portrait of this blog's author - by Stephen Blackman 2008

Monday, April 01, 2024

MALLARD LIVE : WDR Studio L - THE ROCKPALAST, Cologne, Germany - September 7th 1976 | BUMP!

  MALLARD 

BUMP!*

So after my plea (see below) ZigZag Wanderer* dropped by and posted a link to this, the elusive Mallard set from the Rockpalast in Cologne Germany back in 1976. It is really good quality and I am endebted to him. He also posts a link to a five track video of the concert which I don’t know how to post here but again it is well worth having and watching. ZigZagWandereer says the vid is poor quality and has some noise bars across the bottom but frankly I have seen a whole lot worse! (the one I posted down below the other day is dreadful by comparison!)

* "probably the world’s biggest Beefheart fan” says Silent Way at Floppy Boot Stomp! 






The text files from the original poster says:

Mallard
WDR Studio L
Cologne, Germany
September 7th 1976

Bill Harkleroad (Zoot Horn Rollo) and Mark Boston (Rockette Morton) created this band on guitar/bass respectively having split from Captain Beefheart's Magic Band. They recruited Sam Galpin as singer, moved to the UK and made two great albums. Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull helped them and they used his studio to make the debut album. Legend has it that they even recorded some material with Anderson but Harkleroad destroyed the tapes. (no mention here of George Dragotta on drums and while they cover four John French songs or co-written numbers he is notable by his absence here. George does a good job but he ain’t no Drumbo IMO - but then I hold John as one of the world’s best and his contribution to Beefheart compositions is a given that with him and his musical notations most things from Trout Mask on wouldn’t have come to fruition- just an opinion)

I have done a bit of remastering to my CD copy as that seemed very boomy on the bass frequency. Much nicer sound now I think.
By this time another Beefheart refugee, John Thomas, (stop sniggering at the back) had joined them on keyboards.
regards
Titus

01 She's Long & She's Lean
02 One Day Once
03 A Piece of Me
04 Green Coyote & His Companion
05 Harvest
06 Mamma Squeeze
07 Back on the Pavement
08 Reign of Pain
09 Winged Tuskadaro
10 Road to Morocco

 

Sam Galpin: vocal
Bill Harkleroad: guitar
Mark Boston: bass
John Thomas: keyboard
George Dragotta: drums

 It is a FLAC file so be patient but the increased quality is worth it

Meanwhile the vid is available here again for the avid fan really worth checking out 

Mallard
Rockpalast Cologne Germany
7th September 1976

Back On The Pavement
One Day Once
Reign Of Pain
A Piece Of Me [split]
Mama Squeeze

here . . . 

note this vid file is 1.5GB so patience may be required . . . . 

On recording and playing with Mallard “[Virgin] put us up in this castle called Clearwell Castle, right on the border of Wales. We spent a couple of weeks there, and to me, it was a whole 'nother world. I loved it.” Mark Boston

Niether Sam nor George are still with us but the rest of the boys are working away and still around I am glad to say although Mark has periods of ill health having had heart surgery recently he is taking things easier , the sniggering joke about John JT Thomas is ironic to a degree as he is a very accomplished player and has a wide experience _having played with Bruce Hornsby And The Noisemakers, Mallard, ModeReko, Rattlesnakes & Eggs, The Magic Band) Bill’s info here Bill’s webpage here , Mark here at The Radar Station

drop by and buy one of Rockette’s psychedelic drawings

*Why did I BUMP this?
Well after the chat at The Facebook pages of John ‘Drumbo’ French and The Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band page too, I have been listening to little else lately and keep coming back to this gleaned from exceptionally kind, the legendary supreme Beefheart fan, Zig Zag Wanderer!?

Have at it! Don’t believe me? Try 'Green Coyote and His Companions' and say 'Back on The Pavement' . . . . excellent. It may, I say MAY, be a tad fast for the band seem to take these not easy pieces to play at breakneck speed for the most part but the vocals from Sam sound about right so make of that what you will!? Anyone? Zig Zag? 
Enjoy?! I know I am [can you tell?]


This has been a ZigZagWanderer/ Swappers production!

2 comments:

The Big A said...

Thanks for the live Mallard music! I have a copy of the show from years back but it's buried amidst way too many live CDRs, so this makes life easier.

Andy Swapp said...

You’re most welcome The Big A
I didn’t have this and considered myself a true fan of all things Beefheart but Zig Zag Wanderer turned up and put me to shame. He’s a master!

Top album - can’t stop playing it . . .the version of Green Coyote is my current obsession - it’s rearrangement fascinates me . . . . .fine live recording!