Shady Grove

Quicksilver Messenger Service | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 30, 1992)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: One Way Records Inc
• ASIN: B000002R9Y
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #112,529 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Shady Grove

2. Flute Song

3. Three or Four Feet From Home

4. Too Far

5. Holy Moly

6. Joseph's Coat

7. Flashing Lonesome

8. Words Can't Say

9. Edward, the Mad Shirt Grinder

Editorial Reviews

This CD is an out of print collectible! It is the original One Way Records/Cema Specfial Markets release. Catalog CDL-57339.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This album is great!!, September 22, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Shady Grove (Audio CD)

The piano work on this album is absolutely phenomenal. This album is a musician's dream. The intense instrumental lines, especially in Edward, the Mad Shirt Grinder and Shady Grove, really make this collection into a must have.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very underrated album, October 10, 2008

By 

sekander - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shady Grove (Mlps) (Audio CD)

The first two Quicksilver albums are among the classics of the era. No doubt about it. They had a great talent for long, exploratory jams that really took you on that acid trip. When Gary Duncan left after 1968, it looked like the end. He was such an integral part of the band, how could they continue without him. Well, only the addition of a world class musician could save the band and that's what happened when Nicky Hopkins, who had been living in San Francisco and recording with Steve Miller and Jefferson Airplane, decided to actually join a band. What an honor for Quicksilver that he chose them.
OK, look, there's no way this album could sound the same. But, that's what's great about bands...people come, people go, the music changes, sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse. This album has none of the feel of the first two but it stands on its own as a fine recording. From the opening Hopkins blast on Shady Grove, to the achingly beautiful drawing room/salon type solo on Flute Song, to the countrified leanings of David Freiberg on Words Can't Say, right up to the grandiloquent opening to the ultimate Hopkins opus, Edward, the Mad Shirt Grinder, this album has a lot going on musically. Many Quicksilver enthusiasts dismiss this album because Hopkins so thoroughly dominates the proceedings as to make the band almost secondary. That may be true, but the results are still extraordinary.

10 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Shady Grove-great album but..., March 6, 2005

By 

. "kiloljc" (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shady Grove (Audio CD)

Quicksilver Messenger Service, in the sixties, was my favorite band so when they came out with Shady Grove I was very interested. Here was a familiar band but without someone very necessary, Gary Duncan, although now with my all time favorite piano player, Nicky Hopkins. Certainly, this was going to be a different sounding band and the lack of that second guitar would be a missing, intrinsic flavor but this addition was very intriguing.
I saw them live at the Filmore East when they released the album, and to me it was a great; great concert and I felt at the time it promised great things to come from the band. I did realize then that this was a transitional album at best, but with the addition of Nicky it was good enough. Certainly, the material was not as good as it had been nor were the performances as fiery BUT this was such a different sound I was prepared to give it more than a chance.
Quicksilver was never the writing machine that The Dead or The Airplane was, but there had always been something in their performances that more than made up for the lack of writing talent and now that they had Hopkins all that remained for them to blast off was the return of Duncan, which would happen soon enough. (Unfortunately with the eventual return of Duncan came the return/addition of Dino Valenti, let's just say not my favorite singer and leave it at that.)
So I was happy enough with Shady Grove and knowing what might be in the future I was even happier.
Unfortunately, those things never did come to pass and the band sort of faded into obscurity while releasing several mediocre albums.