Quicksilver Messenger Service - Quicksilver Messenger Service (1968 us, classic album, 2005 japan remastered mini Lp replica and 2012 Audiophile remaster)

Quicksilver Messenger Service has never gotten the full credibility they deserve. A lot like what Thin Lizzy did for Hard Rock, Quicksilver Messenger Service is one of those bands who works wonders for Psychedelia, but never got famous enough to be noticed for how good they really were. Blending instrumental virtuosity with soaring melody, and marrying country rock to jazz, psychedelic rock has never sounded more awesome. 

Having one big live album, Happy Trails, Quicksilver's studio work has gone quite unnoticed throughout the last few decades. And while Happy Trails was trippy, acidic, and an all out live freak show, Quicksilver's self-titled debut record was a nod towards country rock and folk, yet exposing that stimulus in the most rocking way possible. Founding member, Dino Valenti was incarcerated during the making of this record, so any ideas he had were written to his band mates from prison, and the band took his ideas and made them into one of the coolest debut albums of the late 60's. 

Like most of the other music exploding from that era, most of this six-track record was probably fashioned and produced with the help from 'experimental substances". Namely, drugs were definitely a part of what the album is. But even if the band was stoned out of their right mind, I wouldn't want this record to be made any other way. Because let's face it, addicts or not, most of the musicians from that time were geniuses. And the drugs only helped them to further their artistic creativity.

What I really like about this album is the order of the songs, and what the songs consist of. Quicksilver Messenger Service provided ground shaking original material for their debut, but what really makes the album interesting and, in my opinion, worthwhile, is their covers. They put their own spin on some blues classics, and turned them into psychedelic nirvana. Evidence of this is their rendition of folk artist Hamilton Camp's 'Pride of Man", which marries a spicy mariachi groove to an acid rock guitar melody, and a very strong vocal performance. 

Add a trumpet section in the verses and some really cool drumming, and you've got a killer psychedelic tune. And the schizophrenic instrumental jam 'Gold and Silver" is nothing less than the most awesome cover of all time. At six minutes, forty five seconds it features the best guitar work on the album, and some blazing, brooding guitar solos. The piano accompaniment and free jazz groove own the tune, but it's the guitar intercourse that makes this instrumental so darn sexy. The leads make me shiver, because they own so hard. The frequent, samba-inspired breakdowns don't hurt it, either. It easily contends for being the best song on the album, but that isn't saying much, because every song on here owns.

Even if the covers surpass the original material, the conventional material isn't too shabby at all. The successor to 'Pride of Man', the highly imaginative 'Light Your Windows" gives it's big brother a run for its money. Combining the acid jazz trip on the verses, with mellow 'ahhhhh's" and acoustic chord progressions, with some powerful vocals, and turning it into a more upbeat chorus that sounds as if were pulled from the Rabbit Hole in Alice in Wonderland. Beautiful acoustic piece, and regarded by many QMS fans to be the best song on the album.

 'The Fool' is a twelve-minute-plus freak out jam which can get a bit boring at times, for its dragged out length and how it generally follows the same guidelines as every other song on the album, but for the most part contains some very cool guitar work, and cool vocal effects. 'Dino's Song", which is the band's way of paying homage to their convicted frontman/ songwriter, is probably the weak point on the album, but not bad. It actually is a formidable song on its own, but is rather boring compared to the rest of the record. But it does feature a catchy melody, and some pretty acoustic guitar playing.

Undoubtedly, Quicksilver Messenger Service's music is very underrated in the classic rock catalogue, and even more overlooked. But even if no one really notices them, they probably redefined and epitomized the psychedelic genre, with a whirlwind of sound. Whether it be the pure ownage of their guitar interplay, the marriage of samba grooves (which Santana clearly found a place in), to trippy, acidic, rocking psychedelic guitar, or the juxtaposition of musical taste, their debut record isn't as polished or clean cut as their epic Happy Trails, but pretty darn close. It's not perfect, but rock is never meant to be. 

If you are a fan of southern hard rock, reminiscent of the Allman Brothers, Creedence Clearwater Revival, or even the Eagles, you'd probably take a liking to Quicksilver Messenger Service's music. Because whether or not an imprisoned songwriter wrote this when he was stoned, or not, this is by far some of the greatest, yet underrated music in the classic rock catalogue. It has Entwistle's official seal of approval.

Tracks
1. Pride of Man (Hamilton Camp) - 4:09
2. Light Your Windows (Duncan, Freiberg) - 2:36
3. Dino's Song (Valenti) - 3:06
4. Gold and Silver(Duncan, Schuster) - 6:42
5. It's Been Too Long (Polte) - 2:59
6. The Fool (Duncan, Freiberg) - 12:10

Quicksilver Messenger Service
David Freibergbass - Viola, Vocals
John Cipollina - Guitar
Greg Elmore - Drums
Gary Duncan - Guitar, Vocals

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Camel - Camel (1973 uk, prog rock masterpiece, 2002 and 2013 japan SHM remaster)

Formed by Andrew Latimer, Doug Ferguson, Andy Ward and Peter Bardens in 1971, Camel was an essential part of the ‘70s progressive movement, although not one of its more famous components. Overshadowed by the likes of Genesis, King Crimson and Yes, the group was nevertheless extraordinarily talented and most definitely unique in the genre. With their first and finest formation, they would release a streak of four outstanding albums before moving on with different line-ups and creating mostly inferior works. The latter three of these albums, Mirage, The Snow Goose and Moonmadness, are regarded as the real Camel classics, but their 1973 debut is almost as compelling.

What makes Camel stand out next to their contemporaries is their style of playing and composing. Latimer leads the band with his distinctive guitar sound: choosing mood and emotion over showmanship, his very melodic riffs are as powerful as they are meaningful. This also had a direct influence of the band’s manner of writing. Despite composing songs that could range up to 12 minutes in length, Camel was never as stubbornly avant-garde as King Crimson, overambitious as Yes, or strongly theatrical like Genesis. While keeping the ground rules of progressive rock intact, the songs that this group produced were far more focused, which also makes them far more accessible. Latimer and his company really tell a story with their music, and such is Camel’s greatest strength.

Though underdeveloped as many debuts are, the band’s first album gives a strong hint of what’s to come with seven very worthy tracks. If you compare it to Camel’s three classics, something immediately notable is how confident the boys became from Mirage onwards. This, however, is not necessarily a bad thing for the album, which sound positively laid-back and welcoming; don’t expect anything of the “Freefall” calibre (if you’ve heard Mirage). The hard-rocking closer “Arubaluba” is the only real moment you’ll find to the band going all out, more of these energetic moments being spread throughout the record in only a modest sense.

“Slow Yourself Down” is pretty indicative of the album’s main sound. Going through several mood changes, it first welcomes you with Latimer’s relaxed vocals (he’s a far better guitar player than he is a singer, but luckily seemed aware of this and used his voice little but effectively), but progresses into a brilliant instrumental display that leaves no doubt to the talents of the musicians that stand behind Latimer. Especially Bardens proves his mastery of the organ, bearing no shame to the Jon Lords of his generation, and Ferguson’s bass and Ward’s drums have absolutely no intention of going by unheard either.

“Separation” and “Curiosity” feature similar moments of such energetic virtuosity, but “Mystic Queen” and “Six Ate” float along like a pleasant dream. The real highlight of the album comes with “Never Let Go,” which acoustic opening was actually the basis for Opeth’s “Benighted” (Camel being one of Mikael Åkerfeldt’s major influences). Latimer’s vocals are at his strongest here, the instrumentation is beautifully moody, and the song concludes with an excellent guitar solo. A track that best shows the enormous potential Camel had in 1973.

Because yes, in the three years that followed, the band would release their three most acclaimed albums, realizing that potential they had going. This debut is not just another example of a stepping stone, but an accomplished work in its own right. While not as good as the group’s later albums, it is a most excellent start and an essential Camel release, as well as a very good starting point to get into their wonderful music.

by Prog Sphere May 22, 2017

Tracks
1. Slow Yourself Down (Latimer, Ward) - 4:47
2. Mystic Queen (Bardens) - 5:40
3. Six Ate (Latimer) - 6:06
4. Separation (Latimer) - 3:57
5. Never Let Go (Latimer) - 6:26
6. Curiosity (Bardens) - 5:55
7. Arubaluba (Bardens) - 6:28
8. Never Let Go (Single Version) 3:36
9. Homage to the God of Light (Recorded Live at The Marquee Club) - 19:01

Camel
*Andrew Latimer - Guitar, Vocals
*Peter Bardens - Keyboards, Vocals
*Doug Ferguson - Bass, Vocals
*Andy Ward - Drums, Percussion

Related Acts
1970  The Answer (2010 esoteric remaster with extra tracks)
1971  Write My Name In The Dust (Japan remaster)

1979  Peter Bardens - Heart To Heart (Japan remaster)

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