| If you weren't there, this is the next best thing: the definitive
live recording of the mid-Sixties San Francisco psychedelic-ballroom experience.
Mostly taped at the two Fillmores, in San Francisco and New York, Quicksilver
Messenger Service's second album captures twin guitarists, John Cipollina
and Gary Duncan, in high, bright flight, making rare magic from a couple
of old Bo Diddley numbers ("Mona," "Who Do You Love?"),
while the gorgeous, composed intricacies of "Maiden of the Cancer Moon"
and the acid-flamenco studio epic "Calvary" prove that psychedelia
was not just about tripping out. (Rolling Stone)
Total album sales: Under 700,000
Peak chart position: 27
|
|
Without question, this follow-up to Quicksilver Messenger Service's self-titled
debut release is the most accurate in portraying the band on vinyl in
the same light as the group's critically and enthusiastically acclaimed
live performances. The album is essentially centered around the extended
reworkings of Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love?" and "Mona,"
as well as the lesser lauded -- yet no less intense -- contribution of
Gary Duncan's (guitar/vocals) "Calvary." This album is the last
to feature the original quartet incarnation of QMS. The collective efforts
of John Cippollina (guitar/vocals), Greg Elmore (percussion), David Freiberg
(bass/vocals), and the aforementioned Duncan retain the uncanny ability
to perform with a psychedelic looseness of spirit, without becoming boring
or in the least bit pretentious. The side-long epic "Who Do You Love?"
suite is split into an ensemble introduction and coda as well as four
distinct sections for the respective bandmembers. The perpetually inventive
chops of QMS are what is truly on display here. The musicians' unmitigated
instrumental prowess and practically psychic interaction allow them to
seamlessly weave into and back out of the main theme. Yet all the while,
each player takes center stage for uncompromising solos. "Mona"
and its companion, "Calvary," continue in much the same fashion.
Here the members of QMS play off each other to form a cohesive unit. This
track also contains some of Cippollina's finest and most memorable fretwork.
He is able to summon sonic spirits from his guitar in a way that is unlike
any of his Bay Area contemporaries. A prime example of his individuality
is the frenetic "Maiden of the Cancer Moon" -- ascending from
the remnants of "Mona." The angst and energy in Cippollina's
guitar work and line upon line of technical phrasing could easily be considered
the equal of a Frank Zappa guitar solo. The brief title track, a cover
of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans' "Happy Trails," seems almost insignificant
in the wake of such virtuoso playing. It clears the sonic palette and
also bids adieu to this particular fab foursome of psychedelia.
(by Lindsay Planer , AMG) |
Plattentipp 
#553 Virgin/Colin Larkin(2000)
eins von 1001 Alben, die Ihr hören solltet, bevor das Leben vorbei ist! (2008)
eins von 100 Insel-Alben von Günter Ramsauer (1961-2002) 
