Quicksilver Messenger Service are a great American classic rock and psychedelic rock band founded in 1965 in San Francisco, California. They were initially musically active between 1965 and 1979 and were quite popular among psychedelic rock fans worldwide as well as regionally in the San Francisco Bay Area. Even though they are not as well-known as other bands of that sub-genre of rock music (e.g. Grateful Dead or Jefferson Airplane), Quicksilver Messenger Service were an important band in the development of the American West Coast classic rock and psychedelic rock music during the 1960s, with a sound that blended influences stemming from classical music and jazz (while also having a strong folk background). Their music was a mixture of psychedelic rock and acid rock. Throughout the passage of time, the band went through multiple line-up changes.
Quicksilver Messenger Service in 1970. Image source: Wikimedia Commons
Quicksilver Messenger Service in 1972. Left top to right: Dino Valentini (lead vocals), Greg Elmore (drums), and Gary Duncan (electric guitar). Image source: Wikimedia Commons
Who do you love, one of the most popular singles released by the band. Image source: Wikimedia Commons
After the 1970s, the band reunited for several years during the following time periods: between 1984 and 1996 under the name Gary Duncan’s Quicksilver, between 2006 and 2009 as well as since 2009 onwards as David Freiberg’s Quicksilver Messenger Service. Between the late 1960s and 1986, this classic rock band released a total number of 9 studio albums as follows (listed in the chronological order of their release):
- Quicksilver Messenger Service (1968)
- Happy Trails (1969)
- Shady Grove (1969)
- Just for Love (1970)
- What About Me (1970)
- Quicksilver (1971)
- Comin’ Thru (1972)
- Solid Silver (1975)
- Peace By Piece (1986)
Below you can listen to some of the band’s most well-known songs embedded via YouTube. Thank you very much for your time, attention, and readership! It means a lot to me! All the best and rock on! 🙂 🤘
- The band’s page on www.wikipedia.org (in English)
- The band’s page on www.allmusic.com
- What Happened to Quicksilver Messenger Service?, article by Vincent Maganzini on www.culturesonar.com (Culture Sonar)
- The band’s page on www.spotify.com
- The band’s page on www.discogs.com
- The band’s page on www.udiscovermusic.com
- David Freiberg’s Quicksilver Messenger Service on www.dfquicksilver.com
My experience with their live shows differs significantly from their studio recordings. The energy felt much more raw during the performances.