Search - Dragonfly :: Dragonfly

Lost Classic From A Band That Never Existed

Fred Rayworth | Las Vegas, NV United States | 12/29/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The title of this review is a little misnomer as the band had to exist or there wouldn't be a record. However, they only existed in the studio as Dragonfly, as they were actually the remnants of a band called The Legend. This was to be their breakout album, but the forces that be actually sabotaged what they were trying to do, and the album got released with no live shows, nothing. The band actually broke up before they could perform anywhere.



That being said, the music is what The Legend should have been doing instead of the album they were forced to do, which is another story.



Dragonfly is fuzzed out psychedelia of the first order. This album reminds me of a long defunct music store in Lancaster, California where I saw this album over and over again in the late 60's, early 70's but never got around to buying. It must've sat on their record rack for a year. In fact, I'd joined the Air Force and gone through basic training and tech school and was back home for a visit, and saw it still sitting on that rack at the music store when I visited Lancaster. I think if the album had been on a shelf in Palmdale where I lived, I might have picked it up eventually. I just didn't get over to Lancaster enough, and my curiosity didn't get the better of me.



Now, I wish I'd bought it back then, not only for the collector's value, but because it is a really really good album.



The music takes me back to the late 60's and reminds me of many bands, yet nobody exactly. I hear touches of Morgen, maybe a little Steppenwolf. I can't really pin them down that well. The thing is that they were good, real good, and it's just too bad they were never able to exploit their album.



Dragonfly is a lost psychedelic treasure and if you like fuzz-laden music with a few quirky twists, this is a CD you must get. Highly recommended.

"

"Legendary" psychedelic morsel awaits your taste buds

Michael J. Melton | Pulaski, Wi United States | 01/10/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I remember browsing through old 33 1/3 LPs at record stores in my 60's salad days and wondering if I should take a chance on a record just based on the album art. This is one I might have chanced just on the cover. Now we have song samples and/or reviews to help try to avoid the worst of the lot. Finding this recording is a great example of making one of the lucky choices! Consider the following: A group that stays together long enough to assemble this record and then vanish. Great fuzz guitar and rumbling drums. A short trombone instrumental and other little studio effects playfulness out of left field. Some good songs that both sound familiar and at the same time unique without a prayer for airplay. That's my kind of sixties! The other reviewers provide more detail. I just wish I still had that old black light and cheesy poster to gaze at while listening."

Great sounding and definitely a 'head' of the times

Indianpass | Atlanta | 08/17/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Very cool album. It is well-worth purchasing and I almost gave it five, instead of four, stars. The fuzz guitar is really well-done throughout however the vocals, drumming and even the 60's sounding keyboards are great. However the best thing about the album is that the song-craft is excellent. These are songs that actually have high-quality composition, melody, production and are almost 'catchy' in terms of being likeable, while still holding onto some nice experimental segue-ways and instrumental fugue; these guys have a sense of humor and the talent to pull it off. The track 'Time Has Slipped Away' almost has a Nirvana-like quality to it, and I mean that in a very positive light, referring to Nirvana's best hit stuff. Several other tracks are stand-outs like 'Blue Monday', 'Enjoy Yourself' and 'I Feel It'. The whole CD is very solid for an unknown 1960's band and I'm really glad that I took a chance and purchased this one. I like how someone else expressed trying to find good, previously unknown music from this era: there's a reason that most of it didn't sell or has not been discovered. 'Dragonfly' is a diamond in the coal mine. Maybe a little rough, but it's a gem."