Quicksilver Messenger Service
Band members Related acts
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line up 1 (1965-67) - John Cipollina (RIP
1989) -- guitar, percussion
line up 2 (1967-69) - John Cipollina (RIP
1989) -- guitar, percussion line up 3 (1969) - John Cipollina (RIP
1989) -- guitar, percussion NEW - Nicky Hopkins -- keyboards
line up 4 (1969-70) - John Cipollina (RIP
1989) -- guitar, percussion - Nicky Hopkins -- keyboards NEW - Dino Valenti (aka Chris Farrow, Jesse Otis Farrow, Chet Powers, Dino Valente) -- vocals, rhythm guitar
line up 5 (1970) -
John Cipollina (RIP 1989) -- guitar, percussion - Mark Naftain -- keyboards (replaced Nicky Hopkins) NEW - Mark Ryan -- bass (replaced David Freiberg) - Dino Valenti (aka Chris Farrow, Jesse Otis Farrow, Chet Powers, Dino Valente) (RIP 1994) -- vocals, rhythm guitar
line up 6 (1970) - Gary Duncan -- vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, percussion - Mark Naftain -- keyboards (replaced Nicky Hopkins) NEW - Jose Rico Reyes -- percussion, vocals - Mark Ryan -- bass (replaced David Freiberg) - Dino Valenti (aka Chris Farrow, Jesse Otis Farrow, Chet Powers, Dino Valente) (RIP 1994) -- vocals, rhythm guitar
line up 7 (1970-71) as Quicksilver NEW - Mark Ryan -- bass (replaced David Freiberg) - Dino Valenti (aka Chris Farrow, Jesse Otis Farrow, Chet Powers, Dino Valente) (RIP 1994) -- vocals, rhythm guitar NEW - Chuck Steaks -- keyboards (replaced Mark Nattain)
line up 8 (1972) - Gary Duncan -- lead guitar, vocals - Greg Elmore – drums, percussion - Dino Valenti (aka Chris Farrow, Jesse Otis Farrow, Chet Powers, Dino Valente) (RIP 1994) -- vocals, rhythm guitar, congas - Mark Ryan-- bass NEW - Chuck Steaks -- organ
supporting musicians (1972) - Ken Balzell -- trumpet - Bud Brisbois -- trumpet - Sonny Lewis -- sax - Charles C. Loper -- trombone - Donald Menza -- sax - Pat O'Hara -- trombone - Dalton Smith - trumpet
line up 8 (1972-75) NEW
- Harold Aceves -- drums, percussion NEW - Bob Flurie -- bass (replaced Mark Ryan) - Dino Valenti (aka Chris Farrow, Jesse Otis Farrow, Chet Powers, Dino Valente) (RIP 1994) -- vocals, rhythm guitar NEW - Roger Stanton -- bass (replaced Mark Ryan) NEW - Chuck Steaks -- keyboards (replaced Mark Naftain)
line up 9 (1975) NEW
- John Cipollina (RIP 1989) -- guitar, percussion - David Freiberg - - vocals, guitar, bass NEW - Michael Lewis -- keyboards (replaced Chuck Steaks) - Dino Valenti (aka Chris Farrow, Jesse Otis Farrow, Chet Powers, Dino Valente) (RIP 1994) -- vocals, rhythm guitar
line up 10 (1975-79) - David Freiberg - - vocals, guitar, bass NEW - Skip Olsen -- bass (replaced David Freiberg) - Dino Valenti (aka Chris Farrow, Jesse Otis Farrow, Chet Powers, Dino Valente) (RIP 1994) -- vocals, rhythm guitar
line up11 (2006-08) NEW - John Ferenzik -- bass - David Freiberg - - vocals, guitar, bass NEW - Linda Imperial -- vocals NEW - Prairie Prince -- drums, percussion NEW - Chris Smith -- keyboards
line up 12 (2008-09) NEW-
Donny Baldwin -- drums, percussion (replaced Prairie Prince) - John Ferenzik -- bass - David Freiberg - - vocals, guitar, bass - Linda Imperial -- vocals - Chris Smith -- keyboards
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- Bodacious D.F. - The Brogues - Copperhead (John Cipollina) - Crawfish of Love (Gary Duncan) - Nicky Hopkins (solo efforts) - Jefferson Airplane (David Freiberg and Nicky Hopkins) - Jefferson Starship (David Freiberg) - Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver - Gary Duncan's Quicksilver - Dino Valenti (solo efforts) - Starship (David Freiberg) - Terry and the Pirates (Greg Elmore)
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Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: Just for Love Company: Capitol Catalog: ST-498 Year: 1970 Grade (cover/record): VG/VG Comments: -- Available: 1 Price: $12.00
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With Duncan and Valenti back in the line up (getting confused?), 1970's
"Just for Love" was recorded in Hawaii. As usual, recording sessions proved chaotic, keyboardist Hopkins bailing ship in order to work with The Rolling Stones. He was quickly replaced by former Butterfield Blues Band keyboardist Mark Natalfin (see separate entry). With Duncan and Valenti back, the results were immediately evident; tracks such as "Just for Love", "Gone Again" and the extended "The Hat" moving away from the earlier psychedelic rock moves in favor of a far more commercial and mainstream sound. Released as a single "Fresh Air" b/w "Freeway Flyer" (Capitol catalog number 2920) provided the band with their biggest radio hit. Curiously, to our ears much of the album (particularly Valenti's vocals) suffers from an odd, echoey, metallic sound. Backed by strong reviews, the parent album peaked at #27. (The set was originally released with a gatefold sleeve.) Naturally success brought controversy and strife; "Just for Love" track listing: 1.) Wolf Run (Part 1) (instrumental) (Jesse Oris Farrow) - 1:10 2.) Just for Love (Part 1) (Dino Valenti) - 2:55 3.) Cobra (instrumental) (John Cipollina) - 4:20 4.) The Hat (Jesse Oris Farrow) - 10:30 5,) Freeway Flyer (Jesse Oris Farrow) - 3:45 6.) Gone Again (Jesse Oris Farrow) - 7:10 7.) Fresh Air (Jesse Oris Farrow) - 5:20 8.) Just for Love (Part 2) (Dino Valenti) - 1:35 9.) Wolf Run (Part 1) (Jesse Oris Farrow) - 2:05 |
Genre: rock Rating: *** (3 stars) Title: What About Me Company: Capitol Catalog: SMAS-630 Year: 1970 Grade (cover/record): VG/+VG+ Comments: gatefold sleeve Available: 3 Catalog number: 1239 Price: $12.00
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This mid-career Quicksilver Messenger Service album tends to get middling reviews from critics and fans, but over the years I've grown to appreciate it for more than the title track. Is it there best album ? Nope, but in spite of an irritatingly flat production sound (much of the album sounding like it had been recorded in a subway station), it was far better than you would expect from the write-ups.
With personality issues raising their ugly heads (Valenti apparently rubbed several members the wrong way),1970's "What About Me" was released within months of their previous album. Apparently meant as somewhat of a stopgap effort while the band settled internal issues, the collection included several tracks recorded during the earlier "Just for Love" Hawaii sessions. Given the circumstance the album was far better than you would have expected; certainly their most enjoyable effort in several years. Writing under the name Jesse Oris Farrow, Valenti was again responsible for the majority of the album's ten tracks. Clearly reflecting their growing dissatisfaction in the band, John Cipollina, David Freiberg, and Nicky Hopkins were each represented by one composition. Musically the set was quite diverse; highlights including the classic anti-establishment title track, the rocker 'Subway' and three of the group's prettiest numbers ('Baby Baby', 'Long Haired Lady', and the Hopkins penned instrumental 'Spindrifter'). Sure, there were a couple of missteps. Freiberg's C&W influenced 'Won't Kill Me' and the jazzy, bossa nova-tinged 'All In My Mind' weren't particularly entertaining,, but in spite of occasional missteps the overall results were quite impressive. Another strong seller, the set hit # 26 on the US album charts.
Unfortunately,
shortly after the album was released Cipollina quit, reappearing with the band Copperhead.
The album also proved to be Hopkins last release with the band. Adding
to the turmoil, bassist Freiberg found himself busted on a third drug charge
and ended up in jail. (side
1) One
of the most attractive songs they ever recorded. I guess I never
thought of these guys as having an activist agenda, but in hindsight 'What
About Me' was quite insightful with lyrics that managed to take on
ecological disaster, unhappiness with the 4th estate, demographic changes
that would shake the American landscape; unhappiness with Vietnam (a
requirement for any San Francisco band), changing public views on drugs
... wow, the whole counter-culture agenda packed into a nifty,
percussion heavy, and dance-ready package. Wonder why I never really
noticed the funky horns before ... Capitol marketing was at least
smart enough to release an edited version as a single - want to guess what
segments of the lyrics hit the chopping block ? rating:
**** stars Cipollina's
lone contribution to the album, 'Local Color' started out as a bluesy
instrumental that showcased his impressive acoustic slide guitar work.
About halfway through he added some blazing electric guitar to the
mix. Even if you weren't a big blues fan, you had to admire the guy's
chops.
rating: ** stars Dino
Valenti's nasally voice has always been an acquired taste for me and
surrounding him with a country-tinged melody didn't seem to be the
smartest you could make. Hearing Valenti squeeze a country twang into
his delivery initially made me shudder, but luckily, the song had some sweet
harmony vocals that at least momentarily took some of the attention off of
Valenti. Not sure where it was filmed, but YouTube has an
entertaining live performance of the tune at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Dr1QoDsz3s
rating: *** stars Straightforward
acoustic country-blues that exploded into a slightly better Hopkins
keyboard-propelled good-timey number. I'll admit that after a couple
of cold beers this one sounds much better. Easy to see why Freiberg
didn't get to sing all that often.
rating; *** stars Starting out with a raga and psychedelic influence, 'Long Haired Lady' was one of the prettiest things the band ever recorded. The song also found Valenti turning in one of his most impassioned vocals. rating: **** stars
(side
2) You
don't usually equate QMS with funky rock tunes, but 'Subway' was one of
those rare exception. Hard to believe these San Francisco
hippies would be able to pull it off, but they managed to cough up an
enjoyable dance number with some nice Duncan-Cipollina twin guitar
moves. rating:
**** stars One
of the prettiest melodies Hopkins ever wrote, though the piano-powered
instrumental felt a mid MOR-ish and sounded strangely out of place on the
album. rating:
*** stars Nice
martial paced rocker, though Valenti's vocals sounded like they'd been
recoded it in a gym shower. rating;
*** stars Hum,
QMS doing a bossa nova tune ? Yup. Certainly
unexpected, but kind of cool with Duncan turning in a nice Flamenco-styled
lead guitar. Definitely the album's biggest
surprise. rating:
*** stars And tacked on to the end of the album was the collections most commercial tune; a radio friendly country-rocker that sported a great melody; then-trendy horns; Latin percussion, a strong Valenti vocal, and some of the band's frequently overlooked sterling harmony vocals. What wasn't there to like on this one ? rating: **** stars
The single was:
- 1970's 'What About Me' b/w 'Good Old Rock 'N' Roll' (Capitol catalog number 3046)
Always loved the Michael Cantrell gatefold cover art.
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Genre: rock Rating: **** (4 stars) Title: Quicksilver Company: Capitol Catalog: SW-819 Year: 1971 Grade (cover/record): VG/+VG+ Comments: minor ring, edge and corner wear Available: 2 Catalog number: 1237 Price: $10.00
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Prior to the
release of 1970's "Quicksiilver"
David Freiberg was arrested on a third drug charge which saw him jailed for three
months - he subsequently reappeared as a member of The Jefferson
Airplane. Freiberg's incarceration saw the band hire Mark Ryan as a
replacement on bass. At the same time keyboardist Mark Nattain left,
quickly replaced by Chuck Steaks. Interestingly, faced with having to operate with a piecemeal
lineup,1971's "Quicksilver" was surprisingly impressive. Creatively the group was rapidly becoming little more than a backing outfit for
David Valenti (who was credited with penning eight of ten selections.)
Guitarist Gary Duncan contributed the two other compositions. While that may have sounded like a
creative death knoll, Valenti turned in some of his most impressive material;
'Hope', 'Out of My Mind' (sporting a surprising anti-drug lyric), and the country-flavored ballad
'Don't Cry My Lady Love' all standing among the band's best work. Personal
favorites, Duncan's dark and psychedelic 'Fire Brothers' and the wild
'Rebel' (check out the whooping and yelling). After all the years standing
in John 's shadow, Duncan also took advantage of the personnel
shake-up to demonstrate his technical facility. I'm a big guitar fan,
but Duncan seemingly crammed every free space on the album with his piercing
guitar. To my ears it quickly became a source of irritation (check out
'r'). Given it was one of their most commercial outings and probably
the most consistent of their late-inning career, it was interesting to note the set
proved a commercial disappointment, peaking at # 114. 1.) Hope (Dino Valenti) - 3:00 Sporting
a very likeable mid-'60s vibe, 'Hope' started the album with an unexpected
folk-rock tune. Echoes of Scott McKenzie's 'San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear
Flowers in Your Hair)'. Who knew Dino Valenti had it in
him. Nice opener. rating:
*** stars Another
surprise - who would have expected these guys to come up with a breezy,
almost '50s influenced rocker ? Not only that, but the song was highly
commercial. For goodness sakes, a happy Quicksilver song
!!! Capitol tapped it as the single. rating:
**** stars Instantly
recognizable as a QMS tune ... Valenti sounded a little uncomfortable
on this one; particularly when stretching for the higher notes, but it was
one of the prettier tunes he'd ever wrote.
rating: **** stars Nice
rocker that was seemingly intended as a showcase for Duncan's chronic
overplaying, though it didn't sound bad in this environment. Valenti
almost sounded hippy-funky on this one. rating:***
stars One of the funniest things they ever wrote and recorded, the thought of these San Francisco hippies identifying with a bunch of Confederate rebels was a hoot. Still, there was lots of energy and the in-studio screams and shouts were a blast. rating: **** stars
(side
2) Duncan's
second song and the album's most dark and psychedelic
performance. Interestingly Duncan kept the guitar pyrotechnics
down to a strumming acoustic allowing keyboardist
Chuck Steaks to carry the melody. Duncan also handled the
lead vocal. Kind of a post-apocalyptic 'Wooden Ships' feel
here. rating: **** stars Surprisingly
subdued acoustic ballad with some highly personal Valenti lyrics - never
quite figured out if it was an anti-drug tract, or Valenti was simply
mulling over his own mental health issues. Pretty. rating:
**** stars The
vocals sounded like they'd recorded this one in a subway tunnel, but
propelled by some gentle Mark Steaks
barrelhouse piano, 'Don't Cry My Lady Love' had a beautiful, old-timey feel
to it. Sweet and comforting. rating:
**** stars And for anyone wondering what happened to the band's classic sound, there was the closer - 'The Truth'. Even though it was almost seven minutes long and included quite a bit of jamming, this was easily the album's most mainstream and commercial rocker with some unexpectedly insightful and thought provoking lyrics (coming from a guy with more than his share of personal problems at that point in time). It's always reminded me a bit of their classic 'Fresh Air' period. rating: **** stars
As mentioned above, the album's single was:
- 1071's 'I Found Love' b/w 'Hope'' (Capitol catalog number 3233) |
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Gerre: psych Rating: **** (4 stars) Title: Comin' Thru Company: Capitol Catalog: SMAS 11002 Year: 1972 Grade (cover/record): VG+/VG+ Comments: gatefold sleeve Available: 1 Catalog number: -- Price: $20.00
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Having
limped through a series of personnel changes, by the time 1972's "Comin
Thru" was released the Quicksilver Messenger Service line-up
had morphed to reflect guitarist Gary Duncan, drummer Greg Elmore, singer Dino Valenti, bassist Mark Ryan and
new keyboardist Chuck Steaks (replacing
Mark Naftain). In a major change from earlier releases, the album found
the band working with a full horn section - Ken Balzell, Bud Brisbois,
Sonny Lewis, Charles Loper, Donald Menza, Pat O'Hara and Dalton Smith.
Widely slammed as their worst collection, if you were able to adjust your
expectations of what to expect from this band, then there was a chance you
might not be too disa
Capitol did little to promote the album and a planned English tour was cancelled for the third time. The remaining members apparently decided to throw in the towel, even playing a series of August 1972 farewell concerts at the Fillmore West. They ultimately reconsidered, deciding to keep the nameplate alive, though they did not record any new studio material until 1975's "Solid Silver."
"Comin' Thru" track listing: (side 1) 1.) Doin' Time in the U.S.A. (Gary Duncan) - 4:15 rating: **** stars Both
Valenti and former bassist David Frieberg had done jail time on drug charges
so it's not hard to draw a link to the inspiration for 'Doin' Time in the
U.S.A.'. In spite of the bouncy rhythm and the nifty nod to The
Rolling Stones' 'Satisfaction', there's just something terribly sad about
the song. A lot of wasted lives trace back to archaic drug laws and
dumb personal choices ... Capitol tapped this as a single in
Japan:
- 1972's 'Doin' Time In the U.S.A.' b/w Changes' (Capitol catalog number ECR 30086)
2.) Chicken (traditional, arranged by Dino Valenti) - 4:03 rating: *** stars Two songs into the album I found myself still trying to adjust to the extensive Blood, Sweat and Tears horns arrangement. Donald Menza provided the sax solo. Add to that you got to hear DIno Valenti trotting out his best stab at a blue-eyed soul vocal. Yeah, this was one weird tune. Always wondered why the credits showed this one as a traditional tune. No idea what it was based on. 3.) Changes (Dino Valenti) - 4:15 rating: *** stars A pretty and commercially viable ballad, the first time I heard 'Changes' I remember wondering if I was hearing a Johnny Rivers performance. Valenti's nasally vocal bore more than a passing resemblance to Rivers. Docked a star for the comparison. The track was released as a US single:
- 1972's 'Changes' b/w ' California State Correctional Facility Blues' (Capitol catalog number 3349)
4.) California State Correctional Facility Blues (Dino Valenti - Gary Duncan - Greg Elmore - Chuck Steaks) - 6:10 rating: **** stars The lone group composition, 'California State Correctional Facility Blues' was an extended blues-flavored jam. Showcasing Duncan's wah-wah outbursts and Chuck Steaks Hamond B3 fills it certainly wasn't anything special, but compared to some of the album's other performances, stood up well and there were no horns. I'm guessing the track was another autobiographical effort, the title serving as a nod to Valenti's drug bust and incarceration in Folsom State Prison.
(side
2) Opening up with a tasty Duncan guitar riff 'Forty Days' seemed promising, but darn it ... welcome the horns back ... The tune also highlighted Valenti's voice which, depending on your stance, was a good, or bad feature. My two cents is his delivery was simply irritating. The man just sounded like he was trying so hard to sound soulful and it just didnlt sell. 2.)
Mojo (Dino Valenti) - 5:34 rating:
** stars Take my opinion for what it is ... one guy's uneducated opinion. Valenti's vocals just irk me the same way chalk-on-a-blackboard does. Surrounding him with a tsunami of bleating horns and a throwaway soul arrangement did nothing to make him any more appealing. For goodness sakes I would have rather just listened to 5:34 minutes of Mark Ryan's bass riff. Docked a star for the discordant and totally needless horn solos. Apparently recorded at a performance at the Fillmore West and included on the 1972 three album set "Fillmore - The Last Days" (Fillmore catalog number Z3X 31390), both the audio and video quality are poor, but YouTube has a live performance of the song at: Quicksilver Messenger Service "Mojo" - YouTube
3.) Don't Lose It (Gary Duncan - Dino Valenti) - 5:57 rating: ** stars Opening up with some slashing Hammond B-3, ' Don't Lose It' was a faceless horn powered blues number. Not sure who was sharing lead vocals with Valenti, but whoever it was had the better voice
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Gerre: psych Rating: **** (4 stars) Title: Anthology Company: Capitol Catalog: SVBB-11165 Year: 1973 Grade (cover/record): VG/VG+ Comments: double LP; gatefold sleeve; minor ring, edge and corner wear; slight bottom seam splitting Available: 1 Catalog number: 1241 Price: $15.00
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By 1973 Capitol
Records had lost faith in Quicksilver Messenger Service. Their last
studio album, 1972's "Comin' Thru" got little
promotion and even fewer sales. Apparently hoping to recoup at least some of
their earlier investment in the band Capitol responded by releasing a double
album, 16 track retrospective, 1973's "Anthology".
Worth noting - not one of the 'Comin' Thru" songs appeared on the
retrospective. As far as these sets go it served as a a decent career
retrospective. Like any retrospective, fans could argue endlessly over what
was included and what had been left off. Had I been asked, one of the
missing in action tracks I would have voted for was 'The Truth' off of
1971's "Quicksilver". Regardless, hearing it
for the first time in several years, I was immediately struck by the depth
of band's talent (five members contributing material) and versatility -
checkout the first side which effortlessly bounced between catchy top-40 pop
('Dino's Song') and extended psych jams (the twelve minute plus 'The Fool').
Among the few complaints; the absence of any previously unreleased gems and
the lack of detailed liner notes. All you got were writing and performance
credits. Given the band's next to invisible profile and the fact it was a
double LP, the set sold respectably, peaking at # 108. (side 1)
1.) Pride of Man (Hamilton Camp) - 4:05
(side
2)
(side
3) One
of the prettiest melodies Hopkins ever wrote, though the piano-powered
instrumental felt a mid MOR-ish and sounded strangely out of place on
"What About Me". rating:
*** stars Cipollina's lone contribution to the "What About Me" album, 'Local Color' started out as a bluesy instrumental that showcased his impressive acoustic slide guitar work. About halfway through he added some blazing electric guitar to the mix. Even if you weren't a big blues fan, you had to admire the guy's chops. rating: ** stars
(side
4) One
of the most attractive songs they ever recorded. I guess I never
thought of these guys as having an activist agenda, but in hindsight 'What
About Me' was quite insightful with lyrics that managed to take on
ecological disaster, unhappiness with the 4th estate, demographic changes
that would shake the American landscape; unhappiness with Vietnam (a
requirement for any San Francisco band), changing public views on drugs
... wow, the whole counter-culture agenda packed into a nifty,
percussion heavy, and dance-ready package. Wonder why I never really
noticed the funky horns before ... Capitol marketing was at least
smart enough to release an edited version as a single - want to guess what
segments of the lyrics hit the chopping block ? rating:
**** stars The
vocals sounded like they'd recorded this one in a subway tunnel, but
propelled by some gentle Mark Steaks
barrelhouse piano, 'Don't Cry My Lady Love' had a beautiful, old-timey feel
to it. Sweet and comforting. rating:
**** stars Sporting
a very likeable mid-'60s vibe, 'Hope' started the album with an unexpected
folk-rock tune. Echoes of Scott McKenzie's 'San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear
Flowers in Your Hair)'. Who knew Dino Valenti had it in
him. Nice opener. rating:
*** stars One
of two Duncan penned tunes on 1971's "Quicksilver" and the album's most dark and psychedelic
performance. Interestingly Duncan kept the guitar pyrotechnics
down to a strumming acoustic allowing keyboardist
Chuck Steaks to carry the melody. Duncan also handled the
lead vocal. Kind of a post-apocalyptic 'Wooden Ships' feel
here. rating: **** stars Another surprise - who would have expected these guys to come up with a breezy, almost '50s influenced rocker ? Not only that, but the song was highly commercial. For goodness sakes, a happy Quicksilver song !!! Capitol tapped it as the single. rating: **** stars
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ppointed by the collection. Yeah,
that made for a pretty
low threshold. Advice - first abandon all memories of Quicksilver's psychedelic roots.
By 1972 those
days were long gone. Next drop all your preconceptions with respect to front
man Valenti. He's featured throughout the set and if you can't stomach
the man - well stop here. Finally, reconsider your affinity for
horn-rock. Blood, Sweat and Tears not to you liking. Again, stop
here. In defense of the band, you couldn't blame them for trying to retain
an audience by following popular tastes. That seems to explain
shifting musical gears towards a mix of funk and horn-rock. It's
an album I've tried to understand and appreciate with little success.
Valenti's vocals irritate me. The horns irritate me. The lack of
focus irritates me. Well was there anything here that didn't irritate
me? Surprisingly the answer is yes. The two obviously
autobiographical tunes ' Doin' Time in the U.S.A.' and blues jam '
California State Correctional Facility Blues' were both highlights.
The other came in the form of guitarist Gary Duncan. Fequently
overlooked in the QMS cannon, he may not have had the dazzle power of the
late John Cipollina, but on performances
like 'Forty Days'
and 'Mojo'
his work was impressive.
Great LP? Not by a long shot. Outside of OMS hardcore loyalists,
probably not a lot to recommend.
