Quicksilver Messenger Service; Hooker, John Lee; Miller Blues Band; Moscoso, Victor; Roth, Fred

Original Concert Poster: Quicksilver Messenger Service, John Lee Hooker, Miller Blues Band ("From the Plains of Quicksilver," March 22-23, 1967)

San Francisco, CA: Family Dog Productions, 1967. First Edition. Single Sheet. A poster (appx. 14" x 20") announcing a "Dance Concert" with performances headlined by Quicksilver Messenger Service, along with John Lee Hooker & the (Steve) Miller Blues Band, under the title of "From the Plains of Quicksilver," during March 22-23, 1967 at the Avalon Ballroom in San Francisco. The great Spanish-American artist Victor Moscoso (b. 1936) created the artwork & graphics reproduced here, & "Moscoso" in facsimile cursive handwriting is found just below border of image at green-background lower margin near right corner (see image). According to the Talmudic scholarship we have consulted regarding this poster (which is similar in its depth to that of our underground comix from this period), this copy is either a first or second printing- we would need to examine & compare specimens of both printings to determine precisely which printing this copy is from, as King points to color gradation etc. We thereby default to declaring this a probable second printing, priced accordingly. King, FD-53-OP-1 or FD-53-RP-2, pg. 113. King also credits Fred Roth as the photographer whose images of QMS members are incorporated into Moscoso's image, surrounding the central disc. King writes: "The central image is a series of concentric circles making up the lettering. Above and below the circles are two copies of a photograph of Quicksilver Messenger Service. The one below the circle is upside-down. One of the most interesting effects ever achieved in a psychedelic poster attempting to simulate the visual effects of being stoned on LSD appears in the center of this poster where the shading of the Family Dog logo makes it appear that one is looking through the surface of the poster onto another surface behind the poster." (pg. 113). Whoa! An exemplary masterpiece of Moscoso's psychedelic art as the culminative "Summer of Love" approached only months later that year, in its penultimately (perhaps ultimately) rarest contemporary form. From the collection of Dion Wright (b. 1937), a highly respected artiste & sculptor who was at the center of the scene that produced this & the many other far-out posters that define & symbolize a fable time & place (see Wright's memoir, Tempus Fugitive, item No. 5008). In our sharp, sober (unassisted by acid-dropping that would really bring out its profundity) estimation, this poster is in relatively very fine condition with only a touch of wear & a few tiny bumps, creases at edges & corners- the entire printed surface of recto is completely bright & substantially mint, among the very best we've seen. This item is too delicate to be rolled & must be shipped flat to assure no damage, therefore extra shipping costs will be required. Very Fine. [Item #5627]

Price: $125.00