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Happy Trails
Quicksilver Messenger Service
1969
Wikipedia
Reviews
Like a review? Give it a thumb up to help us display relevant reviews!I enjoyed side 1 as, despite it being a 26 minute song in 5 movements, it was accessible and a pleasant listen. Perhaps helped that it was a well known cover ('Who do yo love?'). It was also well performed - I didn't realise it was a live version until the applause at the end. Side 2 is somehow even more self indulgent. 4 songs this time. 2 are ok covers (although Henry from Neighbours still has the definitive version of 'Mona') and the other 2 just sound like dull jams with nothing going on to keep my interest. My snap judgement: QMS maybe good at noodling on a guitar, but are not blessed with much in the way of creativity or songwriting talent.
Quite a confusing album. Didn't really read or hear anything to suggest it's a worthy "1001" album and didn't massively enjoy it either. 4/10
Saved Prior: None Saved Off Rip: None Cutting Edge: None Overall Notes: This is one of those albums where it inspired a lot of music that ended up being much better. The first couple of tracks were pretty cool how they overlapped and sounded like one long jam session, but not something I'll be returning to.
Maybe it was subversive, edgy or outsider when it first came out but it sounds a lot like every jam band since. Reminded me of the Grateful Dead or Jefferson Airplane. I'm not sure why this would be considered important unless it were earlier than the Grateful Dead or Jefferson Airplane and influenced them.
It's ok. Just fine. Don't know why I had to listen to it though. I'm from the SF Bay Area and never heard of Quicksilver Messenger Service before.
Per Wikipedia: Quicksilver Messenger Service began as a SF-based horseback courier, but was forced to pivot their business to psych rock after an unfortunate sexual incident involving a large, valuable parcel and an Appaloosa. Tip of the hat to QMS for somehow, against all odds, squeezing a half hour of juice out of the 2 chord Bo Diddly beat and keeping it pretty interesting. C+ Also very interested to see Josh's review since he usually isn't a fan of live albums but has a special place in his heart for QMS.
Oh Christ, here we go. Even just looking at the cover I can guess two things: nowhere near as country as you'd think, and (probably) psychedelic rock instead. Plus it's 1969, so expectations are low. aaaaand boom, not country at all! Just psychedelic rock, extended jam SHIT. It was so boring I forgot it was on and only paid attention once spotify started playing "radio based on" songs. Fuck this stuff. it's an angry 1/5.
the past 2 acid rock albums ive heard were both pretty underwhelming, but this one was great!!! about half the album is taken up by one long continuous track, apparently it's a bo diddley cover? im gonna be honest ive never heard a bo diddley song i dont think. maybe one on the radio but thats it. the cover is really good though, it goes thru a ton of sections that're all pretty cool (Where You Love is some rly weird improvisational bs for 1969), and the guitar tones are really good. Mona isnt my favorite thing ever but it picks right back up after that! also worth mentioning: this is the first live album ive gotten from this site! not sure how many there are :o very nice guitar tones on here, cool noodling. most of it is instrumental (i kept forgetting there was a vocalist at all) so its pretty nice to put on in the background and just let it go wild in the back of ur brain. great stuff :D 9/10
Love that this was recorded live and hat hte musicians just put thier stamp on some Bo Diddley tunes. Great psych rock record to listen to.
Alright I’m biased as a big fan of psychedelic bands from the 60s, especially ones from San Francisco, but surprisingly I didn’t know much about quicksilver other than hearing who do you love on car commercials. I thought about giving it a 4 because it certainly won’t appeal to everyone or be “objectively” great, but it’s accomplishes everything it’s going for and more. It’s an impressive feat to be a musically talented half forgotten live acid band in the 60s and yet still have your music played in mainstream 2020 commercials.
Fantastic freak out medley on side 1. Then "Mona" Maiden Of The Cancer Moon" Does any other album scream San Francisco more than this?
This was right up my wheelhouse. I was wondering how long track 1 could be when I looked and realized I was deep into track 3. I mean that as a compliment. The whole first side of this album was a fantastic and interesting jam. Like the pig-pen era Grateful Dead with a harder and tighter edge. Great guitar parts. I never heard to this and will come back to this for sure.
This is a wonderful tribute to Bo Diddly. Most of the album is comprised of Bo Diddy covers or Bo Diddly inspired tunes. Side one is a tour de force - Who Do You Love Suite. Almost all rock groups in the late 60s and 70s wore the Bio Diddly influence on their sleeves for a song or tune. What Quicksilver Messenger Service did was something different. Rather than simply play or modify the famous Bo Diddly rhythm, they use it as a starting point and explore all the intricacies contained therein. I also love that it was recorded live at Fillmore East and Fillmore West, but they don’t tell us which coast.
Meu favorito até agora! Kkkk Muito bom. É bem mais rico do que os outros que eu escutei até agora. 5/5. Definitivamente.
It was good. Jazzy in a way that reminded me of Jethro Tull. I would definitely listen to it again.
4/5. Jammy electric guitar riffs and solos, with upbeat drum kicks and deep-voiced vocals. The first 25 minutes is just one long, rambling and waning guitar riff. Great background music for introspective, manly things.
Sounded like a jam session or an experimental album -- didn't realize it was a live recording until I heard the crowd. Luckily, it's a jam session I enjoyed. Would listen again!
Cool jam bad album, starts out strong with "Who do you love" and is basically a set. Solid song changes. Lots of mood changes. Cool album
What the f——-? Mind blowing guitar solos. Like Roy Rogers on acid. Loads of fun but I don’t think I’ll be listening to it again except as mood music for my apocalyptic western RPG.
Alrighty, from Donovan's drippy end of psychedelia, to the proggy jam band guitar wailing end. I enjoyed this a lot. Fave track - the entire first 6 tracks being one long noodly "Who Do You Love?"
Und so sehr der Adamsapfel vor Virilität wie bei Morrison zu bersten droht, und so sehr die Anfänge ein Pendeln im comme il faut der Zeit zwischen Santana und Led Zep gefangen sein mag, es gibt ihn dann doch, den spielfreudigen, freien, jazzig-psychedelischen Ausbruch ganz weit raus. Dorthin, wo der Art Rock das Licht der Welt erblickt hat, Jodorowsky einsam diese Welt zu fassen versucht, Motorpsycho durchs Wurmloch hinüber wandern auf Happy Trails, tripping but not falling.
pretty accessible psychedelic rock with some darker, jazzy blues riffs, and a vague desert-y vibe. Good contemplation music. A bit too long for a casual listen.
Exceeded my expectations. Starts as fairly common 60s rock, then shines with seamless song transitions and fascinating experimentation.
A nice slice of psychedelia. Like a DJ trance mix with guitars. A total surprise and definitely one I'll revisit.
Half the album sounds like an improvised jam session and I am absolutely on board with that. A joyous treat of psychedelic rock and amazing guitar work. Will definitely stay in rotation for me.
Really cool, A side is phenomenal but B side got a little boring, it’ll get played again
Hmmm. They show up with three KSHE Klassics, but none on this album. Fun to listen to, but mostly instrumental. Many of the songs are variations of Bo Diddley's "Who do you Love". I like it. Good jamming background music.
Love me some psych rock and extended jams are my jam so this was right up my alley. The side B tracks are great too.
Cool psych music. Gets pretty far out there at times, perhaps too far out there on Song three. Some of the songs sound straight out of the Mayonnaise fake book, specifically Calvary, which slaps real hard. 4
Opens with a group of songs based around Love, and they're all pretty good. Where You Love gets a little grating to the end with the screaming, but then kicks into the next tune and picks things back up. I should have realized Who Do You Love is a cover, I only know the Thorogood version. After the Love set, we get into "some Rock" as the frontman puts it. It definitely turns away from the bluesy-ness and leans into the psychedelic guitar with the next few songs. Calvary is looooong, I don't know that it needs to go as long as it does. Overall, was excited when the album started as I'm into this type of music, but Calvary was the point I was ready for it to end. Still lots of good in here so it's getting 4 stars, but I think if it was a bit shorter it would have been a 5.
Wow, hard to believe that they made an entire album out of two classic, short songs. I liked this a lot, although some of the more trippy parts of of the jams were a bit much. That said, great guitars and mostly great jams. You can clearly see why they played so many shows on the same bill as the Dead. I will listen to this again and probably download.
I imagine this album is going to score quite well in this group. I thought it was a very interesting concept to have one long song broken up into segments for half the album. I really enjoyed the guitar in When you love. Like when the Dead jam there were some parts I didn’t enjoy as much (where you love) but overall liked this one.
nice overal, at time it can be a bit too instrumental which long lasting random noises but i think its not too bad
Rock Jam session. Lidt lange men sjovt setup. Musikken fejler som sådan ikke noget men live Jam er ikke det samme når man ikke hører det live
I had never heard of this album before it was recommended. It starts out so strong, but the second half of the album is less interesting. Part of me thinks that this album would be better if it was all instrumental. Every time the vocals come in I sort of tune out. 3/5
Some interesting songs on this album, including who do you love. Other than that many songs blended together.
It's impossible to listen to this without at least tapping a foot, shaking your head, dancing a little. That Bo Diddley rhythm is irresistible. I'm not one for solos usually, but the first 'side' of this album is pretty great. I didn't even realise it was live until I read the Wiki page. The B side loses its way a bit though.
The deconstruction of "Who Do You Love" into a whole side of an album was interesting. I liked the album as a whole, don't think I had heard anything by Quicksilver Messenger Service before this.
I remember liking Quicksilver Messenger Service more than this, upon relistening to this record. Maybe it was other records of theirs I liked more? My AP Gov teacher in HS introduced me to them. COOL DUDE
I definitely was feeling a 2, but two elements changed my mind. 1, I was blown away that this was live. 2, the back half is absolutely slappin.
"I've got a tombstone hand in a graveyard mine, Just twenty-two and I don't mind dying," (Who do you love)
Aika kivoja kitararalleja, mutta intensiteetti ei riittänyt ihan koko levyn mitalle. Iloinen ylläri ettei ollut ihan sellaista peruskantria niin kuin kansikuvasta ja nimestä olisi voinut veikata!
Sounds like the kinda stuff me and some buddies jammed to in the basement, so I'm going to muse about improvisational rock for a moment. Typically, the drummer lays down a 4/4 beat and plays that for 64 measures. During that, the guitarist usually plays some sort of noodley riff and the bassist matches up to the key. Play around that for the however many measures then the drummer switches things up. Sometimes there's change in dynamics (see: Where You Love) and sometimes they synchronize to certain "hits". The overarching point is that the band has to be in lockstep with one another (known as being "in the pocket") to know where to make smooth transitions and where to play around for a bit. It's a departure from typical songwriting and requires building on (or borrowing from) foundational elements of the craft started by many others (see: The Grateful Dead and Phish). For 1969, this can be pretty impressive because these guys were at the forefront of "Jam Rock", a genre that isn't super highly regarded. That's why looking back on this today can seem pretty mediocre and uninspired, especially considering the lack of vocals which delegates this to mainly background music than anything. But for what it's worth, I think it's perfectly good. Wouldn't put it on a pedestal or anything, but it has it's place in music history and I think that's worth something.
Strangely enjoyable in parts but also let down by some dreadful recording standards, guitar is lots of fun
A fun psychedelic trip. Some parts of it translate better live-to-album then others, however.
Pretty strange. First half a live album (as always: would be way better to hear the same music as studio versions. I really don't understand what people get out of this...) and then a couple tracks tacked on. I guess this is what some would describe as guitar-wankery. Although I like this kind of music in general, I'm not gonna lie, these guys sound particularly show-offy. They definitely do know how to play their instruments and this was quite pleasant to listen to in the background. But they lose a point for the live music and for the generally lacklustre production of the album, that doesn't quite fit the technicality of the musicianship.
O álbum era bastante secundário, nenhuma música chamou me a atenção ou cativou. Nota:5/10
Did you want to hear a jam band riff on "Who Do You Love?" for most of an album? Happy Trails has got you!
Loved the transitions between the songs and guitar solos. Nothing too extraordinary from this album though. Solid 3.5/5
New band and album to me, but I enjoyed most of the songs. Some felt real jam bandy, but was easy to listen to.
Not a big fan of the first side, also known as the who do you love suite. The second side, or the B side, is what makes this album for me. ‘Mona’ is a very good track.
I feel like I would enjoy this more if I was on acid and seeing it live, otherwise it’s just fine. Some cool sounds going on though.
The first side of the album consists entirely of a live performance of Bo Diddley's song, "Who Do You Love?". In a self-deprecating poke at the rendition's extended length, it is listed as the "Who Do You Love Suite", with individually titled "movements" which give writing credits to the soloist on each segment.
Yet more 60s psych. This one goes "ooooh baby baby *10 min guitar noodling* baby I need your loving". The noodling parts are pretty far-out and cool. It's one of the cleaner and more interesting live albums I've heard - but I still dislike live albums, and would prefer this as a studio recording. 3*, might listen again once in a while.
Kinda cool... Didn't really grab me but I enjoyed having a predominately instrumental rock album for a nice change.
I'm not generally a fan of live albums, but I like this live album because it isn't trying to sound like a live album. Sure, there's some crowd noise, but on the whole it isn't trying to replicate the concert experience. I love hearing moments where they seem to sort of lose their place. Like "oh yeah, I need to stop staring at my fret board and get to the fucking bridge." Fun fluid movement through a psychedelic take on genre mashing. Not my favorite QMS album, but happy trails to you nonetheless, partner.
I understand that this was pretty definitive of this era of rock but i'm not a big fan. There was a lot of really long psychadelic songs that again made it hard to tell each song apart. Not great.
Like a boring mix of Grateful dead and the Allman Brothers. I will probably forget this band as soon as I leave this review.
Happy Trails by Quicksilver Messenger Service (1969) Well, this is a pleasant treat. The psychedelic rock, album-oriented work of QMS is not well-known these days, but it’s instructive for the historical development of much that was to come. Happy Trails is mostly instrumental, improvisational, live, and weird. San Francisco weird, in fact. Bouncing off a Bo Diddly platform, these performances are basically neo-Dadaistic jam sessions with fingers on the knobs of the Marshall amps. It’s best listened to indoors, in the evening, accompanied by mild intoxication, such as a high quality bourbon, open to being interrupted by the insights of close friends. Party music for serious partiers. It’s ‘not thinking’ music, from ‘not thinking’ times. In other words, don’t bother asking “What were they thinking?” They weren’t. Reverb, tremolo, distortion, feedback. Trippy, man. No need to be distracted by the virtuosity of a Jimi Hendrix or the profundity of a Jefferson Airplane or the musicality of a Grateful Dead. These guys were content to let the psychedelic fly solo. Forget the final (and title) track. Good for nostalgia—bringing to mind how it was back then, without the paranoia. 3/5
A little less known today than other pivotal acts from the San Francisco Bay Area (Jefferson Airplane, The Grateful Dead and the likes), Quicksilver Messenger Service sure had an idiosyncratc way of performing the sort of psychedelic folk rock those more famous acts were known for. And nowhere was it more idiosyncratic than on this live album, whose first side is devoted to a long trippy jam based on a Bo Diddley song. Good extended jams are always a question of dynamics and textures, and it is true that, in that area at least, QMS pulls it off quite gracefully. Some very short moments of the "How Do You Love" and "Which Do You Love" sections even inadvertently foretell the great experimentations on rhythm and harmonies that Can would only attempt a few years later from their side of the pond. And some of those great moments can also be found on the second side. See the ending of "Maiden Of The Cancer Moon", or the sepulchral background vocal harmonies lending an unmistakably mystical atmosphere to "Calvary"... Is *this* an essential listen, though? I'm inclined to say it isn't. The problem with extended jams and the album format has always been that one only rarely fits the other--at least in the field of rock'n'roll (jazz is another story, since improvisation is central to its core tenets, contrary to other song-based genres). At best, the album sounds like an interesting archive documenting the progress and skills demonstrated by great musicians at some early points of their careers. But it's nothing more than this, really. "Happy Trails" has no story to tell. It only rarely evokes vivid imagery. Those peaks are there--see my first paragraph--but overall, they are too far and between. And the plains between those peaks are a little too samey, with guitar licks that neither break new grounds nor give some decipherable structure to the whole thing. It's not to say that Quicksilver Messenger Service have exactly been *self-indulgent* when they released this live record (a reproach one can throw at many jam albums). Indeed, there's some form of musical generosity to be found there, and one can sense QMS's gigs have been memorable experiences for their audience at the time--see that part on side one where the audience clap their hands in a way that feels as if they are participating in the performance itself, and not merely enjoying it as outsiders. And yet, today, more than 50 years later, the aesthetics displayed here are just a little too quaint given everything that has since transpired. In other words, the offerings we have here are way too obscure in their true intents to make any sort of sense. Maybe you needed to be there to understand what this thing was all about. Which generally marks the line between "interesting" and "essential". After all, 1969 was a year of many transitions. Prog-rock and krautrock woud soon take free-form experimentation to more promising levels. And decades later, post-rock would show how electric guitars can convey newfound mystical mindsets to its audiences. But you can't blame QSM for trying at least. "Happy Trails" is maybe a lost opportunity in rock history. If more musicians had followed those strange trails winding their way between between early r'n'r and psychedelia, maybe genres in the seventies and beyond would have sounded a little different than they actually did. But no one really ventured there. Those trails are long gone. All that remains now is thickets of wild weeds, dry grass and dust bowls... Number of albums left to review or just listen to: 957 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory listens: 19 Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 8 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important to me): 14 (including this one) Albums I might not be the best person to judge, but that I *might* include in my final list: 3.
Eine gute, nur an wenigen Stellen etwas nervige (v.a. letzter Song), gar nicht sooo psychedelische Sixties-Platte mit ein paar schönen Soli und ein paar durchschnittlichen.
Honestly, I usually don't find much of value in the sixties tips I've had from this project, but I'm enjoying this one.
04/27/2022 Groovy opening tracks with impressive guitar work, but by track 5 it becomes a little too repetitive and predictable. Decent enough, though.
Typical late 60’s psychedelica. Nice and groovy live performance, but also a bit on the average
You know, I'm usually here for the psychedelic jam band vibe. And, for the first few tracks at least, I was digging this record. But then I hit track three which dissolves into pure, nonmusical noise about a minute in leaving the listener to suffer through five minutes of pointless cacophony. They brought it back around to, you know, actual music on the next track but it took most of the remainder of the album to regain its groove. And then, it totally lost the groove all over again on track ten before ending with an atonal rendition of a country song for some unknowable reason. Which is a shame because I can tell that these guys really do have chops. This should have been a much better experience overall. A talented psychedelic jam band recorded live at not one but BOTH of the legendary Fillmore venues? Should have been a slam dunk. But, at the end of the day, it never quite managed to be great. Grateful Dead did it better the very same year. And they only needed one Fillmore to do it.
Begins pretty emphatically with a Bo Didley cover that the first half of the album is devoted to. Two renditions bookend a fifteen minute instrumental. The second half, again is strong - taking a darker turn with Calvary, which is a far more engrossing instrumental than the bulk of the Who Do You Love suite, before ending with a chipper Happy trails. The album is standard of the 60s San Francisco psychedelic scene, I don't think it is anything particularly ground-breaking but all-in-all, an enjoyable album.
Oookay?? Not what I was expecting given the cover art! Think Doors lite, without Jim. Mainly instrumental 60's rock. Ok, but nothing mind blowing.
sometime when the groove works, it really goes. then... most of the time... it's just a bunch of psychedelic noodling.
Live-Platte; wäre ich gern dabei gewesen, trippin on Acid 69 in San Francisco. Andererseits, wo ich tatsächlich dabei war, zB 96 trippin on E bei Underworld hat’s mir auch super gefallen, da kickte die Musik auch mehr. Aber schönes Cover hier, gefällt mir!
Track 3 was a low point, but for the most part it was an inoffensive psychedelic rock album to have on in the background.
never ever heard of this -- no ideas about it... not doing anything special for me; blues-inspired stuff that is sort of jam-band-y probably 2/5 unless it gets better in songs 4-10. it didn't. sort of quiet white-guy bluesy jam band stuff. Forgettable.
I'm quite partial to a good instrumental but you better make sure they're pretty next level if you plan on making an entire album of them. This didn't.
By the track listing, it would seem like this is a concept album or something. This is another band I've never heard of, and it's becoming abundantly clear that the acclaimed and inspirational albums in rock are not those that I generally know about. Let's give it a try. Who Do You Love - Ok - we have a rock record here. The name and the album artwork led to believe I was in for more rock-a-billy stuff. When the vocals come in I hear Jim Morrison style singing for sure. This is 1969, so they were contemporaries. When/Where do you Love - Jamming songs. Lots of avante-garde guitar. It's all liver performance, so it seems to be performance art equal to typical album music if not moreso. Side 2 is kind of the same thing. One traditional rock song followed by some experimental jamming. Like Grateful Dead meets Jethro Tull and Iron Butterfly. There's talent with this band, but it doesn't really lend itself to album listening to me.
I accept that this was probably an important album in the "white men appropriating blues" genre genre and who does not love that? However, it also feels like the album that launched a thousand jam bands so it can burn in hell.
The first half of the album is just a way too long live version of a meh song. The extended almost silent live portions with shouting are just so bad. The second half of the album redeems it a bit, calvary is nice
Jam band album. Not very good. Probably fun to see live but the album is underwhelming.
Psykedeliskt så det förslår! Bandet (med 7 nuvarande och 21 gamla medlemmar) lever SJUKT MYCKET på det här albumet (glid in på deras hemsida och kolla). För lite syra i mitt liv för att verkligen uppskatta detta dock
Þetta er eins og extended síð-sjöunda djamm session. Lítt merkilegur söngur og lagasmíðar. Ekki beint leiðinlegt en allt nema eftirminnilegt.
I didn't skip any tracks, but then again I didn't really listen to it as it just blurs into one amorphous supermarket rock jazz sound blob. Blended into the background of my work and didn't interrupt.
Not bad, but also not much in the way of variety. The lack of variation in their songs, and the fact that they sounded a lot like the free-form style of the GD, just had people deciding to just listen to the GD.
17 year old me would have liked this. 56 year old me? Not so much. Mostly pointless, self-indulgent canoodling with a few interesting moments mixed in. 2 stars.
Not terrible, but not terribly interesting. 65% riffing on 'Who Do You Love' and 35% noodling guitar.
Onpas progea. Ei ole kyllä yhtään omaan makuuni tämä. Hieman enemmän kaipaisin melodisuutta ja rakennetta kaipaan musiikkiini.
An uninspiring cover of the much-covered Who do You Love that morphs into what sounds like a post-concert jam and goes on much longer than it should.
As much as the music wasn’t at all offensive, I didn’t really enjoy listening to a band jam for 30mins. It wasn’t terrible music and would normally be a 2 star, but because half the album is a cover, I have to mark it down as I did for The Sonics. The infamous “star rating system” is nothing without consistency.
Huh. well I listened to this on the walk to class with zero distractions and still couldn't identify a song I enjoyed. It is definitely music, and it definitely played into my ears, and that's about all I know. I guess the fact that much of this was recorded live might contribute to the fact that *snore*
How very boring. Really couldn't see where this was going - or why the band had gone into the recording studio
No pude, de verdad lo intenté. No me parece un buen disco. No me atrapó. Lo escuché unas 5 veces durante el día y no. Será el primer 1 estrella que voto.
If I was on LSD I'm sure this would have been excellent and would have flown by but sadly I was not and it seemed to last 3 weeks.
There are times when bands jam with each other which is fine, however there’s no need to record and release their dicking about to inflict on innocent passer-bys
When I hear the term jam band, this, unfortunately is what comes to mind. Mindless noodling by the guitarist in search of an interesting groove. here they take the class Bo Diddley beat, Who Do You Love and try many different versions, one more boring than the next. My question is, why?
Album live d’un jam-band. Pas vraiment rien d’intéressant ici pour moi. Je ne me suis pas rendu à la fin.
A song I vaguely know followed by 40 minutes of what sounds like people tuning their instruments, concluded by the worst version of Happy Trails I've ever heard.
Sick of these uninspiring 60s psychedelic albums. Nothing remotely interesting going on in this album. 1/5