The last of Quicksilver's albums before they broke up is a disappointment, and a real poser for all but the most dedicated fans.
The songwriting was getting thin by this time, as indicated by the presence of numbers like "Chicken," a traditional piece arranged by Dino Valenti, which is little more than four minutes of wasted time on a 36-minute record.
This track, and Valenti's promising but ultimately disappointing "Changes," were a sure sign that the band was delivering an album, but nothing more than that, as a way of fulfilling a contract; it's even hard to visualize the group doing this material on-stage.
The presence of trumpets, trombones, and saxes is also a problem, because they make Quicksilver sound more like Blood, Sweat & Tears than themselves, and Valenti wasn't David Clayton-Thomas.
But then there are hard-rocking numbers like "Doin' Time in the U.S.A." and "California State Correctional Facility Blues," which actually work, with slashing guitars, organ playing that is alternately soaring and funky, and a great beat.
So about two-thirds of this album is what you would want and expect from Quicksilver, even if it isn't their best work, and the rest can be skipped.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Doin' Time in the U.S.A.Gary Duncan | Quicksilver Messenger Service | Play | 04:20 | 9 MB | 26 MB |
| 2 | ChickenTraditional | Quicksilver Messenger Service | Play | 03:58 | 9 MB | 25 MB |
| 3 | ChangesDino Valente | Quicksilver Messenger Service | Play | 04:02 | 9 MB | 24 MB |
| 4 | Forty DaysGary Duncan, Greg Elmore, Dino Valente | Quicksilver Messenger Service | Play | 05:51 | 13 MB | 36 MB |
| 5 | MojoDino Valente | Quicksilver Messenger Service | Play | 05:38 | 12 MB | 33 MB |
| 6 | Don't Lose ItGary Duncan, Dino Valente | Quicksilver Messenger Service | Play | 06:08 | 14 MB | 36 MB |
| 7 | California State Correctional | Quicksilver Messenger Service | Play | 06:27 | 14 MB | 36 MB |
| 36 mins | 83 MB | |||||
| 36 mins | 219 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ken Baizell | Trumpet |
| 2 | Ken Balzall | Trumpet |
| 3 | Bud Brisbois | Trumpet |
| 4 | Charles Caloper | Trombone |
| 5 | Gary Duncan | Bass, Composer, Guitar, Vocals |
| 6 | Greg Elmore | Composer, Drums |
| 7 | John Hoernie | Art Direction |
| 8 | Cecil Jones | Engineer |
| 9 | Sonny Lewis | Saxophone |
| 10 | Charles Loper | Trombone |
| 11 | Charles C. Lopert | Trombone |
| 12 | Don Menza | Saxophone |
| 13 | Pat O'Hara | Trombone |
| 14 | Don Peterson | Photography |
| 15 | Quicksilver Messenger Service | Primary Artist |
| 16 | Mark Ryan | Bass |
| 17 | Dalton Smith | Trumpet |
| 18 | Salton Smith | Trumpet |
| 19 | Chuck Steaks | Keyboards, Organ |
| 20 | Traditional | Composer |
| 21 | Dino Valente | Composer, Congas, Flute, Guitar, Vocals |
| 22 | John Wilson | Mixing |
Quicksilver Messenger Service
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |