Quicksilver Messenger Service 1968 Sacramento, CA Concert Poster. ...

Description

Quicksilver Messenger Service 1968 Sacramento, CA Concert Poster. An original first-printing poster advertising QMS, the Ace of Cups and Congress of Wonders performing at the Sound Factory in California's state capitol on Friday and Saturday nights, August 9 & 10, 1968. The light show was by Brotherhood of Light. Quicksilver was happily spreading its wings and playing outside the Bay Area based on the release of their debut album and the FM radio hit "Pride of Man."

The Ace of Cups shared their manager with Quicksilver, and were one of the first all-female rock bands. They caught the eye of no less than Jimi Hendrix, who told England's Melody Maker magazine once he returned back home from the Bay Area, "I heard some groovy sounds last time in the States, like this girl group Ace of Cups, who write their own songs. And the lead guitarist [Mary Ellen Simpson] is hell, really great." But the girls were generally concerned about the constraints and demands that a recording contract would bring, so they never signed with a label. But they did contribute vocals to Jefferson Airplane's Volunteers and Mike Bloomfield's It's Not Killing Me albums.

The Congress of Wonders were a San Francisco comedy team who made a couple of albums reflecting the concerns of the late-'60s/early-'70s hippie counterculture: drugs, sex and political/social satire, writes journalist Richie Unterberger in AllMusic. They weren't quite as sophisticated as, say, the Firesign Theatre or National Lampoon, and were a little more stoner-centric, as one might imagine.

Measures 14" x 20" and grades to Near Mint Minus condition. The poster has surface irregularities throughout due to the nature and difficulty of printing silver and black inks together. The black in the angel picture is not rock-solid or jet black, it has unusual patterns. And down in the bottom part of the poster there's the appearance of scuffing and even wear, most noticeable around "August 9 -10" and in the lower right corner. However, we believe this was all part of the printing process, because this poster was immediately stored in a dark trunk along with all the other Bindweed posters in their near-perfect condition. And everything is smooth to the touch; we're certain this is just how the poster came off the press. On the slight-damage tip, there is a 2 ½" horizontal surface crease that starts in "Sieuwright's" and ends at "Streets." It's pretty insignificant in the scheme of things. From the KC Murphy Bindweed Press Collection. COA from Heritage Auctions.

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