Ace of Cups - It's Bad for You But Buy It! (1968)

"Looking for My Man" by Ace of Cups

Quicksilver Messenger Service and the Ace of Cups were both managed by Ambrose Hollingsworth with Ron Polte taking over after a car crash turned Hollingsworth paraplegic.  The five-woman band played amongst the giants of the San Francisco acid scene but never got to expand their reputation outside of it.  The record labels and their manager could never swing the Cups a worthwhile record deal and touring outside of the Bay area was a non-starter for young women with filial obligations.

So, the Ace of Cups never released an album or even a single (in their first incarnation, anyway) and all the testament of their sixties sound can be found in the compilation album It's Bad for You But Buy It! released by Big Beat Records (with 1968 being the year the last recording on the record was set.)  The album is a grab bag of potential never refined.  At their best, they find a mix of genres (R&B girl groups, gospel, acid rock,...) that suit their skills and voices, but the surviving evidence on the albums has them repeating winning formulas too often and not quite finding other signs of sleeping hits or dizzying jams.  With the compilation album alone not enough to make their case for lost gems, the Ace of Cups's sixties reputations remains with those who witnessed them... like Jimi Hendrix who touted their guitarist (Mary Ellen Simpson) as "hell, really great."

Noted: Included in the discography is a recording by future-Cup Denise Kaufman with her high school band.

Here is the discography surrounding Ace of Cups's debut compilation album:

Boy, What'll You Do Then (1966 single by Denise and Co.)

Girls in the Garage (compilation song by Denise and Co.)

Girls in the Garage Volume 3 (compilation song)

It's Bad for You But Buy It!

"Gospel Song" by Ace of Cups

"Simplicity" by Ace of Cups

"Stones" by Ace of Cups

"Boy, What'll You Do Then" by Denise and Co.

Pass the Headphones!!

Quicksilver Messenger Service - Quicksilver Messenger Service (1968)

"It's Been Too Long" by Quicksilver Messenger Service

When Jefferson Airplane was in need of a drummer, they recruited Skip Spence, a guitarist from the early lineup of Quicksilver Messenger Service, a band that rehearsed at Marty Balin's Matrix Club.  (Another source says Spence was actually a member of the garage rock band The Other Side when called over to Airplane, but we'll stick with Quicksilver.)

Quicksilver Messenger Service formed haphazardly around misfits and jailbirds (for marijuana possession) into a psychedelic jam blues band.  Their brand of blues excelled when their extended jams sought to push the genre into a more psychedelic or hard blues direction, though they could just as easily lack in cleverness or inspiration within the same song.  Quicksilver's worst quality was that they lost all sense of the blues whenever either David Friedman or Gary Duncan started to sing, and their pop song craft was too weak to stand on its own in a jam session setting.

But I'm not being fair to the band because their debut LP Quicksilver Messenger Service (released in 1968 on Capitol Records) is actually very good.  The record does away with Quicksilver's reliance on the Blues in their live sets and focuses on a more contemporary pop sound anchored in the dueling guitars of John Cipollina and Gary Duncan, and it's a wonder what actually hitting your harmonies can do to help a song along.

But the album doesn't capture what Quicksilver's sound was trying to achieve in the live setting, a "new sound" sourced from jazz, folk and blues that, at this early stage of the band's lifespan, was only just an insoluble mix of blues and psychedelic pop with both components stronger apart than stirred together.

Also included on this tour stop is the garage rock band in which Gary Duncan and Greg Elmore started their recording career: The Brogues.

Here is the discography surrounding Quicksilver Messenger Service's debut album:

But Now I Find (1965 single by The Brogues)

Don't Shoot Me Down (1965 single by The Brogues)

Live in San Jose - September 1966 (live album)

Live at the Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco, 9th September 1966 (live album)

Live at the Avalon Ballroom, San Francisco, 28th October 1966 (live album)

Fillmore Auditorium - November 5, 1966 (live album)

Live at The Fillmore, San Francisco, 4th February 1967 - Early Show (live album)

Live at The Fillmore, San Francisco, 4th February 1967 - Late Show (live album)

Fillmore Auditorium - February 5, 1967 Live (live album)

Live at The Fillmore, San Francisco, 6th February 1967 (live album)

Live at the Winterland Ballroom - New Year's Eve 1967 (live album)

Live at The Carousel Ballroom, San Francisco, San Francisco, 4th April 1968 (live album)

Live at the Fillmore, June 7, 1968 (live album)

Revolution (1968 soundtrack album)

Dino's Song (1968 single)

Quicksilver Messenger Service

Stand by Me (1968 single)

Smokin' Sound (1968 live album)

The Hush Records Story (compilation album featuring The Brogues)

Unreleased Quicksilver Messenger Service: Lost Gold and Silver (compilation album)

"Dino's Song (Live at the Monterey Pop Festival)" by Quicksilver Messenger Service

"Acapulco Gold and Silver (Live at The Fillmore)" by Quicksilver Messenger Service

"But Now I Find" by The Brogues

Pass the Headphones!!

Jefferson Airplane - Jefferson Airplane Takes Off (1966)

"Let Me In" by Jefferson Airplane

Jorma Kaukonen's nickname "Blind Thomas Jefferson Airplane" (which sounds more like a short-lived inside joke) was given to him by a friend after one of his influences Blind Lemon Jefferson.  Jorma proposed the shortened Jefferson Airplane as a silly idea for a band name which then seriously became the band's name.

When the band released their debut album Jefferson Airplane Takes Off (in 1966 on the RCA Victor label), they were a tight musical group with folk-inspired harmonies and a killer bass player in Jack Casady. The band's songwriting wasn't yet a match for their musical talent and the album came too early in LP history to highlight their exciting, extended jam sessions.

Included in this entry is Marty Balin's first folk group, The Town Criers.

Here is the discography surrounding Jefferson Airplane's debut album:

Live in San Francisco (1964 live recording by The Town Criers)

It's No Secret (1966 single)

Come Up the Years (1966 single)

Bringing Me Down (1966 single)

Jefferson Airplane Take Off

Signe's Farewell (1966 live album)

"It's No Secret" by Jefferson Airplane

"And I Like It (alternate version)" by Jefferson Airplane

"900 Miles" by The Town Criers

Pass the Headphones!!

Blind Lemon Jefferson - The Folk Blues of Blind Lemon Jefferson (1955)

"Match Box Blues" by Blind Lemon Jefferson

A formative event in the life of Lightnin' Hopkins was his fateful meeting, at the age of eight, with Blind Lemon Jefferson at a church function in 1920.  Blind Lemon Jefferson carved out the definition of Texas Blues with his improvisational, fast-paced guitar picking.  His first compilation album, The Folk Blues of Blind Lemon Jefferson, came out in 1955 on London Records long after he passed away (in 1929.)

Here is the discography surrounding Blind Lemon Jefferson's "debut" album:

Booster Blues (1926 single)

Long Lonesome Blues (1926 single)

Long Lonesome Blues (1926 single)

Black Horse Blues (1926 single)

Jack O Diamond Blues (1926 single)

All I Want Is That Pure Religion (1926 single as Deacon L. J. Bates)

Old Rounders Blues (1926 single)

That Black Snake Moan (1926 single)

Wartime Blues (1927 single)

Bad Luck Blues (1927 single)

Rabbit Foot Blues (1927 single)

Black Snake Moan (1927 single)

Match Box Blues (1927 single)

Rising High Water Blues (1927 single)

Hot Dogs (1927 single)

Black Snake Dream Blues (1927 single)

Rambler Blues (1927 single)

Chinch Bug Blues (1927 single)

Gone Dead on You Blues (1927 single)

Where Shall I Be (1928 single as Deacon L. J. Bates)

Sunshine Special (1928 single)

'Lectric Chair Blues (1928 single)

Lemon's Worried Blues (1928 single)

Balky Mule Blues (1928 single)

Lemon's Cannon Ball Moan (1928 single)

Piney Woods Money Mama (1928 single)

Blind Lemon's Penitentiary Blues (1928 single)

Lockstep Blues (1928 single)

How Long How Long (1928 single)

Christmas Eve Blues (1928 single)

D B Blues (1929 single)

Competition Bed Blues (1929 single)

Eagle Eyed Mama (1929 single)

That Black Snake Moan No. 2 (1929 single)

Oil Well Blues (1929 single)

Peach Orchard Mama (1929 single)

Bakershop Blues (1929 single)

Bed Springs Blues (1929 single)

Pneumonia Blues (1929 single)

Hometown Skiffle (1930 single by The Paramount All Stars)

Southern Woman Blues (1930 single)

Cat Man Blues (1930 single)

The Cheaters Spell (1930 single)

Bootin' Me 'Bout (1930 single)

The Folk Blues of Lemon Jefferson

Blind Lemon's Penitentiary Blues and Other Folk Songs by Blind Lemon Jefferson (1955 compilation album)

Blind Lemon Jefferson Sings the Blues (1957 compilation album)

Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order Volume 1 (compilation album)

Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order Volume 2 (compilation album)

Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order Volume 3 (compilation album)

Complete Recorded Works in Chronological Order Volume 4 (compilation album)

"That Black Snake Moan" by Blind Lemon Jefferson

"Corinna Blues" by Blind Lemon Jefferson

"Shuckin' Sugar Blues" by Blind Lemon Jefferson

"Easy Rider Blues" by Blind Lemon Jefferson

"Hot Dogs" by Blind Lemon Jefferson

"D B Blues" by Blind Lemon Jefferson

"I Want to Be Like Jesus in My Heart" by Deacon L. J. Bates

Pass the Headphones!!

Lightnin' Hopkins - Lightnin' Hopkins Strums the Blues (1958)

"Short Haired Woman" by Lightnin' Hopkins

Smokey Hogg was reputed to be the cousin of fellow Blues musician Sam "Lightnin'" Hopkins though there seems to be no proof of it.

Lightnin' Hopkins and his guitar cut some of the alchemical records where you hear the undefinable transition from blues to rock.  He released his debut album Lightnin' Hopkins Strums the Blues (actually a compilation album of his Aladdin Records stuff) in 1958.

Also included: the small output of his early partner Wilson "Thunder" Smith.

Here is the discography surrounding Lightnin' Hopkins's debut album:

Freddie Mae Blues (1946 single by Wilson Smith)

Can't Do Like You Used To (1947 single by Thunder Smith)

Can't Do Like You Used To (1947 single by Lightnin' Hopkins and Thunder Smith)

L. A. Blues (1947 single by Thunder Smith)

Katie Mae Blues (1947 single)

I Feel So Bad (1947 single)

Short Haired Woman (1947 single)

Short-Haired Woman (1947 single)

Fast-Mail Rambler (1947 single)

Down Now Baby (1947 single)

Cruel-Hearted Woman (1947 single by Thunder Smith)

Santa Fe Blues (1947 single by Thunder Smith)

Picture on the Wall (1948 single)

Nightmare Blues (1948 single)

You're Not Going to Worry My Life Anymore (1948 single)

Thunder's Unfinished Boogie (1948 single by Thunder Smith)

New Worried Life Blues (1948 single by Thunder Smith)

Low Down Dirty Ways (1948 single by Thunder Smith)

Lightnin' Hopkins Strums the Blues

The Chronological Classics: Lightnin' Hopkins 1946-1948 (compilation album)

The Chronological Classics: Lightnin' Hopkins 1948 (compilation album)

The Complete Aladdin Recordings (compilation album)

"Katie Mae Blues" by Lightnin' Hopkins

"You Are Not Going to Worry My Life Anymore" by Lightnin' Hopkins

"L. A. Blues" by Thunder Smith

"Fast-Mail Rambler" by Lightnin' Hopkins

"Let Me Play with Your Poodle" by Lightnin' Hopkins

Pass the Headphones!!

Smokey Hogg - Smokey Hogg Sings the Blues (1961)

"Good Mornin Little School Girl" by Smokey Hogg

In his youth, Black Ace toured and played with fellow Texas blues guitarist Smokey Hogg.  Unlike Turner, Hogg met musical success after World War II where he saw consistent recording output up until his death in 1960.  His debut record Smokey Hogg Sings the Blues came out posthumously in 1961 on Crown Records.

Here is the discography surrounding Smokey Hogg's debut album:

Kind Hearted Blues (1937 single as Andrew Hogg)

To Many Drivers (1947 single)

Unemployment Blues (1947 single)

Hard Times (1947 single as Smoky Hogg)

Anytime Is the Right Time (1948 single)

Long Tall Mama (1948 single)

Jivin' Little Woman (1948 single)

Golden Diamond Blues (1948 single)

Be My So and So (1948 single)

My Christmas Baby (1948 single)

I'm Gonna Find Your Trick (1949 single)

Little School Girl (1949 single)

Nobody Treats Me Right (1949 single)

Evil Mind Blues (1949 single)

I Want My Baby for Christmas (1949 single)

Low Down Woman Blues (1949 single)

He Knows How Much We Can Bear (1949 single as Andrew Hogg)

Restless Bed Blues (1949 single)

You Better Watch That Jive (1950 single)

Everybody Gotta Racket (1950 single)

You Gotta Go (1950 single as Smoky Hogg)

Baby, Baby (1950 single as Smoky Hogg)

Worried Blues (1950 single)

The Way You Treat Me (1950 single)

Classification Blues (1950 single)

Let's Get Together and Drink Some Gin (1950 single)

You Won't Stay Home (1950 single as Smoky Hogg)

I Love You Baby (1950 single as Smoky Hogg)

Back to the Country (1950 single as Smoky Hogg)

She's the Girl I Need (1950 single)

Comin' Out Blues (1950 single)

I Have Often Wondered (1950 single)

Up Today - Down Tomorrow (1950 single)

Somebody New (1950 single)

Great Big Mama (1951 single)

Need My Help (1951 single)

Smokey's in Town (1951 single as Smokey Hogge)

Sleepless Blues (1951 single)

She's Always on My Mind (1951 single)

Miss Georgia (1951 single)

Patrol Wagon Blues (1951 single)

Oohw Baby (1951 single)

Hello Little Girl (1951 single)

Believe I'll Change Towns (1951 single)

Why Should I Love You (1952 single)

Penitentiary Blues (1952 single)

Baby Shake Your Leg (1952 single)

Ruby (1952 single)

Crawdad (1952 single)

Baby Don't You Tear My Clothes (1952 single)

Keep A-Walkin' (1952 single)

River Hip Mama (1953 single)

Your Little Wagon (1953 single)

Gone, Gone, Gone (1953 single)

Baby Don't Leave (1953 unissued single)

Can't Do Nothin' (1954 single)

Blue and Lonesome Blues (1954 unissued single)

When I've Been Drinkin' (1954 single)

Train Whistle (1954 single)

No Mo' Whiskey (1954 single)

I Declare (1955 single)

Penitentiary Blues (1957 single)

I've Been Happy (1957 single)

Good Mornin' Baby (1958 single as Smoky Hogg)

Smokey Hogg Sings the Blues

Goin' Back Home (compilation album)

Sittin' in with Smokey Hogg (compilation album)

"Penitentiary Blues" by Smokey Hogg

"She's Always on My Mind" by Smokey Hogg

"Kind Hearted Blues" by Andrew Hogg

"Possum Hunt" by Smokey Hogg

Pass the Headphones!!

Black Ace - BK Turner and His Steel Guitar (1960)

"Black Ace" by Black Ace

One of Oscar Woods's acolytes was the young BK Turner, or Black Ace, who like Woods (The Lone Wolf) earned his nickname from his most famous song.  Black Ace recorded even fewer records than Woods but had the benefit of being rediscovered in the early sixties when he recorded his only album BK Turner and His Steel Guitar for Arhoolie Records.

Here is the discography for Black Ace:

Black Ace (1937 single)

You Gonna Need My Help Some Day (1937 single)

Christmas Time Blues (Beggin' Santa Claus) (1937 single)

BK Turner and His Steel Guitar

I'm the Boss Card in Your Hand (compilation album)

"I Am the Black Ace" by Black Ace

"Bad Times Stomp" by Black Ace

Pass the Headphones!!