Quicksilver Messenger Service is an American psychedelic rock band, formed … Read Full Bio ↴Quicksilver Messenger Service is an American psychedelic rock band, formed in 1965 in San Francisco. Of all the bands that came out of the San Francisco area during the late 60s, Quicksilver Messenger Service typified the style, attitude and sound of that era. Dogged by early personnel changes, the original band in 1964 comprised of vocalist Dino Valenti, guitarist John Cipollina, David Freiberg on bass and vocals, Jim Murray on vocals and harmonica, and drummer Casey Sonoban. Alexander 'Skip' Spence also spent a brief time with the band, before being whisked off to join Jefferson Airplane as their drummer.
Significant in Quicksilver's development was the almost immediate arrest and imprisonment of Valenti for a drugs offence. He did not rejoin the band until late 1969. In 1965, the line-up was strengthened by the arrival of guitarist Gary Duncan and, replacing Sonoban, Greg Elmore.
They debuted at the end of '65 and played around the Bay Area and then the West Coast for the next two years, building up a large following, but resisting offers to record that had been taken up by such San Francisco acid-rock colleagues as Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead.
Quicksilver finally signed to Capitol toward the end of 1967 and recorded their self-titled debut album in 1968. Jim Murray departed soon after their well-received appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967.
The quartet of Cipollina, Duncan, Elmore and Freiberg recorded the first two albums; both were important in the development of San Francisco rock music, as the twin lead guitars of Cipollina and Duncan made them almost unique. The second collection, "Happy Trails", is now regarded as a classic. George Hunter and his Globe Propaganda company were responsible for some of the finest album covers of the 60s and Happy Trails is probably their greatest work. The live music within showed a spontaneity that the band were never able to recapture on subsequent recordings. The side-long suite of Bo Diddley's 'Who Do You Love' has some incredible dynamics and extraordinary interplay between the twin guitarists.
Duncan departed soon afterwards and was replaced by UK session pianist and ex- Steve Miller Band and Jeff Beck Group member, Nicky Hopkins. His contributions breathed some life into the disappointing "Shady Grove", notably with the frantic 'Edward, The Mad Shirt Grinder'.
"Just For Love" showed a further decline, with Valenti, now back with the band, becoming overpowering and self-indulgent. "Fresh Air" gave them a Top 50 U.S. hit in 1970. Cipollina and Hopkins departed, as did Freiberg following his arrest in 1971 for drug possession (he found a lucrative career later with Jefferson Starship). The remaining trio of Valenti, Duncan, and Elmore hired replacements and cut another couple of albums before disbanding by 1979.
Various incarnations have appeared over the years with little or no success. As recently as 1987, Gary Duncan recorded an album carrying the Quicksilver name, that also featured Freiberg on background vocals, but by then old fans were more content to purchase copies of the first two albums on compact disc.
Gary Duncan has a side project as Crawfish of Love.
Not many of Quicksilver's members are left. John Cipollina passed away, May 29, 1989, and the great Nicky Hopkins left us in September 1994, and Dino Valenti died November 16, 1994.
In 2006, Gary Duncan and David Freiberg launched a 40th-anniversary Quicksilver celebration tour as Quicksilver Messenger Service. They are still performing.
Throughout 2014 David Freiberg is touring with Jefferson Starship (40th anniversary tour) joined by Paul Kantner (original member of Jefferson Starship and Jefferson Airplane)
Significant in Quicksilver's development was the almost immediate arrest and imprisonment of Valenti for a drugs offence. He did not rejoin the band until late 1969. In 1965, the line-up was strengthened by the arrival of guitarist Gary Duncan and, replacing Sonoban, Greg Elmore.
They debuted at the end of '65 and played around the Bay Area and then the West Coast for the next two years, building up a large following, but resisting offers to record that had been taken up by such San Francisco acid-rock colleagues as Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead.
Quicksilver finally signed to Capitol toward the end of 1967 and recorded their self-titled debut album in 1968. Jim Murray departed soon after their well-received appearance at the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967.
The quartet of Cipollina, Duncan, Elmore and Freiberg recorded the first two albums; both were important in the development of San Francisco rock music, as the twin lead guitars of Cipollina and Duncan made them almost unique. The second collection, "Happy Trails", is now regarded as a classic. George Hunter and his Globe Propaganda company were responsible for some of the finest album covers of the 60s and Happy Trails is probably their greatest work. The live music within showed a spontaneity that the band were never able to recapture on subsequent recordings. The side-long suite of Bo Diddley's 'Who Do You Love' has some incredible dynamics and extraordinary interplay between the twin guitarists.
Duncan departed soon afterwards and was replaced by UK session pianist and ex- Steve Miller Band and Jeff Beck Group member, Nicky Hopkins. His contributions breathed some life into the disappointing "Shady Grove", notably with the frantic 'Edward, The Mad Shirt Grinder'.
"Just For Love" showed a further decline, with Valenti, now back with the band, becoming overpowering and self-indulgent. "Fresh Air" gave them a Top 50 U.S. hit in 1970. Cipollina and Hopkins departed, as did Freiberg following his arrest in 1971 for drug possession (he found a lucrative career later with Jefferson Starship). The remaining trio of Valenti, Duncan, and Elmore hired replacements and cut another couple of albums before disbanding by 1979.
Various incarnations have appeared over the years with little or no success. As recently as 1987, Gary Duncan recorded an album carrying the Quicksilver name, that also featured Freiberg on background vocals, but by then old fans were more content to purchase copies of the first two albums on compact disc.
Gary Duncan has a side project as Crawfish of Love.
Not many of Quicksilver's members are left. John Cipollina passed away, May 29, 1989, and the great Nicky Hopkins left us in September 1994, and Dino Valenti died November 16, 1994.
In 2006, Gary Duncan and David Freiberg launched a 40th-anniversary Quicksilver celebration tour as Quicksilver Messenger Service. They are still performing.
Throughout 2014 David Freiberg is touring with Jefferson Starship (40th anniversary tour) joined by Paul Kantner (original member of Jefferson Starship and Jefferson Airplane)
Gold And Silver
Quicksilver Messenger Service Lyrics
Instrumental
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@j.morrison73
Back in the day, this was just freakin awesome. Black lights, candles , incense & weed. Today I no longer do the weed. And perhaps that makes me hear 'Take Five' as I play it.
@xgmanbigg5791
No weed? Now it's legal.
@jeffalbillar7625
How funny.
I still have black lights, with the posters, still burn incense and still smoke weed.
@j.morrison73
@@xgmanbigg5791 Ain't that the biggest kick in the ass? Actually, I'm in PA and the scuttle butt is that it soon will be. It would be an easy pass, but our dem governor is too busy taking kickbacks from the alcohol industry. Why/how is that? It's because our 'liquor' stores are state owned (we call them 'State Stores') Sure, the argument goes "We'll make far more revenue from sales taxes and other paraphernalia than from any loss of booze revenue". Great point, but then wolf wouldn't be able to collect the under the table graft politicians are so used to. Meanwhile, pot growers & distributors won't play the 'greasy palm' game because once started, it's a hard habit to break. And they can afford to wait it out. For me, I'm now an old asthmatic so the point is moot. But as in the past, I'm still in favor of decriminalization. I remain forever a Libertarian.
@j.morrison73
@@jeffalbillar7625 Good for you man. I still have my black lights & occasionally burn incense. My old posters have dry rotted away or destroyed by water damage. As for smoking, I can't, I'm now a 70 something asthmatic. I do miss it at times. But for you and my old friends, I dedicate this song.https://youtu.be/8-ilzp-gO6E
@jeffalbillar7625
@@j.morrison73 thanks for the song, Señor Morrison.
Take care
@AldoDiLupo
Sounds as fresh and good as the first time I heard it back in the 60's. I still can't believe that John Cipolin is gone, but we still have this wonderful music!
@gradyfilms2458
Gary Duncan wrote it and plays all of it except minor embellishment by Cipollina. Gary Duncan was the mastermind behind the band. Certainly not John Cipollina.
@oughtssought1198
@@gradyfilms2458 seems like they were still good after Duncan left. I like the way the 2 played WITH each other the few pre1970 live Quicksilver shows I've seen on youtube. Other bands seem to be stuck on you're rhythm I'm lead type rigid role definitions. Quicksilver took the hippie anarchist sensibility farther then even most SF bands, at least it seems that way to me & I wasn't there, but just judging by the albums & the little bit of youtube video available, in which Gary + John keep switching back+forth between who is playing leads & who is playing support rhythm. What's more they seem to be doing it without any rules to guide the changes; they'd just lay back on filling in rhythm until whoever was playing melody at the moment would finish their thought.
@denisearmbruster7478
BEAUTIFUL and TIMELESS!!! Such amazing artists in the purest form.