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"...Delicate, Tranquil and Tender..."
The first two STRAWBS albums - the self-titled
"Strawbs" debut in June 1969 and its more accomplished follow up -
February 1970's "Dragonfly" highlighted a band very much on the up -
growing in stature with each rapid release - receiving critical acclaim and a
fattening fan base - but still finding chart action elusive.
As a rarities buyer in Reckless (London) for
nearly 20 years - I can count on one hand the number of times I saw Tan A&M
label UK originals of either vinyl LP. Both are forgotten gems filled with
music that's daring and reaching. So it's with some pleasure that I come to
this superb 2008 CD Remaster - expanding the original 9-track LP with 4 Bonus
Tracks. Here are the Visionary Ladies in the Lake...
UK released August 2008 - "Dragonfly"
by STRAWBS on A&M Records/UMC 5302680 (Barcode 600753026809) is an
'Expanded Edition' CD Remaster with Four Bonus Tracks and plays out as follows
(49:29 minutes):
1. The Weary Song
2. Dragonfly
3. I Turned My Face To The Wind
4. Josephine, For Better Or Worse
5. Another Day
6. Til The Sun Comes Shining Through [Side 2]
7. Young Again
8. The Vision Of The Lady In The Lake
9. Close Your Eyes
Tracks 1 to 9 are their 2nd studio album
"Dragonfly" - released February 1970 in the UK on A&M Records
AMLS 970 (no USA release). Produced by TONY VISCONTI - it failed to chart in
the UK. All tracks written by Dave Cousins except "Young Again" by
Tony Hooper.
BONUS TRACKS:
10. We'll Meet Again Sometime [Recorded at
Trident Studios, London in June 1969]
11. Forever [Non-Album Track, A-side to a UK
7" single on A&M AMS 791 - released July 1970 with the LP cut
"Another Day" as the B-side]
12. Another Day
13. We'll Meet Again Someday [Tracks 12 and 13
recorded for the BBC's John Peel 'Top Gear' Radio Show on 7 September 1969]
STRAWBS was:
DAVE COUSINS - Vocals, Guitars, Piano,
Dulcimer, 'Chinese Piano' and Percussion
TONY HOOPER - Vocals, Acoustic and Electric
Guitars, Tambourine and Percussion
RON CHESTERMAN - Double Bass
CLAIRE DENIZ - Cello
Guests:
TONY VISCONTI - Recorder on
"Dragonfly" and "Young Again"
RICK WAKEMAN – Piano, PAUL BRETT - Lead Guitar
and BJARNE ROSTVOLD - Drums - all on "The Vision Of The Lady In The
Lake"
The 16-page booklet is a lovely thing to behold
and pleasingly in-depth and a nice touch is the Tan Label for the CD aping the
original English LP rarity. MARK POWELL of the quality reissue label Esoteric
Recordings (part of Cherry Red UK) provides the superb new liner notes
chronicling the band's history from 1968/1969 darlings of Progressive Folk with
Sandy Denny before she jumped ship for Fairport Convention to the re-jiggered
Strawbs on the cusp of 'a new musical rebirth' with 1971's "From The
Witchwood". The rare lyric insert that came with original 1970 British LPs
has its words reproduced on Pages 8 to 14 - there's a photo of the stand-alone
British 45 for "Forever" (a session outtake released one week after
the new line-up had recorded the 11 July 1970 Queen Elizabeth Hall gig that
would become the live LP "Just Another Collection Of Antiques And
Curios") as well as repro of a rare A&M Records trade advert trying to
drum up interest in their 'new one'. The beautiful 'Dragonfly' painting/logo
done by Roger Saunders that so elevated the artwork of the original LP crops up
throughout the text - as do black and whites of Dave Cousins - all neatly
wrapped up with the usual re-issue credits.
PASCHAL BYRNE and BEN WISEMAN (of Audio
Archiving) did the Remaster and these hugely experienced Audio Engineers have
pulled off a winner. Those slightly Psych-sounding keyboards of Rick Wakeman
(before he joined the ranks of Yes and helped out David Bowie sessions in 1971)
have amazing clarity on the epic 10-minute "The Vision Of The Lady In The
Lake". And that loose English Folk Band 'live in the studio' feel to the
Danish sessions (recorded in Copenhagen) is captured so well on tracks like
"I Turn My Face To The Wall" and the gorgeous opener "The Weary
Song" – Chesterman's Double Bass and Claire Deniz's Cello leaping out the
speakers in all the right ways.
Musically I'm reminded of The Incredible String
Band experimenting with and bending the barriers of Rock with string
instruments and wondering why this superb album didn’t make The Strawbs huge.
The musical lushness of "The Weary Song" and the Dulcimer beauty of
"Dragonfly" that soon expands into an Acid-Folk dream are both
utterly brilliant – the remaster beautifully accenting those heavily drawn
string notes and percussive bell tinkles – our Dave lying awake at night
waiting for those North winds to blow. The piano/string combo of "I Turned
My Face To The Wind" has traces of The Moody Blues and Procol Harum in its
melody and slightly sad 'mist rolled down the countryside' lyrics. And even
though it's a mere 2:36 minutes long - "I Turned My Face To The Wind"
manages to feel more epic than its playing time. Back to the sublime with one
of Cousins' loveliest airs – the nuptials/betrothing ballad "Josephine,
For Better Or Worse". The Remaster on this track is astounding – as clear
as I've ever heard this song. Side A ends with "Another Day" where
its jolly upbeat nature makes it the most poppy of tracks on a Folk-Rock LP -
like they were aiming for a single.
Side 2 gives us the first trace of hiss with
"'Til The Sun Comes Shining Through" - a split-vocal peach that
floats like Nick Drake or John Martyn over on Island Records. It's hugely
romantic 'my love a primrose fair' lyrics are complimented by sweet acoustic
guitars and that soaring cello - Visconti making certain to accentuate the lot.
"...Laughing as they run..." go the words to "Young Again"
- a gorgeous Tony Hooper song that sounds like its sentiments - where simple
pleasures make you and I "...young again...". The lyrics to the
mammoth "The Vision Of The Lady In The Lake" take up two pages – but
if I'm completely honest I've always found the noises in the background as the
verses pass more intrusive than complimentary – and that drums/guitar break
about six minutes in kills it for me. Others of course will view it as Prog
Folk/Acid Folk at its expressive wild best (one man's poison etc). By way of
melodic compensation for the indulgence that just went before – we get the
49-second "Close Your Eyes" ditty that ends Side 2 – leaving the
listener panting for more (of the same).
All four of the Bonus Tracks have much to
recommend – the Lindisfarne bop of the outtake "We'll Meet Again Sometime"
would have been a very cool signal with its 'look upon your loveliness' vibe.
An acoustic guitar opening quickly followed by Bowie Cello notes introduces the
stand-alone British 45 "Forever" - a good song that is perhaps too
overly busy for its own good – and stylistically too similar to The Moody
Blues. But I must admit it's an amazing piece of well-produced melodrama and a
huge fan rarity finally on CD. The two BBC Sessions are pleasingly well
recorded – those duet vocals very clear as are the strings and acoustic
guitars. But for me it's the version of "We’ll Meet Again Sometime"
that feels special – stripped of that over-production – it makes you
concentrate on The Hollies vocals and the 'my love reflected in your eyes'
the-boy's-in-love lyrics. Very nice...
London's Psych-Folk-Rockers would have to wait
until John Ford and Richard Hudson joined the line-up in June 1970 and recorded
what would be November 1970's live album "Just A Collection Of Antiques
And Curios" to chart in Blighty - a modest No. 27 - but a start
nonetheless. July 1971 would give us "From The Witchwood" and
February 1972 the breakthrough album "Grave New World" which finally
saw them go Top 20 peaking at an impressive No. 11 (see separate review).
Overlooked – unfairly forgotten – a bit of a
friggin' masterpiece frankly – The Strawbs' second album "Dragonfly"
is all of these things. And how good is it to hear this amazing CD Remaster do
that flirting moment of musical brilliance a proper solid. Big respect to all
involved...
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