Shady Grove

Shady Grove Artist: Quicksilver Messenger Service
Label: Toshiba EMI Japan
Category: Music


Average customer rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Format: Limited Edition
Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1
EAN: 4988006834057
ASIN: B000AA7FGM


Release Date: 2005-09-15

Shady Grove


Related Categories:

General General
Categories | Rock | Styles | Music
Psychedelic Rock Psychedelic Rock
Categories | Classic Rock | Styles | Music
Pop Rock Pop Rock
Categories | Pop | Styles | Music
Rock Rock
Categories | Imports | Stores | Music

Tracks:

  1. Shady Grove
  2. Flute Song
  3. Three or Four Feet From Home
  4. Too Far
  5. Holy Moly
  6. Joseph's Coat
  7. Flashing Lonesome
  8. Words Can't Say
  9. Edward, the Mad Shirt Grinder

Similar Items:

  1. What About Me
  2. Just for Love
  3. Happy Trails
  4. Quicksilver Messenger Service
  5. Casino Royale (Two-Disc Widescreen Edition)

Album Description

Japanese pressing of the 1969 album features the 9 original tracks packaged in a paper sleeve. EMI. 2005.

Album Details

Japanese Digitally Remastered Limited Edition Issue of the San Francisco Band's Album Classic in a Deluxe, Miniaturized LP Sleeve Replica of the Original Vinyl Album Artwork.

Customer Reviews:

3 out of 5 stars Nicky Hopkins tries to jump start QMS, with limited success.......2005-10-10

For years (decades actually) I could not name another song by Quicksilver Messenger Service other than the title track from this 1969 album, which was the group's third release. I really like the song, or I should say that I really liked the introduction to the song, with the pounding piano and the guitar of John Cipollina slowly winding up to the basic theme of the song. The song itself is okay (if it was a bit better I might have decided to have picked up the album before the decade ran out), but the introduction is absolutely great. Now that I have checked out the album I am slapping my head over not recognizing the keyboard stylings of Nicky Hopkins on the piano. But then you say the name Nicky Hopkins and you think of him playing sessions with the Rolling Stones for albums like "Their Satanic Majesties Request" and "Let It Bleed." But he also worked with the Beatles on "The White Album," as well as the Kinks, the Who, and the Jefferson Airplane. That last one probably explains why he ended up with a psychedelic group out of San Francisco.

The other thing I was surprised to learn several years back was that "Shady Grove" is not an original composition but an Appalachian folk song. The Kingston Trio did a really nice medley of it with "Lonesome Traveler," and if you want something more authentic you can go track down Doc Watson doing the purest bluegrass version I have come across to date. Despite the frenzied piano playing that sets up the song, when Quicksilver Messenger Service does it they sure sound to me like they are channeling Bo Diddley more than Doc Watson. Still, when I was putting together my own set of folk music CDs and I started putting together one devoted to folk rock, this had to be the opening track (followed by Led Zeppelin's "Gallows Pole"). On balance this is still just a near-great song, and the bad news is that the rest of the album is as inconsistent as the opening track.

From what I have heard of the first two QMS albums, and as I can see just by looking at their play lists, the group was more into jamming than anything else (each album has a track in double-digits in length, "The Fool" and "Calvary" respectively). Adding Hopkins into the mix certainly changed the group's direction and sound, although the subtraction of guitarist Gary Duncan probably played a key role as well. Ironically the longest track on the album comes courtesy of Hopkins. "Edward, the Mad Shirt Grinder," which slows down the album to almost a dead stop at one point on the last track after offering some decent instrumental moments. "The Flute Song" quickly reminds you that is a psychedelic group and if you play this album for somebody who has never heard it they will probably ask you what group is doing the second song in this collection of forgotten late Sixties music.

Music Album:

  1. Revival ~ Reid Paley
  2. Still Life ~ Van Der Graaf Generator
  3. The Readymen ~ The Readymen
  4. Best of Kim Carnes ~ Kim Carnes
  5. Slow Down Kid ~ Val Emmich
  6. Prettier Than You ~ Brian Stevens
  7. The Black Sheep of the Family: The Anthology ~ Fat Mattress
  8. Songs in the Rough ~ Various Artists
  9. Leave Me Alone ~ One Way System
  10. The Girl Is Allright ~ Brazzaville

Music Album

Music Album

Music

Routes of Rhythm, Vol. 3 ~ Isaac Oviedo

Colors ~ Kirk Whalum

Return of the Hydra ~ Michael Coppola

Gigolo

Mama Said ~ Metallica

Babylon Mood [IMPORT]

Ferryboat ~ Pino Daniele

Flying High While Staying Low Down

Kimika ~ Javier Calamaro

Onna No Jinsei Mero Drama: Touya Monogatari ~ Yoko Nagayama