And so begins the final installment of my Quicksilver Messenger Service concert recordings from 1966-1968, when the band was indisputably at the height of their powers. While you won't see a great deal of variation from the material that's been posted previously, different versions of the same songs often are at the very least worth listening to for the sake of comparison. While Quicksilver might not have had the deepest of repertories, their ability to reinterpret blues and early rock 'n' roll tunes in psychedelic fashion - not to mention their deftness at performing self-composed mind-expanding epics - remains quite impressive more than 40 years later.
QUICKSILVER CIRCA 1967 (L TO R): GARY DUNCAN, JIM
MURRAY, JOHN CIPOLLINA, DAVID FREIBERG, & GREG ELMORE
This particular performance marked the conclusion of a three-day series of concerts staged at the original Fillmore Auditorium (not to be confused with the Fillmore West, established in 1968) on November 4, 5, and 6, 1966. Impresario Bill Graham typically scheduled weekend gigs so there would be early and late shows on Friday and Saturday and one afternoon show on Sunday, the day on which this engagement took place. As discussed in the post for the recordings from November 5, QMS served as one of the opening acts for Muddy Waters during these concerts, thus accounting for renditions of "Got My Mojo Working" and "Hootchie Cootchie Man" (sic) that were nods to the influence of the legendary blues singer.
SAME GUYS, DIFFERENT PHOTO
JIM MURRAY & JOHN CIPOLLINA JAM AT THE HUMAN BE-IN,
SAN FRANCISCO, GOLDEN GATE PARK, JANUARY 14, 1967
The first of those aforementioned tunes is a little sloppy but still way better than what more narrowly-focused white blues interpreters are usually able to pull off. As far as I'm concerned, Quicksilver's interpretation of "Hootchie Cootchie Man" is the most original ever done, and this version compares favorably with its counterpart from the previous day. The same assessment applies to blues standard "You Don't Love Me" and oldie-but-goodie "Suzy Q." Their signature slowed-down take on "Codine" and the psychedelicized folk rock of "Pride of Man" foreshadow the material that would appear on record during the next couple of years, while then-incarcerated lead singer Dino Valenti's "Stand by Me" typifies the band's well meaning but not always successful forays into doing sensitive material. The band saves their best for last, however, with a magnificent embryonic version of "Mona" that clocks in at nearly nine minutes and includes some breathtaking interplay between John Cipollina and Gary Duncan's shimmering guitars. Although this performance might not get as far out as the more fully realized "Mona-Maiden of the Cancer Moon-Calvary" suite on Happy Trails, few other bands were exploring this kind of musical territory in 1966 as successfully as Quicksilver Messenger Service.
JOHN CIPOLLINA & JIM MURRAY AT THE
MONTEREY POP FESTIVAL, JUNE 17, 1967
1. Got My Mojo Working
2. You Don't Love Me
3. Hootchie Cootchie Man
4. Suzy Q
5. Codine
6. Stand By Me
7. Pride of Man
8. Mona
NOT A POSTER FOR THIS SHOW BUT STILL COOL ANYWAY
Posts
password:record-fiend.blogspot.com
ReplyDeletemp3256http://www.megaupload.com/?d=YT55P7SZhttp://depositfiles.com/en/files/ul06aahrihttp://hotfile.com/dl/127018481/96a5322/QMS_-_Fillmore_Auditorium_11-06-1966.zip.htmlhttp://www.zshare.net/download/93769004f2d6ef59/http://www.filesonic.com/file/1689779024/QMS_-_Fillmore_Auditorium_11-06-1966.zip
Thanks for these. Been waiting for part 3 for awhile. Hope you enjoyed your break/vacation too. Thought I had the 11/6/66 show but I can't find any files, just the 11/5 show. I agree with you about the lackluster Suzy-Q on the 11/9/68 show, the '66 versions were exciting and gave Creedence a big hit record too. Would love to see any more QMS you find down the road, or maybe some good 'ole Moby Grape . Thanks again, great blog!
ReplyDelete@ Anonymous,
ReplyDeleteI appreciate the very nice feedback.
RF
Fiend, hope you enjoyed your vacation.
ReplyDeleteIs it possible you own the biggest collection of QMS photos there is? ;-))
If one wants only one version of the typical QMS live repertoire which show should that be? Is Happy Trails the definitive QMS concert or would you recommend other recordings of Mona/Who/Maiden etc.?
Howdy, Porc,
ReplyDeleteMy vacation was fantastic, thanks. You were correct about the small number of sandy beaches, although my wife and I did visit a really nice one on Gozo.
Yeah, I guess that I'm pretty obsessive with Quicksilver photos. Guilty as charged!
If someone is going to have only one QMS album, Happy Trails is the one to own. The only thing that I'll nitpick about is that it's not a totally accurate representation of what their 1968 shows sounded like. For example, the "Who Do You Love" suite consists of edits from several different performances spliced together. "Mona" and possibly "Maiden of the Cancer Moon" sound like they were recorded live, but "Calvary" was almost definitely done in the studio. Nevertheless, some of my fondest psychedelic memories revolve around this record.
About ten years ago, Collector's Choice put out a two-CD set titled Lost Gold and Silver. The first disc features a 1968 show from the Fillmore East (originally released on a double LP by the bootleg Psycho label back in the 1980s) that is excellent. Moreover, it provides the listener with a more authentic representation of what it was like to have been a member of the audience at one of these concerts since there is no editing or mixing in of studio material involved. The only problem is that I don't like how the recording is mixed. There are two guitars coming out of one channel with the bass and drums coming out of the other. Be that as it may, the performances themselves are mostly mind-blowing.
So there's a long-winded answer to your question.
And of course, happy trails,
RF
Thank you for the Quicksilver. We've been on a QMS kick here since our son learned to play "Dino's Song" from the live Monterey Pop rendition they did.
ReplyDeleteI've not heard them do "Susie Q" so that should be interesting, and I cannot hear enough renditions of "Pride of Man." Your comments about the other tracks intrigue me, too. Next I need to get the previous two you posted.
Thanks for the music.
My pleasure, ms. xtro. Anyone who encourages their son to play "Dino's Song" or anything else by Quicksilver must be a pretty cool mom. All the best to you and yours.
ReplyDeleteRF