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)
Light Your Windows
Quicksilver Messenger Service Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
dry those tears for me and you,
Can't you see our love is true, when you remember,
To do just what you say you'll do, can't you see I live for you?
And I need you to trust me too, open your eyes.
So the sun can shine lights in you, will light on your windows,
And change all your baby blues to golden sparks that light your eyes,
When you finally realize that your fears were all just lies,
Light on your windows and take all your baby blues
more Quicksilver Messenger Service Lyrics
The lyrics of Quicksilver Messenger Service's song "Light Your Windows" convey a message of hope and perseverance in a romantic relationship. The song starts with a plea to a despondent partner to stop crying and see the truth of their love. The singer assures their partner that their love is genuine and asks them to trust and believe in them. The metaphorical language of the sun shining on the partner's windows and turning their "baby blues" into "golden sparks" is a representation of emotional transformation and finding happiness. The ending of the song is a call to action, urging the partner to open their eyes and let the light shine in.
Line by Line Meaning
Hold on girl, now don't be blue,
Please hold on, my love, and don't be sad
dry those tears for me and you,
Wipe away the tears from your eyes and mine
Can't you see our love is true, when you remember,
If you keep in mind, you'll realize our love is genuine
To do just what you say you'll do, can't you see I live for you?
If you do what you promised, you would see that I live for you
And I need you to trust me too, open your eyes.
I also require your trust, so please believe me and open your eyes
So the sun can shine lights in you, will light on your windows,
Thus, the sunlight will brighten you, peeking into your house
And change all your baby blues to golden sparks that light your eyes,
It will turn your sorrow into joy and your eyes will shimmer with delight
When you finally realize that your fears were all just lies,
Imagine when you understand that all your fears were baseless
So open those eyes and let the sun shine lights in you,
Therefore, open your eyes and let the sunshine warm you
Light on your windows and take all your baby blues
The light shining on your windows will make you happy and drive all your sorrows away
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: D. FREIBERG, G. DUNCAN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Montgomery Denzer
on Fresh Air
Cool man