Happy Trails

Fans of the Grateful Dead will enjoy the half-hour long ramble through Who Do You Love, though I don't think their improv chops are quite up to it. Still, I enjoyed it.

1969 acid rock at fillmore east Who do you love

„Happy Trails” ist das zweite Album der US-amerikanischen Psychedelic-Rock-Band Quicksilver Messenger Service, erschienen 1969 bei Capitol Records. Der größte Teil entstand im November 1968 live im Fillmore East in New York und im Fillmore West in San Francisco. Nur „Calvary” und der Titelsong wurden im Studio nachgelegt, welches Studio das war, lässt sich nicht belegen. Beim Genre bleibt es nicht beim Acid Rock: Blues und ein Schuss Country sind überall zu hören. Die gesamte erste Seite nimmt die „Who Do You Love Suite” ein, Bo Diddleys Nummer, auf gut 25 Minuten gedehnt und in sechs Teile zerlegt. Cipollina und Duncan teilen sich Solo und Rhythmus, im Stereobild sauber getrennt, und man hört, dass sie einander zuhören. Cipollina selbst hielt das Ganze für einen Zwei-Akkord-Jam. Das stimmt vermutlich, und trotzdem wird es nie dünn. Auf Seite zwei kommt Bo Diddley noch einmal mit „Mona”, getragen von stampfenden Toms und Freibergs pulsierendem Bass. „Calvary” läuft über 13 Minuten und lässt sich Zeit. Am Ende steht „Happy Trails”, nicht einmal eine Minute lang, mit schleppendem Gesang von Greg Elmore und Honky-Tonk-Klavier. Nach dem Vorangegangenen ist das ein Witz, der genau richtig sitzt. Platz 27 in den US-Charts und Gold zeigen, dass das damals nicht nur Insider so sahen.

7/10

Not what I expected given the band and album name (and album art), but I enjoyed it

There are better quicksilver albums and better live ones - this was a hippie relic played on fm radio but guess you had to be there - and be pretty stoned

Yesss! This is music aligned with my DNA, I recognise it as if it's a blood relative.

#280/1001 🇺🇸 There is a time and a place for this album, without reading into it - i thought this had late 60s San Fran (live at the Filmore) written all over it. Turns out i was right. I'm sorry but a 25 minute - 6 part take of a Bo Didley tune is just too much. Then following it up with another 7 minute cover of another Bo Didley track is just a little bit more than a tribute. I don't deny that it would have been thrilling to see live but its not doing it for me today. Best track: Happy Trails.

I didn't realize this was a live album until the second listen, the energy wasn't there for a lot of the album and it ran a little long for my liking

This album is pretty much built around one guitar riff. It’s nice at times, but every couple of songs the groove fizzles out and then comes back with some minor variations on the theme, and it gets kind of tired by the halfway point.

One of the surprise so far on that challenge. I don’t know what to say about that record. It’s very rocky, and I like to think that sometimes it was improvised. Problem is, I don’t know if I like it or not. I was listening to it at work, and I wasn’t paying attention that much, so that’s a good sign, but I wasn’t looking around because there was a good riff as well. I think on the end, there’s good flashes, but not enough to really appreciate it. 2/5. Who Do You Love, Pt. 1: 2 When You Love: 2 Where You Love: 2 How You Love: 2 Which Do You Love: 2 Who Do You Love: 2 Mona: 2 Maiden of the Cancer Moon: 2 Calvary: 2 Happy Trails: 2

Quicksilver Messager Service is the San Francisco hippie band from the 60s that most people have never heard of even though they were highly influential in the scene at the time. You can tell that they were part of the same acid rock scene as Grateful Dead and Jefferson Airplane. What makes Quick Messenger Service distinct is the dueling guitars, two distinct styles playing off each other. The guitar playing on this album is fantastic! Before giving this album a second listen, I read that it embodies the live music scene at the time and this knowledge made the album even more enjoyable. What an interesting time and place to be able to experience today through the music that was left behind.

What an odd album. The whole time I listened to it it felt like I was listening to a Doors-like band playing other people's blues numbers--really just paying homage to Bo Diddly--but at the same time I was sort of mesmerized with how well they avoided the seemingly-inevitable noodling aspect of epic jam sessions. This was particularly true for the "Who do you love suite", which managed to take up the whole first side and yet seemed well-paced even without much in the way of vocals. I'm not sure if they were just particularly disciplined when they played at the Filmores East and West, or if they were always on the same page when they played together, but I really appreciated how this largely-live album rarely descended into Grateful Dead/Colonel Bruce Hampton/Phish-like endless wandering (the odd spaghetti-western-soundtrack-like "Cavalry" had its moments, I'll admit, possibly because they ended up using a studio version). I'm not sure I'd intentionally revisit this album, but I'm glad to have heard a late 60s San Francisco band that knew how to keep it together. I also wonder if Van Halen was inspired by these guys to end "Diver Down" with a fun a cappella rendition of "Happy Trails"?

It's pretty underwhelming from the off, with lots of generic noodling rather than properly defined songs. It's the kind of noodling and jamming that doesn't seem to have much purpose or overall form. It's kind of weak and meandering with no proper connective tissue. The second half seemed to start with some promise of doing something a bit more cohesive, and then almost straight away turned to pretentious wank. It's the type of music that takes itself way too seriously. I'll concede... some moments have some real atmosphere to them (like sections of 'Cavalry') and I have to credit the musicianship at times. But let's be honest, this is mostly shit. The album cover couldn't be further removed from the content on here, apart from the last track, which is jarring. Weird. 1.5 rounded up.

There isn't much promising in the prospect of a twenty minute jam on the Bo Diddly Beat. But, to the credit of Quicksilver Messenger Service, they put a bit of movement and variety into it. At least until the guitar solos start. Maybe it is self-disgust, but, when the guitarist achieves no better than I would do under the same circumstances - quavers wandering up and down the scale; nothing close to narrative or expression - I can't give them much credit. A jam is a lot of fun and I'd be having a great time if this was me and my band. Twenty minutes is nothing. We could honk on this for hours. But that doesn't deserve to be on a record. It lacks the daring and abrasiveness of the improvisations on Tago Mago say, which would be still more fun to play than to listen to. But, for all the SF freak scene may have been far out, this improvisation is well within the limits of a talentless hack like me. 1.5 Listening to this I was reminded of Billy Corgan and the fellow up the front who interrupted Billy’s long, feedback-laden solos with a cry of ‘play a fucking song you baldy bastard’. Of course we all knew that Billy had very good songs he could have been playing and I wasn’t sure that Quicksilver Messenger Service did. So I listened twice with as much good will as I could muster. 1/5

It sounds like a 50 minute jam and it's alright.

i don't know maybe in the future

Album #174: Happy Trails - Quicksilver Messenger Service Genre (W): Psychedelic rock, acid rock No singles. I have listened to this album once before. Thoughts?: This album drags a lot, it ends up getting boring pretty fast when it’s the same sort of playing for over a half hour. Favorite tracks: Mona, Cavalry

Really enjoyed that, could be a 5 on relistens

3.5

Sounds like if the Grateful Dead had a standing appointment to listen to Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds every Wednesday evening

It's an album-long jam session, which gets tedious near the end. But overall this is a good jam session. Less pretentious than a lot of other late-60s odysseys because it sticks to rock and roll and doesn't try to invent a new form of music.

не думал что мне зайдет когда понял что это психодел рок сразу какое-то пренебрежение появилось однако, если поместить меня в рамки психодела, то я могу это слушать, местами занимательно и не уныло, не скучно, атмосферно и динамично пока что нравится, но психодел в целом я бы не переслушивал) 3.0

Smooth, blues-y rock. Pretty good, though the only thing notable about the album is that it came out in the 60s.

It’s listenable.

Surprisingly OK

6/10

3/5 Jam band vibe

Very interesting listen. I've always liked the band name and album art. My folks had this on vinyl but don't know if I ever listened to the whole thing. It starts out with "Who Do You Love Pt I" and then run through 3 psychedelic songs called like "How you Love" "When you Love" etc. before coming back 15 mins later to "Who Do You Love Pt II." One of the best album setups of THIS IS THE SAME SONG?!?! haha That was 2 sides and the next 2 were just some more regular songs rather than the 1 big one. Very creative. Sounded like an influence to Zeppelin & "Moby Dick" that came out later the same year.

I liked this a lot for being all instrumental!

OK what a journey. even learning about the story behind this album is insane. Love this era, love this style of music, very fun

These guys clearly had a lot of fun doing what they did here, but it didn't really hit me.

Good album

Pretty sloppy.

Has its moments but it tended to drag and I was never sure where these "trails" were leading.

com essa capa eu jurava que viria outro country meia boca que eu detesto, mas simplesmente é um acid rock viajadão muito do massa. apesar disso, faltou uma faixa pancada preu gostar mais.

Yea this was a bunch of nothing

And there was me hoping for a good album today.

vannak rajta jó dalok, de alapvetően nagyon pszichedelikus és hangulat kell ahhoz hogy hallgasd

The 27 minute Who Do You Love jam is unreal. It’s hard for the rest of the album to live up to, and it doesn’t

Was not a lot to grab me on this one with the long low key jam session style songs. The light rock/ psychedelics can work in other settings but here I had to struggle to pay attention, especially through the Love medley.

So stupid

This was horrible

обложка красивая

At a certain point, this record became good background music for my morning. Unfortunately, that doesn't say a ton in regards to the substance of the album and they way it (didn't) capture my attention. A fun effort, if not a little flat and self-indulgent at times.

It goes on, and on, and on, and on, and on, and on.....not a Jam-band kinda guy, so this is lost on me.

I want to like QMS so much. I keep trying. My absolute favorite genre is psychedelic rock from the late 60s, but QMS just doesn't do it for me. I find it boring and uninspired. I feel like they are all drugged out and barely have the energy to get through a song. Not for me no matter how hard I try. However I LOVE the guitar sound and effects.

Greatly anticipated listening to 60's that I havenDisappointed. Not what i expected. Dissappointed. Music seemed confused and non cohesive

One long dragging on song throughout!!!

Insanely great jam on that first half but if I'm being completely honest, I probably would've used 7 minutes of that time to quick use the bathroom and buy another beer. I've never been a big appreciator of QSMS but they've got a great vibe and cut their teeth alongside the Grateful Dead, Country Joe, and other SF rock scene legends, so of course they're due a little respect

This was sick, totally deconstructed jam session spin on Who Do You Love comprises side one. Side Two is a little bit slacker but still has some deep grooves you can melt into. I think this has incredible focus for what it is.

Unsurprisingly, this is very very good. So versatile.

Honky tonk

Late 60’s psychedelic rock band

The 25-minute Bo Diddley "cover" jam sesh isn't doing it for me. Long, meandering crap. Doesn't sound terrible for a live album I suppose. The content really just isn't for me. The second half of the album is more long, meandering jammy crap. It's capped off by a half-assed out-of-tune "Happy Trails". Good riddance. A live album has to be REALLY good for me to enjoy it, and this definitely isn't that.

This really isn't what I thought it was. I was expecting a solid country album, but I got an *extremely* solid epic, jamming rock album. Happy Trails is largely instrumental, and while it doesn't reflect the country aesthetic of the band's name or the album's artwork much, it *does* manage to conjure the sparse majesty of the high plains with epic guitars, sprawling songs, and dynamic ideas. I had to do a lot of Midwest highway driving today, which may as well be what this thing was made for. I am very pleased.

Better than Coldplay

Almost every song sounds the same. Not for me.

Can noodle on guitar. But my god is it dull.

Great guitar tone. The jamming goes on a bit long for me though.

2nd half was a bit better - but not much

Original sound

This is so not my kind of music. Listening to a jam concert you didn't go to, is much like listening to noises of a long lasting copulation that you didn't partake in. No matter how good the actors/musicians were, it just isn't the same as being there. And listening to guitar noodling for an hour, almost totally deplete of hooks, is such a chore. Such. A. Chore.

One long cover that was weird but good?

Well not at all what I was expecting but cool nonetheless. If you gave me a hundred guesses instumental kinda post rock would not be one of those 100. Im not 100% sure what to call it but this should be a country record. Im glad its not somehow. This kind of music would not be my number one choice. I usually get bored and just kinda glaze over when music is this way. But surprisingly not here. Its mixed up enough and flows and changes constantly. It makes it fine. Good even. Blows my mind. And a basically 25 minute song? That should end my life. But no. And I know its broken up into like 6 songs but its all one continuous peice of music. And its good. Lots going on from start to finish. Its pretty killer. And I expected more straightforward songs after that with the titles but nope again more similar stuff. Thats this albums biggest strength. It sets you up and pulls the rug over and over again. Its really cool honestly. Im so surprised I didnt hate this. Once it started I was so skeptical but it changed my mind pretty quick. If you like ebbing and flowing kinda pych rock stuff give this a whirl. Its sicker than it seems. Also shits live. What the fuck. Damn give it a go

I like the guitar playing and the amount of feedback, but I don't think I'll be coming back to this album.

Not bad.

Boomer bands will make Who Do You Love their entire personality. Mildly more interesting on the B side.

Interesting and a bit too hippy dippy

I will always rate fun highly! :)

Crazy weekend kept me from listening to this front to back, but I actually think that helped me hear these songs a little better... listening in little two and three song chunks. Anyway, great psychedelic San Francisco stuff here...can't quite go four though. 3.65

Interesting, and had some good moments, but ultimately not what I'm interested in.

Idk, didn't feel it

Not for me

Nice jam band stuff from the San Fran 60’s

I really like the feel of this album. Every song sounds like it could have played over the end credits of a particularly good episode of Mad Men.

I’ve never enjoyed jam band albums. It does absolutely nothing for me. “I’m going to play the same three notes with nothing else for a full minute in a song, people are going to love this.” Sure, maybe there’s the occasional little riff or interesting bit in there. But it’s so infrequent. This album is no exception. I had high hopes based on the album art. Thought it could be some Marty Robbins type thing. Would’ve hugely preferred that.

Would happily never listen to this again.

I really didn't know what to make of this album.

fantastic

This was out of fuckin nowhere awesome. Not even a huge fan of psychedelic rock but this was more like psych-noise-classic-jam-orchestral-tribal-like nothing I've ever heard before but also like everything I've ever heard before in the best way. And then it just ends with a completely out of place little country ditty ending and folks we have a five star discovery.

I wasn't a young adult in the 1960s, and I don't have any desire to take drugs, so these long-winded acid jam bands are never going to do anything for me.

Starts off with a decent cover of Bo Diddley’s who do you love, and that’s about all this album has going for it. It’s a psych jam cluster fuck. Incoherence abounds.

Ok

This reviewer might be a little prone to exaggeration sometimes, I admit. But Im not exaggerating in the slightest when I say that this might be the most uninspired album I‘ve ever listened to. It‘s so uninspired it‘s almost interesting to listen to because this is the best they could come up with

Incredible! This is one rare album that masterfully treads a fine line between annoyance and boredom. Seriously: why should I care about listening to a 50 mins long jam of some guys who are neither very skilled musicians nor have particular interesting ideas, instrumentation, energy, or whatever? I guess one could enjoy it a little more while being there in person and being *very* high...

This feels like one long psychedelic trip that should have never happened

Never heard of this band. they were better than I expected.

Good musicality, but, not really that interesting.

Meh II: Meh Harder

Glorious, flowing, exploratory hippy rock and roll

Boring!!!

An okay album. Nothing stands out about it. Fairly inoffensive

Wow! This was great. Reminiscent of the door but jazzed and without pretense. I even like the track naming convention. Happily impressed!

I fucked my own ass one time, ya know.

Very unimpressive for being on this list

Decent jam rock record, mostly meandering and forgettable.

i want to like this but there just is not much that's interesting i fear...i actually did like the long 13 min song but nothing else stood out to me. just seemed like basic rock instrumentals.

Cool sound!

Some spacy guitar work that sprawls all over the place and adds up to…not much?