Yeah, the first Mallard LP is pretty good, the second I didn’t like as much. Those albums prove my point about them needing a Beefheart to push them into abnormal musical regions-- the Mallard LPs are good but pretty standard compared to Trout Mask or even Spotlight Kid.
And you know, Drumbo returned to the Magic Band multiple times, even appearing on Doc At The Radar Station near the end of Beefheart’s music career. Cult or not he recognized the value of Van Vliet’s artistic vision.
