Quicksilver Messenger Service - Winterland - December 31, 1967

If I had been a countercultural type living in the Bay Area and looking for something to do on New Year's Eve 1967, you probably could have found me at this concert. Recorded not long before the release of their debut album, the proceedings find Quicksilver Messenger Service fully adapted to being a four-piece unit and proving that Jim Murray's contributions to the band were sometimes interesting but definitely not essential. Overall, this is a fantastic show even if the sound quality - featuring occasional dropouts and poorly miked drums - leaves a bit to be desired.

DAVID FREIBERG, JOHN CIPOLLINA, & GARY DUNCAN (CLOCKWISE FROM
BOTTOM RIGHT) UNDER WRAPS WITH GREG ELMORE IN THE BACKGROUND

Things start out with an "Instrumental" that fades in and is admittedly just bluesy noodling, but it's noodling of the highest order nonetheless. The energy quotient increases considerably with a fiery take on the first album's centerpiece, "Pride of Man," while the nine-and-a-half-minute performance of "Who Do You Love" that follows (as well as "Mona-Maiden of the Cancer Moon" later in the set) provides a sneak preview of the direction the group would pursue more fully on Happy Trails. Even though Jim Murray's harmonica is noticeably absent on "If You Live," Gary Duncan is more than up to the task to handle the song's vocals. I always thought that "It's Been Too Long" was one of Quicksilver's more underrated songs, and here it's in particularly fine form. The band's cover versions of other blues songs are generally more to my liking, but I must admit that the fierce guitar work on "Smokestack Lightning" and "Back Door Man" makes them both worth a listen. "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You" sounds great like it usually does and, in addition to a few notable tracks by the Charlatans, serves as one of the best examples of Haight-Ashbury merging with the Wild West. As long as you're OK with drum solos, "Gold and Silver" will appeal to those who enjoy a bit of jazz-influenced psych. Among the many live recordings of "Dino's Song" that I've heard over the years, I would have to say that this is the best of them all - just listen to John Cipollina going crazy on his guitar throughout the performance. If only it had been recorded a little better.

QMS FLANKING HARVEY BROOKS (CENTER) IN THE RECORDING STUDIO

1. Instrumental
2. Pride of Man
3. Who Do You Love
4. If You Live
5. It's Been Too Long
6. Smokestack Lightning
7. Babe I'm Gonna Leave You
8. Gold and Silver
9. Dino's Song
10. Back Door Man
11. Mona-Maiden of the Cancer Moon