Quicksilver Messenger Service

Quicksilver Messenger Service – Happy Trails (1969/2014)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 50:11 minutes | 2,05 GB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Capitol Records

Possibly the best live album to come out of psychedelic San Francisco, with epic re-workings of Bo Diddley’s Who Do You Love and Mona. John Cipollina rules! If the quintessential San Francisco Sound is defined by lengthy improvised guitar-work and near-telepathic interplay, then „Happy Trails“ crystallizes the genre on record. Extemporizing mightily two Bo Diddley songs (‘Who Do You Love’ and ‘Mona,’ the quartet introduces new realms of expression to rock music.

Guitarists John Cipollina and Gary Duncan offer contrasting textures and sound, goading each other to greater heights. Largely recorded live in concert, „Happy Trails“ encapsulates an era of experimentation, employing images that embodied the outlaw chic of the hippie subculture. Its strengths are not, however, bound to that era; the album’s mesmerizing power remains as true as ever. The George Hunter cover painting is also indispensable.
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Quicksilver Messenger Service – Quicksilver Messenger Service (1968/2014)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/192 kHz | Time – 31:32 minutes | 1,33 GB | Genre: Rock
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Capitol Records

Quicksilver Messenger Service’s debut effort was a little more restrained and folky than some listeners had expected, given their reputation for stretching out in concert. While some prefer the mostly live Happy Trails, this self-titled collection is inarguably their strongest set of studio material, with the accent on melodic folk-rock. Highlights include their cover of folksinger Hamilton Camp’s “Pride of Man,” probably their best studio track; “Light Your Windows,” probably the group’s best original composition; and founding member Dino Valenti’s “Dino’s Song” (Valenti himself was in jail when the album was recorded). “Gold and Silver” is their best instrumental jam, and the 12-minute “The Fool” reflects some of the best and worst traits of the psychedelic era. ~ Richie Unterberger
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