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R.J. BENNINGHOFF “AN EVENING WITH CHOPIN” – SEALED FUNKY ROCKIN CLASSICAL
October 5, 2022
PUZZLE “Himalaya” Prog with Hammond
October 5, 2022
QUICKSILVER “Same” – Great psych!
QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE :
COVER: VG++
Formed
1965, San Francisco, CA, United States
Members
Gary Duncan (guitar, vocals, 1965-69, 1970-79, 2006-present), John Cipollina (guitar, 1965-71, 1975), David Freiberg (bass, guitar, vocals 1965-71, 1975, 2006-present), Greg Elmore (drums, 1965-79), Jim Murray (guitar, vocals 1965-67), Dino Valente (guitar, vocals, 1970-79), Nicky Hopkins (keyboards, 1969-71), Mark Naftalin (keyboards, 1971-72), Mark Ryan (bass, 1971-75), Chuck Steaks (keyboards, 1972-75), W. Michael Lewis (keyboards, 1975-79), Skip Olsen (bass, 1975-79)
Related Artists
Bodacious D.F., The Brogues, Gary Duncan’s Quicksilver
Also Known AsPrior to the release of 1970’s “Quicksilver” David Freiberg was arrested on a third drug charge which saw him jailed for three months – he subsequently reappeared as a member of The Jefferson Airplane. Freiberg’s incarceration saw the band hire Mark Ryan as a replacement on bass. At the same time keyboardist Mark Nattain left, quickly replaced by Chuck Steaks. Interestingly, faced with having to operate with a piecemeal lineup,1971’s “Quicksilver” was surprisingly impressive. Creatively the group was rapidly becoming little more than a backing outfit for David Valenti (who was credited with penning eight of ten selections.) Guitarist Gary Duncan contributed the two other compositions. While that may have sounded like a creative death knoll, Valenti turned in some of his most impressive material; ‘Hope’, ‘Out of My Mind’ (sporting a surprising anti-drug lyric), and the country-flavored ballad ‘Don’t Cry My Lady Love’ all standing among the band’s best work. Personal favorites, Duncan’s dark and psychedelic ‘Fire Brothers’ and the wild ‘Rebel’ (check out the whooping and yelling). After all the years standing in John ‘s shadow, Duncan also took advantage of the personnel shake-up to demonstrate his technical facility. I’m a big guitar fan, but Duncan seemingly crammed every free space on the album with his piercing guitar. To my ears it quickly became a source of irritation (check out ‘r’). Given it was one of their most commercial outings and probably the most consistent of their late-inning career, it was interesting to note the set proved a commercial disappointment, peaking at # 114.
(side 1)
1.) Hope (Dino Valenti) – 3:00
Sporting a very likeable mid-’60s vibe, ‘Hope’ started the album with an unexpected folk-rock tune. Echoes of Scott McKenzie’s ‘San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair)’. Who knew Dino Valenti had it in him. Nice opener. rating: *** stars
2.) I Found Love (Gary Duncan) – 2:53Another surprise – who would have expected these guys to come up with a breezy, almost ’50s influenced rocker ? Not only that, but the song was highly commercial. For goodness sakes, a happy Quicksilver song !!! Capitol tapped it as the single. rating: **** stars
3.) Song for Frisco (Dino Valenti) – 4:56
Instantly recognizable as a QMS tune… Valenti sounded a little uncomfortable on this one; particularly when stretching for the higher notes, but it was one of the prettier tunes he’d ever wrote. rating: **** stars
4.) Play My Guitar (Dino Valenti) – 4:41
Nice rocker that was seemingly intended as a showcase for Duncan’s chronic overplaying, though it didn’t sound bad in this environment. Valenti almost sounded hippy-funky on this one. rating:*** stars
5.) Rebel (Dino Valenti) – 2:59
One of the funniest things they ever wrote and recorded, the thought of these San Francisco hippies identifying with a bunch of Confederate rebels was a hoot. Still, there was lots of energy and the in-studio screams and shouts were a blast. rating: **** stars
6.) Fire Brothers (Gary Duncan) – 3:07
Duncan’s second song and the album’s most dark and psychedelic performance. Interestingly Duncan kept the guitar pyrotechnics down to a strumming acoustic allowing keyboardist Chuck Steaks to carry the melody. Duncan also handled the lead vocal. Kind of a post-apocalyptic ‘Wooden Ships’ feel here. rating: **** stars
7.) Out of My Mind (Dino Valenti) – 4:37
Surprisingly subdued acoustic ballad with some highly personal Valenti lyrics – never quite figured out if it was an anti-drug tract, or Valenti was simply mulling over his own mental health issues. Pretty. rating: **** stars
8.) Don’t Cry My Lady Love (Dino Valenti) – 5:10
The vocals sounded like they’d recorded this one in a subway tunnel, but propelled by some gentle Mark Steaks barrelhouse piano, ‘Don’t Cry My Lady Love’ had a beautiful, old-timey feel to it. Sweet and comforting. rating: **** stars
9.) The Truth (Dino Valenti) – 6:56
And for anyone wondering what happened to the band’s classic sound, there was the closer – ‘The Truth’. Even though it was almost seven minutes long and included quite a bit of jamming, this was easily the album’s most mainstream and commercial rocker with some unexpectedly insightful and thought provoking lyrics (coming from a guy with more than his share of personal problems at that point in time). It’s always reminded me a bit of their classic ‘Fresh Air’ period. rating: **** stars
Track listing
⦁ /artist/dino_valente
⦁ A2 I Found Love 3:56
⦁ /artist/gary_duncan_f1
⦁ A3 Song for Frisco 4:58
⦁ /artist/dino_valente
⦁ A4 Play My Guitar 4:38
⦁ /artist/dino_valente
⦁ A5 Rebel 2:02
⦁ B1 Fire Brothers 3:12
⦁ /artist/gary_duncan_f1
⦁ B2 Out of My Mind 4:34
⦁ /artist/dino_valente
⦁ B3 Don’t Cry My Lady Love 5:12
⦁ /artist/dino_valente
⦁ B4 The Truth 6:58
