Listened to Quicksilver Messenger Service - Happy Trails and WOW

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by timind, Jul 10, 2018.

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  1. timind

    timind phorum rezident Thread Starter

    Back in my high school days I bought What About Me when it was released. The thing I and remember most about it was thinking, "meh."

    At the time I had a friend who had a copy of Happy Trails but I never listened to it with him. I can't say what prompted me to do it, but the other day I started listening to Happy Trails and was absolutely wowwed by it. Is there an album that captures San Francisco 1969 better? It took me two days to absorb the album and think I'll get a copy.

    Enjoyed it so much I was inspired to wear this t-shirt:
    [​IMG]
     
  2. 0476pearljam

    0476pearljam Forum Resident

    Location:
    Belgium
    Happy trails is a fantastic record in my opinion but I think the records that the best captures the spirit of San Francisco 1967-1969 are the first two long players by Country Joe and The Fish.
     
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  3. davmar77

    davmar77 I'd rather be drummin'...

    Location:
    clifton park,ny
    By the time what about me came out they were becoming a different band. The pre dino Valenti version was amazing. Not to say that all of his contribution was bad but with him the style was more based around him. The first version of the group with Jim Murray was great too but after he left in late 67 is when they really found their sound. You should also check out their first album. There's also several very good live archive releases from 66-68.
     
  4. MarcS

    MarcS Forum Resident

    Location:
    New Jersey
    My brother taped it for me when I was in high school and I remember listening to Who Do You Love for the first time and never wanting it to end; I highly recommend the live at the Fillmore East 1968 archive release. This band really peaked in 1968 and its kind of a shame that Duncan left before Happy Trails was even released because they became a very different band first without him and then when Dino was leading it.
     
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  5. deredordica

    deredordica Music Freak

    Location:
    Sonoma County, CA
    The first album is even better...check out "The Fool"

     
  6. There has got to the additional nights of from which this set was made to create an expanded set.

    But yes, it is a great slice of the late 60s West Coast!

    (Crazily, maybe because I bought them around the same time I always think of the MC5's Kick Out The Jams as it antithetical bookend)
     
  7. lbgarcia

    lbgarcia Senior Member

    Location:
    Fargo, ND
    >Happy trails is a fantastic record in my opinion but I think the records that the best captures >the spirit of San Francisco 1967-1969 are the first two long
    >players by Country Joe and The Fish.

    I agree w/ 0476pearljam and bibliotudinous. If I were to name one album from that SF period, it would have to be Electric Music for the Mind and Body (1967) on Vanguard. It's a mindblowing masterpiece.
    I do really love Quicksilver's Happy Trails (and it's predecessor, and perhaps play both more often than CJ & the Fish). GDead's Anthem of the Sun would complete this psychedelic triptych (or quartet).
     
    Last edited: Jul 10, 2018
  8. PJayBe

    PJayBe Forum Resident

    Which one?? I found a couple on Amazon....
     
  9. timind

    timind phorum rezident Thread Starter

    Yeah, I've got to check the pre-Dino Valenti stuff. What About Me is a very bland album from my memory. Not something I'd care to listen to now at all.
     
  10. R. Totale

    R. Totale The Voice of Reason

    Or even the rest of this one. Two or three computers back when the file sharing service Further was just starting I once downloaded the unedited tape that the "Who Do You Love" on Happy Trails came from. It sounded just as good as the record (which none of the other live tapes from the time I have heard do), but you could hear where they tightened up Duncan's solo by a minute or so, and if I remember right the whole audience bit was either shorter or not there at all. I could try to look up the date and find it again, but there has to be more in that quality from that night and that would make a good commercial release if you could get anyone interested.
     
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  11. elaterium

    elaterium Forum Resident

    Good stoner record.
     
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  12. beccabear67

    beccabear67 Musical omnivore.

    Location:
    Victoria, Canada
    I like the first three LPs and the pre-Quicksilver 'Brogues' singles best. I liked Dino solo a bit more than with Quicksilver, not sure why. The best thing about What About Me might even be the great cover art, but how can anything with Cippolina truly be disappointing!
     
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  13. timind

    timind phorum rezident Thread Starter

    Agree about the cover art. It may have been one of the reasons I bought it back in 70-71.
     
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  14. Khaki F

    Khaki F Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kenosha, WI. USA
    Quicksilver was a pretty respectable band until they released What About Me. They had a reasonable amount of success with the song Fresh Air on the Just For Love album... in part due to some remarkable piano soloing courtesy of Nicky Hopkins... after that they just kind of fell apart though. Debut album through Just For Love would be the stuff I'd recommend looking into.
     
  15. CliffL

    CliffL Forum Resident

    Location:
    Sacramento CA USA
    This was the song that hooked me on QMS when I discovered it in 1973. Awesome track!
     
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  16. timind

    timind phorum rezident Thread Starter

    Just ordered the debut on discogs. Looking forward to it.
     
  17. Bruso

    Bruso Designated survivor

    Location:
    Big Muddy
    Great choices! Reminds me of what Pete Frame wrote in one of his Rock Family Trees:

    If you are unable to buy all 589 albums mentioned on here, try and get at least 3: ‘Electric Music’ by Country Joe & the Fish, ‘Sailor’ by the Steve Miller Band and ‘Happy Trails’ by Quicksilver Messenger Service. These best capture the essence of late sixties San Francisco rock music. Oh what days they were!
     
  18. clhboa

    clhboa Forum Resident

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  19. kevinsinnott

    kevinsinnott Forum Coffeeologist

    Location:
    Chicago, IL USA
    I'm a fan of their first LP, as well as Happy Trails. I heard the first one in the late 1960s Pride of Men was an FM hit on WVVX in the Chicago area in 1968. What a great sounding record! One of the few that seemed like the band in front of me live. Not sure who recorded it. I still give it a spin once in a while. Holds up.
     
  20. 5-String

    5-String μηδὲν ἄγαν

    Location:
    Sunshine State
    Amazing album, one of the cornerstones of rock music. It is on regular rotation on my turntable.
    Duncan and Cipollina's twin guitar exchange is epic.
     
  21. clhboa

    clhboa Forum Resident

    Love the 1st one. I have several of their albums and like Happy Trails and the debut the best.
     
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  22. townsend

    townsend Senior Member

    Location:
    Ridgway, CO
    Absolutely. John Cipollina has often been worshipped as a fine guitarist, but what makes "Who Do You Love?" rock is the constant interchange between John and Gary. I have listened to this live version over and over and over again, ever since it came out. I have tried to find the best CD version (no, I don't have a firm opinion.) I have bought it at least three times.

    I have never heard anybody play more than a short introductory snippet of the song. These two guitarists are very inventive in their interaction.
     
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  23. Bruso

    Bruso Designated survivor

    Location:
    Big Muddy
    Quicksilver - Mona

     
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  24. chacha

    chacha Forum Resident In Memoriam

    Location:
    mill valley CA USA
    Gary Duncan only left for a few months as I remember.
     
  25. forthlin

    forthlin Member Chris & Vickie Cyber Support Team

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