Peacock Ball

NOTE: We have sold this piece but it does occasionaly resurface in the marketplace - please let us know if you would like to be contacted when we get another one  - e-mail ted@bahrgallery.com

One of Victor Moscoso’s most beautiful designs, this peacock has lettering throughout its ample plumage. Family Dog promoter Chet Helms often gave his poster designers a theme to work with and likely came up with this idea for Moscoso to use. Interestingly, Wes Wilson was the first designer to work for Chet but he decided to just work for Bill Graham because he gave him a much freer hand to decide what to create.

Quicksilver Messenger Service achieved wide popularity in the San Francisco and through their recordings, with psychedelic rock enthusiasts around the globe, and several of their albums ranked in the Top 30 of the Billboard Pop charts. They were part of the new wave of album-oriented bands, achieving renown and popularity despite an almost complete lack of success with their singles (apart from "Fresh Air", which reached number 49 in 1970).

Though not as commercially successful as contemporaries Jefferson Airplane and the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver was integral to the beginnings of their genre. With their jazz and classical influences and a strong folk background, the band attempted to create an individual, innovative sound. Music historian Colin Larkin wrote: "Of all the bands that came out of the San Francisco area during the late '60s, Quicksilver typified most the style, attitude and sound of that era."