by Bruce Eder
The last of Quicksilver's albums before they broke up is a disapppointment, and a real poser for all but the most dedicated fans. The songwriting was getting thin by this time, as indicated by the presence of numbers like &Chicken,& a traditional piece arranged by Dino Valenti, which is little more than four minutes of wasted time on a 36 minute record. This track, and Valenti's promising but ultimately disappointing &Changes,& were a sure sign that the band was delivering an album but nothing more than that, as a way of fulfilling a contract; it's even hard to visualize the group doing this material on stage. The presence of trumpets, trombones, and saxes is also a problem, because they make Quicksilver sound more like Blood, Sweat & Tears than themselves, and Valenti wasn't David Clayton-Thomas. But then there are hard-rocking numbers like &Doin' Time in the U.S.A.& and &California State Correctional Facility Blues,& which actually work, with slashing guitars, organ playing that is alternately soaring and funky, and a great beat. So about two thirds of this album is what you would want and expect from Quicksilver, even if it isn't their best work, and the rest can be skipped.