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
ReleasedFebruary 1970
Recorded1969
StudioIvar Rosenberg Lydteknik, Copenhagen; Morgan Studios, London
GenreFolk rock
Length36:44
LabelA&M
ProducerTony Visconti
Strawbs chronology
Strawbs
(1969)
Dragonfly
(1970)
Just a Collection of Antiques and Curios
(1971)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
Uncut[2]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]

Track listing edit

All tracks are written by Dave Cousins, except where noted

Side one
No.TitleLength
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
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."'Til the Sun Comes Shining Through" 3:34
7."Young Again"Tony Hooper2:51
8."The Vision of the Lady of the Lake" 10:44
9."Close Your Eyes"Hooper0:56
A&M re-release CD 5302680 bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
10."We'll Meet Again Some Time" (Recorded at Trident Studios, London, June 1969) 3:13
11."Forever" (single release)Cousins, Hooper3:32
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 edit

Strawbs
Additional personnel
  • Tony ViscontiRecorder 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 edit

Recorded at Rosenberg Lydteknik, Copenhagen with additional work at Morgan Studios, London. Mixed at Trident Studios, London

Release history edit

Region Date Label Format Catalogue Comments
United Kingdom February 1970 (1970-02) A&M stereo LP AMS 970
Canada 1974 (1974) A&M stereo 2-LP set with Strawbs SP9014 set entitled Early Strawbs
South Korea 1999 (1999) Si-Wan CD SRMC 0083
Unknown Progressive Line CD PL503 bootleg
United Kingdom September 2008 (2008-09) A&M CD 5302680 includes 4 bonus tracks

References edit

  1. ^ Dragonfly at AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-06-20.
  2. ^ Rob Young Uncut magazine, September 2008.
  3. ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.