![]() ![]() He has had a prolific musical career after parting ways with the group. Among these is Gary Duncan, former guitarist of Quicksilver Messenger Service. With the modest success of these ventures, many members have also attempted solo careers. After many years, the band has attempted to reform despite the deaths of band members. ![]() The style he developed from these sources is evident in Quicksilver Messenger Service's swung rhythms and twanging guitar sounds. Member Dino Valente pulled heavily from musical influences learned during the folk revival of his formative musical years. With their jazz and classical influences, as well as a strong folk background, the band attempted to create a sound that was individual and innovative. Though not ultimately as popular as contemporaries Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead, the band was integral to the beginnings of their genre. Many of their albums ranked in the top 30 of the Billboard Pop charts. Essentially a jam band, Quicksilver Messenger Service gained wide popularity in the Bay Area and with psychedelic rock enthusiasts around the globe. ![]() Quicksilver Messenger Service is an American psychedelic rock band, formed in 1965 in San Francisco and considered as a part of the city's psychedelic scene. Origin = San Francisco, California, United States However, enthusiasts of those albums will find much more to revisit on Shady Grove than those who favored the first two records.Img_capt = Quicksilver Messenger Service circa 1967 (L-R): Gary Duncan, John Cipollina, Greg Elmore, David Freiberg This somewhat uneven effort would sadly foreshadow QMS's journey from psychedelia and into a much more pop-oriented sound on their follow-up, Just for Love (1970). However, the down-home cowboy waltz "Word's Can't Say" never gets out of the stable, unfortunately. Additionally, QMS try their hand at the same country & western-flavored sound that was making the rounds with their San Fran contemporaries the Jefferson Airplane ("The Farm") and the Grateful Dead ("Dire Wolf"). The slow and dark "Flute Song" is a trippy minor chord masterpiece that is augmented by the shimmering effect of Hopkins' airy piano lines which mingle throughout the light orchestration. Kicking off the disc is an up-tempo rocking version of the traditional Appalachian folk song "Shady Grove." The QMS reading is highlighted by John Cipollina's trademark fluid fretwork and a familiar "Bo Diddley" backbeat - reminiscent of both "Who Do You Love" and "Mona" from the live ensemble LP Happy Trails. The band incorporate a number of different styles on the album. Another possible reason for the shift in style as well as personnel is the conspicuous absence of Gary Duncan (guitar) - who is rumored to have been a "guest" of Bay Area law enforcement at the time. Ironically, the one stretched-out instrumental is courtesy of their latest acquisition - Brit recording session guru Nicky Hopkins (keyboards). Shady Grove (1969) is comprised mostly of shorter and self-contained pieces as opposed to the long and extended jams that were so prevalent on their self-titled debut (1967) and Happy Trails (1969). The third long-player from San Francisco psychedelic icons Quicksilver Messenger Service (QMS) is a direct contrast from their previous discs. ![]()
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