978) !Peak<br/>position |- |Australia ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=321}}</ref> | style="text-align:center;"|12 |}

== Personnel (original album) == * [[Jack Emblow]] - [[accordion]] * [[Ray Fenwick]] - [[guitar]] * [[Mike Moran (music producer)|Mike Moran]], Ann Odell - [[piano]] * [[Roger Glover]] - [[Synthesizer|synthesiser]], piano, guitar, bass guitar, [[Percussion instrument|percussion]], [[Backing vocalist|backing vocals]] * [[Eddie Hardin]] - piano, [[Organ (music)|organ]], synthesizer, backing vocals * [[Eddie Jobson]] - [[violin]] * [[Chris Karan]] - [[tabla]] * Robin Thompson - [[bassoon]] * [[Nigel Watson]] - [[Musical saw|saw]] * [[Mo Foster]] - bass guitar, [[double bass]], finger pops * [[Les Binks]] - [[Drum kit|drums]] * [[Michael Giles|Mike Giles]] - drums * Joanne Williams - backing vocals * Kay Garner - backing vocals * Judi Kuhl - backing vocals * [[Barry St. John]] - backing vocals * Helen Chappelle - backing vocals * The Mountain Fjord Orchestra led by David Woodcock and conducted by Martin Ford, John Bell and Del Newman. * [[Alan Aldridge]], Harry Willock - cover design * George Peckham - mastering

== References == {{reflist}}

== External links == * {{IMDb title|id=0074260|title=The Butterfly Ball}} * [http://www.discogs.com/release/690381 The Butterfly Ball And The Grasshopper's Feast] at Discogs.com

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Butterfly Ball and the Grasshopper's Feast}} [[Category:1974 debut albums]] [[Category:1970s concept albums]] [[Category:Albums produced by Roger Glover]] [[Category:Roger Glover albums]] [[Category:Purple Records albums]] [[Category:UK Records albums]] [[Category:Albums with cover art by Alan Aldridge]] [[Category:Rock operas]]