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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!
The Legend - "Portrait Of Youth" b/w "Enjoy Yourself"
Original 45 RPM Mono Single
Megaphone – R 703
~ThePoodleBites rip in 96kHz / 24bit FLAC + full high-resolution scans~
Here's another really cool single from my colleague C.F. Both songs have been comp'd (the A-side most famously on Boulders, and the flip-side on A Lethal Dose Of Hard Psych), but I think this new and freshly restored transfer transcends the audio quality available elsewhere. The Legend also released an eponymous album on the short-lived Megaphone label, but that album was recorded in part by session musicians in a band-unapproved move towards the pop-rock style; the songs on this 45 are both heavy psych monsters. Breaking from their management, the Legend rebranded themselves Dragonfly and released one killer psych-/hard-rock long-player on the same label in 1968. Dragonfly also features a re-recorded version of "Enjoy Yourself" but most will prefer this single version, which should've justifiably been a major hit.
Thanks for C.F. yet again for lending out this rare psych monster from his archives!
