Customer Reviews

Just for Love

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I grew up in the Bay Area in the late sixties so I became very familiar with the "San Francisco" bands of that time and I seemed to enjoy many of the bands that never had "tremendous success". Quicksilver falls into that category and I have to admit they were among many of the groups of that area and time that had to be experienced live to know what they were really like and to see them at their best. That's not to say that I don't like their studio material because I do. This album was a new direction for Quicksilver with Dino Valenti returning after doing some time for a drug bust. While this may not be their strongest album I would have to say it's worth buying for the song "Fresh Air" which became a sort of an anthem of that time. This album and the one that followed "What About Me" are essential to any Quicksilver fan that is serious about what this band was about and wants to experience the magic of the music of that time and place. Some other bands worth looking into to get the flavor of that era: Moby Grape, Cold Blood, It's a Beautiful Day, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Malo, Hot Tuna, Tower of Power, The Youngbloods, Blue Cheer, The Blues Image, Eric Burdon & the Animals, and Country Joe and the Fish. They just don't make 'em like that anymore sorry to say.

With the long-awaited return of Dino Valente to the band as singer and songwriter, Quicksilver Messenger Service marked perhaps its finest hour during the recording of this particular album. Unfortunately, Mr. Valente had been absent during the recording of the band's previous two studio albums, "Quicksilver Messenger Service" and "Shady Grove", and during the band's live concert recording, namely, the album, "Happy Trails." Problems with the law and a failed attempt to make it happen musically in New York City alone and also with QMS colleague, guitarist Gary Duncan, drew him away from the band for an extended period of time. The added absence of Gary Duncan prompted the rest of the band to ask Nicky Hopkins to join them during the recording of their second studio album. Nicky Hopkins was one of rock history's preeminent pianists, having had contributed his talent to many memorable albums by top artists, ranging from the Rolling Stones to the Who. There is no exception here, with Quicksilver Messenger Service, as evident on this particular album, and on the previous studio album, especially on the song entitled, "Edward, the Mad Shirt Grinder."

The band at this stage of its history also included a gifted guitarist by the name of John Cipollina whose style was quite unique--John Cipollina oftentimes used the tremolo bar on his solid-body Gibson while playing solos and also while playing as a counterpoint to the guitar work of fellow band member, Gary Duncan. A wonderful aspect of the band at this particular point in time was the fact that two of its members were capable of playing "true" lead guitar at any one time. Unfortunately, shortly after the recording of this album, John Cipollina left the band. He eventually formed the band, Copperhead.

Certainly QMS represented the best of "Jam Rock" with their style of 2 guitar, point and counterpoint method of playing.Whether intentional or not they touched the very essence of classical music structure and connotation,which resulted in a musical conversation rather than merely a song.They gave a great effort on this album and it was well engineered

Quicksilver Messenger-one of THE best West-Coast bands ,of all time,No doubt!!!This -"Just for Love", made at a time when Dino Valenti's influence was great,as lead singer-/songwriter, is one of my personal favourites!!I just love this album-even more so on c.d.!They were one hot band -great drummer,great bass,GREAT lead guitarist(s),too!!Either love or hate Dino Valenti's voice/lyrics-i adored his fabulous voice,totally unique(his solo album STILL amazes me 35 years on)......So here we have Q.M.S. AT A PEAK IN THEIR RECORDED OUTPUT,NO DOUBT!!A Hippy/Hard-rock/soft-rock masterpiece great production/ ..a timeless classic,folks--get it-NOW!!!!!

Unlike the psychedelic folk-rock of their earlier releases, "Just For Love" features the bluesy keyboard work of Rolling Stones session-man Nicky Hopkins. As a result, this album is less San Francisco acid-rock, and more progressive blues-rock along the lines of Traffic and Procol Harum. A great American release for fans of the British sound.

One of the most dreamy LPs ever; pure San Francisco sound that makes you weep for whatever is lost for ever.

This is an album that I've been missing for years. The sounds in this work send me back to a time of youth and naive freedom. It's wonderful to hear again.

This is one of the few best produced CDs in the history of Rock music, and way more. When I first heard this on vinyl back in the early 70s, I was mesmerized by the amazing quality of the materials, their performance, and the recording. I've liked the first two albums of the Quicksilver Messenger Service, but this album really cemented my love for their music. Someone mentioned in his/her review that you had to listen to them perform live to really know their music, but for me who lived in the other part of the world, this album really did it.

While Dino Valenti's materials are quite different from what the band has been playing prior to this album, the way many of his tunes are arranged and the overall tone and the feel of the entire album, are so sublime. Every member of the band sounds very well-integrated to the music as well.

Particularly the way the lead guitarist Gary Duncan plays on this album is out of this world; way above and beyond the realm of the typical Rock guitar playing. From the powerful thrilling boogie glides on "Freeway Flyer" to the intoxicatingly beautiful and sensual melodic whispers and caresses on "Gone Again," his guitar consistently and spontaneously delivers what seems to be just the right sound for the moment and the context, but never a dull moment. Because of his masterful use of the instruments and sound effects, the sounds coming out of his guitars always provide the most interesting dynamics, rich tones, and colorful textures to the music. His fantastic solo on "Fresh Air" sends anyone to that far-out heaven each time he hits that first note. Duncan's extremely evolved, uniquely compositional, and unparalleled melody sense contributes so much to the excellence of this album as does to the music of the band in its entirety.

If I had to pick only one Rock CD to listen to the rest of my life, this would be the one.

This is the first of the Hawaiian albums. Dino Valenti is featured in Fresh Air and Just for Love (and others). It is a big change from the previous Cippolina/Duncan era. This was my first exposure to QMS and I quickly bought all of their albums after that (ca. 1970).

I have this album on a 33 1/3 LP in vinyl.
I found this album very refined from the rest of their work. I especially liked The Hat. Nice tempo, good bass lines, a great song to drive with. Of course Fresh Air is great too, but I found myself liking all of this album. I highly recommend this one over all the rest, especially to first time listeners of this band.