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)
The truth
Quicksilver Messenger Service Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Every time I try to tell where you're goin' wrong
You run and hide your head and call me crazy,
All I tried to tell you was that you could get it on
If you just wouldn't be so lazy.
Oh, what can we do, oh I tried to tell you, everything is true.
I'm tryin' to tell you I've tried everything I knew, ooh, to try and tell you
I'm gonna tell you the truth now.
Every time I try to point out the way you're goin' down
You run and drown another jug of whiskey,
And when I said you had to get together, try to love you brother,
Did I hit you with too heavy of a mystery?
Oh, what can we do, I believe in you, how can I tell you, everything is true.
I tried to tell you, I tried everything I knew, ooh to try to tell you
The truth ... I wanna tell you the truth, baby, tell you the truth,
And no I'd never lie to you, ooh, to try to tell you the truth, baby, truth,
I wouldn't never never never ...
I watch you count the spaces passing by,
Makes me want to cry, get the strangest kind of old lonely,
As the oceans overlfow with people come and people go
And still you're only make-believin',
Baby, what can we do? I believe in you, how can I tell you, everything is true,
And I tried to tell you the truth ... [etc]
The song "The Truth" by Quicksilver Messenger Service is about the frustrations of trying to help someone who is self-destructive and unwilling to listen. The singer attempts to reach out to the person and offer advice, but they continuously run away and hide from the truth. The lyrics express the singer's longing to tell the truth and help the other person, but also their realization that ultimately, they can't force someone to change.
The first verse emphasizes the need for the person to take action and not be lazy, as they could "get it on" if they tried. The second verse mentions the person's heavy drinking and their resistance to the idea of loving their brother. The chorus repeats the singer's desire to tell the truth, but also their conviction that they can't force the truth upon anyone.
Overall, "The Truth" is a powerful and reflective song about the difficulties of trying to help someone who is resistant to change. It highlights the importance of honesty and vulnerability in relationships, but also acknowledges the limitations of these qualities in the face of addiction and denial.
Line by Line Meaning
Every time I try to tell where you're goin' wrong
Whenever I attempt to explain your mistakes to you
You run and hide your head and call me crazy
You avoid listening to me and dismiss me as insane
All I tried to tell you was that you could get it on
The only thing I suggested was that you have the capability to succeed
If you just wouldn't be so lazy
If only you weren't so indolent
Oh, what can we do, oh I tried to tell you, everything is true
What actions can we take? I have already attempted to relay the truth to you.
I'm tryin' to tell you I've tried everything I knew
I'm informing you that I have exhausted all of my options
To try and tell you The truth ...
In order to communicate the truth to you ...
I wanna tell you the truth, baby, I wouldn't ever lie to you,
I yearn to speak frankly with you and vow to always be truthful
Every time I try to point out the way you're goin' down
Each time I endeavor to highlight the direction in which you're spiraling
You run and drown another jug of whiskey
You resort to drinking excessively
And when I said you had to get together, try to love you brother,
When I mentioned that you should attempt to bond with others and show affection to others,
Did I hit you with too heavy of a mystery?
Was my suggestion too complex for you to understand?
I believe in you, how can I tell you, everything is true.
I trust in your abilities, how can I illustrate that all of my statements are accurate?
I watch you count the spaces passing by, makes me want to cry
I observe you marking the passage of time, it fills me with sorrow
Get the strangest kind of old lonely,
I experience a peculiar sense of solitude
As the oceans overlfow with people come and people go
With the ebb and flow of humanity, filling and draining the seas,
And still you're only make-believin'
You continue to engage in fanciful self-deception
Baby, what can we do?
My dearest, what options do we possess?
Truth, I wouldn't never never never ...
Truth, I absolutely would not, under any circumstances ...
Contributed by Brooklyn D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Montgomery Denzer
on Fresh Air
Cool man