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~ThePoodleBites rip in 96 kHz / 24 bit FLAC + full hi-res scans!~
This phenomenal late-'60s hard-edged acid-blues burner is yet another piece from the amazing collection of our friend C.F. This album has some of the most ripping, brutal fuzz I've ever heard; this was surprising for me after a halfhearted judgement by the cover, which instead conjured up ideas of some kinda quiet folkish UK trip. Not at all -- rather, Dragonfly is hefty blues-based American psych, sonically closer to the first Fever Tree album, except way, way better: it's a totally west-coast-feeling trip with some echoes of Steppenwolf or even the Doors circa Strange Days, to my ears.
The fact that these guys are the same group as The Legend which had released a terribly mediocre pop LP on the same label earlier in the year is a complete mindfuck. Dragonfly is so much better that it's not even worth comparing the two. However, I'd be out of place if I didn't mention the excellent 45 (see here) which features alternate mono single mixes of two tracks from this album!
Major thanks to C.F. for sharing this rarity for a much-needed audio upgrade!
Full outside artwork, a painting by "acid freak" artist Pete Hampton
The artwork apparently had some role in the origins of the band's second moniker. Klemen Breznikar's interview with Randy Russ (here) reveals the story for this later name:
"[Tony Sepe and Marty Brooks] found this acid freak that had done this painting and they bought it from him and Tony saw the Dragonfly on the picture and decided to call it that."
Of course reappraising it now, I'm inclined to rescind my initial impressions about the artwork. The red object on the front is presumably a stress insulator on an electrical guy wire, correctly implying the high-voltage guitar fervor I'd failed to predict before; but its placement in naturalistic scenery gives an idealistic feeling for openness and space, crucial in the heady '60s experience. Indeed, the band seemed to have understood this balance quite well, with Russ commenting that "Enjoy Yourself" was "kind of a summary of life’s bummers and where an acid trip can take you":
Merry-go-round, tripping along Stumbling over skyscrapers
You can touch the sky with your elastic mind
Don't fall down...
With tracks flowing into one another, Dragonfly feels more like a concept piece than it probably is. Obviously much work went into the final product, evidenced by plentiful special effects included through production and then-novel studio techniques, like the three-channel drum intro to "Enjoy Yourself," backtracking happening everywhere you turn, and energetically varied instrumentation: timpani appear in "Portrait Of Youth," a keyboard in "I Feel It," and occasional horn sections such as "Trombodo" and the closer, "Miles Away," which are added tastefully and contribute positively to the overall atmosphere.
Promo shot of The Legend / Dragonfly ca. 1968
The inclusion of a Muddy Waters blues standard like "Hootchie Koochie Man" goes totally unnoticed in the blazing walls of distorted bliss, and with a backwards guitar solo thrown in, psychonaut purists can hardly complain. That lead tone, by the way, is the sound of a 1959 Les Paul SG walloped by the Maestro Fuzz-Tone and cranked through a Vox Super Beatle amp... totally original and totally killer!
For such an obscure album, Dragonfly sounds remarkably contemporary, and totally polished, so it's quite curious how the band never made it to the top-of-the-pops (with a bullet!). Dragonfly appeared in Billboard and Cash Box on 9 Nov 1968, with a quite positive review in the latter. However, it seems the album quickly vanished and never reappeared.
Remarkably accurate review in Cash Box magazine, 9 Nov 1968
There have been several digital reissues of this album. The first was in 1992 on the French label Eva, which remains the best commercially available digital reissue. It was sourced from a vinyl rip with light noise, but otherwise pretty good sound with just some V-shaped EQ. Then came a CD on Gear Fab, which is bass-heavy, much noisier, and noticeably sped up(!). The Sunbeam CD reissue from 2012 apparently took this faulty master, retaining the wrong speed, cranked up the volume, ported through a light de-clicker, and added fades which are nonexistent on the original recording (wow, so radiant!). This album was cut loudly and there is some inherent distortion on the recording / pressing; nonetheless, I think this new transfer and restoration is an improvement on all that came before, as usual. Also I have tried to split the tracks in the most logical way which most closely aligns with the given track timings, which is marginally different from the aforementioned releases.
Lineup:
Gerry Jimmerfield – vocals, rhythm guitar
Randy Russ – lead guitar
Ernie McElwaine – keyboards
Jack Duncan – bass guitar
Barry Davis – drums
Vinyl condition: M-
Dynamic range: DR10
Track listing:
1) "Blue Monday" -- 3:16
2) "Enjoy Yourself" -- 3:33
3) "Hootchie Kootchie Man" -- 4:33
4) "I Feel It" -- 4:34
5) "Trombodo" -- 0:32
6) "Portrait Of Youth" -- 2:51
7) "Crazy Woman" -- 2:50
8) "She Don't Care" -- 2:35
9) "Time Has Slipped Away" -- 2:41
10) "To Be Free" -- 3:26
11) "Darlin'" -- 0:30
12) "Miles Away" -- 4:50
Equipment Lineage:
– Audio-Technica VMN40ML stylus on AT150MLx dual moving-magnet cartridge
– Audio-Technica AT-LP1240-USB direct drive professional turntable (internal stock preamp/ADC removed)
– Pro-Ject Phono Box S2 Ultra preamp with dedicated Zero Zone linear power supply
– Audacity 2.3.3 (fades between tracks, split tracks)
– Foobar2000 v1.5.1 (tagging, dynamic range analysis)
Thanks for taking the time to read my posts and check out my blog. I'd greatly appreciate it if you leave a small comment below. Notes from my readers are what inspire me to keep going. Thanks!
I have both the eva and the gearfab releases. The eva doesn't even have the original cover. Your rip is heaps better than the eva bootleg which just doesn't sound crisp or even. For the gearfab c.d, to be honest, I can't even be bothered playing it, I'll just play your rip as it will be better anyway. Thanks poodlebites.
thanks for this great record; I sold some of my rare records (also the Dragonfly and Legend LP's) some 30years ago for money sake, I was such a fool, cheers, Karl
Thank you. Looking forward to checking this out. Before I start, I have a downloading question. Is there a way to just download your final mix? The last time I tried I ended up with all the working versions as well, which came to over 7gb.
Ah, sorry about that... Yes, you can highlight just the tracks you want, then right click -> "Download." To highlight/select multiple items at once, first click on the top one you want, hold down the shift key, and then click on the bottom one you want. Let me know of any issues!
Thanks for this album, it's a great one and sounds much better than the GF which i own. A question about track 12, on the label it gives the time as 4:45, but your rip goes on for 5 seconds with silence, although the track end abrublty. I re downloaded the track several times as I thought it might be a digital error, but all are identical. Is this how it should be then? thanks - gerard
The track ends abruptly like that on the LP. There is a short fade-out after the room reverberation ends, then I added ~3 seconds of silence to facilitate a break in the music when playing in a playlist or looping CDs. There is always some ambiguity here, since when the needle goes into the runout, when does the song really "end"?
As a side note, I recommend never taking timings on the labels/cover too literally: they are more than often inaccurate, and sometimes remarkably so. The timings on Mandrake Memorial: Puzzle, for example, are completely useless, and Ultimate Spinach: Behold & See has some tracks with timings roughly a minute off -- just off the top of my head.
Thank you for the music! If you could please make the artwork more manageable. 7GB in artwork is just way to much and forces me to download each track separately.
Cool to find this. I used to have the album. Pete Hampton was not an acid freak. He was, however, a very eccentric character. I have, for the last six years, been engaged in the project of preserving Pete's life's work. Many consider him a genius. More about Pete at this link:
I'm not familiar with this record, but really looking forward to giving it a spin. Thank!
ReplyDeleteSo cool you get to experience this for the very first time... hope you enjoy it! :)
DeleteThank you, man! As always, this is a great upgrade to the old, sped-up, poorly equalized versions!
ReplyDeleteThank you !
ReplyDeleteI have both the eva and the gearfab releases. The eva doesn't even have the original cover. Your rip is heaps better than the eva bootleg which just doesn't sound crisp or even.
ReplyDeleteFor the gearfab c.d, to be honest, I can't even be bothered playing it, I'll just play your rip as it will be better anyway.
Thanks poodlebites.
Thanks for the feedback, great to hear -- enjoy! :)
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteheavy psych/fuzz at it's best
Deletethanks a bunch C.F. & tpb for this outstanding rip :)
the scans are (as always) extra ordinary!
All except for that dang spine on the cover...
Deletethanks for this great record; I sold some of my rare records (also the Dragonfly and Legend LP's) some 30years ago for money sake, I was such a fool, cheers, Karl
ReplyDeleteMany thanks for this excellent rip - it's so much better than version I've had up till now.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Looking forward to checking this out. Before I start, I have a downloading question. Is there a way to just download your final mix? The last time I tried I ended up with all the working versions as well, which came to over 7gb.
ReplyDeleteAh, sorry about that... Yes, you can highlight just the tracks you want, then right click -> "Download." To highlight/select multiple items at once, first click on the top one you want, hold down the shift key, and then click on the bottom one you want. Let me know of any issues!
DeleteThanks. I'll keep these steps in mind next time.
DeleteThanks, I ripped the 2012 reissue a while back, very happy to hear the original, thanks again!
ReplyDeleteI also have never heard this, though I've seen versions of it around for years. I'm glad I waited. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this album, it's a great one and sounds much better than the GF which i own. A question about track 12, on the label it gives the time as 4:45, but your rip goes on for 5 seconds with silence, although the track end abrublty. I re downloaded the track several times as I thought it might be a digital error, but all are identical. Is this how it should be then? thanks - gerard
ReplyDeleteThe track ends abruptly like that on the LP. There is a short fade-out after the room reverberation ends, then I added ~3 seconds of silence to facilitate a break in the music when playing in a playlist or looping CDs. There is always some ambiguity here, since when the needle goes into the runout, when does the song really "end"?
DeleteAs a side note, I recommend never taking timings on the labels/cover too literally: they are more than often inaccurate, and sometimes remarkably so. The timings on Mandrake Memorial: Puzzle, for example, are completely useless, and Ultimate Spinach: Behold & See has some tracks with timings roughly a minute off -- just off the top of my head.
Thank you for the music! If you could please make the artwork more manageable. 7GB in artwork is just way to much and forces me to download each track separately.
ReplyDeleteLOL. The things that complainers find to whine about never ceases to amaze me.
DeleteFinally got around to giving this a spin. Excellent rip, and great music! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteCool to find this. I used to have the album. Pete Hampton was not an acid freak. He was, however, a very eccentric character. I have, for the last six years, been engaged in the project of preserving Pete's life's work. Many consider him a genius. More about Pete at this link:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.thelosteratranscripts.com/
JWM