Customer Reviews

Unreleased Quicksilver: Lost Gold and Silver

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I disagree with the amazon reviewer above who states that this set takes a backseat to the "Sons Of Mercury" anthology. While that collection included the group's post-"Happy Trails" material, only one or two songs from that later period are of interest, anyway. The Quicksilver Messenger Service are best known for their live work during the 1967-69 period, a period which the first disc of "Lost Gold And Silver" represents beautifully. All of the essential tracks from the debut album are found here in vastly superior live renditions; only the drum solo in "Acapulco Gold" sounds dated and superfluous. The group's one multi-part studio epic "The Fool" is amazingly replayed here note-for-note, only with even greater passion. Even better, the compilers found renditions of "Mona/Maiden Of The Cancer Moon" and "Who Do You Love" which outshine the already stunning "Happy Trails" versions, and prove once again that Quicksilver were by far

San Francisco's finest live act, and one of the best jam bands of all time. Jamming is undoubtedly one of rock's testiest genres, but every note coming out of Duncan's and Cippolina's twin-guitar attack is priceless. Compared to Duncan's fluid, energetic style and Cippolina's piercing, scorpion-like effects, Jerry Garcia might as well be crowned "Mr.Noodle". The immense power and atmosphere engendered at the end of "Maiden Of The Cancer Moon" has to be heard to be believed; it is a wall of blizzardy, ornately crafted sound entirely unique to the aimless meanderings of many better known players. Add to that the tribal drumming (which naturally works best on the Bo Diddley numbers) and you've got a disc of prime-cut psych to be savored like a gourmet meal. Ironically, the live portion of this posthumous archival release thus becomes the one truly essential purchase in their entire catalogue, superceding the debut and even "Happy Trails" (although most purchasers of "Lost Gold And Silver" will most likely have those two already.) After that, the second disc of rare studio tracks, demos and outtakes seems like icing on the cake, but the versions of "Acapulco Gold" and "Calvary" still make fascinating listens into the group's working processes; the way the groundbreaking flamenco-metal of "Calvary" comes together seems like magic.

Well, what I would have wanted to know before I bought this is, yes, the live tapes are essentially those from the old 2LP "Maiden of the Cancer Moon" bootleg. These may well be the best live tapes available from the band at that time, but the problem with them is that Cippolina is buried! If you've wondered if digital reprocessing magic could dig him out of the murk, the answer is "partially" - at the expense of some weird level changes here and there, you can hear more of him than you could on the older versions of these tapes floating around, but it's still not the optimal presentation of the band's sound. The second CD of unreleased studio stuff is amusing, but not essential. The cuts from the "Revolution" soundtrack definitely sound better on the LP, if you can find it. I'm glad I bought it, and the work done does make it sound a little better than the bootleg versions - I'm still giving it four stars, the version of "Smokestack Lightning" is enough by itself to rate that - but the weird balance of the original tapes was =not= fully corrected.

On the surface you would think this would be a great album. 78 minutes of Quicksilver live from 1968. Unfortunately, it does not live up to expectations. The sound quality is bad and the performance is not great.

This is a two disc set from when Quicksilver was just getting started, recorded in 1967 and 1968. The first disc is a 78 minute concert from 1968. The second disc is studio outtakes from 67 and 68. It is around 50 minutes long. The group was going through radical changes at the time. They were more of a pop/folk psychodelic band until the lead, Dino Valenti went to jail on drug charges. The group became more of a jam band after that.

The live album finds the group just evolving their new sound. It shows in the performance. It is rough and raw. The group trips over each other. The vocals on many of the songs are bad. The harmonies are not harmonious. They even forget the some of the lyrics on Who Do You Love. There are some wonderful moments, but there are very few songs that are good throughout. You can hear how much they will improve if you listen the 1969 live album, Happy Trails.

The sound quality is poor. There is no dynamic range. The high end is way up front. The sound is fuzzy and distorted. That added to the rough performance makes this a difficult CD to listen to. If the sound quality were a little bit better the rough performance may be a little more enjoyable.

The second CD is more interesting. The sound quality is better, but not great, especially considering these are studio tracks. There is a loud hiss through some of the tracks. Almost all tracks contain very good performances. The last two tracks are silly thow-away songs.

I would strongly recommend getting the first album and Happy Trails instead of this one. Happy Trails is a wonderful live album with amazing performances and great sound quality. Lost Silver And Gold is just practice sessions for those 2 albums.

If you like Quicksilver's jamming, then you should check out the Welsh group, Man. Man and John Chipolina from Quicksilver actually collaborated. When Chipolina died, Man wrote Sons of Mercury in his honor. On a live album, Deke Leonard of Man says, why does have to be the good that die, why couldn't it have been Phil Collins instead. Some good Man albums to check out include, Back Into the Future, 1999 Tour Party and Live at the Rainbow.

For fans like me that like to hear the inner workings of a particular band they love, the "lost vault" stuff is great fun. As a quicksilver/Cipollina fan since 1969, I am quite thrilled with this cd. While the recordings/playing are at times uneven, the cd easily transports me back to when psychedelia was forming it's niche. Included are some outstanding live tracks plus a few humorus studio takes.

If you love Quicksilver Messenger Service's self titled debut and its follow up Happy Trails, this collection is for you. An essential 2 disc set containing live recordings from their '68 prime and early domos. An historic view of one of my favorite bands.

The first disc contains truely live recordings from this band in their prime. No overdubs, and blemishes intact, this absolutely rocks! These guys were at the top of their game, and this is your chance to hear what it was like to be at a QMS concert circa 1968. These recordings weren't made for commercial release and some have taken issue with the sound quality. It's remarkably clear. This is no inferior bootleg. There's live renditions of the entire first album, with the notable exception of Pride Of Man. Perhaps the hardest rockin' version out there of the often covered Codine, and some absolutely smokin' blues covers. Back Door Man kicks a$$, but Smokestack Lightning is a killer! Great renditions of Who Do You Love, Maiden Of The Cancer Moon and Mona, all of which showed up on Happy Trails in alternative versions.

The second disc contains demos, and again, these weren't intended for commercial release. The band had some studio time and wanted to lay down a few originals and covers they'd been playing. No overdubs, just raw 1967 Quicksilver. Most of these songs turned out quite well and it's fascinating to hear earlier renditions of songs that would turn up on their first two records. Calvary is obviously still a work in progress, but this is the roots of a future masterpiece. The usual blues covers done QMS style, and finally both sides of a single, Stand By Me w/The Bears from '68.

The inclosed six page booklet contains band history and liner notes by Richie Unterberger. Historic recordings of an amazing band all at a good price. If you love QMS, this is a keeper.

While I agree almost a 100% with the reviews by Michael Topper and Josh H on most aspects of this compilation, I must note that labeling Duncan as a rhythm guitarist is a gross understatement. He, essentially a multi-instrumentalist who happens to excel in guitar-playing, is truly a one-of-a-kind LEAD guitarist and even way better than some so-called fusion Jazz/Blues players like Robben Ford, Mike Stern, or Bill Frisell, in that he's so much more well versed in taking simple tunes into a kaleidoscope of fluid modal changes and kinetic tonality that come from deep within and not just techniques(although Duncan's the master of all the sound effects as well). He really moves you with his sound waves.

Even in these early days, his multi-dimensional solos are distinctively different from other tired-old blues riffs repeatedly played by other well-known guitar players. When you listen to "Mona/Maiden of the Cancer Moon" on Disc One, you'd hear that he's essentially composing as he goes. That's how his music actually takes you to the space or place where no one else has taken you (and I'm not talking about the corny psychedelic kind of space). Only a handful of truly great musicians can masterfully do that, and Duncan is one of them. Of course, his twin-lead playing with OTHER guitar player Cippollina made the QMS a stellar JAM band of all.

Duncan, who loves Miles, Coltrane, and Brazilian Jazz, composed many of these early gems like "Gold & Silver", "Calvary" and "Fool", and you can really hear him reveal his talent as a composer in the making of these tunes on Disc Two. What's most amazing is, though, that the whole entire band comes together so well in their live performances of these studio-conceived tunes that are rather complex and unorthodox for a "JAM" band.

As many of the reviewers of this CD have concurred, the Quicksilver Messenger Service was one of the best live performance bands of the time, and I'd add that they were one of the greatest musical units in any genre throughout the neo-Renaissance period of the music.

Despite the marginal audio quality of the recordings, you can really enjoy and appreciate what this incredibly phenomenal, cutting edge group had created back in the late 60s. The timeless music packed in this CD set along with the At the Kabuki Theatre set really transport you back in time and place, and lets you experience that exciting magical moments of musical sensation and ecstasy all over again.

Earlier, I wrote that the live disc was a minor disappointment. I still believe that. But, the more I listen to the live disc, the more I like it. As you listen to it repeatedly, your mind tends to ignore the sound quality problems and tends to blank out during the bad minutes, like the first two tracks. You then focus on the truly great moments. With your computer and good sound editing software, you could create a fairly nice CD of 30 to 40 minutes of great jamming music. You might even be able to correct some of the sound problems.

I've heard many people say that The Allman Brothers Band and Cream are the greatest jam-bands of all time. Well, those people better listen long and hard to the live disc of this compilation. Simply put - Quicksilver Messenger Service were the undisputed masters of improvisational jams. Better than The Allman Brothers Band and better than Cream. Remember where you heard that.

It would be useless for me to try describing these songs in words, because they're so amazing that it would take forever to go into details about them. Suffice it to say that "Smokestack Lightning", "The Fool", "Who Do You Love", "Gold And Silver" and "Mona" simply define the word 'jam'. Gary Duncan is a fantastic rhythm guitarist and his POWERFUL blues vocals make Howlin' Wolf sound like a pansy. The rhythm section of David Freiberg (bass) and Greg Elmore (drums) is solid all the way through, providing a great backbone for the music. And I've saved the best for last - on lead guitar is the uncanny John Cipollina. Definitely one of the top five greatest players of all time, Cipollina hits notes that you just have to hear to believe. He's beyond comprehension, and he is second only to Eric Clapton in terms of raw intensity. Listen to him wail on "Smokestack Lightning", "The Fool" or "Gold And Silver" and prepare to be blown away. The first time I heard those tunes, I could do nothing but shake my head in disbelief as John proceeded to astound me with his unearthly intensity. In a nutshell - THE GUY IS UNBELIEVABLE.

The second disc is comprised of studio rarities (outtakes, demos and alternate versions of official tunes), and together with the mind-blowing live disc, this is one compilation that jam fans will NOT want to miss.

So listen to it. Play it loud. I'll be right here, waiting to say "I told you so".

After having had the privilage of enjoying Quicksilver live at the original S.F. Fillmore during the summer of '68; they became my favorite band. I loved Moby Grape, Sly & the Family, the Dead, Love, Vanilla Fudge, Electric Flag and The Sons of Champlin...but the cast of Quicksilver,(primarily John Cippolina) were just too f'ing cool! It took me a year, but I convinced my parents into purchasing me a brand new '69 Gibson SG Standard...because that's what John played.

Naturally, my favorite track on this CD is the studio version of 'Babe I'm Gonna Leave You'#one of their earlist, most flawless recordings#. The live versions of 'Gold & Silver' and 'Who Do You Love'are wonderful #it's like being at their gigs#. Also notable are the studio versions of 'I Hear You Knockin' and Acapulco Gold and Silver..the whistling is too cool. ENJOY!

Realmente es muy buena esta colección en vivo, circa 1968.Si bien existe una grabación pirata de estos temas, el sonido y la presentación es excelente!
Si uno al escucharlo cierra los ojos podría advertir el ambiente rancio , nebuloso y enigmático de estas presentaciones...la crudeza del sonido es auténtica, quizás a algún purista le molestaría tal o cual acople o pifie ( sobretodo en las voces) pero es innegable lo tangible de estas grabaciones. Asimismo el " bonus disc" es buenísimo,una mirada dentro del proceso creativo de estas canciones que no van mas allá de los 2 primeros discos del grupo ( para muchos los mejores!!!)
Estos cd son la mejor compañía para la recopilación de rhino!!