Indeed. Dino Valenti (IMO) basically ruined an incredible band with his ego-mad, semi-serviceable vocals. Nicky was a wonderful pianist but he was much to mellow to compete with Valenti or even to get Valenti to lighten up a bit. Valenti ended up writing practically all the material after that.
All those incredible Bo Diddley jams and the brilliant tune "The Fool" from the first album. That's the QSM that I loved in concert and on record. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <no_re...@...> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "Joe" <geezerfreak@> wrote: > > > > Cippolina was a real master, way ahead of his time. Is he still > > around? Those Quicksilver concerts when they were a quartet with > > Gary Duncan, were incredible! > > As I see from Message View that Bhairitu posted, > John died some time ago. I agree with you about > the original quartet. Back when I and my college > hippie friends were promoting rock concerts, > Quicksilver was our favorite group to hire. And > to party with. > > The dynamic between Cippolina and Gary Duncan > (self-described as "The Agony and the Ecstasy") > was electric, and wonderful. None of the "latter" > formations of Quicksilver (adding Dino Valenti > and Nicky Hopkins) were as good. > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu <noozguru@> wrote: > > > > > > tartbrain wrote: > > > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu <noozguru@> wrote: > > > > > > > >> tartbrain wrote: > > > >> > > > >>> --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Bhairitu <noozguru@> wrote: > > > >>> > > > >>> > > > >>>> I had some email exchanges with Alan a few years back. He had > > > >>>> claimed > > > >>>> on his podcast that rock musicians of the 1960s didn't know that > > > >>>> much > > > >>>> about music (he claims to be a former profession songwriter). Au > > > >>>> contraire, even people like Graham Parson had jazz backgrounds. > > > >>>> Brian > > > >>>> Wilson was also into jazz and composition. So were many of the > > > >>>> well > > > >>>> known rock stars I met and we used to compare notes. I particularly > > > >>>> remember siting with some of the guys from the Greatful Dead at my > > > >>>> house > > > >>>> listening to John Cage. We were all music students that looked at > > > >>>> the > > > >>>> rock scene and thought "hey we can write that stuff in our sleep!" > > > >>>> > > > >>>> > > > >>> With all due respect to John Cage -- he broke a lot of boundaries, > > > >>> but the John Cage concert I went to -- was about 1000 record players > > > >>> each playing a different song, symphony opera, nature sound world > > > >>> music or spoken narrative. And John was there, but no visibly > > > >>> present. Probably walking around the audience -- who were walking > > > >>> among the record players. Or perhaps hiding behind a stage curtain -- > > > >>> I could have written that in my sleep. In fact I think I have a few > > > >>> times. > > > >>> > > > >>> Did you know Emil Richards and his cosmic micro tonal band? Paul > > > >>> Horn's friend. And a meditator of course. > > > >>> > > > >>> The Grateful Dead seemed to be sort of micro tonal -- tuning their > > > >>> guitars to some out there scale. And particularly QuickSilver live -- > > > >>> who I used to tell friends "they played like you know, 100 dissonate > > > >>> notes and chords per second" > > > >>> > > > >>> Or maybe they were just to far tripping to tune their guitars by > > > >>> standard means. > > > >>> > > > >>> And thanks for the Digital video insights > > > >>> > > > >>> > > > >>> > > > >>> > > > >> I didn't know Emil Richards but did know Paul Horn. I knew the > > > >> Quicksilver guys too. Lived next door to John Cipollina and Nicky > > > >> Hopkins (who also played on a lot of the Beatles cuts as well as in > > > >> The > > > >> Rolling Stones). > > > >> > > > > > > > > I like the breadth of Nicky Hopkins -- he was everywhere. I remember > > > > him from the Jeff Beck Group (with Rod Stewart -- when he was good :), > > > > Ronny Wood and of course Jeff Beck. And later with Jefferson Airplane > > > > -- and about everybody else. > > > > > > > > John Cipollina was amazing to watch live. And had the look of the > > > > archetypal hippie -- when the term was new and fresh -- tall, thin, > > > > long stringy hair, intense gaunt look, good and interesting guitarist. > > > > QS's "Who Do You Love" -- the greatest rock song ever recorded -- or > > > > played live. > > > > > > > > "To create his distinctive guitar sound, Cipollina developed a one of a > > > > kind amplifier stack. His Gibson SG guitars had two pickups, one for > > > > bass and one for treble. The bass pickup fed into two Standel bass amps > > > > on the bottom of the stack, each equipped with two 15-inch speakers. > > > > The treble pickups fed two Fender amps: a Fender Twin Reverb with two > > > > 12-inch speakers and a Fender Dual Showman that drove six Wurlitzer > > > > horns. His style was highly melodic and expressive. Cipollina's > > > > classical past no doubt influenced his guitar style, which was miles > > > > beyond the usual pentatonic blues-scale work of many of the other > > > > psychedelic-era guitarists. His work on fellow dueling guitarist Gary > > > > Duncan's electric arrangement/adaption of Dave Brubeck's "Take Five", > > > > retitled "Gold and Silver," which appears on the self-titled first > > > > album of Quicksilver, is an excellent example of how Cipollina took > > > > rock to places it usually didn't dare to venture." > > > > > > > > You didn't live next door to them in Mill Valley did you? If so -- did > > > > you hang with Clover? Sons of Champlain? (And who was "The Girl from > > > > Mill Valley" that Hopkins composed a song for on Beckola?) > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Yup, it was Mill Valley with George and Marsha Lucas living across the > > > street. Nick Gravenites hung out there frequently. Didn't know the Son > > > of Champlain but hitched a ride with the father once. Don't know who > > > the girl was. Played in another band which had a house in San Anselmo > > > where a little redhead girl would come over and belt out some blues > > > (Bonnie Raitt). John was always working on his guitars doing custom > > > things. > > > > > >
