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Showing posts with label
Quicksilver Messenger Service.
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Showing posts with label
Quicksilver Messenger Service.
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Quicksilver Messenger Service were an American rock band originally formed in the 1960s, part of San Francisco's famous psychedelic rock scene.
By 1975 the 'classic' lineup of Quicksilver Mesenger Service had not been together for a long time. Since 1971 the only members of this lineup left were guitarist Gary Duncan and drummer Greg Elmore, as singer-songwriter Dino Valenti had taken the reins. Valenti had been inolved in the band's early years before they recorded their debut album but had been sent to prison. He had rejoined the group in late 1969. Valenti led the latter-day Quicksilver through two albums, and toured with them until 1975. It was then that a reunion of the original band was organized, with Valenti included as well. Solid Silver was released in '75, featuring Dino Valenti (guitar/vocals), Gary Duncan (guitar/vocals), John Cipollina (guitar/vocals), David Freiburg (bass/vocals) and Greg Elmore (drums). Keyboards were provided by Nicky Hopkins, Pete Sears and Michael Lewis, and backing vocals came from Kathi McDonald (who had been with Big Brother & The Holding Company in the early 70s).
The album did not sell well, and was unfairly dismissed by the critics (in much the same way that The Byrds' 1973 reunion album was). This is a great injustice, as it was a fantastic album. All members got a chance to shine, with excellent playing, and strong songwriting from Valenti, Duncan and Cipollina (all singing their own work). Freiburg's contribution was "I Heard You Singing", which he co-wrote with Robert Hunter (Hunter's version had already appeared on his 1973 solo debut).
The reunion was short-lived, and Freiburg and Cipollina went their own ways again (Freiburg was by now a member of Jefferson Starship). Valenti, Duncan and Elmore toured for a while longer with other members, but Quicksilver were effectively over, making Solid Silver the final, sadly overlooked chapter in the band's chequered history.
Comin' Thru (1972) <|
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Quicksilver Messenger Service were an American rock band originally formed in the 1960s, part of San Francisco's famous psychedelic rock scene.
Comin' Thru was Quicksilver's second album with the latter-day lineup of Dino Valenti (guitar/vocals), Gary Duncan (guitar/vocals), Chuck Steaks (keyboards), Mark Ryan (bass) and Greg Elmore (drums). Like all their Dino Valenti era output, it is often unfairly dismissed as one of their weaker efforts, which is a great injustice, as it's an absolutely fantastic album. Sure, they didn't sound like they did back in 1968, but that's the point - its effectively an entirely new band (only Duncan and Elmore remained from the classic lineup).
If 1971's Quicksilver showcased the folk-rock side of the band's sound, Comin' Thru focused on the hard bluesy side. It was a heavy album, fully electric, with lots of brilliant playing from all members. In particular it featured some of Gary Duncan's most intense guitar playing, and Chuck Steaks played some great Hammond organ. Many of the songs were strengthened by a powerful horn section.
It turned out to be the last album by the band until their 1975 reunion record, though they did tour well into 1974 through several more lineup changes.
Quicksilver (1971) <|> Solid Silver (1975)
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Quicksilver Messenger Service were an American rock band originally formed in the 1960s, part of San Francisco's famous psychedelic rock scene.
By 1971 the original lineup of Quicksilver Messenger Service had broken up. Singer-songwriter Dino Valenti was then in control, and the two founding members left with him were guitarist Gary Duncan and drummer Greg Elmore. They found a new bassist in Mark Ryan (who had briefly played with Country Joe & The Fish), and a keyboard player in... well, actually there is some confusion over who the keyboard player was on this album. Either Mark Naftalin (ex-Butterfield Blues Band, who had appeared on their last album), or 'Chuck Steaks'. Perhaps the latter was a pseudonym for the former?
The sixth album, Quicksilver, came out at a time when the band's heyday was definately over, and subsequently is often overlooked. Which is a shame, as it was a great album. Generally it had more of a folkier sound than their earlier guitar-driven rock, with lots of acoustic textures, though Duncan did get to play some stunning electric guitar on a few numbers. And there were a few songs which stood out as some of the band's all-time best, in particular the beautiful piano-driven "Don't Cry My Lady Love".
What About Me (1970) <|> Comin' Thru (1972)
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Quicksilver Messenger Service were an American rock band originally formed in the 1960s, part of San Francisco's famous psychedelic rock scene.
What About Me was Quicksilver’s second album under Dino Valenti’s leadership. The radical change in direction he had instigated with Just For Love had alienated a lot of the band’s fans, and the fact that the album had been so patchy and uneven didn’t help matters. What About Me is often seen as much in the same vein, but the truth is that it was actually a stronger and more consistent record. Not that it wasn't without its flaws - the sound quality in particular left a lot to be desired. But there was definitely a greater quantity of good material than its predecessor could boast, in particularly the opening and closing songs (the title track and “Call On Me”). These songs show edthe best of what this big line-up had to offer, even if it was far removed from the band’s classic first two albums.
Pianist Nicky Hopkins left the band during the making of the album. He only played on six of the songs, but did contribute his own fantastic instrumental “Spindrifter”. The piano on three of the other songs was played by Mark Naftalin, previously of The Butterfield Blues Band, who subsequently joined the band.
It actually proved to be the end of the original line-up. Guitarist John Cipollina and bassist David Freiburg also left after the album’s completion, leaving just Valenti, guitarist Gary Duncan and drummer Greg Elmore.
Just For Love (1970) <|> Quicksilver (1971)
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Quicksilver Messenger Service were an American rock band originally formed in the 1960s, part of San Francisco's famous psychedelic rock scene.
Guitarist Gary Duncan had been absent from 1969's Shady Grove album, and pianist Nicky Hopkins had been brought in to make up the numbers. However in early 1970 Duncan returned, and brought with him Dino Valenti - the elusive singer-songwriter who had been part of an early lineup of Quicksilver, but had been sent to prison for marijuana possession and missed out when the band took off. Valenti had also written the counter-culture anthem "Get Together" (recorded by The Youngbloods, Jefferson Airplane, The Kingston Trio and others), but had been forced to sell the song to the manager of the Kingston Trio to pay for his court defence. On his release he had tried to start a new group with Duncan in New York, but it had not worked out. So Duncan returned to Quicksilver, and Valenti went with him.
This gave the band the new big line-up of Dino Valenti (vocals/guitar/percussion/flute), Gary Duncan (guitar/bass/vocals), John Cipollina (guitar/steel guitar/vocals), David Freiburg (bass/guitar/vocals), Nicky Hopkins (piano/keyboards) and Greg Elmore (drums/percussion). With Valenti seemingly in charge, their sound changed. They recorded the album Just For Love in Hawaii in the summer of 1970. With the exception of the instrumental "Cobra" (by Cipollina), all the songs were written by Valenti under the pseudonym of Jesse Oris Farrow. He also took all the lead vocal roles. With the extended lineup (and Hopkins' piano still a very dominant part of the sound), the twin guitars of Duncan and Cipollina (which had defined their 'classic' early records) were not so prominent. There was less focus on instrumental jams - rather the band formed a loose folk-rock backing for Valenti, and this upset and alienated many of their fans. To many the Quicksilver Messenger Service they had known and loved was over when Valenti took the reigns, but others enjoyed the new sound. Indeed the album included their closest thing to a hit - "Fresh Air", which reached #49 on the singles chart.
However it is undeniable that Just For Love was a patchy and uneven album. It had a few very good songs, and a great distinctive style, but overall it wasn't consistent, and perhaps gave an unfairly negative representation of this line-up of the band.
Shady Grove (1969) <|> What About Me (1970)
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Quicksilver Messenger Service were an American rock band originally formed in the 1960s, part of San Francisco's famous psychedelic rock scene.
After QMS's successful Happy Trails album, guitarist Gary Duncan left the band. Reduced to a trio, they decided to bring in English piano virtuoso Nicky Hopkins to replace him. Hopkins was best known as a session musician, playing keyboards on records for all the hip British bands in the 60s (The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, The Who, etc). However he was also active as part of the San Francisco sound - the same year he joined Quicksilver he contributed his distinctive piano to Jefferson Airplane's Volunteers album.
Hopkin's arrival gave them the new line-up of John Cipollina (lead guitar/vocals), David Freiburg (bass/viola/guitar/vocals), Hopkins (keyboards) and Greg Elmore (drums/percussion). Unsurprisingly it resulted in a very different sound to what their fans were previously used to - Hopkin's piano dominated throughout Shady Grove, culminating in the stunning near-10 minute instrumental "Edward, The Mad Shirt Grinder" (written by Hopkins). Ending the album this way almost suggests the band were simply in awe of their new member and let him take center stage to do his thing for the last part of their record. Elsewhere however the album moved around between various psychedelic, bluesy and folky rock sounds (a far cry from the guitar-driven jam band sound they had perfected on their earlier releases). Songwriting assistance came from band associate Nick Gravenites (who produced their debut album, and sang with The Electric Flag), who is credited as co-author of two songs with Cipollina and Freiburg, and contributed his own song "Holy Moly". Shady Grove was a bit of an oddity in the Quicksilver discography, but it's nonetheless a great record.
Happy Trails (1969) <|> Just For Love (1970)
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Quicksilver Messenger Service were an American rock band originally formed in the 1960s, part of San Francisco's famous psychedelic rock scene.
On Quicksilver Messenger Service's debut album, the band's talent at instrumental jams (which was always a big part of their concerts) was only really showed off on two songs, the rest of the record consisting of more concise radio-friendly numbers. Their follow-up, Happy Trails, changed that completely, giving the record-buying public a taste of what a Quicksilver Messenger Service concert was like, and cementing their reputation as one of the best jam bands on the San Francisco scene. Mostly recorded live, the first side of the record consisteed solely of a lengthy (almost half an hour) interpretation of Bo Diddley's rock and roll classic "Who Do You Love", with the whole band (guitarists Gary Duncan and John Cipollina, bassist David Freiburg and drummer Greg Elmore) giving room to show off their instrumental virtuosity. The second side bizarrely started with another Bo Diddley cover, but was also notable for some experimental psychedelia. The album was a success, reaching #27 on the pop album charts, and is often considered one of the highlights of the whole 60s San Francisco scene.
Quicksilver Messenger Service (1968) <|> Shady Grove (1969)
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Quicksilver Messenger Service were an American rock band originally formed in the 1960s, part of San Francisco's famous psychedelic rock scene.
Quicksilver Messenger Service came together in San Francisco during the mid-60s. Before they recorded their first album, various musicians were briefly in the band, including guitarist Skip Spence (who then became the drummer for Jefferson Airplane), vocalist Jim Murray (who also played harmonica and a bit of guitar), and the elusive singer-songwriter Dino Valenti. They played at the Monterey Pop Festival and built themselves a loyal following touring the west coast. By the time of their debut album they had settled on the 'classic' lineup of Gary Duncan (guitar), David Freiburg (bass), John Cipollina (guitar) and Greg Elmore (drums). As Murray had left shortly before the album, the vocals were handled by Duncan and Freiburg (both very good singers). The two of them were also responsible for writing the album’s three original songs. The covers included “Pride Of Man”, by folk singer Hamilton Camp, and “Dino’s Song”, by Valenti. The band’s sound at this stage was characterized by the exciting guitar interplay between Duncan and Cipollina, showcased best on the instrumental “Gold And Silver” (based on the jazz classic “Take Five”). The album was produced by Nick Gravenites (singer, songwriter, producer and general musical handyman - he was singing with The Electric Flag around this time).
|> Happy Trails (1969)
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By 1975 the 'classic' lineup of Quicksilver Mesenger Service had not been together for a long time. Since 1971 the only members of this lineup left were guitarist Gary Duncan and drummer Greg Elmore, as singer-songwriter Dino Valenti had taken the reins. Valenti had been inolved in the band's early years before they recorded their debut album but had been sent to prison. He had rejoined the group in late 1969. Valenti led the latter-day Quicksilver through two albums, and toured with them until 1975. It was then that a reunion of the original band was organized, with Valenti included as well. Solid Silver was released in '75, featuring Dino Valenti (guitar/vocals), Gary Duncan (guitar/vocals), John Cipollina (guitar/vocals), David Freiburg (bass/vocals) and Greg Elmore (drums). Keyboards were provided by Nicky Hopkins, Pete Sears and Michael Lewis, and backing vocals came from Kathi McDonald (who had been with Big Brother & The Holding Company in the early 70s).
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