Sons of Mercury (1968-1975)

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Given its 30 tracks, this two-disc overview is all the Quicksilver anyone but fanatics and scholars of the '60s San Francisco scene will ever need. The band had a couple of powerful spearheads in stinging electric-guitar master John Cipollina and songwriter Dino Valente (who authored Jefferson Airplane's "Let's Get Together"), but they infrequently made musical sense of their own instrumental prowess and pretensions. But as the excellent but truncated live recording of "Who Do You Love" indicates, QMS was the definitive acid-rock band. Fans of Pink Floyd and Phish will find a kindred spirit in the arch, ambling music Quicksilver made. This is a frequently fascinating, rarely humdrum collection. --Roy Kasten

Sons of Mercury (1968-1975),Quicksilver Messenger Service,Rhino / Wea,Acid Rock,Pop,Popular Music,Psychedelic,Rock,Rock/Pop

Sons of Mercury (1968-1975)

Average customer rating:

aqui esta todo lo que necesitas de quicksilver!
My big sister turned me onto this band way back in the 60's.
Very mercurial, very "psychedelic" and ... very, very good
Excellent expose on a quite important band
Excellent Compilation

Sons of Mercury (1968-1975)
Quicksilver Messenger Service
Manufacturer: Rhino / Wea
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Rock | Styles | Music

Psychedelic Rock | Classic Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock | Pop | Styles | Music

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Similar Items:

Unreleased Quicksilver: Lost Gold and Silver
Happy Trails
What About Me
Just for Love
Classic Masters

ASIN: B0000032MS
Release Date: 1991-07-02

Tracks:

Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You
Codine
I Hear You Knockin' (It's Too Late)
Pride Of Man
Light Your Windows
Dino's Song
The Fool
Gold And Silver
Bears
Who Do You Love (Single Edit)
Mona
Maiden Of The Cancer Moon
Calvary
Happy Trails

Tracks:

Shady Grove
Flute Song
Joseph's Coat
Edward, The Mad Shirt Grinder
Fresh Air
Cobra
Subway
What About Me
Local Color
Hope
Fire Brothers
Don't Cry My Lady Love
I Found Love
Doin' Time In The U.S.A.
Gypsy Lights
Cowboy On The Run

Amazon.com

Given its 30 tracks, this two-disc overview is all the Quicksilver anyone but fanatics and scholars of the '60s San Francisco scene will ever need. The band had a couple of powerful spearheads in stinging electric-guitar master John Cipollina and songwriter Dino Valente (who authored Jefferson Airplane's "Let's Get Together"), but they infrequently made musical sense of their own instrumental prowess and pretensions. But as the excellent but truncated live recording of "Who Do You Love" indicates, QMS was the definitive acid-rock band. Fans of Pink Floyd and Phish will find a kindred spirit in the arch, ambling music Quicksilver made. This is a frequently fascinating, rarely humdrum collection. --Roy Kasten

Customer Reviews:

aqui esta todo lo que necesitas de quicksilver!.......2007-01-08

excelente antologia de una banda que supo cabalgar por el frenesi indomito de la psicoldelia sesentosa, con un estribo en la sombra de bob didley y el otro estribo colgando de tormentas acidas...la guitarra de cipollina al frente, la improvisacion por camino y toda la actitud para quedar en la memoria de toda una generacion..(nos podremos acordar de algo???)

My big sister turned me onto this band way back in the 60's........2006-11-03

I am 2 years younger than my sister, and she hung out with the crowd that appreciated "Album Rock", while I was stuck on AM radio top 40. She made a bet with me that if I would listen to her music for one week, that I would never turn it off again. She won that bet. QSMS is a group that expanded my mind. They did not sing about only love, betrayal and the usual mainstay of that generation. Instead, I found myself hearing about the loss of Mother Nature, Social Injustice, Drugs and definitely progressive album rock and roll. They were so ahead of their time. They were a group who evolved as did the Beatles as they matured. If you have never experienced QSMS, I suggest that you do it today. You will not regret having experienced the beautiful harmonies and long ballads that they crafted. This anthology covers their entire career and all of their music and gives you a biography of how and why. Give them a listen.

Very mercurial, very "psychedelic" and ... very, very good.......2006-10-28

This two-CD set first appeared in 1991. Rhino released it, which is very lucky because this label chooses mastering engineers who really know their job : the digital transfers are first rate, even after 15 years. It remains, to this day, the best anthology of the music laid down by one of the finest bands to come out the Bay Area's improvisatory acid rock scene in the '60s band.

The set begins with QMS's earliest released tracks, both of folk origin: "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" and a cover of the Buffy Sainte-Marie classic "Codine". Both tracks first appeared on the OST of "Revolution" (1998) when the signature sound of this first incarnation of the band was already fully formed.

"I Hear You Knockin' (It's Too Late)" was not previously released on the original band LP's; it is a lovelorn ballad quite nice to hear but not really outstanding either.

Five of the band's six original tracks released on their debut LP come next. The twin guitars of John Cippolina and Gary Duncan bring out the kind of sonic dreamscapes that marked the finer examples of the genre.
Although Cippolina's highly melodic, twangy, vibrato laden, individualistic lead guitar style dominates the proceedings, Gary Duncan should not be considered a second gun; his interest in Jazz as well as his guitar interplay with Cippolina was crucial to the Quicksilver sound as a whole.
Whilst Duncan favored electrified Gibson L-5 and tube amplification, Cippolina woud go for a solid state amplification for his bridge pick-up and would use tube amps to amplify his neck pick-up. This was used, at will, with lots of effect pedals controlling, among others, a series of Wurlitzer tweeters. Manager Ron Polte's composition "Too Long", the weakest track on the first LP is left off whilst the single "Bears" (10/1968) - something of a rarity - is included. This "rarity" really sucks as far as I am concerned and I think that it would have been better to include Polte's title instead (so delivering the whole content of their first LP).
While some may prefer the mostly live "Happy Trails", this eponymous collection is, IMO, their strongest set of studio material. Despite the guitar pyrotechnics, the band lays the accent firmly on melodic folk-rock.
Highlights include their cover of folksinger Hamilton Camp's "Pride of Man," probably their best studio track; "Light Your Windows" is possibly the group's best original composition; and Dino Valenti's catchy "Dino's Song". "Gold and Silver" is their best instrumental jam, and the 12-minute "The Fool" reflects some of the better aspects of the psychedelic era.

This is followed by a large portion of their highly acclaimed follow-up, "Happy Trails", which combined concert tapes later "sweetened" in the studio. The whole of side two of the LP is included. This suits me fine as I have always like this LP side better. As regards the long and quite patchy "suite" featured on side one, it is represented by the single edit of "Who Do You Love". This is because the full-length live version does take up an entire first side of the LP. This will not please the devotees but this compilation is not released with the completists in mind.

Disc two opens with four tracks from their third LP titled "Shady Grove". Gary Duncan having departed, he was "replaced" by ace British session pianist Nicky Hopkins. I recall being quite surprised to hear this LP in 1970 but it grew on me and I still find it very good to listen to today. It his, however, very different from their previous guitar-dominated LP's.
There are really outstanding songs on this album. I am particularly fond of "Flute Song" and Hopkins' tour de force titled "Edward, The Mad Shirt Grinder". I think this album is really underrated.

One year later, Gary Duncan came back with Dino Valenti in the third incarnation of the band. From this point on, the compilation cherry picks the arguably best tracks from their subsequent LP's, which became increasingly self-indulgent. I can attest that every track chosen by Rhino is of great artistic quality. "Cobra", "Fresh Air", "What About Me", "Fire Brothers", "Hope" and "Don't Cry My Lady Love" are really choice quality stuff.

I wholeheartedly recommend this set.

Excellent expose on a quite important band.......2006-06-21

You want to know about Quicksilver Messenger Service? This is the best class around I imagine. It'll show you what Gary Duncan, John Cipollina, David Freiberg, Greg Elmore, Dino Valenti, Nicky Hopkins and Jim Murray made happen in the late sixties. BTW the sleeve has lots of information too, but I especially am applauding the musical selection. Any old CD: $14.99; this collection: priceless!

Excellent Compilation.......2003-11-23

This is a wonderful collection of songs from the greatest American jam band of all time. However, it's not nearly as fascinating as the LOST GOLD AND SILVER compilation. The main reason for that is because this album doesn't have any live material (besides the inevitable selections from HAPPY TRAILS), whereas LOST GOLD AND SILVER had some live performances that were simply out of this world. On the other hand, this album chronichles the entire career of the band from the beginning to the end. But there are some songs that were left out that I feel should've been included.
The post-HAPPY TRAILS albums are all extremely difficult to find, so for me, this album is essential because it contains various tracks from those albums. Disc one opens with three rare tunes, two of which they recorded for the "Revolution" film. First is "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" (quite different from the Led Zep song of the same name), an outstanding rocker with a searing, exquisite solo from my main man John Cipollina. Did I mention that he's my favorite guitarist in the world? Well he is, and this here solo that he delivers is simply awesome. "Codine", on the other hand, is an anti-drug tune. I love the one part where it gets really calm and quiet and then, all of a sudden, they tear back into it, with Duncan wailiing out "STAY AWAY...!". Killer song. And also included is a previously unreleased blues song called "I Hear You Knockin' (It's Too Late)". A different version of this song can be heard on the LOST GOLD AND SILVER compilation, with horns added in. This version sounds better, though, with no horns and a lot more of an 'echoey' sound. And a great solo from John. The rest of the songs on disc one are from the debut album and HAPPY TRAILS, which I have already discussed on their respective reviews.
Disc two is actually more intriguing. Four songs from the SHADY GROVE album are included. The title track is a psychedelic remake of an old bluegrass song, with that great piano intro from the one and only Nicky Hopkins. And I can't believe that nobody ever talks about "Flute Song", it's one of the most beautiful songs that I've ever heard. I had no idea that David Freiberg could sing that good. The vocal melody is to die for. "Joseph's Coat" is an eerie number with lyrics that I can't quite figure out, but there's no denying the sheer haunting atmosphere of the vocals. And what we have next might be the finest moment on the whole album: The nine-minute instrumental "Edward, The Mad Shirt Grinder", which features some of the most glorious piano playing ever caught on an album. This is where Hopkins really shows his dexterity, and toward the end, he goes crazy and seems to hit about 1,000 keys per second! One of the most gifted pianists that I've ever heard in my life. "Fresh Air" was the closest the band ever came to a hit-single, and it's not hard to see why. The lyrics are far from brilliant, and in fact they're so simplistic that it's kind of silly, but how can you not love that chorus? "OOOOOOHHHHHHH, HAVE ANOTHER HIT". It's obviously a metaphoric song about the pleasures of marijuana. John's solo is quite wonderful too. And speaking of John, two of his guitar instrumentals are included here, "Cobra" and "Local Color". The former was recorded in Hawaii, where they recorded the JUST FOR LOVE album, and the song actually has a Hawaiian feel to it. The latter is even better, with John throwing in some slide guitar this time. The only problem I have with it is that you can't really tell which guitar is John's and which is Duncan's (or perhaps it's ALL John's playing and he used some overdubs, who knows?). "Subway" is a cool little rocker with a solid riff and more piercing guitar work (John and Gary just never let up), and "What About Me" is Valenti's famous enviornmentalist anthem. The lyrics may sound like pure 'hippie' lyrics, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. After all, what's wrong with wanting world peace and caring about our planet?
The post-Cipollina songs are a mixed bag. Most of them are rather lame, but some of 'em are alright.

Tracks:

The Island Princess: Tpt Aire/Sym Of Flatt Trumpits
'Mr. Handel's Water Piece': Ste in D: I. Ov
'Mr. Handel's Water Piece': Ste in D: II. Gigue (Allegro)
'Mr. Handel's Water Piece': Ste in D: III. Aire (Menuetto)
'Mr. Handel's Water Piece': Ste in D: IV. March I (Bouree) - March II
The Choice Of Hercules: I. Ov (Largo-Allegro)
The Choice Of Hercules: II. March
Europe Revells In Ye Peace: Sym
'Ste De Clairque' (Tpt Voluntary Ste): I. Prld: The Duke Of Gloster's March; Minuet & Sybelle...
'Ste De Clairque' (Tpt Voluntary Ste): II. Ser & Ecossaise
'Ste De Clairque' (Tpt Voluntary Ste): III. Bourre & Hornpipe
'Ste De Clairque' (Tpt Voluntary Ste): IV. Gigue
'Ste De Clairque' (Tpt Voluntary Ste): V. Rondeau: The Prince Of Denmark's March (Tpt Voluntary)
The Fairy Queen: Sym To Act IV: I. Intro - Canzona
The Fairy Queen: Sym To Act IV: II. Adagio
The Fairy Queen: Sym To Act IV: III. Battle (Allegro) - Pastoral - Battle
The Indian Queen: Tpt Ov To Act II
Son in E, Op.3 No.5: I. Allegro
Son in E, Op.3 No.5: II. Largo
Son in E, Op.3 No.5: III. Giga: Allegro
Atalanta: Ov: I. Adagio - Allegro
Atalanta: Ov: II. Andante
The Judgment Of Paris: Recitative: Awake, Awake, Thy Spirits Raise; Aire: Hark, Hark, The Glorius...
Birthday Song For Queen Mary: Come Ye Sons Of Art (Ov & Chor): I. Sym (Largo - Allegro)
Birthday Song For Queen Mary: Come Ye Sons Of Art (Ov & Chor): II. Adagio
Birthday Song For Queen Mary: Come Ye Sons Of Art (Ov & Chor): III. Ritornello - Chor
Funeral Music For Queen Mary: I. March
Funeral Music For Queen Mary: II. Canzona
Funeral Music For Queen Mary: III. March (Reprise)
Alfred: 'Rule Britannia'

Tracks:

Pomp And Circumstance Military: March No.1 in D, Op.39 - English Str Orch/William Boughton
Pomp And Circumstance Military: March No.2 in a, Op.39 - English Str Orch/William Boughton
Pomp And Circumstance Military: March No.3 in c, Op.39 - English Str Orch/William Boughton
Pomp And Circumstance Military: March No.4 in G, Op.39 - English Str Orch/William Boughton
Pomp And Circumstance Military: March No.5 in C, Op.39 - English Str Orch/William Boughton
The Pirates Of Penzance: Ov - SCO/Alexander Faris
HMS Pinafore - Ov - SCO/Alexander Faris
Ste: The Planets, Op.32: Jupiter, The Bringer Of Jollity - Philharmonia Orch/William Boughton
Te Deum - Christ Church Cathedral Chor, Oxford/Stephen Darlington
Vars On An Original Theme, Enigma, Op.36: IX. Nimrod - English SO/William Boughton
The Old Hundredth Psalm Tune - Christ Church Cathedral Chor, Oxford/Stephen Darlington

Customer Reviews:

A Great British collection.......2005-10-05

This CD features several particular composers who have written pieces of music that are quintessentially British: Jeremiah Clarke, George Frideric Handel, John Stanley, John Eccles, Henry Purcell, William Corbett, Edward Elgar, Arthur Sullivan, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Gustav Holst and Thomas Arne. The pieces here are triumphant, celebrating that particular period of Empire when the British ruled vastly such that the sun never set upon it - one of the key elements of such triumphant music-making, particularly for the time, was the use of brass and trumpet. Some of the later composers included here draw on inspirations from these earlier times.

One of the featured performers on this collection is John Wallace, who was principal trumpet of the Philharmonia Orchestra since the 1970s; he founded the brass ensemble, the Wallace Collection, ten years later in 1986. In 2002, he became principal of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, Scotland, and the Wallace Collection gave their last performance shortly thereafter. However, the Wallace Collection lives on in performances on CD such as this one, performed with William Boughton and the English String Orchestra. Other tracks are performed by Scottish Chamber Orchestra conducted by Alexander Faris and the English String Orchestra conducted by Stephen Darlington.

Pieces here are very familiar to anyone with an interested in British national composition -- pieces such as the Water Music by Handel are very famous, as are Holst's 'Planets' and Sullivan's (of Gilbert & Sullivan) 'Pinafore'; other pieces, such as Clarke's 'Trumpet Voluntary', are similarly famous even if their composers did not achieve the 'brand recognition' that Handel did. All of the composers here came from the period spanning the late 1600s to the late 1700s, when music was as often written for music halls and public performances as it was for royal events and commissions.

The performances here are uniformly upbeat and well played, with little by way of blemish save the occasional drop and surge in levels (as often becomes the case when recording music with sharp brass elements).

One can envision theatres full of people waving Union Jacks while this plays, and many of the pieces have a quality about them that speaks directly to the time and place of Britain.

If you like Baroque music, buy it; it is excellent.......2005-06-29

If you like Baroque music, buy this 2 CD's BOX SET; it is excellent. Clarke, Handel, Purcell, Corbet and so on are very well played. The orchestration is very good, the quality of recording is excellent. Remember that Baroque music uses mainly a single trumpet, few other brass instruments, some woodwinds and very few drums. It is very easy, elegant and pleasant to listen. When I got married in 2003, I have chosen only Baroque music for the ceremony and the banquet because Baroque music is so lovely, so delicate and so sweet. Even if you have never heard or you think that you have never heard Baroque music, buy this CD; I tell you, you will not regret your choice because it is really an excellent CD. You have my words.

Average customer rating:

Britannia rules the (air) waves

Rule Britannia

Manufacturer: Wallace Collection
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Odes | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00005MLRD
Release Date: 2001-06-26

Customer Reviews:

Britannia rules the (air) waves.......2005-05-17

This CD features seven particular composers who have written pieces of music that are quintessentially British: Jeremiah Clarke, George Frideric Handel, John Stanley, John Eccles, Henry Purcell, William Corbett, and Thomas Arne. The pieces here are triumphant, celebrating that particular period of Empire when the British ruled vastly such that the sun never set upon it - one of the key elements of such triumphant music-making, particularly for the time, was the use of brass and trumpet. This CD focusses upon pieces that have a heavy brass element, featuring the trumpet performance of John Wallace.

John Wallace was principal trumpet of the Philharmonia Orchestra since the 1970s; he founded the brass ensemble, the Wallace Collection, ten years later in 1986. In 2002, he became principal of the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow, Scotland, and the Wallace Collection gave their last performance shortly thereafter. However, the Wallace Collection lives on in performances on CD such as this one, performed with William Boughton and the English String Orchestra, with Edmund Barham and the Leeds Festival Chorus accompanying.

Pieces here are very familiar to anyone with an interested in British national composition -- pieces such as the Water Music by Handel are very famous; other pieces, such as Clarke's 'Trumpet Aire' and Arne's 'Rule Britannia', are similarly famous even if their composers did not achieve the 'brand recognition' that Handel did. All of the composers here came from the period spanning the late 1600s to the late 1700s, when music was as often written for music halls and public performances as it was for royal events and commissions.

The performances here are uniformly upbeat and well played, with little by way of blemish save the occasional drop and surge in levels (as often becomes the case when recording music with sharp brass elements).

The CD insert includes a brief and engaging essay by John Humphries, who discusses the music and the national mood of the time, as well as bits of trivia for the reader (writing of the Water Piece by Handel here, he writes, 'This was produced in 1733 by Daniel Wright, who, according to Hawkins, "never published anything that he did not steal", so it is possible that Handel did not, in fact, authorise the work's publication.')

One can envision theatres full of people waving Union Jacks while this plays, and many of the pieces have a quality about them that speaks directly to the time and place of Britain.

Average customer rating:

Strident Style

Rule Brittania

Manufacturer: Nimbus Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Odes | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000E07B
Release Date: 1992-12-02

Customer Reviews:

Strident Style.......2005-08-06

John Wallace demonstrates considerable zeal in the performance of these pieces from his homeland. His style is really vastly different from any other trumpeter's I've heard; his tonguing is often explosive, and his vibrato (he uses it rarely) is slow and long. His volume is powerful. While I think his playing is ill-suited the the Italian baroque, he does capture the imperialist grandeur of the Empire in his playing. The highlight of the album is Arne's Rule Britannia. Edmund Barham's strong tenor is a good match for Wallace, and they cut throught the at-times cumbersome chorus.

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