My old pal Rob and I used to work weekly shifts from hell together at Smash CD on St. Mark's Place. Three 12 hour days and then two 14 hour days on Friday and Saturday. We still had fun because we laughed a lot and listened to a ton of great music. Rob was/is a stoner and a Dead Head, and back in the early 90's, I still couldn't deal with The Dead, who I now love. I had no patience for them, but I tolerated them more than I did Quicksilver Messenger Service, who Rob loved just as much and would play way too often.
It was torture for me. I couldn't figure out what he loved about this band, which at the time, sounded like generic music played by really stoned people. It was worse when Rob was high and would start talking about John Cipollina. It's because of this I haven't listened to a Quicksilver record since 1992...until today, when I listened to two.
Why did I listen after 34 years of avoiding them like kale smoothies?
I posted something fun on Facebook. I wanted to get away from politics and the vitriol from both sides and just say something positive. So I posted "WONDERFUL THINGS" and I asked people to comment one wonderful thing at a time. I began with the following:
And guess what?
I loved what I heard, especially the live "Who Do You Love Suite" from the Fillmore, which on paper, is exactly what I had no patience for when I was working with Rob.
This stuff is great!
I wish I could understand just a little bit about how I could make such an about face. If this was a rare phenomenon, it wouldn't be something to talk about. "Oh, maybe you were tired from working all those hours." Yeah, except, why didn't I hate all the other music played during those shifts? I seem to make these 180's regarding music every other week.
All I know is, that Quicksilver debut really hit the spot and "Happy Trails" was even better. Cipollina is a great guitarist. Matty is right!
I'm less interested in your thoughts on the band, and more interested in your experiences, if any, with the about face about certain music.
13 comments:
I was 14 years old when the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack came out and dominated American radio. I was aware of Bee Gees from Nights on Broadway and Jive Talkin' and I knew they had success in the 1960s. Other than liking Nights on Broadway, I didn't have much interest in their music. Their inescapable songs from the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack destroyed Bee Gees music for me.
Years later I saw a live performance of theirs on TV. They did an acoustic medley of some of their older songs. I was blown away by the songs and the vocals. I had to admit to myself there was something there.
I've loved Quicksilver from the from first time I heard the debut album back in the day. And they were truly amazing live.
my reversal was the dismissal of country music as a genre. i grew with Porter and Dolly on tv and considered it fuddy duddy. even mike nesmith's albums failed to sway me. a cousin finally cracked the door open with Emmylou's first album, which led to Rodney Crowell (door open a little wider), which led to Rosanne Cash (for a long time, just the first 2 albums) but went wide open with cowpunk in the mid-80's. now i have around 10-15 Asleep at the Wheel albums and an array of the outlaws' proteges.
I'm in my early fifties and live in the Bay Area, so the lore of Quicksilver had always been around. I was in high school when John C. died and local news made the connection that he was the brother of Huey Lewis' bass player, which I loved. Then COVID, with time to explore, and man, they're one group I wish I'd invested in earlier. As a hippie history fan, I find Quicksilver adding one more ingredient to the whole scene. Check out the couple of records they made with Nicky Hopkins and you'll hear Who's Next and the template for so many other classics he played on. They're a bit of a sleeper band but once they click, they click and they're less cliche than throwing on an early Dead record right now.
I've had a few of those reversals as well. Hall & Oates were laughably awful to me, don't know how I missed their appeal for so many years. Early Duran Duran, .38 Special, and others.
I still get annoyed listening to the Dead, RHCP, and a lot of Rod Stewart. Maybe someday I'll come around
Even the Faces and early, pre-Warner Rod?
Another "about face" that occurs to me is McCartney's Ram album. I bought it in high school because of the tracks Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey and Too Many People. Those two were not representative of the rest of the album which I quickly dismissed.
Much later I was flipping through my records and came across Ram and decided to give it a spin out of casual curiosity. I loved it. Same music but different listener I guess. I know that album is revered now but I don't remember anyone loving it back then.
I've done so many 180's on bands and albums that I don't know which way I'm facing anymore. Todd Rundgren's "Liars", The Zombies' Odessey and Oracle, Tears for Fears, Blur, Style Council/Paul Weller. The Kinks, etc. It's endless. Lastest has been U2. I got on board briefly between Rattle and Hum and Pop but quickly got off. Now, based on the "Days of Ash" EP and the new single, I may just have to buy a ticket.
I have a couple. First Bluegrass as a genre. I used to hate it (never liked the sound of a banjo). Even though i love GD and Jerry is basically a Bluegrass player. Then I watched Ken Burns amazing Country music Doc. And how Bluegrass players are world class musicians. I bought a few NGDB albums and a couple Tony Rice and now I'm sold on the genre. The 2nd is Sinatra. I grew up in the 60's and 70's a rock snob and dismissed anything with the label Easy Listening. Then in the 90's I decided to pick up a couple Frank boots from this great store called NYCD. I've been a fan of Franks ever since
Ditto to Sal- the first four Stewart records are excellent, and A Nod Is As Good As A Wink is in my top 50 records of all time.
AC/DC. Led Zeppelin. John Mellencamp. All reevaluated many years later. And although I have purged close to 300 records in the last few years, I found I still have Happy Trails by Quicksilver.
For me -Gasoline Alley
I guess I was in 2nd grade when the Beatles were on Ed Sullivan. The next day at recess it was all the girls could talk about. They're so CUTE!! This being 2nd grade, anything the girls loved, the boys hated (or were bored by). I guess we focused on our baseball cards. It was a while (too long) before I managed to 180 on that band. (Never did have a Beatles lunch box though...) I'll also 'fess up that as a teenager I thought "Okie from Muskogee" was sincere and Merle Haggard was as redneck corny as you could get. Took a long time see the error of my youthful ways about Merle (and Dolly and George and Patsy and Loretta and Lefty and so many of the country giants).
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