Mallard

Formed during the mid-1970s, Mallard existed as a brief experimental rock ensemble whose principal members had previously performed in Captain Beefheart's Magic Band. Guitarist Bill Harkleroad, also known as Zoot Horn Rollo, bassist Mark Boston, recognized by the name Rockette Morton, and Art Tripp, who handled both percussion and drums under the alias Ed Marimba, constituted that core. Tripp had additionally appeared on several albums by Frank Zappa's Mothers of Invention. Harkleroad and Boston remained with the Magic Band from 1968 until 1974, when dissatisfaction with the album Unconditionally Guaranteed produced a rift that ended their association with Beefheart. Numerous supporting players augmented the trio on the band's self-titled 1975 debut, among them future Who keyboardist John "Rabbit" Bundrick, vocalist Sam Galpin, and percussionist Barry Morgan; Beefheart admirer Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull underwrote the sessions, yet the record reached American listeners only as an import. Issued domestically two years afterward, the follow-up In a Different Climate replaced Tripp with George Draggota but likewise found an audience solely within Captain Beefheart's devoted circle, after which Mallard disbanded. Virgin Records later paired both albums on one disc in 1995 under the title Mallard/In a Different Climate.