Customer Reviews

Happy Trails

5 star:		(61)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The Quicksilver Messenger Service was never as well-known as some other San Francisco bands of the late sixties, but they played first-rate music that was original and inspiring. In my own humble opinion, the band was at its best when vocalist Dino Valente was NOT a participant (i.e., pre-1970), and the first two albums produced by QMS remain among the very best recordings of the legendary "San Francisco Sound."

"Happy Trails," recorded at the Fillmores East and West and released in 1969, represents an (edited) example of the band's very finest live performances; the music sounds fresh and exuberant even after more than thirty years.

What was originally the first side of a vinyl lp showcases the Quick's interpretation of Bo Diddley's fabulous "Who Do You Love." The result is a fabulous musical journey featuring incredible guitar solos by Gary Duncan and John Cipollina and also by bass player David Freiberg. Drummer Greg Elmore holds the whole piece together not only with his tight and steady rendition of the trademark Bo Diddley beat, but also his ability to provide a solid rhythmic backing to the improvised guitar solos.

The long, jazz-tinged solo by Duncan has always particularly impressed me with its inventiveness and structural near-perfection. "Who Do You Love" also includes a playful interchange between band and audience that leads gloriously into Cipollina's exuberant solo. Overall, this recording represents some of the finest and most memorable music to emerge from the amazing San Franciso rock scene that emerged during the "psychedelic era."

What was side two of the vinyl album begins with a fine version of another Diddley classic, "Mona," and finishes with a fun, campy rendition of the Roy Rogers/Dale Evans theme song, "Happy Trails." What comes in between, "Maiden of the Cancer Moon" and the definitely psychedelic "Calvary" (complete with spooky Spanish guitar riffs) has its moments, but in all truth represents a somewhat weaker portion of the performance than the breathtaking "Who Do You Love."

All in all, this recording is absolutely ESSENTIAL for anyone who "was there" during the glory years of the San Francisco sound, and also for anyone who wasn't but who loves great rock music.

This is a superlative example of west coast, jam innovation from the late 60s. Hard to believe this is from 1968 and pre-dates some of the best Dead, Hendrix guitar feedback exercises. The 25 min version of Bo Diddely's Who Do You Love highlights the album along with a shorter but no less startling Mona. This is a must if you want to explore the Dead around that time. John Cippolina is in full force. Check him out too on the recently released Grateful Dead. Closing of Winterland, where he leads a 20 min "Not Fade Away".

I've worn out two vinyl albums, several cassette copies and will probably wear out the first cd soon. The two Bo Diddley songs have enormous depth and Quicksilver's interpretation excavates many rich layers not evident on versions of these songs by others. The legendary extended guitar solos dominate the album and have been thoroughly scrutinized by other reviewers. Most people dismiss the middle portion of the recording as an undisciplined ego trip and boring, but it is for me among the most interesting and creative musical performances every captured on tape. It does not become apparent to first-time listeners that this is a live performance until Gary Duncan's jazzy, bluesy guitar solo ends and Greg Elmore's bizarre drum interlude begins. The strange squeaking and chiming noises, uncontrolled feedback, and other messiness emanating from Duncan's and Cipollina's guitars, which is admittedly annoying on first listen, support Elmore's marvelous rhythmic interpretations of the Bo Diddley theme. This is no ego-inspired power trip. Whoever heard of a drum solo being the quietest part of the record? Elmore's drumming slides into a completely unique, beautiful and spontaneous interaction between the band and the audience that has quite likely never been attained by any another performing band, or at least it hasn't been recorded. Audiences no longer behave like they did when Quicksilver performed, nor did they behave that way very long. For the first third of Who Do You Love, the audience listens to the music. For the next third they become part of it with shouts and hand claps and screams. Then Cipollina levels them with his stunning solo. You get exhausted listening to this song, and not just because it's 25 minutes long, but because you've felt every bit of energy that the band has expended. Unlike most other listeners, I don't find Quicksilver's Mona quite as compelling, but it's still a great performance. The studio portion of the album, Calvary and Maiden of the Cancer Moon, is an acquired taste, but it's worth acquiring. You could say that about the entire album. It's not easy for some people to listen to right away, but this one is a classic worth investing some time in.

Lost in the shadow of the Airplane and the Dead were Quicksilver Messenger Service. With neither hit-writing inclinations or a powerful lead singer, their legacy is best captured in this mostly live recording. Happy Trails features a 20-minute jam of Bo Diddley's "Who do you Love" (reportedly edited down from an even longer set) that highlights the inspired guitar interchanges of Gary Duncan and the late John Cippolina. Live energy galore, plus some trippy guitaristic studio work. Try this when you're in the mood for a quality musical flashback.

it's too bad the QSM dont get the attention they deserve, this is one killer album, definitely worth buying. the guitar work on this album is incredible.

I just got me a couple of Quicksilver Messenger Service albums, their self-entitled 1968 debut and Happy Trails. I was not alive in the 1960s, so obviously I couldn't be there to see them live performing at the Fillmore West (often with the Dead or Airplane). Quicksilver was certainly quick to release a live album, it took the Dead three albums before they released a live album, but in the case of Quicksilver, it was only their second album. It's plain to see on their debut, there were some more commercially-inclined pop-oriented stuff in hopes the band would receive chart success, but it also had some nice extended jams and less pop-oriented stuff too, so obviously you would want that album too. With Happy Trails they totally dispensed with any pop-leanings or a radio hit, which works to their benefit. I was a tad skeptical that they covered two Bo Diddley songs, "Who Do You Love" and "Mona", but they certainly did it in a very creative fashion. In fact the former was a several movement jam with extended guitar jams from John Cippolina, and some experiments in feedback. "Mona", the other Bo Diddley song featured some nice use of reverb. "Calvary" is a totally mindblowing number. It's has that wonderful psychedelic feel, with some Spanish/flamenco influences, then at the end they actually go in the realms of space rock, the kind many early '70s German prog/space rock groups did so well (like Ash Ra Tempel, early Tangerine Dream, Amon Duul II, etc.), with strange sound effects that drone on and on, almost like a precursor to Tangerine Dream's Zeit. Then the band had to close it with a cover of Roy Roger's "Happy Trails", luckily it's so short it hardly hurts the album. Although the cover has an Old West feel, and one might get the feeling Quicksilver decided to go country, luckily that is not the case at all.

One thing worth noting is the album cover is by George Hunter (a member of the Charlatans, and worked for the Globe Propaganda artwork team), who also did the cover to It's a Beautiful Day's 1969 debut. If you look carefully, you'll see the lady from It's a Beautiful Day once again, wearing the same dress and bonnet, this time waving goodbye to (presumably) her husband riding on horseback.

Truly a great album, and if you're a fan of West Coast psychedelia, this is certainly one to get.

Quicksilver Messenger Service has always been one of those bands that I've had a love hate affair with. There were times this band would pull off a high flying improvosational guitar act that could rival anything that's ever been done. Then there were times that they would fly off the handle and go into some spacey and experimental noise that only a person on an LSD trip in the late 60's could appreciate. That's pretty much the story of "Happy Trails". This album starts out with "Who DO You Love", which was actually edited down to 25 minutes from the original live performance. The first half of this song is remarkable. After starting out with that familiar Bo Diddley beat, they change rhythm and go into a great guitar jam that has a few jazz overtones thrown in for good measure. Really cool stuff, especially for 1969. On the second half of this song they start trippin' out and go into their psychedelic thang for what seems like an eternity. Then they eventually get back on track and bring it back home with that familiar Diddley beat and some screamin' guitar work to end the song. This is a great tune that deserves a hard listen despite all the filler noise. Quicksilver continues to jones on Diddley with the next song "Mona". Another good tune that continues that chunka chunka Bo Diddley beat and some great smouldering guitar work. It doesn't get much better than these two tunes. The other remaining songs "Maiden Of The Cancer Moon" and "Calvary" are pretty much more psychedelic workouts, although "Calvary" does have a cool Spanish guitar with a bolero beat in the middle of it that deserves a listen. But the strength of this album is "Who Do You Love" and "Mona", which make up about 3/4 of this record. This is pretty much a listen straight through album, with the only interlude coming between what was originally side 1 and side 2. If your looking for some excellent guitar playing look no further than "Happy Trails". When this band was on their game, as on here, they could easily surpass some of their better known peers of the San Francisco rock scene, such as Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead. Happy Trails is a nice piece of late 60's originality that rock fans of that era should enjoy.

This is an excellent live album. It is about 50 minutes long.

The translation from LP to CD is nearly perfect. Almost too perfect. There are some audio defects in the recording, such as a high pitched whine during the bass solo on Who Do You Love. They weren't that noticible on the LP, being hidden under the other defects you get with vinyl. Now, with the crystal clear sound of a CD, these audio defects are more pronounced and stand out more.

It starts out with a 25 minute, high energy version of Who Do You Love. There are numerous innovative guitar and bass guitar solos throughout. It also contains rare tongue clicking and handbone solos. If I have one complaint about the this track, it is the middle section with the drum and audience solos. They are fun and interesting. But, they are something that you like to listen only once in awhile. Sometimes you just want to get down and boogie to the guitar solos.

The second half (side 2 of the LP) is a suite of 3 songs that were actually recorded in 3 different places. They are edited together to make a seamless set. Mona is a powerful blues number, Maiden of the Cancer Moon is a nice guitar solo and Calvary is some very spacy guitar. It ends with a studio version of Happy Trails, written by Dale Evans, wife of Roy Rogers and used as Roy Rogers theme song.

Who Do You Love and Mona were written by Bo Diddley (Ellis McDaniels). He was one of the pioneering blues/rock cross over artists. There must be hundreds of versions of Who Do You Love. Quicksilver's and the Door's are my favorites.

If you like this album, you should check out the Welsh group, Man. They have a similar sound. Quicksilver guitarist, John Chipollina worked with Man at one time. When Chipollina died, Man wrote Sons of Mercury in his honor. Deke Leonard, Man's guitartist said, why does it have it to the good ones, why couldn't have been Phil Collins instead. Man albums to check out include Back To the Future, 1999 Tour Part and Live at the Rainbow.

"Happy Trails" is hands-down the best album Quicksilver ever recorded.
The "Who Do You Love" medley is one of the best, if not the best, extended West Coast "psychedelia" jams ever recorded.
They take another Bo Diddley song, "Mona", and make it their own.
The sound quality of this CD is first rate.
The only downside is the lack of liner notes.

I remember sitting in an old Volkswagen Beetle, the smell of gas from the leaky tank, the fog out the window. A perfect night to trip though there were no drugs involved. It was 1968 I think and the setting was just off Sierra Highway in Saugus, California. It was about ten at night on a Friday and I was spending the night with my band mates. Our bass player found this AOR FM station and turned it on to see what was there. That is where we heard Maiden of the Cancer Moon segueing into Cavalry. Wow! What a trip! An unforgettable experience that still gives me flashbacks. The next week I rushed out to find that album. It is their best, hands down. I bought more of their albums but they just could not stand up to this one. It was especially freaky when they ended the album with a Roy Rogers tune! They just don't make em' like they used to.