QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE

If you've bought this CD you're probably familiar with the Quicksilver saga. A little background may be appropriate, however. The embryonic Quicksilver formed in late '64, nominally as a back up band for itinerant folkie Dino Valente. Unfortunately (or not) Valente got busted and was sent to jail, leaving the band, which comprised John Cipollina, guitar; Jim Murray, guitar/vocals/harmonica; Casey Sonoban, drums; Skip Spence, guitar; and David Freiberg, bass, on their own.

Without much motivation, they occasionally rehearsed at the Matrix, where, in the summer of '65, Marty Balin poached Spence for the Airplane and turned him into a drummer. By the fall Of 65 Sonoban had drifted off and Freiberg was also busted and headed off to jail. Around this time the San Francisco scene was getting started, and at one of the early dances Cipollina and Murray met Greg Elmore and Gary Duncan from an East Bay band called the Brogues. Elmore was a drummer, and Duncan played a little guitar, and they agreed to join up with Murray and Cipollina, along with Freiberg, who was due out of the slammer before the end of the year.

It was this line-up that became Quicksilver Messenger Service. After a slow start they gradually became house favorites at the Fillmore and the Avalon. So what better way to start this CD than with a very rare radio commercial for a Quicksilver show at the Avalon - specifically November 25-26, 1966.

One of the many problems surrounding old tapes that circulate among fans is whether the listed recording date (if there is one at all) is correct. Such is the case with the first batch of songs on this CD, where a close scrutiny of the material suggests that the accepted date is wrong. The tape in question, purporting to be from the Avalon Ballroom September 9, 1966, usually of poor sound quality, has been around for years. A new and vastly superior-sounding tape was located for this CD, but no new information about its origins was available. So the question remains: When and where was it recorded?

Although there is no internal evidence to suggest the venue, the Avalon is actually a good bet - QMS played there over seventy times and a great many Avalon shows were recorded by the Avalon's soundman, Bob Cohen. The date, however, is more problematic. Quicksilver did indeed, play there on the night in question, but there are several reasons to wonder whether the tape comes from that show.

Most significant is the fact that Jim Murray was still in the band in September '66, and yet he does not appear on the tape at all. Also, the band sounds much tighter and better rehearsed than it did during Murray's tenure with them. And although Duncan plays nothing but tambourine on a couple of tracks, he is clearly playing much more guitar than he did when Murray was around. They sound, in effect, like a quartet rather than a quintet with one member taking the night off.

Assuming it was recorded post-Murray, who left around October '67, then the performance was recorded at least a year later than previously thought. But without any more definitive information, it's impossible to be precise. The only further clue is that "Smokestack Lightning" is much shorter than the 15-minute epic it became in '68. Consequently, my feeling is that the real, if still vague, date is probably late '67 or early '68.

Although it leaks the long jams with which the band later became associated, the Avalon tape is still a fine example of Quicksilver's work, full of shimmering guitars, subtle tempo changes and

[Photo of the band on stage: Duncan, Freiberg, Elmore, Valente, Cipollina]

impassioned vocals. It starts with "Stand By Me," one of two Valente numbers recorded by the band before the singer-writer became a full time member in 1970, The song became the A side of a (then) non-album single backed by the atypical, but fun, "the Bears."

"Babe I'm Gonna Leave You," "Codine," and "Pride of Man" were all songs that David Freiberg had sung during his pre-QMS folkie period and subsequently brought to the band. While versions of all three were performed by other artists (notably Led Zep's version of "Babe") Quicksilver's renditions remain definitive. All three were recorded by them, the first two appearing on the soundtrack of the documentary Revolution. (As an aside, it's worth noting that Quicksilver's all too brief appearances in the film were shot at the Fillmore while Murray was still a member, whereas the re-recorded versions that appear on the soundtrack album were cut after his departure.) "Pride of Man" became a centrepiece their first album - although whether the addition of the Electric Flag horn section was a good idea is still a matter of debate. The song appears here in all its unadorned glory.

"Smokestack Lightning" and "Hoochie Coochie Man" are, of course, blues classics originally recorded by Howlin' Wolf and Muddy Waters respectively, but subsequently covered by just about every white blues band, especially the English ones. Although both are treated to the Quicksilver sound, only "Smokestack Lightning" really takes off, and even then it's only a pale shadow of what the number would become by mid-68.

The remaining track, "(Acapulco) Gold and Silver," is the only original performed by the band on the Avalon tape. Co-written by Gary Duncan and QMS roadie Steve Schuster (with an unacknowledged nod to Dave Brubeck's jazz classic "Take Five") the instrumental became a cornerstone of the band's live act. From time to time, at gigs, Schuster would actually play sax on it, an addition that worked extremely well - better, in fact, than the ersatz funky sound the horns achieved on the album version of "Pride of Man."

Next up is a selection of five tracks that undoubtedly feature Jim Murray (he sings on most of them), although, again, exactly when and where (or indeed, why) they were recorded is a small mystery. They are obviously studio cuts, but whether they constitute the last recordings the band made for Vanguard or demos they cut for Capitol prior to signing with that label is not known. Although three of these tracks (Mose Allison's "Your Time Will Come," Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love?" and Robert Johnson's "Walking Blues") were included on the recent official QMS CD, Lost Gold and Silver, the decision was made to include them here, since our tape source was obviously much closer to the original than Lost Gold and Silver, leading to vastly superior, if not actually perfect, sound quality. Though these tracks may lack the spark of live performance, they are of undoubted historical interest.

The demos are followed by four tracks culled from the band's March 19, 1967 show at San Francisco's tiny but important Matrix club - a date and venue that are probably correct. The tracks for their rarity, and, although the band may have performed all four at other times, these are the only known QMS versions of them, The first is bluesman Willie Cobbs' "You Don't Love Me," a song much better known in a variety of cover versions (John Mayall, Kaleidoscope, Al Kooper/Mike Bloomfield, ad The Allman Brothers) than in its original form. "You Don't Love Me" is followed by a version of "Duncan and Brady," a folk classic probably best known in the early 70's version by the New Riders. The third track is an instrumental of unknown title that is probably a group original. The fourth, "Dandelion," may also be an original, but it could just as easily be an obscure old blues number.

The Matrix tape certainly includes Murray, as does the next song, another version of "Your Time Will Come," which comes from the band's set at the Monterey Festival, June '67. It's probably the best song they performed that day, in a show, that, in general, the band members usually choose to forget. They were so disenchanted with their performance, they refused to sign the relevant releases; a state of affairs that led to their absence from the Monterey Pop movie.

The last actual song on CD 1 is another rare cover, version, "Mamma Keep Your Big Mouth Shut," written by Jimmy Duncan and Alan Klein, but most associated with The Pretty Things, who included it on their first album. The remarkable thing about this version, taken from a September 14,1967 Fillmore Auditorium show, is that it doesn't sound like Quicksilver at all. But it is - really!

The last track on CD 1 is another rare jingle, this time for Camaro cars. Unlike the Avalon commercial, it actually features the band playing and the voiceover is allegedly that of Ron Polte, the band's manager. According to David Freiberg, however, the jingle was rejected by the company and never actually used,

All but one of the tracks on CD 2 are soundboard recordings from the band's golden era - the latter half of 1968. During that brief six- month spell, QMS were at their tightest and most innovative, able to carry off half-hour versions of 'Who Do You Love?" with ease. It quintessential San Francisco acid rock with added elements of traditional Spanish and Indian musics. Unlike many of their contemporaries, they actually managed to capture their sound on record. Happy Trails, their one album from this period, remains one of rock's finest moments.

Most of Happy Trails was recorded live at both the west and east coast Fillmores, and although the resultant album features the cream of their live act, the fact that it was only a single album meant that some great material had to be overlooked. The first five tracks on CD 2 are selected from the unused cuts. The first actual song is a stunning version of "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You." More interesting, though, is the lengthy untitled instrumental (quite possibly an improvisation) that precedes and segues into the song. The whole piece comes from the evening of November 11, 1968, the first of a four-night stand at the Fillmore West that was recorded for the album. Tracks three through five come from the following night, and although all three numbers ("Mona", "Maiden of the Cancer Moon," and "Calvary") were used on Happy Trails, these are alternate versions. Most interesting is this version of "Calvary," the album version of which was the only studio cut on the album.

Mention should be made of track eight on this CD. It, too, comes from one of the nights recorded for the Happy Trails album, although which night is not known. (In fact, it may well derive from one of the Fillmore East shows.) Clearly, this "Who Do You Love?" bears more than a passing resemblance to the one on the album. As far as I can tell, however, it's a complete unedited take, unlike the final album version, which was an amalgamation of several performances.

The '68 live tracks are rounded out by three songs recorded on June 6th at the Fillmore East, namely the Duncan/Freiberg original, "Light Your Windows," "Dino's Song," and Willie Dixon's "Back Door Man." While these may be in-house recordings, the sound (not to mention the musical) quality is as good as the November cuts, thus inferring that they are official eight- (or even sixteen-) track recordings. It thus begs the question: Why were extracts from this show not issued at the time? We will probably never know.

Less than two months after the November Fillmore West shows Gary Duncan quit the band and, along with Dino Valente, headed for New York in what proved to be a fruitless attempt to form a new band. The remaining Quicksilver members languished throughout 1969, managing only one gig, although they did cut the rather lacklustre Shady Grove with new member, pianist Nicky Hopkins. At the end of the year, Duncan and Valente returned just in time for the New Year's show at Winterland. After much pleading, Duncan and Valente were allowed to rejoin the band for that gig, and a soundboard recording of it still exists.

We have included one track, a stunning version of 'Edward The Mad Shirt Grinder' (the studio version is the one really good track on Shady Grove) that demonstrates, if nothing else, the excellent musical rapport between Cipollina and Hopkins. But for unknown reasons, Duncan is buried in the mix, and Valente may not be playing on this track at all.

Duncan and Valente stayed on, and the band returned to a full gig schedule. The new six-piece QMS may not have been quite as spectacular as the '68 band, but for a while (at least as long as they could keep Valente in check) they were still one of the finest groups in the country.

- March 2000, Philo Calhoun

MONA:
Maiden of the cancer moon - tales of valvalry. Quicksilver regularly player Moon since late 1966. By the end of 1967 it had become a "jam" song that often lasted most of a 45 minute set. The Mona here is an excellent example of Quicksilver Messenger Service at it's best - exhibiting all the "psychedelic drama" they were famed for.
SMOKESTACK LIGHTNING:
This song has never been released although it was a staple in their shows from early 1966. By the time of this version they had the song crisply arranged for the twin lead guitar line-up they excelled at.
WHO DO YOU LOVE:
Another major staple of their shows since 1966. It, too, benefited through the years of jamming and stretching out to become a great half hour psychedelic voyage.
SUZIE Q:
A real favorite of the Band and it's fans since 1966. They never released this song. The pounding cowbell introduction always brought cheers as everyone rushed for the dance floor. A great and rare example of Quicksilver's great dance energy.
GET IN TROUBLE:
Recorded live in the Studio 8-20-68. Written by Nick Gravenites but never before released.
STAND BY ME:
This was the "A" side of a 45 rpm release. It was backed by Bears. This is an early Dino Valenti ballad.

1-4 recorded live at Fillmore West 1968
5-7 rec. at Golden State Recorders 19.11.68

1-3 completely different (16:30) to HAPPY TRAILS LP version
4 previously unreleased version (13:40)
5 previously unreleased out-take of Single A-side
6-7 previously unreleased out-take