DRAGONFLY - VERSIONS
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UK VINYL
UK first release
Vinyl album: AMLS 970 (A&M UK, 1970). Single sleeve, with textured cardboard. Front cover white with dragonfly artwork. Back cover features band photograph taken in the West country of the UK, (Cousins, Hooper and Chesterman) taken by Philippa Clare, who was at that time (or thereabouts) Tony's girlfriend. The cover of the first release is really quite heavily textured, with a horizontal/vertical criss-cross pattern. The second release is much less textured, but still there (the scan is from that release as it scans better); the silver label release is textured, but instead of horizontal/vertical, the texturing goes from corner to corner, giving a diamond shape. [Maybe I should get out more ;-) DG]
Both the first and second pressings, and the UK silver label reissues have a misprint on side 2 - Tony Hooper's "Young Again" appears as "Young Man". (This error is also repeated on the German release.)
Two sided insert with lyrics.
First release label is the cleaner version used for the first release of Strawbs. Second release has blocky text and TM acknowledgement. There are two different silver label releases as far as I can see, dates not known, but probably one came out in 1974, alongside silver label release of Strawbs.
Front and back cover
Lyrics insert
1st release labels
UK second release
Vinyl album: AMLS 970 (A&M UK, 1970). The second release is much less textured, but still there. The labels have the UK A&M trademark info which was first added late 1971, early 1972.
2nd release labels
UK second release variant
This is a variant of the second release - it included trademark info (so must have been late 1971 or later) but side 1 has 3 tracks listed above the A&M logo, 2 tracks below. The first release and normal pressing of the second release both have 2 above and 3 below. The label typography is subtly different as well: all the releases on the brown label used a bold font for the album title, band name, catalogue number and "STEREO". This uses a lighter font more common in later times - see eg. By Choice, though of course that was a silver label release. The line spacing on the right hand block below "STERERO" is different too. Cover is the same as the 2nd release.
I'm guessing (but only guessing!) that this was a late repress just before the brown label was phased out in 1973, pressing up some stock on the basis that Bursting At The Seams was selling well. By 1972's Grave New World Strawbs' management had set up each of the songwriters with their own publishing company - Dave Cousins had Summerland Songs, which appears here in the publishing credits rather than the original Strawberry Music.
2nd release variant labels
UK autographed copy
I acquired a copy signed by Ron, then got Tony's signature and recently got Dave to complete the set.
UK silver label reissues
Vinyl album: AMLS 970 (A&M UK, reissued 1974?). The silver label release is textured, but instead of horizontal/vertical, the texturing goes from corner to corner, giving a diamond shape. Both UK silver label versions have slightly different text at bottom right of the back cover, including A&M's trade mark info instead of the old 1/2 George Street address.
Silver label reissue labels
Promo sticker
Some copies seem to have been stickered as promos.
Silver label reissue variant
Slightly differnt back cover as for other silver label reissue. On the labels, lighter font used for the title and band name (same style as By Choice, released in 1974). Publishing credits are to Strawberry Music, which given that Summerland Songs was in use by 1974 is probably just a mistake. There was the usual insert in the copy I have (but as that came in a German stickered sleeve, so not certain to which release it belongs).
Copy I have came from Germany in a German stickered UK sleeve, but I don't think this is a German copy. For the German sleeve see the German release.
EUROPE VINYL
Danish release
Vinyl album: SLPS 1517 (Sonet, Denmark, 1970). This was released by Sonet in Denmark (at that time Strawbs were signed to A&M through Sonet). The sleeve was a beautifully textured UK sleeve, stickered with Sonet's information (this was also the case with the Strawbs' first album). Copies exist without the Sonet sticker. Appears not to have been a lyric sheet.
Cover
Labels
German release (*)
Vinyl album: 87 992 ET (A&M Germany, 1970).. Released at the same time as the German reissue of Strawbs, one catalogue number later. I later acquired a German stickered cover with the UK variant silver label reissueabove. It seems that a UK cover was used with a typed sticker on front and back. (The Strawbs German reissue just has a typed sticker wth the catalogue number pasted on the front of the UK sleeve, with nothing else.) Copy of the sleeve I have has sticker at top right of sleeve back, nothing visible on front. I have seen online stickers at top left of back and over label number on front cover
Not clear whether it had an insert - reasonably likely if printed materials came from UK.
As with the UK vinyl releases, Tony Hooper's "Young Again" appears on the label as "Young Man".
Stickers
Labels
ASIA PACIFIC VINYL
Australian release ?
Strawbs was released in Australia (as was Antiques), so possible that Dragonfly was also. Anyone seen it ?
Japanese release (1975) (Obi *)
Vinyl album: AML 235 (A&M/King Records, Japan, 1975). Released in 1975 to coincide with the release of Ghosts. Single sleeve of sturdy card, not textured like UK release. Small A&M logo at top left with Japanese catalogue number. Back cover same as UK except for "Made in Japan" at bottom left and removal of UK cat number from right hand of cover.
It comes with a four page insert, the middle two pages being the two sides of English lyrics reproduced from the UK insert. Page 1 is Japanese sleeve notes (they look to be very specific to the album with mentions in English of only Dragonfly and Strawbs, and a reference to Dominic Behan (most likely in connection with "Josephine"). They are dated Feb 1975. Page 4 listed the other Strawbs albums available. No Obi with my copy, but there was one.
Cover and Obi
Labels
Insert, pages 1 & 4
Japanese promo release (1975)
Vinyl album: AML 235 (A&M/King Records, Japan, 1975). Thick card single sleeev cover, white label copy. My copy has no insert material, but there's a promo copy of this on the Popsike archive of Ebay etc. auctions, with a picture showing it did indeed have the 4pp insert with English lyrics on the middle fold, and Japanese.
Labels
EARLY STRAWBS REISSUE
Canadian "Early Strawbs" release, with Strawbs (1974)
Early Strawbs Vinyl album (Canada only): SP9014 (A&M, 1974) 2LP set re-issues Dragonfly and Strawbs. The two discs are arranged with a side of Strawbs on one side and a side of Dragonfly on the other so that you can stack the discs on a multi-changer record player, and play one of the albums in sequence, then turn them over and do the same thing with the other album.
CD
Siwan CD release
CD: SRMC 0083 (Si-Wan, 1999). Packaging is got up to look like the album (4pp sleeve notes and photos supplied by yours truly). Outer front cover matches the vinyl exactly. Back cover matches but has Si-Wan details added. Black and white booklet includes both sides of the lyric insert lyrics and more unpublished photos from the Kew Gardens photo session used for the first album afghans, flowery shirts, and one of Ron Chesterman resplendent in naval uniform. The back page has a non-contemporary graphic - the circular photo from the back of the inner sleeve of Burning For You (1977 - come on guys!) featuring Cousins, Cronk, Coombes, Robert Kirby, John Mealing and last but not least a bearded Dave Lambert bearing a striking resemblance to "Beppe" from EastEnders (this was written a LOOOONG time ago!) Again, the CD is got up to look like a mini vinyl album. Nice presentation. Comes with a nice protective fabric sleeve for the CD.
NB This is not a bootleg. Before I wrote the sleeve notes I asked for and was shown a contract which licensed the rights from A&M.
CD booklet, front and back cover (pp 1 & 12)
CD booklet, front and back cover (pp 2 & 3)
CD booklet, front and back cover (pp 4 & 5)
CD booklet, front and back cover (pp 6 & 7)
Exact copy of Dragonfly lyrics insert
CD booklet, front and back cover (pp 8 & 9)
CD booklet, front and back cover (pp 10 & 11)
CD body and Obi
Progressive Line bootleg
CD: PL 503 (Progressive Line (bootleg)). Standard jewel case CD, with inner described below - NOT like the Si-Wan album facsimile styled release. The four photos from the Si-Wan release are all reproduced, though not as full page shots (no doubt nicked from the Si-Wan release!). The back of the booklet (as with Si-Wan) is a black and white version of the Burning For You circular montage.
CD booklet, front and back cover (pp1 & 8)
CD booklet, front and back cover (pp2 & 3)
CD booklet, front and back cover (pp4 & 5)
CD booklet, front and back cover (pp6 & 7)
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CD body and tray back
Russian bootleg
CD: STRCD 100202/05 (Russian bootleg release, c 2000 or later?). 9 tracks as per album release (no bonuses). There's a date (2000) on the tray back, but I think that's (ironically) referencing some copyright act as part of the All Rights Reserved statement.
Standard jewel case CD, almost certainly copied from the Progressive Line bootleg (the Si-Wan release has different lettering on the front cover). The 3xCD sized 6pp booklet, which has similar style to the PL bootleg , includes lyrics and some photos from the "Of A Time" period and then (as with both Si-Wan and PL) is a black and white version of the Burning For You circular montage, which is way off period.
Booklet - outer and inner
CD body and tray back
Universal CD release (2008)
CD: A&M 5302680 (Universal, 2008). This is THE definitive CD release of Dragonfly - the one you should buy: the long-awaited official 2008 re-issue on CD of this early Strawbs album with excellent sleeve notes by Mark Powell and 4 bonus tracks:
A&M 2008 CD releases (Strawbs, Dragonfly, Nomadness)
These appear to have been bootlegged in Russia - identical packaging, except that there is a different pressing number starting "VO1 ..." visible from the bottom of the CD.
CD booklet, front and back cover (pp 1 & 16)
CD booklet pp 2 & 3
CD booklet pp 4 & 5
CD booklet pp 6 & 7
CD booklet pp 8 & 9
CD booklet pp 10 & 11
CD booklet pp 12 & 13
CD booklet pp 14 & 15
CD and sticker
Universal CD promo release (2008)
CD: A&M 5302680 (Universal, 2008). Promo CDs were passed to individual recipients, numbered and with their name printed on the CD.
Universal Japan SHMCD reissue (2018)
CD: UICY-78834 (Universal, Japan, 2018) Facsimile reissue including original lyrics insert and Japanese booklet, based firmly on UK vinyl release. Obi mimics original Japanese release.
CD and Obi
