The 60's Psych Thread (lyrics, blues, dance, instrumental, jazz)

[Gavin B.]

In the rare video above, Quicksilver Messenger Service brings the psychedelic sound of San Francisco's ballrooms to the 1967 Monterey Music Festival. Quicksilver was an unsigned band at that time and they were so tripped out and disorganized they were about the last of the San Francisco bands to put out their first record album. Quicksilver had chronic problems finding a decent vocalist which is abundantly clear from the Monterey video. For those who play close attention to the video you'll see the hyperactive smiling dude toward the front of the audience in the black cowboy hat with a moustache is none other than David Crosby of the Byrds.

Guitarist John Cipollina also became famous for the strange amp stack he toured with, which included six Wurlitzer horns on top. Cipollina had an unusual hand picking guitar style. Cipollina's approach was a unique hybrid of a classical and jazz influences which was miles beyond the usual blues-scale, pentatonic work of many of the other psychedelic-era guitarists. John's trademark was his extensive use the whammy bar that added a spacey feel to his rolling apeggios of guitar notes. As a child Cipollina was a gifted classical pianist who used a lot of those influences when he switched to guitar.

I saw Quicksilver in 1968 when I was a kid with my father who was a local promoter of psychedelic music in St. Louis. Quicksilver was the first psychedelic band that left a lasting impression on me. They performed at a free open air concert at the Forest Park Pavillion on a beautiful autumn day and all 300 hippies in St. Louis were in attendance. I had never heard anything like their long rambling version of Silver and Gold which was a psychedelic rendition of Dave Brubeck's Take Five using an exotic 5/4 jazzed up time signature. They also played Who Do You Love in using Bo Diddley's modified 5/4 blues signature that was his own unique contribution to rock and roll.