Quicksilver Messenger Service - Happy Trails
ORDER LIMITED TO ONE ITEM PER CUSTOMER
John Cipollina (guitar, vocals), Gary Duncan (guitar, vocals), Greg Elmore (drums), David Freiberg (bass, vocals)
1 LP, standard sleeve
Limited edition
Original analog Master tape : YES
Heavy Press : 180g
Record color : black
Speed : 33 RPM
Size : 12'’
Stereo
Live
Record Press : Pallas
Label : Pure Pleasure Records
Original Label : Capitol
Tracks :
2. When You Love
3. Where You Love
4. How You Love
5. Which Do You Love
6. Who Do You Love - Part 2
1. Mona
2. Maiden of the Cancer Moon
3. Calvary
4. Happy Trails
Reviews :
"If you weren't there, this is the next best thing: the definitive live recording of the mid-Sixties San Francisco psychedelic-ballroom experience. Mostly taped at the two Fillmores, in San Francisco and New York, Quicksilver Messenger Service's second album captures twin guitarists, John Cipollina and Gary Duncan, in high, bright flight, making rare magic from a couple of old Bo Diddley numbers ("Mona," "Who Do You Love?"), while the gorgeous, composed intricacies of "Maiden of the Cancer Moon" and the acid-flamenco studio epic "Calvary" prove that psychedelia was not just about tripping out." - www.rollingstone.com
"...this is an excellent reissue that will bring good musical cheer and acid flashbacks to aging and not so aging analog loving hippies worldwide." - Michael Fremer, www.musicangle.com
« Without question, this follow-up to Quicksilver Messenger Service's self-titled debut release is the most accurate in portraying the band on vinyl in the same light as the group's critically and enthusiastically acclaimed live performances. The album is essentially centered around the extended reworkings of Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love?" and "Mona," as well as the lesser lauded -- yet no less intense -- contribution of Gary Duncan's (guitar/vocals) "Calvary." This album is the last to feature the original quartet incarnation of QMS. The collective efforts of John Cipollina (guitar/vocals), Greg Elmore (percussion), David Freiberg (bass/vocals), and the aforementioned Duncan retain the uncanny ability to perform with a psychedelic looseness of spirit, without becoming boring or in the least bit pretentious. The side-long epic "Who Do You Love?" suite is split into an ensemble introduction and coda as well as four distinct sections for the respective bandmembers. The perpetually inventive chops of QMS are what is truly on display here. The musicians' unmitigated instrumental prowess and practically psychic interaction allow them to seamlessly weave into and back out of the main theme. Yet all the while, each player takes center stage for uncompromising solos. "Mona" and its companion, "Calvary," continue in much the same fashion. Here the members of QMS play off each other to form a cohesive unit. This track also contains some of Cipollina's finest and most memorable fretwork. He is able to summon sonic spirits from his guitar in a way that is unlike any of his Bay Area contemporaries. A prime example of his individuality is the frenetic "Maiden of the Cancer Moon" -- ascending from the remnants of "Mona." The angst and energy in Cipollina's guitar work and line upon line of technical phrasing could easily be considered the equal of a Frank Zappa guitar solo. The brief title track, a cover of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans' "Happy Trails," seems almost insignificant in the wake of such virtuoso playing. It clears the sonic palette and also bids adieu to this particular fab foursome of psychedelia. » AllMusic Review by Lindsay Planer
Ratings :