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Quicksilver Messenger Service - Quicksilver Messenger Service (1968)

Track listing:
  1. Pride of Man 4:06
  2. Light Your Windows 2:35
  3. Dino's Song 3:05
  4. Gold and Silver 6:40
  5. It's Been Too Long 2:56
  6. The Fool 12:06

Notes

Size: 61.8 MB
Bitrate: 256
mp3
Ripped by: ChrisGoesRock
Artwork Included
Source: Japan 24-Bit Remaster

Quicksilver Messenger Service is the debut album of Quicksilver Messenger Service, released in 1968. This was Quicksilver Messenger Service's first album, although they had already produced two songs for the soundtrack of the 1968 movie Revolution. Noted for its instrumental passages (most notably in "Gold and Silver" and "The Fool"), this album displays the group's jam sound amidst lighter pop-oriented songs. Unlike contemporaries such as the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver's jams were highly planned as can be heard by comparing the studio versions of songs with those from bootleg live performances.

There are three covers and three band compositions on the album, including the 12-minute closer "The Fool." "Pride of Man" was written by Hamilton Camp, "It's Been Too Long" by producer Nick Gravenites, and "Dino's Song" by ex-founding member Dino Valenti who was at that time in prison due to marijuana-related offenses.

Quicksilver Messenger Service's debut effort was a little more restrained and folky than some listeners had expected, given their reputation for stretching out in concert. While some prefer the mostly live Happy Trails, this self-titled collection is inarguably their strongest set of studio material, with the accent on melodic folk-rock. Highlights include their cover of folksinger Hamilton Camp's "Pride of Man," probably their best studio track; "Light Your Windows," probably the group's best original composition; and founding member Dino Valenti's "Dino's Song" (Valenti himself was in jail when the album was recorded). "Gold and Silver" is their best instrumental jam, and the 12-minute "The Fool" reflects some of the best and worst traits of the psychedelic era.

01."Pride Of Man" – 4:08 (Hamilton Camp)
02."Light Your Windows" – 2:38 (Gary Duncan, David Freiberg)
03."Dino's Song" – 3:08 (Dino Valenti)
04."Gold and Silver" – 6:43 (Gary Duncan, S. Schuster)
05."It's Been Too Long" – 3:01 (Ron Polte)
06."The Fool" – 12:07 (Gary Duncan, David Freiberg)