MALLARD LIVE! & Magic Band Demos plus

 MALLARD

Mama Squeeze

One Day Once

The only live vids I could find the other day after playing my Mallard albums and checking out how good they were . . . . . although ridiculously partisan about Don (and the Captain!) I took no part in the side taking he encouraged with the comment about 'bunch of quacks' from childish misplaced petty jealousy. . . . . . . 

There were much better vids available at one point but I couldn't find any of the clips from the rest of the Rockpalast gig

For the scarcity value alone I will post this from the album which is Bill (Harkleroad) John (French - writing credits only) and Mark (Boston) and Art (Trip III) at their very best 

Tracks 

Mallard 1975 

1. Back On The Pavement (David Wagstaff, Harkleroad) - 3:09 2. She's Long And She's Lean (Ted Alvy, Harkleroad) - 3:15 3. Road To Morrocco (Harkleroad, Boston) - 2:58 4. One Day Once (John French, Harkleroad) - 3:25 5. Yellow (Harkleroad) - 2:22 6. Desperadoes Waiting For A Train (Guy Clark Arr. Jim Dickenson) - 3:30 7. A Piece Of Me (French, Harkleroad) - 4:36 8. Reign Of Pain (Dan Moore, French, Harkleroad) - 3:03 9. South Of The Valley (John French, Arr. Harkleroad) - 4:48 10.Winged Tuskadero (Wagstaff, Harkleroad) - 3:18 11.Peon (Donald Van Vliet) - 3:26 

In A Different Climate 1976 

 12.Green Coyote (Harkleroad, Boston) , - 4:15 13.Your Face On Someone Else (Wagstaff , Harkleroad, Thomas) - 4:30 14.Harvest (Wagstaff, Thomas) - 3:40 15.Mama Squeeze (Alvy, Harkleroad) - 4:04 16.Heartstrings (Harkleroad, Thomas) - 8:08 17.Old Man Grey (Boston) - 1:45 18.Texas Weather (Alvy, Harkleroad) - 4:32 19.Big Foot (Alvy, Harkleroad) - 4:39

MAGIC BAND Rehearsal  DEMOS (+ John French on vocals)

Members: Bill Harkleroad - Guitar Alex Snoufer - Guitar Mark Boston - Bass John Thomas - Keys John French - Drums & Vocals 00:00 A Piece of Me 04:12 Let That Child Live 07:36 Reign of Pain 10:52 One Day Once 14:12 Hot Ice (Instrumental) 18:22Hot Ice (Vocals)

John French:

That demo was recorded in two places. The instrumentals were recorded in Bill's "shed" house in Arcata. He had a loft bed, and the drums were underneath. That was the "drum booth." The vocals were added in Malibu at the beach house of some famous DJ ( can't recall which one, but it could have been Casey Kasem). Ted Alvy, as I recall, did the technical stuff using the DJ's tape decks. I think the shower was my vocal booth! The personnel was Bill Harkleroad, Alex Snouffer, Mark Boston, John Thomas ( keys) and myself. We were planning on getting a drummer and I would just sing, but it never happened. BTW -- we were never called Mallard then. That was a name they chose after re-forming without me. We were "The Magic Band." I noticed that "Hot Ice" riffs were later used on "You Know You're a Man." Probably, Don just used a riff of Bill's and claimed it as his own. I know Bill would never do that. It must have been the Fall of 1974. We rapped it a couple of months later. I came back to Lancaster from Northern California on November 21. I was 26. I've never been much on lyrics and would have much rather played instrumental music, but I think that the music ( mostly Bill's) really was the shining moment in that music. I had been in theater for three years when they called me to play and so had to start over with the singing. I can't remember much about this, but will give a listen on my iPod while working and see what comes back. We recorded this music in Bill's shed -- where he was living with his girlfriend at the time. We borrowed a Teac 3340 -four-track tape recorder and begged a bunch of mics and a mixer off some friends. Bill was the main impetus of the group when I showed up. The first thing I heard was "One Day Once" and I went outside and wrote lyrics in about 10 minutes. Art Tripp was still playing drums at that point but he left shortly after -- burned out from the music business. Most of the stuff was in the wrong key for me. All the stuff that says "Harkleroad, Music" was written before I arrived with the exception of "Reign Of Pain" which was a song I did with another band . Bill added the middle section. Hot Ice may have been a collaboration on the lyrics. That's about all I know. Just don't call it a "Mallard Demo." It was The Magic Band then. Mallard was something they came up with after I left.

320 KBPS MP3: http://www.mediafire.com/download/hfp...