diff --git a/TODO b/TODO
index b8bebbc2..ed19115d 100644
--- a/TODO
+++ b/TODO
@@ -6,22 +6,6 @@
 
 
 
-- why is the cache operation only? it'd be useful to cache things like
-  interpolate as well, wouldn't it?
-
-
-
-
-- perhaps Xsize and Ysize should become gint64
-
-  eg. easy to make an image that's 3gb and has xsize == 1 ... death!
-
-  also bands I guess
-
-  now everything that iterates over a dimension must be gint64 too
-
-
-
 - Vips.Image has members like chain, __subclasshook__ etc etc, are we
   really subclassing it correctly?
 
@@ -48,23 +32,6 @@
 
 
 
-- magickload is broken
-
-	$ vips magickload healthygirl.jpg x.v
-	VipsRegion: inappropriate region type
-	VipsRegion: inappropriate region type
-	VipsImage: file has been truncated
-
-  seems to be a magick bug: ping jpg reports 1 band, load jpg reports 3 band
-
-  posted a question, wait for reply ... useless
-
-  look at what PingImage() actually does for jpg images
-
-
-
-
-
 - how about
 
 	vips max add[babe.jpg,babe2.jpg]
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/magick2vips.c b/libvips/foreign/magick2vips.c
index 0bd6c0d6..90d4530a 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/magick2vips.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/magick2vips.c
@@ -67,8 +67,8 @@
  */
 
 /* Turn on debugging output.
- */
 #define DEBUG
+ */
 
 #ifdef HAVE_CONFIG_H
 #include <config.h>
@@ -676,6 +676,12 @@ vips__magick_read( const char *filename, VipsImage *out )
 	return( 0 );
 }
 
+/* This has severe issues. See:
+ *
+ * http://www.imagemagick.org/discourse-server/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=20017
+ *
+ * Don't use.
+ */
 int
 vips__magick_read_header( const char *filename, VipsImage *im )
 {
diff --git a/libvips/foreign/magickload.c b/libvips/foreign/magickload.c
index 940b2afd..3fd431e1 100644
--- a/libvips/foreign/magickload.c
+++ b/libvips/foreign/magickload.c
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
  *
  * 5/12/11
  * 	- from openslideload.c
+ * 17/1/12
+ * 	- remove header-only loads
  */
 
 /*
@@ -95,6 +97,11 @@ vips_foreign_load_magick_get_flags( VipsForeignLoad *load )
 		magick->filename ) );
 }
 
+/*
+ * Unfortunately, libMagick does not support header-only reads very well. See
+ *
+ * http://www.imagemagick.org/discourse-server/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=20017
+ *
 static int
 vips_foreign_load_magick_header( VipsForeignLoad *load )
 {
@@ -105,13 +112,14 @@ vips_foreign_load_magick_header( VipsForeignLoad *load )
 
 	return( 0 );
 }
+ */
 
 static int
 vips_foreign_load_magick_load( VipsForeignLoad *load )
 {
 	VipsForeignLoadMagick *magick = (VipsForeignLoadMagick *) load;
 
-	if( vips__magick_read( magick->filename, load->real ) )
+	if( vips__magick_read( magick->filename, load->out ) )
 		return( -1 );
 
 	return( 0 );
@@ -132,7 +140,7 @@ vips_foreign_load_magick_class_init( VipsForeignLoadMagickClass *class )
 	object_class->description = _( "load file with ImageMagick" );
 
 	/* We need to be well to the back of the queue since the vips's
-	 * dedicated loaders are usually preferable, if possible. 
+	 * dedicated loaders are usually preferable.
 	 */
 	foreign_class->priority = -100;
 
@@ -140,8 +148,13 @@ vips_foreign_load_magick_class_init( VipsForeignLoadMagickClass *class )
 	load_class->get_flags_filename = 
 		vips_foreign_load_magick_get_flags_filename;
 	load_class->get_flags = vips_foreign_load_magick_get_flags;
+	load_class->header = vips_foreign_load_magick_load;
+
+	/* See comment above.
+	 *
 	load_class->header = vips_foreign_load_magick_header;
 	load_class->load = vips_foreign_load_magick_load;
+	 */
 
 	VIPS_ARG_STRING( class, "filename", 1, 
 		_( "Filename" ),