Sure Quicksilver Messenger Service we were very popular around the city of San Fransisco but besides San Fran QMS was little known compared to their counterparts the Grateful Dead and The Jeffson Airplane, who the band often shared the stage with. Quicksliver was loved around their area though often playing split shows with the forementioned bands and/or other West coast psychedelic bands. They quickly rose to the top of the scene though by releasing their self titled album whcih still remains a classic to this day but while it was rather more of a pop/psychedelic* album Quciksilver was eager to record a live album to showcase the complete QMS package. Happy Trails truly is the live experience, lengthy psychedelic jams melded together with blues and spanish influences marks Quicksilver's highest moment as the crimally underated band they are.
*this remark obviously exludes "Silver and Gold" and "the Fool" which are a great jazz/psychedelic jam songs
Review:
Who Do You Love-Arguably Quicksilver's best known song and there's no reason why it shouldn't. The opening strumming pattern sounds alot like the original doen by Bo Diddly but after the intro the song takes you for a 25 minute journey through many different phases. The Lyrics in in this song are wonderful and Gary Duncan sings the song with more grit than Diddley's original. The song is very long (25:22 min) but changes tempo and guitar parts so many times you wouldn't even notice. This song is also divided into 6 little sub sections.( see Tracklist) During the 2nd Sub section to the 6th there are no vocals at all but features some great guitar work by Cipollina. The bass and drums are steady all the way through this song and nearing the end the bass stands out to me. Also in the middle of the song you hear different shouts from the crowd which is truly interesting. Great Song 5/5 :thumb:
Mona- Another bob Diddley cover song as the intro riff is quite like the intro riff for Who Do You Love. Duncan belts Diddley's ode to a lady named Mona perfectly with very strong vocals. Cipollina does som great work with his wah wah and includes a psychedelic solo to add to this jammy song. Another great jam song. 4.5/5
Maiden of the Cancer Moon-This is a short instrumental which highlights Cipollina's great guitar work. The whole band does a great job sloweing the tempo and just when you think it's about to stop a drumfill hits you in the face and John steps on the fuzz box and lets it rip. 5/5
CavalryHere is easily the most experimental song on the album. It starts of with some very flamenco sounding guitar work done on and electric and Elmore pounding on some tympanis. The song starts building with Cipollina leading the way with his psychedlic leads on the guitar. The song than turns into a very spanish influenced jam with some nice acoustic rythym delivered in the back while pounding drums keep a heavy beats and guitars filled with fuzz and flange fly out of the amps. Feedback is ambundent during the performance adding to the errie atmosphere in the background. 13 minutes of spanish jam music dipped in LSD is what it seems to me. 5/5
Happy Trails Unusual song that sounds as if in a western bar in the 1880's. Although it's an appropriate ending it only lasts for 47 secnds.3/5
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