Monday, September 19, 2011

Quicksilver Messenger Service -- Happy Trails

  This is what I'd call a super psychedelic album.  Happy Trails is pure wild, Owsley (classic San Fran acid guru)  musta cooked up a bitchin' blend of LSD for the band on these live performances, recorded at the Filmore East and West.  The first side works like a 20 minute long ode to Bo Diddley a total San Franciscan freak-out version of Who Do You Love, as the tune goes on they expand it into a spaced-out jam session broken up into  parts called, When You Love, Where You Love, How You Love, Which Do You Love, then it all comes back 'round full circle with Who Do You Love -- Part 2 .... the flipside isn't any different, it starts off with Diddley's Mona ... then the acid fueled jam-out starts up again and goes on with, Maiden Of The Cancer Moon, Cavalry, and finally we land back on earth with a little spoof of ..... Happy Trails ... to yoouuuuu!

  I must say even though I admire this record, the musicianship in parts isn't the best, they're probably way too high, letting loose, so I don't blame em' for not being perfect, how could you, it's random freedom ... like being totally annihilated by noise, but noise with a beat, and the beat starts the next experiment ... it keeps going  ... until the trip is over ... you hear this sort of cosmic sound experimentation with bands like Sonic Youth and Television years later ...