Dragonfly - Fleetwood Mac

"Dragonfly" is one of the lesser known singles in the catalogue of the old Fleetwood Mac. It was written by Danny Kirwan, a member of the band 1968-1972. The lyrics are based on a 1927 poem by the Welsh poet W. H. Davies, who, like myself, was born in Newport. It was originally recorded in 1970, and became the first UK single released by the band after the departure of Peter Green. It was also the first single with Christine McVie as a full member of the group. By the time the song was released, guitarist Jeremy Spencer had left the band. He did not play on the track. The single failed to chart. Peter Green said of it "The best thing he ever wrote ... that should have been a hit." In his book, "The Complete Guide to the Music of Fleetwood Mac", Rikky Rooksby says of it "... wonderfully textured guitar playing. It has shimmering chords and the tune coming down in octaves... This is far and away the best thing which Kirwan ever wrote." The lyrics of the song are

And when the roses are half-bud soft flowers

And lovely as the king of flies has come

It was a fleeting visit, all too brief

In three short minutes, he had been and gone

He rested there upon an apple leaf

A gorgeous opal crown sat on his head

Although the garden is a lovely place

Was it worthy of so fine a guest.

This is Davies's poem

Now, when my roses are half buds, half flowers,
And loveliest, the king of flies has come-
It was a fleeting visit, all too brief;
In three short minutes he has seen them all,
And rested, too, upon an apple tree.

There, his round shoulders humped with emeralds,
A gorgeous opal crown set on his head,
And all those shining honours to his breast-
‘My garden is a lovely place’ thought I,
‘But is it worthy of such a guest?’

He rested there, upon the apple leaf-
‘See, see,’ I cried amazed, ‘his opal crown,
And all those emeralds clustered around his head!’
‘His breast, my dear, how lovely was his breast-’
The voice of my Beloved quickly said.

‘See, see his gorgeous crown, that shines
With all those jewels bulging round its rim-’
I cried aloud at night, in broken rest.
Back came the answer quickly, in my dream-
‘His breast, my dear, how lovely was his breast!’

Oh Well - Fleetwod Mac

Oh Well! is a number by the earliest Fleetwood Mac incarnation, one that easily transcends the limits of the pop genre and heralds the sort of thing that became typical of the progressive rock of the seventies. It is really two songs incongruously but successfully welded together. The first is two minutes 15 seconds of blues that, while starting in acoustic vein with guitar and maracas, soon breaks into electric rock. Partly a vocal number, it really rocks and though a fine and interesting song in and of itself, its role here is basically to lay down the group's credentials so that the pop listener is made willing to hear the next song, which is quite different indeed. This time Peter Green apparently plays without the group and, although some electric guitar is involved, this is basically in the style of the guitar concerto and strongly features cello, recorder, classical piano and Green's acoustic guitar. The whole piece lasts just over nine minutes. When it appeared as a single, rather than splitting it at the obvious place, side A takes in a little of the second piece, a sort of taster, that is repeated at the start of the second side, wholly in the guitar concerto style. The song confirms the genius status of the boy from Bethnal Green and only adds to the sadness of the story of a man who subsequently knew a troubled life of mental anguish. The lines Now, when I talked to God I knew he'd understand. He said, "Stick by me and I'll be your guiding hand But don't ask me what I think of you I might not give the answer that you want me to" show some insight into the human condition and total depravity in particular.