Headlining a bill that featured Sons Of Champlin and John Cipollina's band, Copperhead, this Quicksilver Messenger Service recording proves that even at the tail end of their years on Capitol Records, this was a band that was far more compelling onstage than they ever were in the studio. Few QMS live recordings are known to exist from the 1972-73 incarnation of the band and this one, recorded in December of '73, captures the band just before they initially split up. By the early 1970s, Dino Valenti was essentially the bandleader and was providing the vast majority of their material.…entire summary

Dino Valenti - guitar, flute, vocals
Gary Duncan - bass, guitar, vocals
Chuck Steaks - keyboards
Mark Ryan - bass
Greg Elmore - drums

Headlining a bill that featured Sons Of Champlin and John Cipollina's band, Copperhead, this Quicksilver Messenger Service recording proves that even at the tail end of their years on Capitol Records, this was a band that was far more compelling onstage than they ever were in the studio. Few QMS live recordings are known to exist from the 1972-73 incarnation of the band and this one, recorded in December of '73, captures the band just before they initially split up. By the early 1970s, Dino Valenti was essentially the bandleader and was providing the vast majority of their material. Original members, Gary Duncan and Greg Elmore were still on board, maintaining a strong link to their past, but John Cipollina's departure had eliminated their trademark dual intertwining lead guitar sound. Although Gary Duncan was often ill during this era, his distinctive guitar playing is often full of fire. On many of these songs, he brings an improvisational approach to the instrumental sections that are quite captivating, lending a balance to the group’s more song-oriented sound. The band still has plenty of creativity here and this set is remarkable and surprising in a number of ways.

The first surprise is the opening number, where they apply a prototype Quicksilver-style arrangement to "Losing Hand," a piano based blues written by Ray Charles. Never recorded by the band, this rarity is a very impressive performance that finds a nice balance between the raw aggressive feel of Happy Trails era material and the more polished rock-oriented sound of the later albums. Another rarely performed tune, "Play My Guitar," a song from the 1971 Quicksilver LP follows, featuring trademark psychedelic guitar from Duncan that smokes the studio version. At this point, everyone is fully warmed up, so they sink their teeth into "Mojo," the strongest rocker on their final Capitol album, Comin’ Thru. The sparks fly as they burn through this number for nearly 10 minutes, allowing Duncan to fully flex his impressive guitar chops. They may have been nearing the end, but onstage Quicksilver still had tremendous energy.

To close the set, they deliver a nearly 40-minute continuous sequence that begins by coupling one of their most beloved songs, "What About Me" with an intriguing take on the Just For Love album track, "The Hat." The crowd roars its approval in all the obvious places during "What About Me," which features plenty of Valenti's penetrating vocals. Midway through its dreamy flow, the band drops way down while Valenti improvises. Although no recordings have ever surfaced of Valenti's early years on the folk circuit, this little sequence gives one a fleeting glimpse of his root sound and style. Eventually the group transitions into "The Hat," which contains 10 delightful minutes revolving around a relaxed infectious groove. They might not be recognized for it, but this same groove and nearly identical guitar riffs fueled several mid-‘70s hits by other artists. Just when one expects them to end this remarkable sequence, Duncan starts veering off, with the rest of the group following his lead. As they continue the familiar sound of "Who Do You Love" emerges and they are suddenly blazing into a ferocious jam. After several minutes, Duncan takes the lead vocal and it sounds as if we have journeyed back to 1968. Valenti's rhythm guitar playing has been strong all night and he and the rhythm section provide a strong foundation so that Duncan can cut loose. And cut loose he does with blazing guitar solos and plenty of improvising for the next five or six minutes. This is a cosmic performance in every sense of the word, with blazing guitar solos and a pummeling rhythm that must have convinced any doubters that this band could still pull it off. Following this initial onslaught, the band heads into a spacey vamp with Duncan adding creepy processed guitar effects, which build into a barrage of controlled noise, before unexpectedly, they stop. However, they are not finished and begin slowly building back up. Right before the 15-minute mark, they rip back into "Who Do You Love" proper, still blazing with energy. Duncan is playing so furiously, that he forgoes singing on the reprise and instead lets his guitar do all the talking, before bringing the night to a close with a big crescendo-style ending. It's a remarkable performance that shows this final incarnation of the original group in a most positive light.

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