Quicksilver Messenger Service 1968 Album

Quicksilver Messenger Service

Often viewed now as weird hippie-core offshoots of the Greatful Dead and Jefferson Airplane, not coming close to the longevity and hardiness of the former, or the commercial success of the latter, in reality Quicksilver Messenger Service were a whole other thing to be reckoned with, and should have rightly had at least more than the portions they earned. While the Dead's jams and flirtations with country made friends with bikers, QMS brought in a range of more cultured sounds via a two-guitar weaving approach (Gary Duncan and John Cipollina) that charmed and beguiled the listener. The only real bit of aggressiveness is on the opening cover of Hamilton Camp's "Pride of Man"; anything else up-tempo has a happier feel ("Dino's Song", "It's Been Too Long"). "Gold and Silver" and "The Fool" exemplify the classic QMS sound. It's the kind of psychedelic theater the Dead took years to bring to life on stage and never really got on record. Special mention goes to "The Fool" in this respect. Solid effort.