Happy Trails (album)

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Happy Trails

Studio album by Quicksilver Messenger Service
Released	March 1969
Recorded	1968
Genre	Rock
Length	48:41
Label	Capitol
Producer(s)	?
All Music Guide link Rolling Stone (not rated) link
Quicksilver Messenger Service chronology
Quicksilver Messenger Service (1968)	Happy Trails (1969)	Shady Grove (1969)

Happy Trails is widely considered to be the seminal album from Quicksilver Messenger Service. In the tradition of the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver were seen as one of the Bay Area's highest-flying psychedelic rock acts.

"Happy Trails" consists mainly of a performance cover of Bo Diddley's "Who Do You Love?" spread out over nearly 20 minutes. The song was divided into several parts ("What Do You Love," "How Do You Love," "Where Do You Love," etc.) in order to recoup a greater share of royalty payments.

A heavy beat, extended instrumental section and the spiralling guitar work of John Cipollina drive the album to greatness, as the jam quiets, is reduced to drums and sound effects, then explodes into the finale.

The second half of the album is comprised of an almost continuous suite. Beginning with another Bo Diddley song ("Mona"), guitarist Gary Duncan's Maiden of the Cancer Moon follows and the album closes with the atmospheric Calvary, which manifested itself during a studio acid trip. As a coda, the band sing the theme tune to cowboy TV show Roy Rogers, which lends its title to the album. Fans of rock trivia may be interested to note that this whimsical tune also appears on Van Halen's Diver Down.

In 2003, the album was ranked number 189 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. [1]