20-07-2025, 18:46
DRAGONFLY (February 1970)
![[Image: 250px-Dragonfly_strawbs.jpg]](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/02/Dragonfly_strawbs.jpg/250px-Dragonfly_strawbs.jpg)
On their second album, Dragonfly, Strawbs head back to a folkier sound than on their debut. This is largely acoustic and produced on a much lower budget. They had enlisted cellist Claire Deniz who lends a lovely gravitas to what might otherwise have been a bit of a jangly result, in fact, I’d say the cello plays a pivotal role in the overall success of these songs. It’s also the release where a young Rick Wakeman makes his first appearance with them, this time as a session musician. I still notice and appreciate the double bass which literally provides a solid bass, anchoring the lighter instruments very successfully. David (as I have learned he preferred to be addressed) Cousins plays some unusual instruments, dulcimer and Chinese piano – and all I can say about the recorder is that Tony Visconti is no Andrew Latimer!
I’m not crazy about the title track, which goes on a bit, IMHO, and is a little too pastoral, but the rest of the album is a portent of the even greater things that were to come with Cousin’s epic storytelling abilities culminating, in this instance, in the ten minute long epic “The Vision of the Lady of the Lake” - also not my favourite. Nobody has the patience for these extended plays anymore but at the time, it was very much the order of the day! An unapologetic and well developed sense of the dramatic had Mr Cousins!
Tony Hooper shares vocal duty on this album – well, ‘shares’ might be a bit of a stretch! But he does get heard, occasionally.
Tracklisting:
1. The Weary Song (Cousins)
2. Dragonfly (Cousins)
3. I Turned My Face Into The Wind (Cousins)
4. Josephine, For Better Or For Worse (Cousins)
5. Another Day (Cousins)
6. 'Till The Sun Comes Shining Through (Cousins)
7. Young Again (Hooper)
8. The Vision Of The Lady Of The Lake (Cousins)
9. Close Your Eyes (Cousins/Hooper)
Bonus tracks, Universal CD release, August 2008, and Universal Japan 2019 SHM CD release
10. We'll Meet Again Sometime (Cousins)
11. Forever (Cousins/Hooper)
12. Another Day (Cousins)
13. We'll Meet Again Sometime (Cousins)
Personnel:
Dave Cousins (vocals, guitars, piano, dulcimer, "Chinese Piano", percussion)
Tony Hooper (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, tambourine, percussion)
Ron Chesterman (double bass)
Clare Deniz (cello)
Additional musicians:
Tony Visconti (recorder)
Bjarne Rostvold (drums)*
Rick Wakeman (piano)*
Paul Brett (lead guitar)*
*All on “The Vision of the Lady of the Lake”
Sleeve notes:
"Love and thanks to Tony Visconti for being of sound mind while producing, engineering, and adding percussive effects: to New Breed for Tony Visconti; to Ivar Rosenberg for electronics; to Torben for sunshine and magic moments; and to Roger Saunders for sleeve design and illustration."
My picks for this album are ...
“I Turned My Face Ino the Wind” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWLgf0gTqAA
“Forever” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlqnLbNP3pM
“We’ll Meet Again Sometime” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjRNoVm5cpU
“Josephine, for Better or for Worse”
"Another Day"
On their second album, Dragonfly, Strawbs head back to a folkier sound than on their debut. This is largely acoustic and produced on a much lower budget. They had enlisted cellist Claire Deniz who lends a lovely gravitas to what might otherwise have been a bit of a jangly result, in fact, I’d say the cello plays a pivotal role in the overall success of these songs. It’s also the release where a young Rick Wakeman makes his first appearance with them, this time as a session musician. I still notice and appreciate the double bass which literally provides a solid bass, anchoring the lighter instruments very successfully. David (as I have learned he preferred to be addressed) Cousins plays some unusual instruments, dulcimer and Chinese piano – and all I can say about the recorder is that Tony Visconti is no Andrew Latimer!
I’m not crazy about the title track, which goes on a bit, IMHO, and is a little too pastoral, but the rest of the album is a portent of the even greater things that were to come with Cousin’s epic storytelling abilities culminating, in this instance, in the ten minute long epic “The Vision of the Lady of the Lake” - also not my favourite. Nobody has the patience for these extended plays anymore but at the time, it was very much the order of the day! An unapologetic and well developed sense of the dramatic had Mr Cousins!
Tony Hooper shares vocal duty on this album – well, ‘shares’ might be a bit of a stretch! But he does get heard, occasionally.
Tracklisting:
1. The Weary Song (Cousins)
2. Dragonfly (Cousins)
3. I Turned My Face Into The Wind (Cousins)
4. Josephine, For Better Or For Worse (Cousins)
5. Another Day (Cousins)
6. 'Till The Sun Comes Shining Through (Cousins)
7. Young Again (Hooper)
8. The Vision Of The Lady Of The Lake (Cousins)
9. Close Your Eyes (Cousins/Hooper)
Bonus tracks, Universal CD release, August 2008, and Universal Japan 2019 SHM CD release
10. We'll Meet Again Sometime (Cousins)
11. Forever (Cousins/Hooper)
12. Another Day (Cousins)
13. We'll Meet Again Sometime (Cousins)
Personnel:
Dave Cousins (vocals, guitars, piano, dulcimer, "Chinese Piano", percussion)
Tony Hooper (vocals, acoustic & electric guitars, tambourine, percussion)
Ron Chesterman (double bass)
Clare Deniz (cello)
Additional musicians:
Tony Visconti (recorder)
Bjarne Rostvold (drums)*
Rick Wakeman (piano)*
Paul Brett (lead guitar)*
*All on “The Vision of the Lady of the Lake”
Sleeve notes:
"Love and thanks to Tony Visconti for being of sound mind while producing, engineering, and adding percussive effects: to New Breed for Tony Visconti; to Ivar Rosenberg for electronics; to Torben for sunshine and magic moments; and to Roger Saunders for sleeve design and illustration."
My picks for this album are ...
“I Turned My Face Ino the Wind” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWLgf0gTqAA
“Forever” - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlqnLbNP3pM
“We’ll Meet Again Sometime” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjRNoVm5cpU
“Josephine, for Better or for Worse”
"Another Day"
"The surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that it has never tried to contact us." ~ Bill Watterson