ALWAYSBACK

9407 - QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE - SHADY GROVE (1969)

QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE
''SHADY GROOVE''
RECORDED IN SAN FRANCISCO AT WALLY HEIDER STUDIOS JULY-AUGUST 1969 AND PACIFIC HIGH RECORDERS AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 1969
DECEMBER 1969
43:03

1 Shady Grove (P. O. Wands) 03:01
2 Flute Song (Denise Jewkes) 05:25
3 Three Or Four Feet From Home (John Cipollina) 02:58
4 Too Far (David Freiberg) 04:28
5 Holy Moly (Nick Gravenites) 04:22
6 Joseph Coat (John Cipollina, Nick Gravenites) 04:39
7 Flashing Lonesome (David Freiberg, Nick Gravenites) 05:25
8 Words Can't Say (David Freiberg, Denise Jewkes) 03:20
9 Edward, The Mad Shirt Grinder (Nick Hopkins) 09:20

Drums, Percussion – Gregory Elmore
Guitar, Vocals – John Cipollina
Piano, Organ, Harpsichord, Celesta, Other (Dog) – Nicky Hopkins
Viola, Bass, Guitar, Vocals – David Freiberg

ABOUT THE ALBUM
BY WIKIPEDIA
Shady Grove is a 1969 album by Quicksilver Messenger Service.

Nicky Hopkins, the English journeyman pianist who appears on albums by Jeff Beck, The Rolling Stones, The Who, all four of The Beatles and Steve Miller, joined the group for this album. Hopkins' influence is felt throughout Shady Grove, and his contributions pushed the group in new directions. However, David Freiberg's vocal presence makes the Quicksilver sound of the first two albums still apparent.

Hopkins re-recorded the closing track, "Edward", on his solo album The Tin Man Was a Dreamer, which features members of the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. (“Edward” was a nickname for Nicky Hopkins, made up by Brian Jones during a 1967 session at Olympic Studios in London. The story goes that Jones was tuning his guitar and asked Hopkins to give him an E on the piano; with other noise interfering and Nicky unable to hear what he was saying, Brian eventually shouted out: "Give me an E, like in Edward!")[1] "Joseph's Coat", co-written by John Cipollina and Nick Gravenites, also appears on Big Brother and the Holding Company's album Be a Brother, which featured Gravenites on vocals.

Original guitarist Gary Duncan does not appear on this album.

BIOGRAPHY/AMG
by William Ruhlmann

The band that became Quicksilver Messenger Service originally was conceived as a rock vehicle for folk singer/songwriter Dino Valente (b. Nov. 7, 1943, d. Nov 16, 1994), author of "Get Together." Living in San Francisco, Valente had found guitarist John Cipollina (b. Aug. 24, 1943, d. May 29, 1989) and singer Jim Murray. Valente's friend David Freiberg (b. Aug. 24, 1938) joined on bass, and the group was completed by the addition of drummer Greg Elmore (b. Sep. 4, 1946) and guitarist Gary Duncan (b. Sep 4, 1946). As the band was being put together, Valente was imprisoned on a drug charge and he didn't rejoin Quicksilver until later.

They debuted at the end of 1965 and played around the Bay Area and then the West Coast for the next two years, building up a large following but resisting offers to record that had been taken up by such San Francisco acid rock colleagues as Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead. Quicksilver finally signed to Capitol toward the end of 1967 and recorded their self-titled debut album in 1968 (by this time, Murray had left). Happy Trails, the 1969 follow-up, was recorded live. After its release, Duncan left the band and was replaced for Shady Grove (1970) by British session pianist Nicky Hopkins. By the time of its release, however, Duncan had returned, along with Valente, making the group a sextet.

This version of Quicksilver, prominently featuring Valente's songs and lead vocals, lasted only a year, during which two albums, Just for Love and What About Me, were recorded. Cipollina, Freiberg, and Hopkins then left, and the remaining trio of Valente, Duncan, and Elmore hired replacements and cut another couple of albums before disbanding. There was a reunion in 1975, resulting in a new album and a tour, and in 1986 Duncan revived the Quicksilver name for an album that also featured Freiberg on background vocals.

TO THE TOP