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The Best of Quicksilver Messenger Service

Quicksilver - The Best of Quicksilver Messenger Service Audio CD

A fair review of the Quicksilver "The Best of Quicksilver Messenger Service" Audio CD. Please note that the below review is the views of the authors, and authors only. You can get a complete list of all Quicksilver reviews here, or go back to the Quicksilver tabs.

Band: Quicksilver
Title: The Best of Quicksilver Messenger Service
Rating:

Release Date: 1995-03-21
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Who Do You Love? 2: What About Me? 3: Shady Grove 4: Just for Love 5: Fresh Air 6: Pride of Man 7: Dino's Song 8: Joseph's Coat 9: Long Haired Lady 10: California State Correctional Facility Blues 11: Stand by Me

pointless review
There was ample space to put the long version of "Who Do You Love?". Seems pointless to write a review of an album that appears to be out-of-print, but Marketplace buyers should know that this album is only 51 minutes long.

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Best of...not good enough
A couple tedious songs, and a couple that are not really listenable. Over all, this CD is kind of a boring let-down.

I knew a few of their most popular songs (Pride of Man, What about Me, Fresh Air, etc) but did not recall they did "Who Do You Love", so I'm off to get the extended version on "Happy Trails":-) .

A Great Sampler of Legendary Band
Their biggest asset was the incredible lead guitarist, John Cipollina, whose biting and swirling riffs are incredibly powerful. An essential 1960's San Francisco band, QSM never hit it as big commercially as some of their competitors, but they retain a huge following. Other major contributors were rhythm guitarist and vocalist Gary Duncan, bassist David Freiberg, and session man Nicky Hopkins (pianist with the Stones and others), drummer Greg Elmore, and erstwhile founder Dino Valenti. Their self-titled first album was released June 30, 1967 (most sites list the year as 1968).

This budget sampler opens with an energetic, memorable version of Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love" with a bass line used by Led Zeppelin in "Whole Lotta Love. " The economical but maximally effective lead guitar riffs from John Cipollina's Gibson burst with energy. Seconds after you hear the band's signature rambling, whirling, swirling sounds (with the bottom covered superbly by bassist David Frieberg and drummer Greg Elmore) you know you're in San Francisco's psychedelic period. The "dual guitar attack" of Cipollina and Gary Duncan functions not just as a showcase, but also as tone-setting punctuation marks, infusing the sound with a trippy but tight groove. Unfortunately, this track lasts only about 3 � minutes. For a true feeling of the band's sound, get the 6-part, 25-minute version on the great "Happy Trails" album. "What You Gonna Do About Me" is a truly mixed bag, a stoned sounding vocal that's just credible, and a mix of Latin and jazz inflected overlays: Horns, bongos, a Santana-like beat. At 6:42, it's too long, especially for a mediocre recording. Although lauded for it's revolutionary lyrics, some of them quite good, what do you do with a line like "I smoke marijuana, but I can't get behind your war?"

"Shady Grove" is the title track from a 1969 release on Capitol. Beware: The "Shady Grove" CD sold at Amazon is a British import with reported sound problems. The song itself is spectacular; San Francisco out-Stones the Stones (Hopkins gets a lot of credit for this), and Cipollina lays down some of the greatest stinging rock guitar in history. At about 38 seconds in, the song hits its stride. It's a masterpiece, an incredible combination of seminal rock licks embedded in folk/country and the blues. At only three minutes, though, it leaves you wanting more. "Just for Love" is the album title track from 1970. The song begins with the kind of cowboy/rustic sound typical of the folk roots of early SF rock. The vocal is a bit wiry (QSM was not renowned for its singing), but its loose style somehow fits the overall tone. Like many of the poorer QSM songs on the album, this was probably better in concert, and some hints of its potential appear towards the end of the song. This is the first album featuring founding member Dino Valenti (who didn't appear on the previous three albums, partly because of drug busts).

Despite the usual criticism of their vocals, the band sounds quite good on several numbers, especially when there's some backup singing. "Fresh Air" was a big hit (pun intended). It's a little more conventionally structured, with a blues foundation, and has a great rumbling Airplane-like bass by Frieberg. There are very good vocals and a tasty, somewhat subdued solo at the bridge that shows great harmony and dynamics, building as it goes. Nicky Hopkins plays a jazzy Bill Evans solo, all floaty, and then changes gears to a rock mode joined by the rest of the band. "Pride of Man" was on the first album and features strong singing and harmony, shimmering drums by Elmore, and a rocking bass line by Frieberg. It's not as much a jam song, at least on this recording, but shows how commercially viable this band was (even more so than does "Fresh Air") It has a beautifully toned guitar-solo. Ff AM radio wasn't so screwed up back then, this would have received a lot more airplay. Like most of their contemporaries during this era, the music was limited to "progressive" FM stations. Another critical/commercial success was "Dino's Song. " It features a semi-funky beat, an inventive walking bass line, note-perfect guitar fill-ins, and some of the most even singing (both solo and harmonies) on the album. There's very creative guitar work throughout the song, and the entire number resembles the minimalism and quirky figures of L. A. -based Arthur Lee and Love. Commercially and artistically, this is one of their best.

"Joseph's Coat" ("You wanna feel like a man; you gotta act like a man") is a little message-heavy at first, but horns and guitar and assorted noises soon cut through any pretension. There are some nice vocal harmonies a la Airplane and it concludes with an overly long effects ridden ending. It's a little jokey, yet enjoyable--like a cheesy soundtrack to a bad western. Long-Haired Lady (5:52) is a sweet ballad in search of a better vocalist. Still, it may be a sentimental favorite for veteran fans of QSM. CSCFB is a typical, indistinct electric blues of the period; the QSM sensibility is gone, despite the presence of Duncan, Frieberg, and Elmore. It's off "Comin' Thru (1972)," the second post-Cipollina album by the group. (Cipollina left in October 1970, although he was back for a reunion album in 1975. )

I recommend this highly as a budget, "starter" CD for those not familiar with the band. Otherwise, any of the first three albums (especially the 2nd and 3rd) are your best bet. Ideally, to get a true sonic and visual picture of the band, you'd have to have heard them in concert. There are a lot of excellent web sites devoted to QSM in general, and Cipollina in particular, I recommend checking these out.
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Good value, great band
This is one of my all time favorite bay-area bands, and although it was a bit overplayed at the time, "Fresh Air" is without a doubt one of my dozen or so all time favorite songs. Although it's relatively short, this bargain CD is a great introduction to Quicksilver for those who are unfamiliar with the band and curious about their music. For a bargain disc, the sound quality of this release is amazingly good. Most of the original albums are long out of print in America, although most are available as imports. Hearing this may indeed prompt you to seek out the others. In the meantime, you can't beat this release for the money. There are some obvious omissions, but it's a great little sampler of a great band at a great price.

The Most Overlooked Band In The History Of Rock 'N Roll
Quicksilver Messenger Service are better than ALL of these bands. Go up to any rock fan and ask them "Who are the greatest rock bands of all time"? There's about a 90% chance that they'll mention names like Led Zeppelin, Van Halen, The Rolling Stones, Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, The Who and (God help me) The Beatles. Yes, you heard me correctly. So those bands may have sold more albums and been more famous, who cares? Popularity has little to do with the quality of a band's music (just look at TODAY'S music, for God's sake). This is just another example of how the underrated are usually better than the overrated.

Quicksilver defined improvisational blues/rock in the 1960's. Their lengthy, awe-inspiring jams soon became legendary. But this compilation shows a somewhat different side of the band, a more laid-back side. For starters, the ballads are excellent. I'm sick of people whining about Dino Valenti's voice, the guy is really a great singer. Take "Long Haired Lady" for instance, an unbelievably emotional, beautiful song. The atmosphere is incredible, and also highlighted by some lovely guitar notes. "Just For Love" is equally emotional. Although Valenti's voice sounds kind of "nasal" on this one, the melody is still painfully emotional. Then there's "Stand By Me", sung by bassist David Freiberg, who is actually a BETTER singer than Valenti. This is also an extraordinary ballad.
And then you have the rockers. Two songs are included from the debut album, "Pride Of Man" and "Dino's Song", both of which should be played at maximum volume (like many of Quicksilver's tunes). "What About Me" is a kick-a** song. It's counter-cultural hippie lyrics may sound a bit dated, but who cares? Valenti sings about the negativities of war, getting high and trying to save the planet Earth. So what's wrong with that? Most people today would say "stupid hippie crap", but I'll bet those are the same people that listen to rap, so I couldn't care less about their opinion! Anyway, the song is magnificent, with a funky, almost reggae beat and some stinging guitar work from the master that is John Cipollina.
"Joseph's Coat" is an awesome psychedelic tune, complete with eerie background chants and a very gloomy, melancholic feel. And "Shady Grove" is also a killer, as the band takes the old bluegrass song and turns it into something remarkable. And John plays some increasingly stinging notes in the background during the final verse.

Like I said, John Cipollina is an uncanny guitarist (and maybe my all-time favorite), but Gary Duncan is also quite a player. Just take a listen to "California State Correctional Facility Blues" (cool title, eh?), where he lays down one of the most fierce wah-wah solos ever put on record.

And the inclusion of the edited live version of "Who Do You Love" is pointless. You're much better off hearing the complete version from HAPPY TRAILS.

You can see a complete list of all Quicksilver discography, or go back to the Quicksilver tabs. There is also a good guide on how to read guitar tabs here.