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Quicksilver Messenger Service - Happy Trails Audio CD

A fair review of the Quicksilver Messenger Service "Happy Trails" 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 Messenger Service reviews here, or go back to the Quicksilver Messenger Service tabs.

Quicksilver Messenger Service Band: Quicksilver Messenger Service
Title: Happy Trails
Rating:
Release Date: 2000-05-05
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Who Do You Love, Pt. 1 2: When You Love 3: Where You Love 4: How You Love 5: Which Do You Love 6: Who Do You Love?, Pt. 2 7: Mona 8: Maiden of the Cancer Moon 9: Calvary 10: Happy Trails

SMOKES THE CAPITOL RELEASE!!!
As has been said before. . The sound of this is absolutely wonderful! If you compare the poor Capitol release with this Repertoire re-master, most people will right away notice more depth and clarity in the sound.

I actually believe Capitol mastered their version from an LP, as there are a few times you can noticeably hear some snap, crackle, pops that aren't anyway to be found on this version.

Performance wise. . . One of the best Live and Magical recordings you'll ever hear from this era (PERIOD. )

Don't miss this one if you love that era of psychedelic music & are a bit of audiophile! I truly don't believe that it gets much better than this in sound & performance (and I have a ton of great rare live shows from this era. )

Buy & Enjoy Kiddies!!!

btw. . . Kudos to rash67 for his insight on this version!!! Never would have known of it without his input!.


Lp is better
On the record, "Who Do You Love's sections are not separated by silent spaces, but are segued together almost imperceptably, to make it one long piece of music. I fail to see why Amazon can't package this collection better. The way Amazon separates the sections is clumsy at best, and the breaks destroy the flow of the piece.
For those of us buying the album, at least, Mr. Bezos should provide the music as was originally presented.


this import ONLY has spectacular sound
Both of these albums demonstrate the musicianship was far ahead of many better known "Summer of Love" San Francisco Bands. The two top albums by Quicksilver Messenger Service are their self-titled first album and this live album. I had heard the LP and the other available CD pressing of this and was underwhelmed. Yeah it's a Bo Diddley tribute, but I couldn't see why people thought that much of it. I always preferred the songs on first album (QMS) and I still like the mostly original tunes esp. "Pride of Man", "Dino's Song" and "the Fool".

But then I got this mix and it is just spectacular! Electrifying, WOW!! The depth and the three-dimensional image are really outstanding, jawdropping. I could see why people like it so much. The playing, esp dual-lead guitarists John Cipollina playing against Gary Duncan, is yes, telepathic. The bass goes down accurately into the first octave, (20-40hz) which one rarely hears on any CD, much less one nearly 40 years old. "EROC at the Ranch"- Whoever the remix/remastering people were, they really know their stuff. This import version contains 2 octaves deeper bass and one octave higher treble than the Capitol mix!

Yes, they go on a tad too long in "Who do You Love" and interest flags a bit, but "Mona" and the subsequent variations on it are really perfection. On a good full-spectrum hi-fi, this album is a rare audiophile demo quality album! This CD makes the other, cheaper, better-selling non-import version, frankly, a waste of money.

The Real authentic feeling of the Haight Ashbury, psychedelic, Summer of Love, live Golden Gate Park-type free concerts. Unfortunately Quicksilver never achieved these Olympian heights again, after the first two albums. With changes of personnel and the return of Dino Valenti, they changed from the premiere instumental band to mostly just another SanFran group with a vocalist.

It sounds like an SACD demo-quality disc - it's that good! If it doesn't sound like this, if it sounds boomy or muddy, you are experiencing bass doubling (cheaper speakers have a midbass, 60-80Hz, bass hump, with nothing below, to create the illusion of deep bass) or room-wall interaction. You also might consider an speaker upgrade. Next time you audition new speakers in a stereo store, take this disk with you. Make sure you turn OFF your tone controls or equalizer!

As Matthew Sweet said about his classic album Girlfriend "Don't be afraid to turn it up LOUD!", at low volume, the sound and 3-D image tends to collapse into the speakers.


One of the two greatest
I first heard Happy Trails when it was first released, and only recently got the CD. One of the two greatest live (non-bootleg) performances of a '60s San Francisco band around -the other being "Bless Its Pointed Little Head" by the Jefferson Airplane. Despite a couple of decades between the time I last listened to it and today, the music was a fresh and creative, and exciting as ever. It had lost nothing of its power and spacey appeal and could easily hold its own against any contemporary band if released for the first time today. Anyone who'se serious about music ought to own Happy Trails -and "Bless Its Pointed Little Head", too.


Where did all this imagination came from?
The first time I listened to it I got astonished, that sound belonged to another realm. I remember perfectly my evenings with my friends listening to this specific album. It was in 1983 approximately, a rather crazy period of my life.

Now I find that this album, which I kept scrupulously in tape is reissued in CD format. No doubt about the purchase. The quality of remastering is excellent.

How imaginative this music is.

Who do you love? Quicksilver Messenger Service, of course.

Get it and you'll never regret.

Bye.


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

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