Quicksilver Messenger Service - Classic/Dud, Search/Destroy

"What About Me" has to be up there on a list of late 60s early 70s period era paranoid drug rock tunes. Chet Powers (aka Dino Valenti/Jesse Oris Farrow) seems to have been one heck of a character. In context of his troubles with the law, this tune resonates a bit more than say some of Neil's or Stones records of similar ilk.

Haven't listened to that one in a long time--it was certainly a personal saga that seemed to resonate for many at the time, judging by how often I heard it on late night FM, at parties (sometimes two-three times in a row, the chorus becoming a sing-along), walking down the street, hearing it from houses and passing cars. But picky me was put off by Dino's incessant bleating into his magic microphone, though it worked better here than on some other tracks ("Ah'm-uh---psychedelic rain-jah.")
Haven't heard the solo album finally excavated a few years ago, but he did earn his footnote by writing "Get Together," a poignant hit as performed by the Youngbloods (who I've always meant to check out more--more of the early stuff is good, huh? "Darkness Darkness" sounded great when Mott covered it). The precarious hopefulness of the verses--making the chorus more powerful really comes across on the recent Jimmie Dale Gilmore & Dave Alvin's recent album, with Gilmore's high lonesome drifter clarity, and Dave's rough-edged fluid guitar.
"Dino's Song," covered by the original pre-DV QMS, was a good change of pace on their s/t debut--thee first San Francisco dawning-ov-Acidquarious album, next to After Bathing At Baxter's, that really sounded like album covers, concert posters, light shows in the giant pages of Life Magazine etc. looked.In Quicksilver's case, there was a late night phosphorescence, and the feeling of being on the beach back when you didn't have to worry quite so much about helicopter spotlights---but that's all I'll say about that. Mainly agree with Myonga's take on their records' arc, way upthread.

yeesh, typos, sorry

Re: The Youngbloods--There's a nice single disc best of called "Get Together" that is probably all you need. IIRC, the tracklist is 1/2 of each of the first two LPs, and 3/4s of the third.

I also recommend checking out the "Go Ride The Music" TV special--half of it is the Airplane live in the studio at Heider's, and the other half is Quicksilver w/Dino (possibly one of his first shows w/them post-jail) live and busting out his best Rock Star moves at what appears to be an arts and crafts fair up in the hills for audience of about 50 people (babies included).

I really like that Copperhead record that John Cipollina's band did in '73. Has the recorded and never released second Copperhead record ever come to light?

Search on Youtube says no, but this place is good for that type of miscellany.

never even heard of it before. I’ll have to ask my dad, he’s a big quicksilver head

re-listening to the dino valente solo record today. i wonder if kurt vile digs this track.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC3i2unDR_s

The one song of theirs I keep on my hard drive:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgoykLXz3Dw

Will look into his solo album.

I know he wrote it, and wasn't on the record due to being imprisoned (stuck in Folsom Prison?) but I don't think I've ever heard Dino singing Dino's Song, did he ever? Surely he must have, it's his song