A great cache of previously unseen photographs of the band’s 1973 concert at the legendary Rainbow Theatre in London have finally seen the light of day. The photographer, Jan Podsiadly, had considered the shots were not good enough until he took another look just recently. Here’s what he has to say :
It has been about six years since I dug out a set of negatives of Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band performing at The Rainbow, in 1973. The contact sheet suggested a lot of blur and overexposure from the spotlights so I just copied one image and left the rest. Just now [February 2024] I decided, with my new scanner, to test it out on this set of negatives and yes, there is blur, and yes, there is overexposure, but there is something right about the atmosphere in spite of the technical issues.So here they are, never seen before images including Alex St Clair, Zoot Horn Rollo, Rockette Morton, Ed Marimba, Roy Estrada, and of course Don himself.
So pleased that you took another look, Jan. These are some great images! They really show the energy created by the band onstage.
Here are a few examples:
To see the complete set take a look at Jan’s Flickr page – https://www.flickr.com/photos/doowopski/albums/72177720315062351/
All images copyright of Jan Podsiadly. Used with permission.