''Quicksilver Messenger Service'' is the debut studio

album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...

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 and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Janu ...

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-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. 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 Chester William Powers, Jr. (October 7, 1937 – November 16, 1994) was an American singer-songwriter, and under the stage names Dino Valenti or Dino Valente, one of the lead singers of the rock group Quicksilver Messenger Service. As a songwri ...

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 th ...

" – 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 Gary Duncan (born Eugene Duncan, Jr., adopted at birth and named Gary Ray Grubb, September 4, 1946 – June 29, 2019) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was guitarist with The Brogues, then most notably with Quicksilver M ...

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 (

) #"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 ban ...

- lead guitar *

- rhythm and lead guitar, vocals *

- bass guitar, vocals, viola *

Greg Elmore Gregory Dale Elmore (born September 4, 1946, in the Coronado Naval Air Station, California) is an American drummer, formerly with The Brogues and the San Francisco rock band Quicksilver Messenger Service Quicksilver Messenger Service is a ...

- drums

Charts

; Album Billboard (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