Must confess I like 'What About Me'...it includes a track called 'Local Color', a Chippo song, which I think could be the origins of the trademark stomping on-the-beat Ace bassline...seems similar to 'Angel Easy' to me in parts...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVg32t11WAI
Indeed, Nick, and there is Wolf Run on Just For Love - but they really were Cipollina's sole shining moments (other than a nice guitar solo on Subway). I've got the lot but seldom return to WAM or JFL. There's a 1970 gig out - poor old Cipollina doesn't even sound like he's playing in the same band anymore!
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2lbkulThe topic of Valenti era QMS being somewhat Marmite-like is not new, as we all know - it is one of the most often aired topics in Man lore thanks to Deke's rather good account of meeting QMS that is now remembered in RW&L (book) but is actually an almost word for word recycling of a TWC (the magazine!) "Deke Speaks". Even allowing for Nick remembering a track or two, and mine below, and even if you are fond of "Fresh Air" as a hippy dream single, it still doesn't amount to much after the first two LPs.
But here is the thing:
we do we never talk about Shady Grove (late 1969)? Cipollina still there, Freiburg still on bass and lead pipes, Elmore still drumming and session ace Nicky Hopkins added on piano, having been kicking his heels around 'Frisco - he was on JA's Volunteers and played with them at Woodstock and I'm guessing other dates. FWIW, I found Hopkins' ivories a little too polished on that release, and am no fan of Edward the Mad Shirt Grinder. I quite like Freiburg's stately Too Far and thought Joseph's Coat came close to harking back to the stark delivery of Pride of Man on the debut, although whether it beats the Nick Graventites (who co-wrote it) sung version on one of the post Janis BB&HC LPs is matter of taste!
Will have to listen to the rest again - I seem to recall the title track was a pretty bog standard romp through the American folk standard once Hopkins' intro was done, and Three Or Four Feet From Home was a spirited if unremarkable rocker from Cipollina.
I think there's an element of us all 'loving to hate' Valenti, or at least boo/hiss him as the pantomime baddie - because he
isn't in the band yet on Shady Grove but the album
wasn't necessarily any better for that! But because we love all the band members on that album, we don't feel inclined to rubbish it - wheras not only did Valenti ruin a great band in many opinions, but he was
very schmaltzy and pedestrian himself.
Dare I say that QMS were at their best live with Cipollina and Duncan letting rip, Freiburg singing and after the debut never really gave us a strong set of songs again. Many bands suffer from the sketch of having a big backlog of ideas that fuels their first LP but nothing in the creative coffers for after - and I think QMS were very much of that ilk, love them though I do...
