Search - Quicksilver Messenger Service :: What About Me

Quicksilver Lite

sekander | 10/10/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"C'mon people, get real. This album, and its predecessor, Just For Love, are weak drop-offs from their previous efforts. Chicks will dig this for the Dino songs and the "mellow" groove nature of some of the jamming. While that's all fine and dandy, all you have to do is listen to the first two albums to realize how far they'd fallen by the time of the release of this album in late 1970. It's no wonder John Cipollina left after this album. Duncan valiantly tried to keep up as the standard bearer after Cipollina left, but two inconsequential albums were all he could muster before the band petered out.

One other thing....I've never liked the sound of these two albums recorded in Hawaii. There's such an abominable echo and tinniness to the proceedings, it really detracts from the music. Dino probably using too much reverb on his vocals to make it palatable."

All In My Mind; An Abso lute Gem!!

Mic Murdoch | SF Peninsula, California, USA | 08/27/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Like everyone else, I love "What About Me?" and that's why I bought the album (when it was on vinyl) initially. But the song that caught my ears most on this particular QMS album is Gary Duncan's "All In My Mind" with the beautiful Bossa Nova chord progressions and arrangement that reflects his Jazz roots and love for Brazilian music. Gary also played bass on this cut and it's one of the finest bass work on any Rock tunes (though you can hardly call this one that, it's more Brazilian)!!



When I first heard Gary's solo on this tune, I couldn't believe how beautiful, sensual, expressive, quintessential, capricious, and concise it was all at the same time. This amazingly beautiful solo is really neck to neck with the legendary solo rendered by the great Jazz guitarist Wes Montgomery on "Once I Loved."



Gary Duncan, while he was often overshadowed by the two other more publicized members of the band, is the one who has nimbly and powerfully laid down the basis of the QMS with his gutsy, powerful, colorful rhythm and down-to-a-point, sensuous, haunting, complex but flowing solos. So it's great to hear him really shine on this tune and show his true form as THE mastermind of their music. Those of us who listened to the QMS closely all know it was Duncan who really DELIVERED the music. So I think he really deserves way more recognition for being the true genius he is. I'm a sucker for great guitar playing and listen to many great players including Pat Martino, John Scofield, Mike Stern, Scott Henderson, Robben Ford, Jim Hall, to name a few, and I put Gary Duncan in one of the world's top 10 most talented guitar playing musicians of all.



Also, I actually like Dino's lyrics to this song better than anything he's ever written, as it really echoes his spiritual approach to his rather unusually interesting life. I feel the real sense of "saudade" all over the song; longing for life. You also realize from listening to him sing in this rather odd key (as the tune was originally composed to be instrumental) that he has a such a great range in singing and actually was a good vocalist even though he was often criticized for having a nasally tone to his singing.



"Subway" is another great tune but I like the version they did at Kabuki Theater more because it has a raunchy Bluesy kick and the soulful movement to it.



Actually, I'd buy this album even if it has just these 3 tunes, though I like the wispy breezy tone on Gary's guitar on "Long Haired Lady" a lot."