Happy Trails

Sometimes you discover a great new band. This wasn't that time.

You know, they could've shot the messenger.

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.

"Extended free-form jazz excursion" - Spinal Tap

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.

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

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.

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.

This album is a great guitar solo, don’t think I needed to hear it though

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.

Holy fuck. What have I been doing with my life that I haven't listened to this before now? This is exactly what I want out of psychedelic blues rock. A whole side dedicated to an absolute killer rendition of "Who Do You Love?" Yes please! I am now looking for the Pure Pleasure pressing of this as soon as I'm done my vinyl diet.

truly dreadful. First song is one verse of a Bo Diddley song then 20 minutes of uninspired blues noodling. And that's the highlight! Each track gets steadily worse, with awful hippy grunting on top of amateur guitar riffing. 2nd to last track is literally 13 minutes where nothing happens at all, but even this is preferable to the final track which is as brief as it is awful. might be one of the worst albums I have ever endured.

Wow drugs

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.

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.

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.

This album shouldn’t work as well as it does. I feel like if you asked anyone if they want to listen to a half hour rendition of Who Do You Love they would say no. But if you just put this album on without any context they’d think it kicks ass

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

The first 25 minutes or so is a very long and experimental version of Bo Diddly's 'Who Do You Love'? that meanders around pretty aimlessly and doesn't ever come close to being as good as Bo's version. So there's that. It's not a 1/5 but it's unspectacular. Heard better stuff from bands who were wildly off their tits in the same era.

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.

Its ok but not interesting enough to get away with no Lyrics. 2/5

this is like the musical equivalent of those 52-in-1 game cartridges for the NES. theres country, jazz, psych rock, blues, and even ambient on Cavalry???????????????? and why are half of the songs named one of the 5 W's with "You Love" stuck on the end???????? this may be the weirdest one yet.

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.

Who spiked my LSD with retrospective adulation? I had a good time with this. Brings to mind Paul Butterfield’s Blues Band - this is a compliment. Those were the days: you could amble onstage dragging curly leads, thwack off over a couple of Bo Diddley covers for an hour, and then sixty years later have some faded Gen-X’er be compelled to write about your vintage jizz as it is now classic jizz that you must listen to before you die. Sounded even better on second listen and only didn’t make it to a four because the last song annoyed me. Reading the Wikipedia page on this album is confusing fun; reading QMS’s Wikipedia page is confusing poignancy - you can tell they were legit from the premature deaths with tints of bitterness, ey.

This was good, sorta like ancient King gizzard

Psychedelic middle section that drifts into some good licks. The whole album seems like one continuous song until the Happy Trails song provides a clear ending. Will listen again.

unfamiliar beat and is not bad

I will never understand why this album gets so much hate. I LOVE IT from the first to the last second. It might be on the more accessible part of the psych rock spectrum, but in no way is it underwhelming or boring IMHO.

A hidden gem.

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.

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.

Fantastic long form 60’s psych. Experimental and jammy, with touches of avant-garde guitar interplay, noise and feedback, you can hear the influence this record might have had on a band like Sonic Youth. With such a dynamic sense of improvisation and tight rhythmic focus in these live performances, I’m left wondering, “Why on earth would anyone listen to the Grateful Dead when this exists?”

Reminds of my first job in high school, working for the Cheyenne Messenger Service. Used to deliver daily telegrams to ol' Tracy McCraken at the Wyoming Tribune Eagle. He'd sometimes scold me for being late, other times he'd buy me a beer from the Railspur across the street. Then me and the fellas would roll up a joint and listen to Happy Trails behind the rail yard. I dreamed of better days, not realizing I was living them all along. Happy trails my friends, happy trails.

It is a rule of nature that nobody likes guitar noodling, apart from the noodlers themselves. But you know what, I actually kind of dug this. That can only mean that it was in fact me who recorded this album; all despite never having touched an electric guitar in my life. For that feat alone, this album deserves three stars in my book.

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.

This was like a recording of a rehearsal where the band were too stoned to reign anyone in, and at the end of it, they just said fuck it, let's put it out, done, now lets go and get a kebab.

No. 229/1001 What Do You Love Pt. 1 3/5 When You Love 3/5 Where You Love 1/5 How You Love 2/5 Which Do You Love 2/5 What Do You Love Pt. 2 3/5 Mona 2/5 Maiden of the Cancer Moon 3/5 Calvary 2/5 (2x) Happy Trails 2/5 Average: 2,27 Didn't enjoy this one.

Literally just 50 minutes of boomers noodling on guitars. 4/10

Awesome. Great discovery ❤️

This was so good! A new favorite!

Fantastic

5/5. I just love jam bands, especially ones that don't take themselves seriously. The whole Love Suite is hilarious, just the complete unseriousness of it keeps me entertained the whole time. The solos are awesome in every part of the song and each one feels distinct enough to know which part I'm at. The second half of the album is not as good overall but I wasn't surprised to hear more solos and long winded jams. There are better albums but this one just gave me what I needed and I enjoyed the whole thing. Best Song: Who Do You Love Suite (Who Do You Love Part 2 mostly), Mona, Calvary

Really enjoyable. Just good, well played music, something I plan on coming back to when I need ambient good noise.

I have always loved this album. It's a fantastic musical ride. I own a bootleg copy on CD that arrived from Russia wrapped in brown paper and tied with hemp twine. And I bought that shit on Amazon! A total 5!

The many meditations on “who do you love?” were probably the favorites of very high journalism students, but kind of test the patience of most sober people. Overall though, it’s a vibe of a record with a some really cool tracks.

I absolutely loved this album! It felt like a fun jam band. This type of music transcends time and space. I could see myself listening to this on a long drive from Chicago to Phoenix (or vice versa). Super fun.

Jam. On.

I’m at a 4.5 that I’ll surprisingly bump up to a 5. From the album cover, I sort of assumed we’d get country music, and I was dead wrong – this is psychedelic rock, recorded seemingly live, and as such, I think there was a slight collective PTSD from that endlessly long and rather drab Grateful Dead album we got a while ago. Not a bad album, mind you, but a really fucking boring one. It did not help that the first 6 tracks of this are a 25 minute setpiece riffing on one track. Thank the good lord above that these guys know how to make 25 minutes actually sound captivating – I actually really, really enjoyed the opening suite that starts this album. It is just one long extended riff on a track, and therefore, maybe the longest cover I’ve ever heard, but they do a great job of keeping it fresh. It certainly helps that each little changeup is its own track here, to keep those changes really obvious, and to stop it from *feeling* like a 25 minute slog. Each individual segment does have its own vibe, and I really, really enjoyed “When You Love” in particular, just for being totally eerie as hell, especially when the audience noises come in. Mona is fine. It’s sort of Hendrix-y, but a bit too lowkey, without being fully in harmony, & it doesn’t really get its own conclusion, which threw me off. It is part of another 3-track set though, and Mona’s shortcomings are quickly resolved by both “Maiden of the Cancer Moon” & “Calvary”, which both really clicked for me. The former feels very Hendrix-y, even with how short it is – it finds the harmonization between everyone and the energy that “Mona” doesn’t. Calvary is a remarkably strong 13-minute track that has a really nice, building, swirling structure reminiscent of Western movies and militaristic soundscapes, before sort of settling into a more serene & ethereal tone for its final 5 minutes – a calm after the storm, if you will. I would’ve ended the album there, mainly because the Happy Trails cover falls flat on its face as a final track after all that, but regardless… I dunno, I really enjoyed this. This is, at its very basic core, just 50 minutes of a jam session, but it does feel infinitely better than that Grateful Dead album that we all had a bit of an ick towards, and I’m just glad they’re flexing their technical chops in a more fulfilling way that doesn’t feel self-serving and pretentiously artsy. It’s probably no less than a 3 – I think the people giving this a 1 or a 2 on the site either have no patience for these sorts of albums, or they just really did not pay enough attention to care about the little details that I found captivating. Realistically, it’s definitely not a flat 5, since it does have a little bit too much empty air at times, but I feel no shame in giving it the bump; I liked it a lot, and for 1969, I think this is about as good as you can ask for in terms of “50 minute jam session” albums.

I think there's some rule that whenever I judge ahead of time and think I won't enjoy an album, it turns out to be much better than expected! I was surprised by the date on this one. Some really bangin stuff - a few places where it felt a bit nothingy, but it would always build in a really stunning way. Bops throughout, from the last place I expected!

I’m pretty familiar with this album, and I enjoyed revisiting, as I hadn’t heard it for probably a decade. Jam oriented psychedelic rock, reminiscent of the Dead in many ways. There isn’t anything particularly spectacular about this album, but it helps capture the zeitgeist of the late 1960s. Live music with plenty of jams, such an integral part of that era. Rating a 5 to level out so many negative reviews.

It would’ve been better as a concert film, but regardless, it’s wonderful. Groovy, dynamic, artistic, I’ll definitely come back to this.

A live album, the first track, "Who Do You Love Suite", which would have occupied the whole of the first side of the original vinyl album, is a 25-minute cover of Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love?" in classic 1960's Psychedelic Rock / Acid Rock style. A great album.

I'm not even finished listening to it and I'm giving it five stars and putting it on the playlist for when I go up to the cottage with my girl to get real high and f*** all weekend

Tasty tasty psychedelic rock! This album has been one of my favorites since my deadbeat school buddies listened to it getting high. Amazing guitar work, joyful jamming. Sure, a bit self-indulgent but I put myself in the shoes of the grooving hippies who got to see John Cippolina live. The man definitely deserves a spot on this list, and this album (especially side 1) shows him off at his finest. Favorite tracks - When You Love

This project's taught me that I don't like the wider world of 60s psych rock as much as I thought, so it's great to find something that sounds like what I actually had in mind. Y'know, jam music

Sent me into a trance with it’s 27 minute track - not sure it’s for me but love the audacity and enjoyed it over a pint as I’m sure is best

kärlek som tema, ett koncept kanske. trevligt koncept 60-tal. och en gunghaj spelar gitarr och en flaska rom. tyvärr inte rom utan droger. eftersom ett gäng narkomaner. DRUGMAN!!! DRUG FREAKS!!! de gjorde fortfarande bra musik även om det inte fanns något mandat att använda dessa droger om det skulle behövas wjere do you love

Instrumental 60's rock. Yes, please.

I'd never heard of them until now, but having listened to the album everything suddenly makes sense. A definite missing link in psych-rock, and they seem pretty influential too.

honestly the best album here so far with the nick drake one, love the transitions, love the grooves, love the cover, just a great vibe generally

Dødskult og rar psychedelisk rock med innslag av americana/country

Three takeaways: - Kevin Bacon was a terrible day trader, but didn't know he made music - "happy trails" -heh - Where You Love is terrible - otherwise this is one of the greatest stoner rock albums ever -

YES! So trippy. Where has this been all my life???

10/10 super nice, proggy stuff love it

Over half the album is one big fucking jam. Sick

Возвращаюсь в игру. Тру Детектив + Джентльмены Гая Ричи (в подтверждение!!! у меня после окончания альбома медиатека продолжила проигравание похожего и включила Cream — Sunshine of your love из Джентльменов) Такое я люблю Очень приятные мне звучание и музыкальность, кайфово просто сидеть и слушать, следя за мелодией

очень круто! треки перетекают один в другой, альбом как одна полу-импровизационная композиция (как выяснилось (так пишут в вики) - смесь рока и джаза) захотелось снять короткий метр построенный полностью на хэппи трэйлс (что опять же говорит о его структуре)

Meu favorito até agora! Kkkk Muito bom. É bem mais rico do que os outros que eu escutei até agora. 5/5. Definitivamente.

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.

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.

Fantastic freak out medley on side 1. Then "Mona" Maiden Of The Cancer Moon" Does any other album scream San Francisco more than this?

Awesome psych rock album, great solos

I dig this a lot.

Loved this album. A staple in psychedelic rock

Loved it, loved their other music as well

Loved this.

Some good straight-forward bluesy rock. Put this on and just chill with it.

3.5/5

Good

Another great live(ish) jam. Some interesting ideas woven into it.

Acid rock in it's prime, what a magical time for the genre. This one crossed over to a Grateful Dead vibe for me. Familiar with the band and have a few albums, but I had not heard this one and I'm glad I listened to it. Definitely gonna seek this one out!

I think there are 40 words in the whole album and just sick ass guitar shredding lol - good but I felt like it was a Woodstock shred fest

Western tinged rambly folk rock

"Happy Trails" is the second album by American band Quicksilver Messenger Service. Psychedelic rock and acid rock are the Wiki-listed genres. You betcha. Most of this album is dedicated to Bo Diddley covers and was recorded from two performances at the Fillmore East and the Fillmore West. The bandmembers included John Cipollina (guitar, vocals), Gary Duncan (guitar, vocals), David Freiberg (bass, vocals, piano) and Greg Elmore (drums, vocals, piano, percussion). The album had positive reviews and, commercially, reached #27 on the US pop album charts. The whole first side is dedicated to the band's "Who Do You Love Suite" with six different parts. The first part is the band cover of the Diddley song "Who Do You Love." A long guitar note leads to the Bo Diddley beat and guitar. Guitarists' Cipollina and Duncan give this a very loose feel. The song slows down for the second part which features guitarist Gary Duncan who gives a pretty stunning jazz/rock solo. This part really reminded me of the second half the Stones' "Can't You Hear Me Knocking?" Parts three through five highlight a percussion/drums solo , a Cipollina guitar solo and a bass solo respectively. The last song has the Bo Diddley rhythm with guitarist Cipollina and Duncan improvising with their guitars and vocals. On the side two, they continue with another Bo Diddley cover in "Mona." A percussion beat and layered guitars. More improvising and they bring in the wah wah guitar sound. This sounds a lot like the Grateful Dead. The song "Calvary" is called an acid flamenco and rightfully so. Four minutes of guitar noodling leads to the drums and bass eventually coming in to start the party. The guitars change to a Spanish flair. There's bells. There's a long droning sound period and finally a fade out. Woah! This album is trippy, jammy and psychedelic. All these musicians are very technically sound. The guitars are the highlight: the jams, the solos, the interplay, the droning and the feedback. On negative side, there's a bit of aimless noodling if that annoys you. Overall, this is a timepiece of the psychedelic era which I still enjoyed. So, if you're a psychedelic music or jam band fan, this will be right in your wheelhouse.

This has some really good bits. It also has some long and unnecessary bits.

Some interesting Jammy elements, but overall a bit lacking in depth.

I have never heard of this group, so let’s see what is what. Yeah ok. I like it. YouTube music has this released in 1988, but it also say 1969 and from the first track it feels timeless. Sounds a lot like the doors. The 60s sound really come out later but this sounds like a late 70s kind of jam. Really enjoyed this!

Initial thoughts: Very nice. Exactly the kind of thing I'm into: psychedelic jam band action. Reminds me a lot of the Grateful Dead and has the same strengths. I especially love how the first side seems like a single recording. But Jesus Christ do the more meandery bits, Where Do You Love and parts of Cavalry bring it down. I did a bit of reading on it, and I understand now that side one is actually a rendition of a Bo Diddley composition. So, side one is best judged as a whole, and as a whole it's good. Going to give this 4 stars for the time being.

so good. and what a beautiful finale! love finding these 60s albums from this site

Perhaps a bit generous on this, but I was pleasantly surprised with this album from a band I've never heard of, with minimal Spotify traction. No huge hits, but a lot of the instrumental work was pretty impressive.

I like this, but is it essential? Not really. Grateful Dead have better psych jams than this... as does Iron Butterfly, and their exquisite 16 min psych jam also on this list. Still though, I do quite enjoy this album. 8.6 ★★★★

I didn't love it, but it was interesting and not at all what I expected from the album cover. Glad to have heard it. 3.5

What I expected: boring country pastiche What I got: some kind of wild psych-adjacent adventure— I dig it

The veil between jazz and country is thinned by a bunch of guitars off their minds on LSD. Easy 4 stars.

82% Best: Who Do You Love Suite; Mona Must-Hear? Sure

Quicksilver Messenger Service's ode to rock-n-roll, i.e., Bo Diddley, is one of the great (live) guitar records of all time, rivaling The Allman Brothers' At Fillmore East. The six-movement suite of Diddley's 'Who Do You Love' affirms the improvisational potential of rock music, but it also testifies to its meat-and-potato edge. Extending a 2:18 classic to 25:22 is risky business, and could easily devolve into messy self-indulgence, but this never does, fortified by an unwavering commitment to Bo's rhythmic signature. This is continued on 'Mona,' another Diddley staple, while the final three tracks are a gorgeous tumble into what Emily Dickinson dubbed 'the letting go.' For music this austere, there's also uplift and relief. Happy trails, indeed.

good riffs, pretty good blues rock. wonder if Hendrix got inspired by this

Read up on this one. Very good once you do.

J’ai beaucoup aimé ! Du rock un peu expérimental/psychedelique, de la bonne guitare, ça fait plaiz. À réécouter

I get the feeling I’m not supposed to like this based on other peoples’ reactions, but oh well! 4/5