LPCDreissues: Looking forward to the past

2LP + 7 bonus tracks - 180g vinyl

By 1969 (with the release of their landmark Happy Trails LP) John Cipollina’s Quicksilver Messenger Service was one of the most popular acid rock bands in the nation and Cipollina himself had risen to “guitar-god” status thanks in part to his towering one-of-a-kind amp stack and dual pick-up guitars (now on display at the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame). In fact, in 2003 he was ranked #32 on Rolling Stone Magazine’s list of greatest guitar players of all time. By 1976 Cipollina was heading up a new band called Raven, featuring a 10-player all-star line-up that included the likes of Greg Douglass (Steve Miller Band), Jim McPherson (Copperhead), Dave Walker (Fleetwood Mac), and Nicky Hopkins (The Rolling Stones). The songs were a mix of originals and well-selected covers and just as they were on the verge of becoming the next big thing the band broke up (but thankfully not before heading into a studio to record an album’s worth of material). Some of these recordings eventually surfaced on a German label in 1980, but for the most part remained a little-known chapter in Cipollina’s discography. Vinyl Lovers now is proud to bring you an entirely re-mastered and expanded version with 7 new tracks (side C and D) not found on the original vinyl!