Quicksilver Messenger Service
Encyclopedia
Quicksilver Messenger Service is an American
psychedelic rock
band, formed in 1965 in San Francisco
.
and, through their recordings, with psychedelic rock enthusiasts around the globe and several of their albums ranked in the Top 30 of the Billboard Pop charts. Although not as commercially successful as contemporaries Jefferson Airplane
and The Grateful Dead, QMS was integral to the beginnings of their genre. With their jazz and classical influences, as well as a strong folk background, the band attempted to create a sound that was individual and innovative. Member Dino Valenti drew heavily on musical influences he picked up during the folk revival of his formative musical years. The style he developed from these sources is evident in Quicksilver Messenger Service's swung rhythms and twanging guitar sounds.
After many years, the band has attempted to reform despite the deaths of several members. Recently, original members Gary Duncan
and David Freiberg
have been touring as the Quicksilver Messenger Service, using different musicians to back them up.
:
The next day, Valente was arrested for possession of marijuana, and spent the better part of the next two years in jail. But Gary Duncan notes:
Whether Quicksilver Messenger Service was what Valente had in mind, it appears from Duncan's recollections that he had at least talked with Cipollina about forming a band; Cipollina remembered that:
, a folk-guitarist friend of Valente's, was recruited to the group. He had previously been in a band with Paul Kantner
and David Crosby
but like Cipollina he had been arrested and briefly jailed for marijuana possession and had just been released. "We were to take care of this guy Freiberg", Cipollina recalled, and though they had never met before, Freiberg was integrated into the group. The band also added Skip Spence
on guitar and began to rehearse at Marty Balin
's club, the Matrix
. Balin, in search of a drummer for the band he was organizing (which became Jefferson Airplane) convinced Spence to switch instruments and groups.
To make up for his poaching of Spence, Balin suggested that they contact drummer Greg Elmore and guitarist–singer Gary Duncan, who had played together in a group called The Brogues
. This new version of the group played its first concert performance in December 1965, playing for the Christmas party of the comedy troupe "The Committee". Drummer Greg Elmore
and guitarist Jim Murray
were added to fill out the original band.
It was a band without a name, Cipollina recalled:
. Sound engineer (and infamous LSD chemist) Owsley Stanley
regularly recorded concerts at major San Francisco venues during this period, and his archive includes many QMS live performances from 1966–67, which were released on his Bear Recordings label in 2008-2009.
QMS initially held back from signing a record deal at the time but eventually signed to Capitol Records
in late 1967, becoming the last of the top-ranked San Francisco bands to sign with a major label. Capitol was the only company that had missed out on signing a San Francisco “hippie” band during the first flurry of record company interest and, consequently, Quicksilver Messenger Service was able to negotiate a better deal than many of their peers. At the same time, Capitol signed the Steve Miller Band
, with whom Quicksilver Messenger Service had appeared on the movie and soundtrack album Revolution
, together with the group Mother Earth
.
Quicksilver Messenger Service released their eponymous debut album in 1968. It was followed by Happy Trails
, released in early 1969 and largely recorded live at the Fillmore East
and the Fillmore West
. According to David Freiberg, at least one of the live tracks was augmented with studio overdubs and the tracks "Calvary" and "Lady of the Cancer Moon" were recorded in the studio just before Gary Duncan left the band.
These albums, which have been hailed as "two of the best examples of the San Francisco sound at its purest" define the classic period in the group's career and showcase their distinctive sound, emphasizing extended arrangements and fluid twin-guitar improvisation. Cipollina's highly melodic, individualistic lead guitar style, combined with Gary Duncan's driving rhythm guitar, feature a clear jazz sound, a notable contrast to the heavily amplified and overdriven sound of contemporaries like Cream
and Jimi Hendrix
. In 2003 Happy Trails was rated at #189 in the Rolling Stone Top 500 albums survey, where it was described as "the definitive live recording of the mid-Sixties San Francisco psychedelic-ballroom experience". Archetypal QMS songs include the elongated, continually re-titled suite based on Bo Diddley
's "Who Do You Love?", featured on Happy Trails.
Duncan left the group not long after the recording of Happy Trails; according to David Freiberg, this was largely because of his escalating problems with opiates and amphetamines. His 'farewell' performances were the studio recordings that ended up on Happy Trails and a final live performance with the band on New Year's Eve 1969. Duncan recalled 18 years later:
Freiberg later recalled that Duncan's departure shook the core of the band:
"Duncan was the "engine" man, it just didn’t WORK without him ... for me. I was really ... I was devastated ... ".
For their 1969 album Shady Grove, Duncan did not participate, replaced by renowned English session keyboardist Nicky Hopkins
, who had played on scores of hit albums and singles by acts like The Kinks
, The Rolling Stones
, The Beatles
, The Who
and Steve Miller
, among many others. Hopkins' virtuoso piano boogie dominates the album, giving it a unique sound within the Quicksilver catalog.
In 1975, original members Greg Elmore, Gary Duncan, Dave Freiberg, John Cippolina, and Dino Valenti reunited for the album, Solid Silver featuring cameo performances by Nicky Hopkins on a couple of tracks, plus contributions from various San Francisco area musicians, including Jefferson Starship's Pete Sears. By this time Freiberg had become a member of Jefferson Starship
-- he had worked with Paul Kantner and Grace Slick to form a trio on the album Baron Von Tollbooth and the Chrome Nun, leading to full-time membership in the dying days of Jefferson Airplane as the band evolved into Jefferson Starship.
Since Solid Silver, Gary Duncan assembled various lineups performing as Quicksilver Messenger Service still performing today.
, playing with them at their 1974 Winterland concerts and guesting with them on a subsequent UK tour, which resulted in the 1975 live album Maximum Darkness. Cipollina died in 1989, at the age of 45, from emphysema, probably attributable to his heavy cigarette habit. His performances had typically featured a trademark lit cigarette perched on a guitar string stub.
Hopkins continued his career as a studio musician, including playing with Jefferson Airplane at Woodstock. He died in September 1994. Dino Valente died in November 1994.
In the 1980s Gary Duncan resurrected the name and released the albums Peace By Piece
in 1986, Shapeshifter Vols. 1 & 2 in 1996, Shapeshifter Vols. 3 & 4, and Strange Trim in 2006, along with several live albums and a website, quicksilvermessengerservice.com. He toured on and off for the next decade or so under names "Gary Duncan's Quicksilver" and "Quicksilver '96".
In 2006, Gary Duncan and David Freiberg launched a 40th-anniversary Quicksilver celebration tour as Quicksilver Messenger Service. They still perform as of 2010, often opening up for Jefferson Starship.
In 2002, there was a Quicksilver tribute band formed called Quicksilver Gold. They performed the music of the Quicksilver Messenger Service and members included Dino Valenti's son, Joli Valenti, as well as John Cippolina's brother, Mario Cippolina, and some members of Zero. This band broke up in 2004.
The band appeared at the Rhythm Festival
in August 2008 alongside their musical contemporaries Jefferson Starship
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
band, formed in 1965 in San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
.
Introduction
Quicksilver Messenger Service gained wide popularity in the Bay AreaSan Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
and, through their recordings, with psychedelic rock enthusiasts around the globe and several of their albums ranked in the Top 30 of the Billboard Pop charts. Although not as commercially successful as contemporaries Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band formed in San Francisco in 1965. A pioneer of the psychedelic rock movement, Jefferson Airplane was the first band from the San Francisco scene to achieve mainstream commercial and critical success....
and The Grateful Dead, QMS was integral to the beginnings of their genre. With their jazz and classical influences, as well as a strong folk background, the band attempted to create a sound that was individual and innovative. Member Dino Valenti drew heavily on musical influences he picked up during the folk revival of his formative musical years. The style he developed from these sources is evident in Quicksilver Messenger Service's swung rhythms and twanging guitar sounds.
After many years, the band has attempted to reform despite the deaths of several members. Recently, original members Gary Duncan
Gary Duncan
Gary Duncan is an American musician, once guitarist with The Brogues, then most notably with Quicksilver Messenger Service, where the complex interplay between himself and fellow-guitarist John Cipollina did much to define the unique sound of that San Francisco based band.-Early life and musical...
and David Freiberg
David Freiberg
David Freiberg is an American musician. He was vocalist and/or bass guitar player with Quicksilver Messenger Service, Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship.-Career:...
have been touring as the Quicksilver Messenger Service, using different musicians to back them up.
Origins
There is some confusion as to the real origins of the group. According to John CipollinaJohn Cipollina
John Cipollina 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...
:
“It was Valente who organized the group. I can remember everything Dino said. 'We were all going to have wireless guitars. We were going to have leather jackets made with hooks that we could hook these wireless instruments right into. And we were gonna have these chicks, backup rhythm sections that were gonna dress like American Indians with real short little dresses on and they were gonna have tambourines and the clappers in the tambourines were going to be silver coins.' And I'm sitting there going, 'This guy is gonna happen and we're gonna set the world on its ear."
The next day, Valente was arrested for possession of marijuana, and spent the better part of the next two years in jail. But Gary Duncan notes:
“That’s the story Cipollina told everybody. But according to Dino, that wasn’t the case at all. When he’d been looking for a band, he’d talked to Cipollina, and everybody somehow put two and two together. He actually lived with us when he got out of prison, and while we played some music together and wrote songs, he had no interest in playing in Quicksilver; he wanted to start his own career. Well, when his own career didn’t do so well, he had more interest in playing in Quicksilver!.”
Whether Quicksilver Messenger Service was what Valente had in mind, it appears from Duncan's recollections that he had at least talked with Cipollina about forming a band; Cipollina remembered that:
“I was recommended to Dino, probably because I was the only guy playing an electric guitar, let alone lead, at the time ... We talked about rehearsing one night and planned to rehearse the following night but it never happened. The next day Dino got busted.”
Formation
At this time David FreibergDavid Freiberg
David Freiberg is an American musician. He was vocalist and/or bass guitar player with Quicksilver Messenger Service, Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship.-Career:...
, a folk-guitarist friend of Valente's, was recruited to the group. He had previously been in a band with Paul Kantner
Paul Kantner
Paul Lorin Kantner is an American rock musician, known for co-founding the psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane and its spin-off band Jefferson Starship.- Overview :...
and David Crosby
David Crosby
David Van Cortlandt Crosby is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. In addition to his solo career, he was a founding member of three bands: The Byrds, Crosby, Stills & Nash , and CPR...
but like Cipollina he had been arrested and briefly jailed for marijuana possession and had just been released. "We were to take care of this guy Freiberg", Cipollina recalled, and though they had never met before, Freiberg was integrated into the group. The band also added Skip Spence
Skip Spence
Alexander Lee "Skip" Spence was a Canadian-born musician and singer-songwriter. He was co-founder of Moby Grape, and played guitar with them until 1969. He released one solo album, 1969's Oar, and then largely withdrew from the music industry...
on guitar and began to rehearse at Marty Balin
Marty Balin
Marty Balin is an American musician. He is best known as the founder and one of the lead singers of the psychedelic rock band Jefferson Airplane.-Early life:Martyn Buchwald was born in Cincinnati, Ohio...
's club, the Matrix
The Matrix (club)
The Matrix, a renovated former pizza shop, was a nightclub in San Francisco from 1965 to 1972 and was one of the keys to what eventually became known as the "San Francisco Sound" in rock music...
. Balin, in search of a drummer for the band he was organizing (which became Jefferson Airplane) convinced Spence to switch instruments and groups.
To make up for his poaching of Spence, Balin suggested that they contact drummer Greg Elmore and guitarist–singer Gary Duncan, who had played together in a group called The Brogues
The Brogues
The Brogues was a Merced, California band formed in 1964 by Eddie Rodrigues , Rick Campbell , Greg Elmore and Bill Whittington...
. This new version of the group played its first concert performance in December 1965, playing for the Christmas party of the comedy troupe "The Committee". Drummer Greg Elmore
Greg Elmore
Greg Elmore is an American drummer, formerly with The Brogues and the San Francisco rock band Quicksilver Messenger Service....
and guitarist Jim Murray
Jim Murray (musician)
Jim Murray was a guitarist and harmonica player for the psychedelic blues rock band Quicksilver Messenger Service. He left the band in late 1967 shortly before they recorded their first album....
were added to fill out the original band.
It was a band without a name, Cipollina recalled:
"Jim Murray and David Freiberg came up with the name. Me and Freiberg were born on the same day, and Gary and Greg were born on the same day, we were all Virgos and Murray was a Gemini. And Virgos and Geminis are all ruled by the planet Mercury. Another name for Mercury is Quicksilver. And then, Quicksilver is the messenger of the Gods, and Virgo is the servant, so Freiberg says 'Oh, Quicksilver Messenger Service'."
Early career
Jim Murray left the group not long after they performed at the Monterey International Pop Festival in June 1967. The band began a period of heavy touring on the West Coast of the United States where they built up a solid following and featured on many star-studded bills at the Avalon Ballroom and the Fillmore WestFillmore West
The Fillmore West was an historic music venue in San Francisco, California made famous by concert promoter Bill Graham. Named after Graham's original "Fillmore" location at the intersection of Fillmore Street and Geary Boulevard, it stood at Market Street and South Van Ness Avenue and was formerly...
. Sound engineer (and infamous LSD chemist) Owsley Stanley
Owsley Stanley
Owsley Stanley also known as Bear, was an essential and transitional personality in the development of the San Francisco Bay counter-culture. Spanning the Beat-era years of Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters scenes, he was equally pivotal to the explosion of 1960's Psychedelia culture...
regularly recorded concerts at major San Francisco venues during this period, and his archive includes many QMS live performances from 1966–67, which were released on his Bear Recordings label in 2008-2009.
QMS initially held back from signing a record deal at the time but eventually signed to Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
in late 1967, becoming the last of the top-ranked San Francisco bands to sign with a major label. Capitol was the only company that had missed out on signing a San Francisco “hippie” band during the first flurry of record company interest and, consequently, Quicksilver Messenger Service was able to negotiate a better deal than many of their peers. At the same time, Capitol signed the Steve Miller Band
Steve Miller Band
The Steve Miller Band is an American rock band formed in 1967 in San Francisco, California. The band is managed by Steve Miller on guitar and lead vocals, and is known for a string of mid-1970s hit singles that are staples of the classic rock radio format.-History:In 1965, Steve Miller and...
, with whom Quicksilver Messenger Service had appeared on the movie and soundtrack album Revolution
Revolution (1968 film)
Revolution is a documentary film by Jack O'Connell made in San Francisco in 1967. It was subsequently revived with added reminiscences.Although most interviewees are not named some of them have been identified, such as Kurt Hirschhorn, Frank Jordan, Cecil Williams and Herb CaenDaria Halprin...
, together with the group Mother Earth
Mother Earth (band)
Mother Earth was an American blues rock band from California, fronted by Tracy Nelson.Nelson, who hailed from Madison, Wisconsin, began her career as a solo artist, but formed the Mother Earth ensemble after moving to San Francisco...
.
Quicksilver Messenger Service released their eponymous debut album in 1968. It was followed by Happy Trails
Happy Trails (album)
Happy Trails is the second album of the American band Quicksilver Messenger Service.Happy Trails consists mainly of a performance cover of Bo Diddley's - aka Ellas McDaniel - "Who Do You Love?" spread out over 25 minutes...
, released in early 1969 and largely recorded live at the Fillmore East
Fillmore East
The Fillmore East was rock promoter Bill Graham's rock venue on Second Avenue near East 6th Street in the East Village neighborhood of the Manhattan borough of New York City. It was open from 1968 to 1971, and featured some of the biggest acts in rock music at the time...
and the Fillmore West
Fillmore West
The Fillmore West was an historic music venue in San Francisco, California made famous by concert promoter Bill Graham. Named after Graham's original "Fillmore" location at the intersection of Fillmore Street and Geary Boulevard, it stood at Market Street and South Van Ness Avenue and was formerly...
. According to David Freiberg, at least one of the live tracks was augmented with studio overdubs and the tracks "Calvary" and "Lady of the Cancer Moon" were recorded in the studio just before Gary Duncan left the band.
These albums, which have been hailed as "two of the best examples of the San Francisco sound at its purest" define the classic period in the group's career and showcase their distinctive sound, emphasizing extended arrangements and fluid twin-guitar improvisation. Cipollina's highly melodic, individualistic lead guitar style, combined with Gary Duncan's driving rhythm guitar, feature a clear jazz sound, a notable contrast to the heavily amplified and overdriven sound of contemporaries like Cream
Cream (band)
Cream were a 1960s British rock supergroup consisting of bassist/vocalist Jack Bruce, guitarist/vocalist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker...
and Jimi Hendrix
Jimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
. In 2003 Happy Trails was rated at #189 in the Rolling Stone Top 500 albums survey, where it was described as "the definitive live recording of the mid-Sixties San Francisco psychedelic-ballroom experience". Archetypal QMS songs include the elongated, continually re-titled suite based on Bo Diddley
Bo Diddley
Ellas Otha Bates , known by his stage name Bo Diddley, was an American rhythm and blues vocalist, guitarist, songwriter , and inventor...
's "Who Do You Love?", featured on Happy Trails.
Duncan left the group not long after the recording of Happy Trails; according to David Freiberg, this was largely because of his escalating problems with opiates and amphetamines. His 'farewell' performances were the studio recordings that ended up on Happy Trails and a final live performance with the band on New Year's Eve 1969. Duncan recalled 18 years later:
- "Well, let's put it this way, at the end of 1968, I was pretty burned out. We'd been on the road for, really, the first time in our lives. I just left for a year. I didn't want to have anything to do with music at all. And I left for a year and rode motorcycles and lived in New York and L.A. and just kind of went crazy for about a year."
Freiberg later recalled that Duncan's departure shook the core of the band:
"Duncan was the "engine" man, it just didn’t WORK without him ... for me. I was really ... I was devastated ... ".
For their 1969 album Shady Grove, Duncan did not participate, replaced by renowned English session keyboardist Nicky Hopkins
Nicky Hopkins
Nicholas Christian "Nicky" Hopkins was an English pianist and organist.He recorded and performed on noted British and American popular music recordings of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s as a session musician....
, who had played on scores of hit albums and singles by acts like The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
, The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
, The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
and Steve Miller
Steve Miller (musician)
Steven H. "Steve" Miller is an American guitarist and singer-songwriter who began his career in blues and blues rock and evolved to a more popular-oriented sound which, from the mid 1970s through the early 1980s, resulted in a series of successful singles and albums.-Early years:Born in Milwaukee,...
, among many others. Hopkins' virtuoso piano boogie dominates the album, giving it a unique sound within the Quicksilver catalog.
Dino Valente joins Quicksilver
The next two albums, Just for Love and What About Me?, are sometimes called the "Hawaiian" albums because they were recorded mostly in a studio in that state, and both have a similar Hawaiian motif to their cover designs. They also sound similar to each other and very different from the group's earlier repertoire. Guitarist Gary Duncan is back. But an even bigger change is that Dino Valenti becomes the lead singer and (under a pseudonym) main songwriter. What had been a jamming guitar band became little more than the backup musicians for a folk / pop oriented singer-songwriter; naturally this alienated some fans, but the records sold relatively well and produced the group's one legitimate hit radio single, "Fresh Air". Before the next recordings, John Cipollina, David Freiberg, and Nicky Hopkins all went their separate ways.Later years
The band continued with the lineup of Gary Duncan, Greg Elmore, Dino Valenti and David Freiberg until September 1971 when Freiberg was jailed for marijuana possession. He was replaced by Mark Ryan (bass) and the group added Mark Naftalin (later replaced in 1972 by "Chuck Steaks") on keyboards, and this lineup recorded two more albums, Quicksilver (Nov. 1971) and Comin' Thru (Apr. 1972), a mere 36 minute album with "Doin' Time in the USA," as the album's most familiar cut. Harold Aceves, formerly a roadie for the band, was added in 1972 as a second drummer to Greg Elmore. Mark Ryan was fired in 1972 after missing a plane and was replaced by Roger Stanton. Stanton had played with Aceves in a popular Phoenix, Ariz. band known as Poland. Stanton was then replaced in 1974 for a brief period, by Bob Flurie, who was a well known east coast virtuoso guitar player, who was called upon for this brief period to take on bass player duties (the trio of Aceves, Stanton and Flurie were later to be found in another great San Francisco band formed by ex-Country Joe and the Fish guitar player, Barry "the Fish" Melton) after which the group disbanded.In 1975, original members Greg Elmore, Gary Duncan, Dave Freiberg, John Cippolina, and Dino Valenti reunited for the album, Solid Silver featuring cameo performances by Nicky Hopkins on a couple of tracks, plus contributions from various San Francisco area musicians, including Jefferson Starship's Pete Sears. By this time Freiberg had become a member of Jefferson Starship
Jefferson Starship
Jefferson Starship is an American rock band formed in the early 1970s. The group is a spin-off from the iconic 1960s psychedelic/folk group Jefferson Airplane. The band has undergone several major changes in personnel and genres through the years while retaining the same Jefferson Starship name...
-- he had worked with Paul Kantner and Grace Slick to form a trio on the album Baron Von Tollbooth and the Chrome Nun, leading to full-time membership in the dying days of Jefferson Airplane as the band evolved into Jefferson Starship.
Since Solid Silver, Gary Duncan assembled various lineups performing as Quicksilver Messenger Service still performing today.
Remnants and reunions
After leaving Quicksilver in October 1970, Cipollina, Reyes and original member Jim Murray formed Copperhead (which resembled Quicksilver updated for the 1970s) followed by Raven, which resembled Copperhead. In 1974 Cippolina guested with Quicksilver-idolizing Welsh progressive rock group ManMan (band)
Man are a rock band from South Wales whose style is a mixture of West Coast psychedelia, progressive rock, blues and country-rock. Formed in 1968 as a reincarnation of Welsh rock harmony group ‘’The Bystanders’’, Man are renowned for the extended jams in their live performances, and having had...
, playing with them at their 1974 Winterland concerts and guesting with them on a subsequent UK tour, which resulted in the 1975 live album Maximum Darkness. Cipollina died in 1989, at the age of 45, from emphysema, probably attributable to his heavy cigarette habit. His performances had typically featured a trademark lit cigarette perched on a guitar string stub.
Hopkins continued his career as a studio musician, including playing with Jefferson Airplane at Woodstock. He died in September 1994. Dino Valente died in November 1994.
In the 1980s Gary Duncan resurrected the name and released the albums Peace By Piece
Peace By Piece
Peace by Piece is the ninth album by American psychedelic rock band Quicksilver Messenger Service and the first to be released with guitarist Gary Duncan at the sole command...
in 1986, Shapeshifter Vols. 1 & 2 in 1996, Shapeshifter Vols. 3 & 4, and Strange Trim in 2006, along with several live albums and a website, quicksilvermessengerservice.com. He toured on and off for the next decade or so under names "Gary Duncan's Quicksilver" and "Quicksilver '96".
In 2006, Gary Duncan and David Freiberg launched a 40th-anniversary Quicksilver celebration tour as Quicksilver Messenger Service. They still perform as of 2010, often opening up for Jefferson Starship.
In 2002, there was a Quicksilver tribute band formed called Quicksilver Gold. They performed the music of the Quicksilver Messenger Service and members included Dino Valenti's son, Joli Valenti, as well as John Cippolina's brother, Mario Cippolina, and some members of Zero. This band broke up in 2004.
The band appeared at the Rhythm Festival
Rhythm Festival
The Rhythm Festival is an outdoor music festival held at The Mansion House, Old Warden Park, Biggleswade, Bedfordshire from 2011. From 2006 until 2010 it was held at Twinwood Arena, near the village of Clapham, Bedfordshire, England.. Rhythm Festival was founded by music promoter Jim Driver...
in August 2008 alongside their musical contemporaries Jefferson Starship
Jefferson Starship
Jefferson Starship is an American rock band formed in the early 1970s. The group is a spin-off from the iconic 1960s psychedelic/folk group Jefferson Airplane. The band has undergone several major changes in personnel and genres through the years while retaining the same Jefferson Starship name...
.
Members
| Quicksilver Messenger Service 1965 - 1967 |
|
|---|---|
| Quicksilver Messenger Service 1967 - 1969 |
Gary Duncan Gary Duncan is an American musician, once guitarist with The Brogues, then most notably with Quicksilver Messenger Service, where the complex interplay between himself and fellow-guitarist John Cipollina did much to define the unique sound of that San Francisco based band.-Early life and musical... - guitar, vocals John Cipollina John Cipollina 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... - guitar David Freiberg David Freiberg is an American musician. He was vocalist and/or bass guitar player with Quicksilver Messenger Service, Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship.-Career:... - bass, vocals Greg Elmore Greg Elmore is an American drummer, formerly with The Brogues and the San Francisco rock band Quicksilver Messenger Service.... - drums |
| Quicksilver Messenger Service 1969 |
John Cipollina John Cipollina 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... - guitar David Freiberg David Freiberg is an American musician. He was vocalist and/or bass guitar player with Quicksilver Messenger Service, Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship.-Career:... - bass, vocals Greg Elmore Greg Elmore is an American drummer, formerly with The Brogues and the San Francisco rock band Quicksilver Messenger Service.... - drums Nicky Hopkins Nicholas Christian "Nicky" Hopkins was an English pianist and organist.He recorded and performed on noted British and American popular music recordings of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s as a session musician.... - keyboards |
| Quicksilver Messenger Service 1969 - 1971 |
Gary Duncan Gary Duncan is an American musician, once guitarist with The Brogues, then most notably with Quicksilver Messenger Service, where the complex interplay between himself and fellow-guitarist John Cipollina did much to define the unique sound of that San Francisco based band.-Early life and musical... - guitar, vocals John Cipollina John Cipollina 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... - guitar David Freiberg David Freiberg is an American musician. He was vocalist and/or bass guitar player with Quicksilver Messenger Service, Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship.-Career:... - bass, vocals Greg Elmore Greg Elmore is an American drummer, formerly with The Brogues and the San Francisco rock band Quicksilver Messenger Service.... - drums Nicky Hopkins Nicholas Christian "Nicky" Hopkins was an English pianist and organist.He recorded and performed on noted British and American popular music recordings of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s as a session musician.... - keyboards |
| Quicksilver Messenger Service 1971 - 1972 |
Gary Duncan Gary Duncan is an American musician, once guitarist with The Brogues, then most notably with Quicksilver Messenger Service, where the complex interplay between himself and fellow-guitarist John Cipollina did much to define the unique sound of that San Francisco based band.-Early life and musical... - guitar, vocals Greg Elmore Greg Elmore is an American drummer, formerly with The Brogues and the San Francisco rock band Quicksilver Messenger Service.... - drums Mark Naftalin Mark Naftalin is an American blues keyboardist, composer, and record producer.-Life:Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, Naftalin is the son of former Minneapolis mayor Arthur Naftalin; he is married to third wife Ellen Naftalin... - keyboards |
| Quicksilver Messenger Service 1972 - 1975 |
Gary Duncan Gary Duncan is an American musician, once guitarist with The Brogues, then most notably with Quicksilver Messenger Service, where the complex interplay between himself and fellow-guitarist John Cipollina did much to define the unique sound of that San Francisco based band.-Early life and musical... - guitar, vocals Greg Elmore Greg Elmore is an American drummer, formerly with The Brogues and the San Francisco rock band Quicksilver Messenger Service.... - drums |
| Quicksilver Messenger Service 1975 |
Gary Duncan Gary Duncan is an American musician, once guitarist with The Brogues, then most notably with Quicksilver Messenger Service, where the complex interplay between himself and fellow-guitarist John Cipollina did much to define the unique sound of that San Francisco based band.-Early life and musical... - guitar, vocals John Cipollina John Cipollina 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... - guitar David Freiberg David Freiberg is an American musician. He was vocalist and/or bass guitar player with Quicksilver Messenger Service, Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship.-Career:... - bass, vocals Greg Elmore Greg Elmore is an American drummer, formerly with The Brogues and the San Francisco rock band Quicksilver Messenger Service.... - drums Michael Lewis Michael Lewis may refer to:*Michael Lewis , American non-fiction author and financial journalist*Michael Lewis , Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf*Michael Lewis , Belizean racing cyclist... - keyboards |
| Quicksilver Messenger Service 1975 - 1979 |
Gary Duncan Gary Duncan is an American musician, once guitarist with The Brogues, then most notably with Quicksilver Messenger Service, where the complex interplay between himself and fellow-guitarist John Cipollina did much to define the unique sound of that San Francisco based band.-Early life and musical... - guitar, vocals Greg Elmore Greg Elmore is an American drummer, formerly with The Brogues and the San Francisco rock band Quicksilver Messenger Service.... - drums Michael Lewis Michael Lewis may refer to:*Michael Lewis , American non-fiction author and financial journalist*Michael Lewis , Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf*Michael Lewis , Belizean racing cyclist... - keyboards |
| 1979–2006 |
Group Disbanded; Some Gary Duncan bands billed as Quicksilver toured during the 1990s |
| Quicksilver Messenger Service 2006 - 2008 |
with (usually)
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| Quicksilver Messenger Service 2008 - 2009 |
Gary Duncan Gary Duncan is an American musician, once guitarist with The Brogues, then most notably with Quicksilver Messenger Service, where the complex interplay between himself and fellow-guitarist John Cipollina did much to define the unique sound of that San Francisco based band.-Early life and musical... - guitar, vocals David Freiberg David Freiberg is an American musician. He was vocalist and/or bass guitar player with Quicksilver Messenger Service, Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship.-Career:... - guitar, vocals with (usually)
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Discography
- Revolution (movie soundtrack) (UAS 5185 (1968)) with Steve Miller Band & Mother Earth
- Quicksilver Messenger ServiceQuicksilver Messenger Service (album)Quicksilver Messenger Service is the debut album of Quicksilver Messenger Service, released in 1968.-History:This was Quicksilver Messenger Service's first album, although they had already produced two songs for the soundtrack of the 1968 movie Revolution...
(1968) - Happy TrailsHappy Trails (album)Happy Trails is the second album of the American band Quicksilver Messenger Service.Happy Trails consists mainly of a performance cover of Bo Diddley's - aka Ellas McDaniel - "Who Do You Love?" spread out over 25 minutes...
(1969) - Shady Grove (1969)
- Just for Love (1970)
- What About Me (1970)
- QuicksilverQuicksilver (album)Quicksilver is the sixth album by American psychedelic rock band Quicksilver Messenger Service. Released in November 1971, it was the first album without original members John Cipollina and David Freiberg. Nicky Hopkins had also left at this point to continue his successful journeyman career. Only...
(1971) - Comin' Thru (1972)
- Solid Silver (1975)
- Peace By PiecePeace By PiecePeace by Piece is the ninth album by American psychedelic rock band Quicksilver Messenger Service and the first to be released with guitarist Gary Duncan at the sole command...
(1986) - Shape Shifter Vols. 1 & 2 (1996)
- Live at Fieldstone (1997)
- Shapeshifter Vols. 3 & 4 (2006)
- Strange Trim (2006)
- Three in the Side
- Live at the Sweetwater
- Live at the 7th Note
- Six String Voodoo
- Live 07 (2008)
- Reunion (live at The Sweetwater, Mill Valley, CA, June 7, 2006) (2-CD, 2009)
- Happy TrailsHappy Trails (album)Happy Trails is the second album of the American band Quicksilver Messenger Service.Happy Trails consists mainly of a performance cover of Bo Diddley's - aka Ellas McDaniel - "Who Do You Love?" spread out over 25 minutes...
(1969) - Maiden of the Cancer Moon (2-LP, 1983)
- At the Kabuki Theatre (2-CD, 2007)
- Live at the Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco, 9th September 1966 (CD, 2008)
- Live at the Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco, 28th October 1966 (CD, 2008)
- Live at The Fillmore, San Francisco, 4th February 1967 (2-CD, 2008)
- Live at The Fillmore, San Francisco, 6th February 1967 (CD, 2008)
- Live at The Carousel Ballroom, San Francisco, 14th April 1968 (2-CD, 2008)
- Live at the Quarter Note Lounge, New Orleans, LA, July 1977 (2-CD, 2009)
- Quicksilver Anthology (1995) BGO CD 270
- Sons of Mercury 1968-75 (1991)
- Unreleased Quicksilver Messenger Service - Lost Gold and Silver (2-CD, 1999)
- Classic Masters (Remastered, 2002)
- Castles in the Sand (studio jam 1969/70) (CD, 2009)