Customer Reviews

Mallard / In a Different Climate

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Mallard arrived and disappeared from the music scene in the mid 70's so fast that even some Captain Beefheart fans never knew they existed. But the Captains ex Magic Band members put down some fabulous music after their careers with Don Van Vliet ended. They recorded 2 albums, "Mallard" in 1975 and "In a Different Climate" in 1976, both of which are on this cd. The first album featured lots of instrumental ventures reminiscent of their work with Beefheart but more tuneful and listenable than the last couple of albums they made with the Captain. It also features the gravelly cowboy singing of Sam Galpin. In a Different Climate continues to explore western themes with songs that use all the genius of Bill Harkleroad on guitar and Mark Boston on bass. I was lucky enough to see this band live in London in 1976. Any band that could play with Beefheart for several years had to be wierd, but the musicianship and creative genius that poured out of these guys made for unique music that has not dated. I still play these albums. On a couple of songs you get the impression they were trying to sound like Little Feat and get some commercial recognition. Sorry guys, you were always too different for that. There was no way this band could ever have gotten mass commercial acceptance, there is just too much artistry going on here. Boston's bass just glides all over the place and Harkleroad always manages to find places to go with the guitar that no one else thought of. If you like Beefheart you will love this cd. And if you also like Little Feat, especially on their "Sailin' Shoes" album then Mallard is a guaranteed winner. Music like this never gets played on fm radio, and when you discover it you know you are one of the lucky few who are on to something special. Mallard has found its way onto my stereo regularly for 25 years and so it will continue.

I was staggered to find this album while browsing through an adjacent stack in a London record store. (I was actually looking for a Magma CD.) What shocked me was that I had utterly forgotten Mallard. Despite my listening to a tape of the first MALLARD album incessantly in 1977, I hadn't given the band a moment's thought during the 1980s or 1990s. Somehow in the 15-year dash to replace my LP collection with CDs, that Mallard tape got totally overlooked.

Listening to this CD has been a source of pure pleasure, in part because I never realised the band had made a second LP, IN A DIFFERENT CLIMATE, which is just as good as the first, although different. ...

Overall, the band sound like a mixture of Little Feat, Ry Cooder, JJ Cale and the Magic Band. The vocalist occasionally sounds like the Captain, but more often like Joe Cocker. The music is a mixture of Southern boogie, C&W, and even jazz-rock. (Track #16, 'Heartstrings' would sit very comfortably alongside Little Feat's 'Day at the Dog Races' from TIME LOVES A HERO.) There is a wonderful perversity about Mallard's musical arrangements, which never take the predictable course.

The sleevenotes are informative, but omit some of the fundamental details such as who did the re-mastering and who designed the album covers. (The second LP cover looks to me like a Hipgnosis job.) There was a tendency in the 1970s to allow the firm that did your album cover also to redesign your logo. This was a mistake but probably a minor factor behind Mallard's not finding major commercial success. As musicians, Mallard were outstanding; as composers, they wrote great tunes. For some unclear reason, they recorded both albums, which are essentially American music, in England. ...

Apparently there is a lot of interest in this band, the nucleus of Capt'n Beefheart's Magic Band from the glory years. I still have (and cherish) the two albums (vinyl) released in 1975 and 1977, "Mallard", and "In a Different Climate."

I haven't found this CD yet, but I must say the track list is puzzling. It seems to contain all but the last two cuts from the first lp [Mallard],leaving off the instrumental "peon" and including what appears to be an ellision of "Winged Tuskadero" (from the first) and "Heartstrings" (from the second. What's going on here? The anthology leaves out the entire first side of "Different Climate," which is a shame since it includes "Green Coyote" and "Your Face on Someone Else," the latter being one of the most haunting songs about alienation and loss I've ever heard.

In essense, this collection represents their first album, with a smattering of material from their second. Why it uses the title of the second, I do not know. This is a flawed reissue, if the track list represented here is accurate.

So anyway, ditto on most comments by other writers regarding the music. Virgin (or maybe Rhino, who knows how to do these things) should re-issue these as a two-fer and include all the materials. It's worth it.

-ptw-

The previous reviewer mentioned "The Captain". Well, this is the Magic Band but it is NOT Beefheart on vocals. However, I agree with the rating. Several tracks are really outstanding. Pity this was Mallard's only recording.

Mallard was a band too far ahead of its time. Groove-oriented bands of today would do well to listen to this CD. The omission of so much of In a Different Climate is a huge oversight, but nonetheless this music will move you,warts and all. Two corrections on earlier reviews: Zoot Horn Rollo was Bill Harkleroad's most known'Beefheart name',and Trout Mask Replica and Lick my Decals Off,Baby are definitely NOT recordings that most people will play at home a lot. They are for people who already like something of the weird in their diet. VERY avant-garde sounding,any attempt to present them as listenable to John Q. Public is pure hype,likely from an adoring fan. Many more accessible Captain Beefheart recordings exist-almost all of them,in fact. Mallard,by contrast,is a more conventional-sounding group,though not without some very juicy 'out' moments. The musical digressions and extended codas found on this recording resolve quite satisfyingly and congruently,despite wandering in some interesting and exotic musical territory. The singer's somewhat gruff delivery is a distraction for some,but I find it to be good counterpoint to the intellectualism of the rest of the band. All in all,this music has a collage feel to it,a union of sometimes disparate elements. The innate musicality and obvious dedication to soundcraft link these fresh juxtapositions(20 years hence!)in a way that is irresistable to me. I just absolutely wore this one out when I had it on cassette. I was thrilled to finally find a CD reissue. If you listen to 'jam bands',and/or like the music of Little Feat,Frank Zappa,or Captain Beefheart,there will definitely be something of interest here. I also consider it likely that a fair amount of folks would fall obsessively in love with it,as I have.

This "phoenix" of a band arose out of the ashes of the Magic Band after they split with the enigmatic Captain Beefheart. Alas, their flight was short. It's so easy to hear, in their music, the chemistry that provided the platform that made Beefheart's contribution to this genre so memorable. This is definitely not easy listening. It has most kinship with the likes of Zappa and early Little Feat. Bill Harkleroad (aka winged eel fingerling) is truly an original, and IMHO one of the most underrated musicians around. Listen, you'll like it.

Once upon a time there was a group of incredible genius and talent and they went by the name of Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band. They released an album entitled Trout Mask Replica that stands today as one of the cultural high-water marks of our civilization. Time went on, the band evolved, interpersonal problems developed (all detailed in the book available thru Amazon, entitled Lunar Notes by one Bill Harkelroad) and the players in the band decided to go their own way, separate and apart from the fortunes of Don Van Vliet, who occupied the role of Captain Beefheart. The Magic Band couldn't use the name The Magic Band, so, they became Mallard. Mallard released two albums, both of which are contained on this compact disc. Nineteen songs--with high points and not-so-high points. It is an interesting compilation particularly for those who are fans of Beefheart and the Magic Band because it gives you some insight into what each brought to the table. Mallard's vocalist is no Beefheart and is a strange mix with the sensibilities of the instrumentalists. It is a compact disc worth owning but not one you are likely to play continually or rave about for years to come. If that is what you want, Trout Mask Replica or Lick My Decals Off, Baby are for you.

This was an incredible disappointment after many years of searching for it. Whatever you may think of Beefheart and his often 4sshole behaviour, he did spur the Magic Band to heights they simply couldn't reach on their own. This CD is proof. Not that its necessarily bad, just not my cup of tea and very definitely not the Magic Band we love. Its mellow-to-the-point of dull country blues, Harry Manx is a comparison that springs to mind. If you want Magic Band chaos, try <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BD9NUE/qid=1146727684">this </a> instead.

This is beautiful and beautifully played music, especially for its era - a time of much sloppy/self-indulgent music. I was listening nonstop to Beefheart, Little Feat, the newly jazz-inflected and precise Dead and Bob Marley back then, and wishing for the return of Kaleidoscope, but did not hear Mallard. Ouch. These guys were great and their music has lasted very well indeed. I understand the criticism that the band lacked songwriting brilliance and clear direction, but even if they sound like they have a grain of truth, those criticisms are not quite right and more like quibbles - in fact, Mallard occupied an interesting space. The people's ears were just not up to it, I guess- not a huge surprise. Also, I suppose Mallard lacked a charismatic figure like the Captain or Lowell George, or...But charisma isn't necessary for great music, and so these records are deep pools of clear, clean music, and repay many listenings. Classy, A-level musicians at the very top of their game these guys were. Nowadays, much of what was edgy sounds much more rounded. And from the distance of years, the music sounds at times elegaic, almost introspective in feeling - it doubtless sounded rougher in (mostly) pre-punk 1974. The bass and drums have the active, precise, rounded, muffled sound and polyrhythmic bounce that makes for fast and bulbously addictive music. The guitar is simply superb in its clarity, originality and inventiveness of tone and melody. Keyboards - excellent and exploratory. The singing is a relaxed friendly growl - nice. A 5-star disc and a new discovery. What a pleasure.

I beg to differ with the other review. This is a truly amazing recording, reflecting a time when simple instrumental talent could be molded into an amazing amalgam of music. Mallard is a bluesy and gutsy band, with Bill Hackleroad (pardon the misspelling) being absolutely amazing. If this becomes available again--which it should, buy it. If you are a fan of vintage Little Feet, and music of that genre, this is a must have.