Dragonfly (Strawbs album)
Dragonfly is the second studio album by English band Strawbs. It contains the lengthy and rather progressive ballad "The Vision of the Lady of the Lake" describing the hardships of a boatman who encounters and battles a variety of mystical creatures on a lake, with a sword that was given to him by the lady of the lake. The album marked the first collaboration of Rick Wakeman with the band, though he only played on one song on this album, piano on The Vision of the Lady of the Lake; he eventually joined them on their next album, Just a Collection of Antiques and Curios, in 1970. Tony Visconti also played flute on two other songs.
| Dragonfly | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 1970 | |||
| Recorded | 1969 | |||
| Studio | Ivar Rosenberg Lydteknik, Copenhagen; Morgan Studios, London | |||
| Genre | Folk rock | |||
| Length | 36:44 | |||
| Label | A&M | |||
| Producer | Tony Visconti | |||
| Strawbs chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Uncut | [2] |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [3] |
Track listing
All tracks are written by Dave Cousins, except where noted
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Weary Song" | 3:50 |
| 2. | "Dragonfly" | 5:34 |
| 3. | "I Turned My Face Into the Wind" | 2:42 |
| 4. | "Josephine for Better or for Worse" | 3:17 |
| 5. | "Another Day" | 3:16 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6. | "'Til the Sun Comes Shining Through" | 3:34 | |
| 7. | "Young Again" | Tony Hooper | 2:51 |
| 8. | "The Vision of the Lady of the Lake" | 10:44 | |
| 9. | "Close Your Eyes" | Hooper | 0:56 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10. | "We'll Meet Again Some Time" (Recorded at Trident Studios, London, June 1969) | 3:13 | |
| 11. | "Forever" (single release) | Cousins, Hooper | 3:32 |
| 12. | "Another Day" (recorded for John Peel's "Top Gear" BBC Radio 1 show, September 7, 1969) | 3:03 | |
| 13. | "We'll Meet Again Sometime" (recorded for John Peel's "Top Gear" BBC Radio 1 show, September 7, 1969) | 3:09 |
Personnel
- Strawbs
- Dave Cousins – Vocals, Acoustic guitar, Dulcimer, Chinese piano, Percussion
- Tony Hooper – Vocals, Acoustic & Electric Guitars, Tambourine, Percussion
- Claire Deniz – Cello
- Ron Chesterman – Double bass
- Additional personnel
- Tony Visconti – Recorder on "Dragonfly and "Young Again"
- Rick Wakeman – Piano on "The Vision of The Lady of the Lake"
- Paul Brett – Lead guitar on "The Vision of The Lady of the Lake"
- Bjarne Rostvold – Drums on "The Vision of The Lady of the Lake"
Recording
Recorded at Rosenberg Lydteknik, Copenhagen with additional work at Morgan Studios, London. Mixed at Trident Studios, London
- Tony Visconti – Producer, engineer, Percussive effects
- Roger Quested – Engineer
- Roger Saunders - Design, Illustrations
Release history
| Region | Date | Label | Format | Catalogue | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | February 1970 | A&M | stereo LP | AMS 970 | |
| Canada | 1974 | A&M | stereo 2-LP set with Strawbs | SP9014 | set entitled Early Strawbs |
| South Korea | 1999 | Si-Wan | CD | SRMC 0083 | |
| Unknown | Progressive Line | CD | PL503 | bootleg | |
| United Kingdom | September 2008 | A&M | CD | 5302680 | includes 4 bonus tracks |
References
- Dragonfly at AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-06-20.
- Rob Young Uncut magazine, September 2008.
- Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
- Dragonfly on Strawbsweb
- Sleeve notes AMS 970 Dragonfly
- Sleeve notes 5302680 Dragonfly