Quicksilver Messenger Service (sometimes credited as simply Quicksilver) is an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1965 in San Francisco. The band achieved wide popularity in the San Francisco Bay Area and through their recordings, with psychedelic rock enthusiasts around the globe, and several of their albums ranked in the Top 30 of the Billboard Pop charts. They were part of the new wave of album-oriented bands, achieving renown and popularity despite an almost complete lack of success with their singles (apart from “Fresh Air”, which reached number 49 in 1970). Though not as commercially successful as contemporaries Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver was integral to the beginnings of their genre. With their jazz and classical influences and a strong folk background, the band attempted to create an individual, innovative sound. Music historian Colin Larkin wrote: “Of all the bands that came out of the San Francisco area during the late ’60s, Quicksilver typified most the style, attitude and sound of that era.”
Member Dino Valenti drew heavily on musical influences he picked up during the folk revival of his formative musical years. The style he developed from these sources is evident in Quicksilver Messenger Service’s swing rhythms and twanging guitar sounds. After many years, the band has attempted to reform despite the deaths of several members. In 2009, original members Gary Duncan and David Freiberg toured as the Quicksilver Messenger Service, using various backing musicians.
Shady Grove is the third studio album by Quicksilver Messenger Service.
Nicky Hopkins, the English journeyman pianist who appears on albums by Jeff Beck, The Rolling Stones, The Who, all four of The Beatles and Steve Miller, joined the group for this album. Hopkins’ influence is felt throughout Shady Grove, and his contributions pushed the group in new directions. However, David Freiberg’s vocal presence makes the Quicksilver sound of the first two albums still apparent.
Hopkins re-recorded the closing track, “Edward”, on his solo album The Tin Man Was a Dreamer, which features members of the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. (“Edward” was a nickname for Nicky Hopkins, made up by Brian Jones during a 1967 session at Olympic Studios in London. The story goes that Jones was tuning his guitar and asked Hopkins to give him an E on the piano; with other noise interfering and Nicky unable to hear what he was saying, Brian eventually shouted out: “Give me an E, like in Edward!”)[1] “Joseph’s Coat”, co-written by John Cipollina and Nick Gravenites, also appears on Big Brother and the Holding Company’s album Be a Brother, which featured Gravenites on vocals.
Original guitarist Gary Duncan does not appear on this album, having quit the band for a time. (by wikipedia)
The third long-player from San Francisco psychedelic icons Quicksilver Messenger Service (QMS) is a direct contrast from their previous discs. 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). Ironically, the one stretched-out instrumental is courtesy of their latest acquisition — Brit recording session guru Nicky Hopkins (keyboards). 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. The band incorporate a number of different styles on the album. 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 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. 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”). However, the down-home cowboy waltz “Word’s Can’t Say” never gets out of the stable, unfortunately. 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, enthusiasts of those albums will find much more to revisit on Shady Grove than those who favored the first two records. (by by Lindsay Planer)
Personnel:
John Cipollina (guitar, vocals)
Greg Elmore (drums, percussion)
David Freiberg (bass, vocals, guitar, viola)
Nicky Hopkins (keyboards, celeste, harpsichord, cello)
Tracklist:
01. Shady Grove (Wands) 3.03
02. Flute Song (Kaufman-Jewkes) 5.26
03. Three Or Four Feet From Home (Cipollina) 2.59
04. Too Far (Freiberg) 4.31
05. Holy Moly (Gravenites) 4.25
06. Joseph’s Coat (Cipollina/Gravenites) 4.42
07. Flashing Lonesome (Freiberg/Gravenites) 5.30
08. Words Can’t Say (Freiberg/Kaufman-Jewkes) 3.23
09. Edward, The Mad Shirt Grinder (Hopkins) 9.23
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