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CD reviews

At the Kabuki Theatre

Quicksilver Messenger Service - At the Kabuki Theatre Audio CD

A fair review of the Quicksilver Messenger Service "At the Kabuki Theatre" 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.

Band: Quicksilver Messenger Service
Title: At the Kabuki Theatre
Rating:

Release Date: 2007-02-26
Media: Audio CD

Tracks: 1: Fresh Air 2: New Year's Jam 3: Baby, Baby 4: Too Far 5: Truth 6: You're Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond 7: Doctor Feelgood 8: Cobra 9: Song for Frisco 10: Mona 11: Subway 12: What About Me 13: Call on Me 14: Pride of Man 15: Local Colour 16: Not Fade Away 17: Mojo 18: Freeway Flyer 19: Subway [Studio Rehersal][*] 20: Castles in the Sand [Studio Rehersal][*] 21: Look Over Yonder Wall/State Farm [Studio Rehersal][*] 22: Se�or Blues [Studio Rehersal][*]

well, it is new year's eve...
The sound recording is terrible. I really like Quicksilver and I would buy this album again; however, they sound really drunk and probally on acid too, not that that necessarilly has to be a bad thing. I think part of the problem is analog at times just won't convert to digital well. .

Wow, seriously... Wow
I never got to see Quicksilver in any of its iterations due to being born in 1973 & on the wrong coast. . Regardless, I've loved them nonetheless since being introduced to them by an old hippie I worked with at a ski shop when I was in high school.

I've had the Kabuki Theatre show on my wish list for quite some time and finally bought it while in Berkeley, CA on Labor Day weekend 2009. I listened to it back to back to back in my convertible rental car as I drove all around the Bay Area, down CA-35 (Skyline Boulevard) to Santa Cruz and then down the PCH to Big Sur. In fact, it's in my car now back home and I still play it back to back to back. . .

What an absolute joy to hear this show. Everybody is there and in ultra fine form. I should probably give it 4 Stars (but I'm not) because there are some frustrating sound issues with the recording where certain tracks/mics seem to just go out. Where this is most frustrating is when it sounds like John Cipollina is playing from backstage because somehow his amp mike is gone and his sound is being picked up from some other mic from across the stage.

It gets 5 Stars in my book because a) I've listened to it constantly for almost a month straight and probably will never tire of it, b) I've played it for numerous folks who have never really heard QSMS before and they all loved it (gushed about how good they were actually), c) many of the aforementioned individuals also stood up and were shakin' there tail feathers & dancing their rears off while listening to it.

Fresh Air & What About Me will both bring smiles to your face and have you singing out loud. . . Subway and Freeway Flier are just plain fun and Pride of Man, Mona, & Doctor Feelgood give you a solid block of `older' non-Dino awesomeness. The real standouts for me though are Truth, You're Gonna Need Somebody on Your Bond, Cobra and Not Fade Away.

If you've ever wondered how John Cipollina made it so relatively high on Rolling Stone's Top 100 guitarists a while back all you have to do is listen to this Cobra. What a tremendous vehicle for his unique sound and exquisite talent.

Finally, I've heard Not Fade Away done a million times, a million different ways but I tell you, this is one of the best ones I've ever heard. The vocal harmony is fantastic, the slide work is perfect and Greg Elmore's drumming is so right on it's like the heartbeat of the cosmos.
.

Not the best QMS but quite enjoyable
I should have been at this show but couldn't decide between the Dead at Winterland or QMS up the street at the Kabuki. As someone who was there in San Francisco and Los Angeles in the late 60's and early 70's, I saw QMS a number of times. . . . so I went to a New Year's party and listened to both. The Dead were on KSAN and QMS were on KMPX.
I have to say the Dead were way better that night but QMS was at the end of their rope and the Dead were just starting to rev up to the stratosphere.
A little background to this concert:
John Cipollina had already left the group when this was recorded. A dismal gig at Winterland three months earlier (I was there) headlining for the Dead and the Airplane was the last straw. Obviously, he was unhappy with the direction of the band under Dino Valente's increasing influence. He wasn't the only one. Quicksilver was booed almost off the stage by the hometown crowd when they showed up with a 5 man horn section and stunk up the joint. Everyone was so primed for them after great sets by the Dead and Airplane and they came out and fell flat on their face.
This gig was a last hurrah. They brought John back one last time and the results are the usual uneven. Sure, it had only been 3 months since they played live, but they are not as tight as they were earlier in the year. Nicky Hopkins was gone by this time, as well. Too bad.
While there are great moments (how can there not be when you have Cipollina and Duncan together), too much Dino Valente was the recipe for disaster with this group.
For years I've been pleading with whoever will listen and has access to release some of the gigs from early in 1970, (3/21/70 at the Olympic in LA would be heaven) when this band was at their absolute peak-the original 4 plus Nicky Hopkins and Dino Valente before he became overload. Maybe someday we'll see some of those concerts on CD. In the meantime, the Kabuki will have to do. .

Worth it for it's historical value alone
This is not the best sounding live CD you'll ever own, to put it very charitably. A lot of people have complained about the poor sound quality of this release, and those complaints are, for the most part, justified. In fact, at times the sound is pretty abominable, and the mix is often terrible. Occasionally, in the middle of a song, it will sound as if they spliced in a piece from an entirely different (and quite inferior) recording of the same performance. This may, in fact, be exactly what was done as part of the restoration process. At the same time, in all fairness, at times the sound is actually reasonably decent, all things considered. But the point is, don't expect this to be a professional sounding recording.

That having been said, if you are a fan of this band, buy this. Many of the actual performances, sound quality aside, are very good. There is also some on-stage banter, and at one point even a station ID for KMPX (San Francisco's original "underground FM" radio station), adding historical perspective and indicating that this was recorded from a live broadcast (which may also explain some of the technical problems). More importantly, this is the last live recording of QMS with both Dino Valenti and John Cipollina present-- and in fact, the only one I'm aware of. Certainly there are a few bootleg audience recordings or perhaps some soundboard tapes that may surface someday, but for now, this may be all we have. And since neither artist is still with us, there will never be a reunion concert.

All of which makes this recording, warts and all, of significant historical importance. Besides which, if approached with the right frame of mind and a tolerance for the less than stellar recording quality, this is a truly enjoyable album. If you love this band, this is something you really should have. Taken for what it is, on its own merits, it's darned near priceless. I'd recommend it. .

Quicksilver quick to impress
Probably on my top 10 for the decade of greatest albums. I just heard the new Quicksilver cd - Live 07. They've had such a great impact on the music world with their unique sound. They're one in a million. Check it out. . . Hits the streets on June 24th.

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.