''Quicksilver Messenger Service'' is the debut studio

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

Quicksilver Messenger Service Quicksilver Messenger Service is an American psychedelic rock band formed in 1965 in San Francisco. The band achieved wide popularity in the San Francisco Bay Area and, through their recordings, with psychedelic rock enthusiasts around the globe, ...

, released in

1968 The year was highlighted by Protests of 1968, protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechos ...

History

This was Quicksilver Messenger Service's first album, although they had already produced two songs for the soundtrack of the 1968 movie ''Revolution''. The album displays the group's jam sound amidst lighter

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

-oriented songs. Unlike contemporaries such as the

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. The band is known for its eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, Folk music, folk, country music, country, jazz, bluegrass music, bluegrass, ...

, Quicksilver's jams were highly planned as can be heard by comparing the studio versions of songs with those from bootleg live performances. Gary Duncan and John Cipollina displayed innovative duelling lead guitars, which can be seen on extended jam tracks such as "Gold and Silver". "Dino's Song" was written by Dino Valenti who was at that time in prison due to marijuana-related offenses.

Track listing

Side one #"

Pride of Man "Pride of Man" is a 1964 song by Hamilton Camp. It is Camp's best-known composition. Rife with apocalyptic imagery and religious language ("Can't you see that flash of fire / Ten times brighter than the day... Shout a warning to the nations that t ...

" – 4:08 (

Hamilton Camp Hamilton Camp (Born Robin S. Camp, 30 October 1934 – 2 October 2005) was a London-born actor and singer, who relocated to the United States with his family when he was a young child. He became an American folk singer during he 1960s, and ev ...

) #"Light Your Windows" – 2:38 ( Gary Duncan,

David Freiberg David Freiberg ( ; born August 24, 1938) is an American musician best known for contributing vocals, keyboards, electric bass, rhythm guitar, viola and percussion as a member of Quicksilver Messenger Service, Jefferson Airplane, and Jefferson ...

) #"Dino's Song" – 3:08 ( Dino Valenti) #"Gold and Silver" – 6:43 (Gary Duncan, Steve Schuster) Side two #"It's Been Too Long" – 3:01 (Ron Polte) #"The Fool" – 12:07 (Gary Duncan, David Freiberg)

Personnel

;Quicksilver Messenger Service *

John Cipollina John Cipollina (August 24, 1943 – May 29, 1989) was a guitarist best known for his role as a founder and the lead guitarist of the prominent San Francisco rock band Quicksilver Messenger Service. After leaving Quicksilver he formed the band C ...

- lead guitar * Gary Duncan - rhythm and lead guitar, vocals *

- bass guitar, vocals, viola * Greg Elmore - drums

Charts

; Album

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

(United States)

References

{{Authority control Quicksilver Messenger Service albums 1968 debut albums Capitol Records albums Albums produced by Nick Gravenites Albums with cover art by Rick Griffin