The Japanese seemingly thrive on the greatness of American pop culture. In particular Capitol / EMI Records in Tokyo (a/k/a Toshiba) did a great job on a 2008 remaster series featuring West Coast psychedelia innovators Quicksilver Messenger Service, also known as Quicksilver. The band was founded by Dino Valente, who supposedly wrote the song “Get Together” and after went to jail for pot, so he missed out on the first three Quicksilver albums—the self-titled Quicksilver Messenger Service (1968), the live tracks on Happy Trails (1969) and Shady Grove (also 1969). The late, great Valente made up for lost time with Quicksilver’s 1970 album Just For Love, featuring the underground FM radio pro-pot anthem “Fresh Air” and following it up in late in 1971 with What About Me. As these first five Quicksilver remasters point out, they were not only renowned for their expert playing and recording but they also were at the forefront during the heyday of the Lp jacket, plastering iconic artwork to enhance the already potent imagery on their now historic rock albums. The artwork alone on these first five Quicksilver Japanese Capitol remasters—part of EMI Japan’s Summer Of Love Capital Psychedelic Collection series—makes them stand out as more than just an ordinary reissue. In light of probably never seeing album artwork of this caliber again in the future, these miniature replications of the original five Quicksilver albums are each preserved as mini works of pop culture greatness. www.CarolineRecords.com

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