Reviews (page 5 of 7)
Hmm. Do I like this? Not sure. I like large bits of it certainly but it's very long for a continuous jam, even for my tastes, and I fucking love a big song that build and builds. I guess this doesn't necessarily do that though, it stops for a snooze now and then. Also I think we need to blame them for Phish, contractually? But then we wouldn't have had the Analyze Phish podcast with Harris Wittels, and both before and after that I haven't been impacted by Phish, so, net positive. So I am enjoying Calvary, which actually seems to suit the album cover. As a whole I think this goes in the 'enjoyable listen, glad I heard it, not sure I will ever put it on again ' section.
De eerste helft is een lange jam maar opzich wel nice. 2e helft wat minder. Prima als achtergrond, 3.5/5
3+/5
There was a whole lot of loving going on (and on). Add this to the 'you couldn't find 1001 albums better than this?' list.
This is good competent blues psychedelic live rock - but I think you have to be in the mood for 20 minutes of Who Do You Love.
Kind of sounds like generic rock background music. 6/10.
Better than Jefferson Airplane - not as noodly, but still over indulgent in places. Low 3
I enjoyed the long-form, guitar-driven movements of the first half, but then again I am squarely at the intersection of both those musical interests. The back half definitely drops off into pure noodling territory, but I find myself so surprised at how captivated I was in the first that I'm willing to mildly excuse it. Perhaps a bit malformed and wandering for an early stab at psychedelia, but somebody had to take the first shot and it's overall good for what it is.
The first two songs of this album were great then the third track got super weird and lost me. The guitars and heavy soul feel was good and it was cool that it was live I think but then I ended up tuning out lost of it because it got like experimental/improvisational. Also didn’t help that I still have dummy music stuck in my head. The last song was short and sweet though.
At first I was a bit like sigghhh prog rock sesh but actually I submitted to it. I was hoovering my parents house and it got me in a trance like focus state. A bit like jazz you need to let go of what you expect from the songs
It was cool in places but and also nice to have some classic blues guitar but can't say it excited me too much
Jam band type music. Similar to Grateful Dead. Very long instrumentals, guitar solos. It wasn't bad, some if it was recorded live.
The 1st half is background music and self indulgent, the 2nd half is very good.
The epitome of psych/freak music, with its good and bad. It sometimes becomes tedious but overall great jams to get lost into. It must have worked perfectly when everyone in the audience was stoned out of their minds!
Good psych music, but a little repetitive. Songs are not differentiated, it's like one big song and they just take breaks to do acid and bong hits.
Haven't listened to them much. Good jam band SF vibe.
Not what I was expecting from the album cover, but in a good way. It was enjoyable but at times it does feel like they only have 2 songs.
A big long psychedelic jam session. Felt like Wild West music at times. I liked the lead guitar tone a lot; and the bass guitar when it appears for a sec on “Which” Favorite moment was probably midway through “Cavalry” I enjoyed it enough; don’t need to hear it again though
Not at all what I was expecting but a really strong album of psychedelic blues jamming. Prefer this sort of experimental noodling to most of the “acclaimed” jam bands out there, but it didn’t completely capture my attention for the whole record. The first side is the highlight although the quasi-western jaunt “Cavalry” is another great listen.
i dont know man
Psychedelic but boring after a while
Good blues instrumental type album, would listen again
Yea, fun album
Enjoyable enough, but definitely gets dull at times and doesn’t quite earn the length of the jams.
2.5/5. This was kind of boring, but I didn't mind listening to it.
is it jazz? is it psych? is it blues? dunno what this is and i can't decide if i liked it or not.
An interesting album. Was very chill but compelling.
Will hopefully listen again when there’s no background sound, but my impression of the 90% I did hear was that it was pretty good but overlong in both side A & B 20/07/22
Pretty good
It is an "okay" psychedelic album. Maybe less would be more.
Brzdąkanina. Widać, że skillowi gitarzyści i fajnie sobie eksperymentują brzmieniowo, ale się dłuży i w żadnym momencie nie wciąga
Ok. It's nice for a 1-hour long guitar solo.
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.
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.
Typical late 60’s psychedelica. Nice and groovy live performance, but also a bit on the average
Rating: 6/10
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.
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.
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.
country blues with 60s 70s
Enjoyed the album:)
weirdly ahead of its time jam band
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.
Rock. Long instrumental parts, wierd on moments, psychedelic. Would listen again.
Nice start, but I was a bit over it by the end.
Bon
Different, but I think this would grow on me.
Quicksilver Messenger Service was a new band for me. All of the tracks from Happy Trails were new to me. Side one of the album was an interesting take on "Who Do You Love" and had some interesting jams ("How You Love"). The album felt like the music rested firmly in rock and roll music, but nothing stood out enough to make me think I'll be back for more later.
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
Decent, but not great enough to save
3.6 - Extended jams. Good for zoning out.
Psychadelic and trippy and woah man vietnam
Bom. Não conhecia nada sobre a banda.
Okay, but kinda long 60s rock.
Weird shit. Good stuff.
Like a boring mix of Grateful dead and the Allman Brothers. I will probably forget this band as soon as I leave this review.
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.
3/5
didnt move me at all
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.
Classic rock jam band mostly instrumental songs or live album
Pues si es algo diferente a lo que ha salido de esa época en el listado.
Sí me gustó pero no me siento cómodo calificandolo con 3. Ni modo.
Trippy San-Fran freak out
Kinda cool... Didn't really grab me but I enjoyed having a predominately instrumental rock album for a nice change.
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.
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.
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.
Good
Really cool extended Bo Diddly cover. Wait there's another side? Wasn't impressed.
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.
This was an OK album.
It was a good album
New band and album to me, but I enjoyed most of the songs. Some felt real jam bandy, but was easy to listen to.
A pretty good album that flows well
Pretty solid. Nothing crazy, but unexpected in a good way.
Loved the transitions between the songs and guitar solos. Nothing too extraordinary from this album though. Solid 3.5/5
Did you want to hear a jam band riff on "Who Do You Love?" for most of an album? Happy Trails has got you!
O álbum era bastante secundário, nenhuma música chamou me a atenção ou cativou. Nota:5/10
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.
A fun psychedelic trip. Some parts of it translate better live-to-album then others, however.
Strangely enjoyable in parts but also let down by some dreadful recording standards, guitar is lots of fun
Ok music made by people taking lots of drugs?
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.
hey this aint half bad! pretty fun psych rock acid jam band
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!
yeah enjoyed this 3.3
"I've got a tombstone hand in a graveyard mine, Just twenty-two and I don't mind dying," (Who do you love)
Kannte ich nicht. Angenehm beim hören. Morgen wieder vergessen.
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.
Eléctrico, setentero. Guitarrero, pero no estridente
Rock psicodélico. Algunas cosas interesantes.
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
very fun. good stuff
70s prog rock (ish)
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.
Definitely great for its time, and pretty interesting, but it lags at points.
Some good tracks, some hard to listen to.
Psych Rock. It’s not my style but I enjoyed it
enjoyed the classic rock vibes of this one
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.
Trippy.
Some interesting songs on this album, including who do you love. Other than that many songs blended together.
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 really good stuff liked it a lot,
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
nice overal, at time it can be a bit too instrumental which long lasting random noises but i think its not too bad
6.5/10 FT: When do you love
This was nice, especially when I was expecting country / folk over the psychedelic rock I actually got. Sadly, while I wouldn't say it was boring, it was still too aimless for my tastes. Live jam sessions aren't something I go out of my way to look for, and there are more "deserving" (however subjective a term that is) albums that could've been included on the list over this one.
I thought this was Roy Rogers but it was Roger Rabbit
One word to describe this... sloppy. The guitar playing, the production, the mixing. The first half is so tedious. I drove through Chicago rush hour traffic the other day through a seemingly endless construction zone. It was one of the most stressful driving experiences I've had in the last year... all I can say is that I am glad this wasn't playing... it may have pushed me over the edge. There are a few glimmers something interesting in Mona and Cavalry, but it's not enough to make it worth enduring the rest. And the strange western tag at the end is a crazy wtf moment.
A live album from a group of clearly talented musicians who largely don’t execute their ideas with as much cohesiveness and direction as I would have liked here. The jam band style creates a cool improvisational environment but also holds back the record many times from being something greater. Loses steam and the second half has a couple tracks that drag without being engaging enough to justify their length. I enjoyed most of the psychadelic elements again, though, and appreciate the strange nature of them. Fun for what it is. 1 listen Favorite Tracks: Who Do You Love - Pt. 1, Who Do You Love - Pt. 2, When You Love
Expectation: -> More obscure 60s. After listening: -> Pretty bland in my opinion. Some good moments for sure but nothing special here. Happy Trails is off-key. Screaming at the end of Where You Love ruins an otherwise decent song. Track ranking: Mona Who 1 Maiden When Who 2 How Which Calvary Where Happy
I listened to half of this on a flight, and it kind of receded into the engine noise for me. Things didn't improve in a quieter place: I found it dull and interminable, which is often how live jams are unless you're on drugs. Considering this was recorded at Fillmore Theaters in the late '60s, chances are most of the people were on drugs.
Background music
It’s just like painfully boring I like long songs… except when they’re completely uninteresting The first half of the album is only 1 song split into 5 and super boring Second half is okay but still boring Musically there’s just hardly anything going on, I could play this Favorite: title track I guess but there’s not much competition Probably 1.5/5 but I’ll round up
I don’t give boring albums a 1 star, but man, this is almost pushing it for me…
How great, it's a jam session. But it's not any jam session, it's a boring psychedelic rock session, and it goes for 50 whole minutes.
Not my thing.
tedious
Listened Before? N Jam band alert! This one wasn't one of the greatest ones, though. It was okay but lacks the fire of... say the Grateful Dead or Allman Brothers. Some good solos here. Added to Library? N Songs added to playlist: Who Do You Love?
If I wanted to be pestered with questions about my love life I’d spend the week with the family. Likes: Who Do You Love
The album cover is quite misleading, as this is not country music, it’s a live album by an acid rock jam band. This album is an hour long, with the first 30 minutes comprising of an increasingly annoying extended cover of Bo Diddly’s ‘Who Do You Love’. Hippie jam bands are usually a “nope” for me, and this album was no different. There were long stretches of near silence with just an occasional quick chord from a guitar. I’m sure someone enjoys shit like this, but it ain’t me. Low 2/5
This felt very experimental and I think in a lot of places it worked very well, however more often than not it felt not so purposefully pushing boundaries and more like a child's first painting.
Good God, was that ever boring!
Groupe inconnu. La première face du disque commence bien, avec ses impros guitare blues/rock. Cependant certaines parties sont moins réussies, en particulier la partie 3 peu intéressante. Constat similaire pour la face 2, pas mal mais sans plus. Je ne penses pas l'écouter une seconde fois. =>2/5
Lot of great music in this era. This isn't it. 2
You know, there were moments where I was really enjoying this Bo Diddley cover band. Then they would tune their instruments for 10 minutes. Then they stopped playing the Bo Diddley, and it got worse. Not the worst, because about 6 minutes of this album was spectacular... but that's about it.
It was ok.
Ok, kinda mid.
parecen alarmas del movil, se hace pesado, i dont like it
Nondescript
The song titles are the best part
eh
Meh
What an odd little album.
I thought this would be a country album, based on the album art (and the style), the title of the album, and honestly, even the band name. The first half of the album is just a jam sesh. Okay, actually, the whole album might just be a jam session. And that does not a good album make. This is pretty boring and not really worth listening to. Like, it's not even that good of rock. I try to give every album a favorite song, so I did list one. But the only thing going for this album is that it isn't bad. Favorite Song(s): Calvary
favs: who do you love (pt 1) when you love mona calvary rating 2/5
Meh.
I wanted to round this up to a 3. But it’s just too wandering and forgettable. I like the more experimental moments at the end. It’s not bad. But it’s not good either. Just kinda background jam-blues music. Nothing too memorable here.
Quite dull
Ik vind bluesy gitaartjes vaak wel lekker en ik hou er ook wel van als ze gitarist lekker een beetje laten grazen, maar in dit geval krijgt 'ie wel erg veel vrijheid. Een jazz-achtige hoeveelheid improvisatie. Dat gaat een beetje ten koste van het liedjes-format en daardoor vind ik het wat minder leuk om er naar te luisteren. Neem bijvoorbeeld die derde track (Where You Love), man man man, dat gaat écht helemaal nergens meer over. Overdaad schaadt. En zo zijn er meer tracks. En dan lijkt zo'n album toch wel ellenlang voort te slepen. Het is voor mij een flink aantal stappen over het randje helaas. Daardoor ging ik van een aanvankelijke 4 naar een 3 en uiteindelijk zelfs een 2. Op een iets slechtere dag had ik zelfs op de 1 kunnen klikken, maar ik hou me in.
I liked side A is what I'm assuming the first 5 songs are. at first i had no idea it was split into tracks and just thought it was one long song (which i assume is correct? didn't know it was a live recording either) it was fine - not the greatest jam album i've ever heard but the last few songs weren't the best either.
Like dark star and southern rock mixed
Decent jam record, half of it was one song. Not too bad but it wasn’t the best I’ve ever heard
Above average high school guitarist tries to sound cool and different
Competent noodling.
Прикольный концепт на первой половине
I love a good jam, but this album really pushed my limits. I can't see myself coming back to this. The album gets far more interesting after that whole Who Do You Love suite ends, though, so there's that. I get what they were aiming for with that cover, but it just didn't work for me at all.
Bit too much self indulgent long ass twiddly nonsense.
Plusspoeng for elgitar
Like the guitar work but it rambles on with no real direction or focus
50 minutes of somewhat aimless guitar noodling and renditions of cover songs. I can think of a dozen albums that should make it over this without even thinking deeply.
Listening session: may 3rd, while chilling at home Listened to before: no Thoughts: I like some of the guitar work but this whole album feels like the same psychedelic rock track over and over again Favourite tracks: Who Do You Love - Pt. 1 & How You Love
I like psychedelic rock, what I don’t really like are jam sessions.
It's a live album, it feels like the same jam all the way through. It just didn't suit my mood this morning. Maybe you would enjoy it if you like the doors.
Maso
Had some fun, but mostly bored.
4/10
Jonkinlaista western musiikkia
oh man this album cover made me think we were getting an old country album but I'm met with blues rock. There are some country inspired spots here and there but it is mostly just guitar noodling, also it delves too far into warbly psychadelic rock for me anyway. They honestly sound like Led Zeppelin songs that were left on the cutting room floor.
What a let down. Was expecting some fun county western tunes… instead got the shittiest of shit blues.
Boring
no lo volvería a escuchar, 1 time experience
Man, i 'm on day 702. If this was the first Psychedelic Rock album that i listened on the start of this journey i would probably like this, but holy shit! By now i feel like i sat and listened to hundreds of Psychedelic Rock tracks and i'am feeling the fatigue.
Honestly not the worst just like painfully boring. If you're gonna be psychadelic be a little experimental plz Highlights: How You Love
lots of things that are either good or funny: the short guitar bits in the first side that are like demented out of tune banjo rolls like would show up in some post punk later (good) the bits of excessive left/right panning (funny) naming the whole album after the half-hearted country cover that closes it (good and funny) if you had to pick one extended Filmore scene jam to represent San Francisco in the 60s maybe it should be this one. almost went three stars, but will never listen in full again. two stars!!
I dunno. It’s got a bit of juice. Not much though. Just a bit
Was fine I guess but it just kind of sat there
I thought we were maybe on to something for literally one song. Then we fell into the same old problems with 60s psychedelic rock. Jams that can be described generously as aimless and more honestly as noisy
Even as a fan of psychedelic late 60's rock, this is disgustingly indulgent. I guess it's cool they riffed on a simple pop rock song for 25 minutes, but not cool enough for me to come back to this album again
This is fine. I like the jazzy rhythm section. Pretty tedious though. Probably really fun to play, probably would have been cool to see at the Filmore. Not that fun to listen to while going about your day. Getting pretty deep into pretentious territory. My dad loved this, and I've gotten old enough to no longer see that as a negative, but rather as a positive in a nostalgic kind of way. Too long, 2.5 stars, I think rounded down because there's no way this is a must listen to album. Very minor feeling. I've already forgotten most of it.
I enjoy the experimental nature of the album, particularly the Calvary track. Overall, the album is a bit dull. 3.
This would make good background music but too much of one thing to sit and listen. I like the style a lot, but it's too repetitive. I might nab the title track for a playlist from time to time; I'd almost never listen to the album as a whole.
Sounds like a boring ripoff of the Doors and a half dozen other late '60's rock/blues-rock groups.
Had this on twice and my brain largely ignored it twice. Not one to revisit. The instrumental tracks were better than the ones with vocals. The album artwork is a thing of absolute beauty though
For an album that's essentially only 5 songs, it's pretty good. "Who Do You Love - Pt. 1", "When You Love", "Where You Love", "How You Love", "Which Do You Love", and "Who Do You Love - Pt. 2" are all essentially one conceptual song broken into six parts. Imagine if Rush broke their song 2112 into each individual act as an album track. That's how this series of songs was essentially created. It's also cool that half this album was recorded on the east coast, and the other half was recorded on the west coast of the USA. Really gives a deeper meaning to that beautiful oil or acrylic painted album cover. Despite this album releasing in 1969, it sounds quite contemporary and has that "Local band playing at the local dive on a Thursday night" vibe. The Who Do You Love Suite is just a great jam session from start to finish. Nothing really offensive besides it being 25 minutes. What really gets me about this album is how it just keeps going and going. It definitely started to feel like the songs were going on just for the sake of going on, and not that they needed to. The 7-minute "Mona", the 13-minute "Calvary", the 6-minute "Where You Love" did not do much to introduce anything new. It seemed to drone on and on in the same 5 chords while the guitarist just shredded for the whole song. Overall 4/10. Needlessly long and drawn-out.
stressin me tf out stop that
Heavey psychedelic album, I appreciate it but after a while you've heard it all, and those long songs can get repititive. It's not bad at all, but I don't know not in the mood for it. 1. When you love 2. Happy Trails 3. Who do you love - Pt1
Very Doors like
I have decided that the reason whomever chose the albums for this 1001 Albums picked a lot of live albums because the groups and individuals adlibbed so much of the material, which might work in a live setting but not necessarily in an album. The problem with having songs that were so long, is that I'm always checking to see just how much longer I have to listen to it. Really who needs songs that are 5, 6, 7 and even 13:13 minutes long?...ugh! There were some tracks I wouldn't even call music just random sounds put together like, "Where You Love", what was going on? Rhythmic clapping, is that music? So, I looked up the definition of music: a) vocal, instrumental, or mechanical sounds having rhythm, melody, or harmony, and b) the science or art of ordering tones or sounds in succession, in combination, and in temporal relationships to produce a composition having unity and continuity; so, by those definitions then rhythmic clapping can be considered music, doesn't mean I want to spend 6:07 listening to it. There were segments of "Calvary" that I really liked, just not all of it. I wished it wasn't 13:34 long.
This was another one of those "how did this get on this list" albums. Like, really? It wasn't bad, just underwhelming.
It started out so well with me being a guitar player I love solos and all the working of guitar playing. But Which Do You Love was completely pointless to even listen to, and it just went down hill from there.
started as a 4 then quickly fell into what I can only describe as a Doors inspired jam band with a guitarist who doesn't understand the art of not playing to give space.
2.2 2x not great
Call me a guy on Lexapro the way I hated finishing. 50 minutes felt so so long. At some point this reminded me of Danganronpa (derogatory)
Didn’t need this really.
A few good spots here and there, but a lot of this is kind of aimless in a bad way.
This is one of those albums that I am not sure why it is on this list. Possibly because of it being "live". I usually tune out of jam bands and songs. Stuff like this album make. It was just not engaging, though they are talented and the solos/riffs were cool at points. Vocally they did nothing for me either.
I just don’t like jam bands. This isn’t the worst jam band album I’ve ever heard, but I’d rather not have had to listen to it.
Hasn't aged well, unfortunately. Must have been really cool when it came out, but we don't really need to listen to zoned out jams with long, noodly guitar solos from guys that aren't the Grateful Dead. And I'm not even a deadhead.
I wanted to like this... but didn't.
Album No. 0170 on my list. “Happy Trails” by Quicksilver Messenger Service was a completely new record for me, as I had heard of neither the band nor the album ever before. “Fun cover, fun band name” I thought and started listening… … and was a little disappointed. I have some respect for the fact that this album is basically a live album, recorded in both the Fillmore East and West. And I like the idea of the first side to create six connected songs (“Who/When/Where/How/Which/Who Do You Love”) was kinda nice. But the songs forming this chain were, well, just okay and rather a bit boring, and I didn’t enjoy the second side in particular. No song stuck in my head at all, except for “Mona” maybe. So, one could say: interesting ideas, questionable execution. I will add “Who Do You Love - Pt. 1”, as well as the aforementioned “Mona” to my playlist. 2/5 stars.
I'm guessing this band was better to see live than hear live. They really seem to like the song Who Do You Love and I think they like that Bo Didley beat a little too much.
The Bo Diddley jams on the first side and first song on second side were interesting but only because I hack around with guitar. I don't understand why critics rave about it. Perhaps it's interesting if you want a sense of a live show back then.
It was fine
It seems that Hendrix and Clapton ushered in an era in which relentless guitar solos and aimless jamming became commonplace. Hendrix and Clapton could pull off the indulgence of guitar hero theatrics because they had the talent and electricity to back it up and make it thrilling. (Particularly Jimi) This album contains a lot of that indulgence, and becomes a tiring listen pretty fast. The musicianship is decent, and I'm going to reserve 1 star for albums that are unlistenable. Not an essential album
Overall: 3/10 This felt like 2 reallt bland and boring songs. There were moments that I started enjoying it but they never lasted very long. Fav Song: Mona
Un bouillon très brouillon pêle-mêle de tsssiirRKK hnooooOOOUUARGH et de youRGouurYOORGHHHH
Jam jammy jam jam jammy jam snooze.
Another nothing album
Rather odd album
im in the far far west or what ?? Ah no it's the deeptimize open space this sounds quite avant gardiste for the time mostly pretty easy listening 2 tbh
Live music....should be heard live. A jam band playing someone else's tune. It's fine, just not as an album.
Not in my jam band appreciation era.
Opening with multiple movements covering Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love?" in various ways is an interesting choice. Good enough cover, with the group adding their own pizzaz. The second side is...also more covers. I guess I was looking for a bit more? These psychedelic/acid rock albums from this era don't really impress me much anymore. I think I've heard all I've needed to hear.
Jam bands usually get on my nerves and this one was no exception. DNF.
Pretty repetitive and boring.
I like blues psychedelic rock as much as the next guy but this was boring
Mediocre at best.
boring
Fine! Not my favorite rock album, leaning too much on the guitar riffs than vocals for my taste. But interesting and innovative.
This album is not terrible but the problem is after 50 minutes you feel like all you have heard is 2 or 3 really long songs. That’s not terrible but parts of these songs are and sound like me noodling on guitar or some random noises that don’t work I feel like. Who do you love is pretty good but the George thoroughgood version is much more iconic and I prefer it especially as I saw it live.
I mean...alright.
Why play a 2.5 minute song when you could play a 25.5 minute song? On the one hand I guess this is how classical music works? You have motifs and build and manoeuvre and shift mood within an extended suite of work. I've also had listened to many albums on this list that have had less variety than this one side. And some people like soundtracks because they offer length and mood over rhythm and melody. So there's that. But on the other hand, I myself will never ever listen to this again because it's boring and drags on forever. When I think "Who do you love?" I think of Bo Diddley barking a command, over gravel and guitar. It's a catchy hook. You heard it in your head just reading it. What you didn't hear is 25 minutes of self-indulgent phrasing, mindless meandering and generally beating a dead horse around a bush.
eh
A lot like the Grateful Dead. If the Dead never sang in harmony. And only played variations of “Who Do You Love?” over and over with different lyrics.
Very meandering.
Weird.
This is one of those "jam bands" isn't it? Fuck.
Mid
Too many instrumental songs
No singing good vib but meh
another instrumental jazz...did not finish
A lot of guitar solos and sometimes disturbing combinations of sounds
Not my cup of tea.
This I didn’t overly get on with
There were some parts I liked but mostly too self-indulgent for my tastes.
Decent enough background music. Gave me The Doors vibes at times. Wasn't bad but certainly wasn't memorable.
Oh shit the Happy Trails song
Y’all really thought we needed to hear this? This sounds like I got drunk with my friends and pressed record.
its for times like this i wish there's more 80s synthpop and more britpop. 2/5
Eh .... I guess I wasn't in the mood for, or did not expect this to be Woodstock-like jam performances. I got bored early on.
Nope
This album became a point of contention around the table about 15 minutes on. The general family consensus was he needed to start sing or the playlist needed it change. I explained that these long instrumental interludes were common in late-60s psychedelic rock. That didn’t ease the crowd. Admittedly, the five songs between Bo Dudley’s Who Do You Love (Pts 1&2) was just one big solo that I imagine played out better live than on a single side vinyl. Side two had more variation, starting off with Mona (which was Hey Bo Dudley slowed down and jammed over). Maiden of the Cancer Moon was probably my favorite track because it had 1. Original sounds; 2. Concise jam session; and 3. ended pretty quickly but still made a point. This feels like one of those bar bands that made it big through a couple of records. However, for Deadheads, this album is gold. For me, it was pyrite.
Let's see what we got here. Some good ol 60s rock? meh 2 stars
Fine, nothing special
It just kept going
Didn't like it
Not really my cup of grapes but I see the appeal if you like spaghetti jams
Good guitar game but kind of eh in other aspects? Not very memorable.
I’m surprised I hadn’t heard of this band before
Zu lange geratene Jam Session... Rauscht nervig im Hintergrund.
Ja nach Song drei hab ich's doch schon verstanden: ihr könnt gaaaanz toll Gitarre spielen. Technisch vll toll und ausdrucksstark aber nah an unhörbar.
At one point I thought a song (Calvary) was done so I went to check how many tracks were left on the album, but we were only halfway through that specific song.
Jag förstår inte riktigt, låter inte som ett album utan bara lite guitar wanking utan syfte. Calvary var den enda låten jag kommer komma ihåg
An acquired taste, that I haven't acquired yet
anytime I see the words "psychedelic rock" and "jam band" I should just prepare myself anyway, I liked this better than the grateful dead and I am sure they are having fun up there making noises on their instruments but I don't think I will ever enjoy this outside of a live setting
Not awful but not remarkable. I unintentionally tuned it out for a while.
Saved a song: N RYM: N
Recht nerviger Mix aus Country und Jazz. Idee gelungen, Ausführung misslungen.
Good for background music at work, but it wasn't enough to keep me actively engaged whilst out and about yesterday.
I'm not sure the riff at the center of "Who Do You Love?" provides enough coverage for 25 minutes of variations, and I'm sure "Mona" doesn't have enough to support even 7 minutes of runtime. I couldn't tell you about the rest; I bailed after a quick scrub.
Just don’t like jam bands
- Quicksilver Messenger Service, huh? Imagine trying to send a message through them… we’ll get your letter to its destination, smelling like patchouli, sage, weed, and B.O., in approximately 1,000 business days, after taking every scenic route and stopping for a few peyote breaks. You’re never getting that message, and if you do, you’ll wish you hadn’t. It’s not their fault! They thought the stamp was just another tab of acid. - Oh no… now they’re grunting and tribal clapping. - I can’t imagine being at this show, even off my face… standing there wishing the song(s; it feels like one long song) would please just end - thinking about how my feet hurt. - The lead guitarist is good and has nice tone, but it's still not interesting enough for me to ever reach for this album. - The first half was much better than the second half except Where you Love, which was painful, and I was getting really tired of it all by Who do you Love (Pt. 2). The second half, except some of Mona and Maiden of the Cancer, was a chore. - The vocals are good enough when they’re there, but there isn’t enough of them.
In which some dudes spend three quarters of an hour workshopping a couple of Bo Diddley's vital classics and, despite the band's technical chops, somehow make the music turgid and stale. Absolute toss
If I went to a bar and a psych band was jamming out to some Bo Diddly I would be all for it. The music on this album wasn’t bad by any means but I don’t think it really deserves a spot on this list. 4/10
Who/When/Where/How/Which/Who (again) plus love is a fine naming gimmick for half your record I guess. I wish I found the songs more interesting. On a positive note, this is a tight live performance. Maybe you had to be there.
Not what I was expecting exactly based on the cover and band.
Jam band nonsense, big skip
The Good: We are on happy trails! The Bad: They lead nowhere… The Ugly: The messenger service wasn’t quick enough… Not my cup of tea… The only positive thing I can say about out this is that the album title reminds me of a Godley & Creme song “The Last Page of History”, which is followed by this insanely great song which nobody knows, but I do… So, thanks to this, I spend a lovely 44 minutes listening to an album which is NOT on the 1001 list, because Mr Dimery seems to think that my life will be better having listened to this crap… 2* for it being music...
Only slightly familiar with them, my first listen and natural instinct to categorize them was as “Grateful Dead with Live-At-Leeds era Pete Townsend on guitar.” Seeing they were actually SF contemporary of The Dead was completely unsurprising. It’s good, hard, but ultimately jam-band material that either grows tiring or doesn’t age well, at least not outside a live experience. I concede that it’s unfair to criticize/compare a live music experience to how it should plays in recording. “You had to be there, man.” Yes. Yes I did. It’s fine otherwise. Moving on.
Hey guys? Just because you had a good band sesh with the boys doesn't mean you have to put it on a self-congratulatory album, y'know? You can just enjoy the experience in and of itself.
I expected this to be cowboy songs for kids, which was initially disappointing. Now I wish that’s what it was.
More Sad Trips than Happy Trails
Not offensive, but not all that interesting either.
don’t think this one was for me
Psychadelic guitar noodling. get boring very fast
2.5 stars. Mostly instrumental acid/psychedelic rock. Side 1 is a 25 min riff on Bo Didley's "Who Do You Love?". Suppose drugs would help but hard for me to get into this one.
This reminds me lot of the live album 'Live / Dead' by Grateful Dead because they are both very mind-numbing jam bands with a very forgettable sound. There are a handful of interesting moments, like the choir in 'Calvary', but overall, is full of stale ideas that are not interesting nor they reach any interesting point. I also think that the instrumentation was very bland and mediocre. I didn't hate it, but it is far from me liking it.
Most of this album is pretty dull, but I almost enjoyed the 13 minute "Calvary"
Nothing about Jam Bands really does it for me Best Song: Who Do You Love Pt. 1 Rating: 4.5/10 Stars: 2
It was ok, but nothing popped out for me as great or something I wanted to listen to.
Cipollina found the critical laud for "Who Do You Love?" baffling, saying "it was just a two-chord jam." Obviously an over praised album cause for whatever the music critiques had a circle jerk.
There’s cool elements to this, and I understand what they’re going for, but there’s too much space. It loses its groove and it’s stark when it kicks back in, to the point where one time I got absolutely jumpscared. Just a big meh
Если это лайв, то вдвойне странно
there will be a lot of mediocre psychedelic dad rock on this list, won't there
I now know why i've never heard of this band
A side and a quarter of jammy Bo Diddly covers.
After yesterday's ideal punk song length I am forced to endure one song dragged out over 30 minutes. The late 60s and early 70s were a plague. 2.5
Worth listening to but not essential. It’s two songs.
Over intulgent guitar and unedited trash songs but not so offensively bad sounding for a 1star
I might come back to this one to try and get through the whole thing (I didn't make it) but yeah, this just really isn't for me, although I think it probably almost perfectly encapsulates what it was like to watch a noodly psych-rock band in San Francisco in 1969. I've said I'm not a jam guy really, but appreciate great musicianship - the problem is this is even way more experimental than the Dead and certainly less musically proficient than the Allmans, and just feels too aimless at points. Maybe I'd raise the rating with a more careful listen but I just kinda wanted to move on which is probably a bad sign.
Not offensive enough to 1-star, but what did I just listen to???
Meh, just meh
meh nothing happened
I don't care who you love, what you love, when you love, where you love, or even how you love, you probably won't love this album. It started out promising, and then just became repetitive, and irritating noises. Favorite Track: "Who Do You Love Suite".
When I woke up this morning I did not expect to come to the realisation that loveable Aussie surf-hunk Henry Ramsey from Neighbours had recorded the definitive version of Mona. Insufferable, self-indulgent art-wank.
I appreciate the cover of Bo Diddly, but I don’t fuck with jams.
This album is like being at a small house party and seeing an acoustic guitar leant against a couch in the corner. There are a few cute girls at this party, and since your lack of charisma with the ladies rules out any chances of you sweet talking them, you grab the Epiphone and play some classics. Everlong goes down well with the girls, but you can’t help notice you’re doing more singing than they are, because they don’t know the lyrics as well as you. Fuck it, time for Wonderwall. The girls butcher the words to that too, but you don’t care. You actually stop singing because it is a foolish play to assert your lyrical knowledge over them. For one, it’s rude. Secondly, you don’t get to second base with a girl by pointing out her inaccuracies in singing along to a song. Things are going pretty good, and you’re just about to slow things down with your next song. The trick is, play a couple of songs that the ladies know well, then hit them with a gentle acoustic that they aren’t too familiar with, as a means to show your guitar playing skills. Even better if the lyrics get a bit emotional, better yet if they hint at the need for emotional connection with someone. “Another Lonely Day” by Ben Harper, come on down! But wait, here’s your friend who doesn’t go to house parties, and has only had one beer. Why is he intervening? “Bro Ben Harper is a sellout, listen to this!” He proceeds to snatch the guitar off you and rip into his work. Admittedly, this dude fucking shreds. He isn’t playing any songs that you’ve heard of though, and you think he might just be riffing this on the spot. It’s really impressive stuff, but the girls are obviously put off. They go outside and talk to the soccer jocks outside. You resign yourself to drinking 14 more beers.
This wasn’t that great, pretty slow for me.
This was alright. The guitar was nice but certainly noy my thing. 100 albums down!
Very cool guitars in this, not much else to say except some songs should be trimmed or cut completely. Sounds strangely modern and dated in some ways. Would be higher if the album was more tightly produced
was just super boring to me, too many blooz instrumentals
This is fun - put it on in the background at work and answering emails felt like a gunslinging adventure
Too noodly. 2
Jag är whelmd. Jag gillar inte psykedelisk rock, men jag respekterar vad det här albumet betydde för rockgenren as a whole. Jammet är väldigt imponerande, känner inte så stort behov att lyssna igen lol
Started ok but finished poorly
Was expecting a little bit of country but got a lot blues/rock/psych wank. Parts of the Bo Diddley cover had a groove so it sneaks a 2.
These guys love Bo Diddley. As with any extended jam, the band may stumble upon a good passage or two, for instance the blues-jazz, almost Peter Green feel, of the last minute of 'When You Love'. A couple of originals get an outing and that's when things get interesting. 'Maiden of the Cancer Moon' almost goes Black Sabbath, and despite its lack of depth I enjoyed it for that reason. That segues into the real star, 'Cavalry'. The departure from blues tropes into something more like cowboy prog rock is a great left turn. And the sparse, unsettling intro is genuinely suspenseful. This is like the 'American Beauty' to the rest of the album's 'Live/Dead'. But as an album I found it underwhelming.