these albums, which have been hailed as "...two of the best examples of the san francisco sound at its purest," emphasize extended arrangements and fluid twin-guitar improvisation. cipollina's highly melodic, individualistic lead guitar style, combined with gary duncan's driving minor scale, jazzy guitar playing, resulted in a clear, notable contrast to the heavily amplified and overdriven sound of contemporaries like cream and jimi hendrix. in 2003 "happy trails" was rated at no. 189 in the "rolling stone" top 500 albums survey, where it was described as "...the definitive live recording of the mid-sixties san francisco psychedelic-ballroom experience..." archetypal quicksilver messenger service songs include the elongated rendition of bo diddley's "who do you love?" on "happy trails".