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UK
Santa Monica 1978 [Mike Millard Master Tape via JEMS, 1CD]
The Lost and Found Mike the MICrophone Tapes Volume 66. Live at the Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, CA; July 28, 1978. Very good audience recording.
Thanks to Mike Millard; Rob, Jim R; Barry G; JEMS; BK; and mjk5510 for sharing the show at The Traders’ Den.
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Welcome to JEMS’ Lost and Found Mike the MICrophone series presenting recordings made by legendary taper Mike Millard, AKA Mike the MICrophone, best known for his masters of Led Zeppelin done in and around Los Angeles circa 1975-77.
Until 2020, the Lost and Found series presented fresh transfers of previously unavailable first-generation copies made by Mike himself for friends like Stan Gutoski of JEMS, Jim R, Bill C. and Barry G. These sources were upgrades to circulating copies and in most instances marked the only time verified first generation Millard sources had been directly digitized in the torrent era.
That all changed with the discovery of many of Mike Millard’s original master tapes.
Yes, you read that correctly, Mike Millard’s master cassettes, long rumored to be destroyed or lost, have been found. Not all of them but many, and with them a much more complete picture has emerged of what Millard recorded between his first show in late 1973 and his last in early 1992.
The reason the rediscovery of his master tapes is such a revelation is that we’ve been told for decades they were gone. Internet myths suggest Millard destroyed his master tapes before taking his own life, an imprudent detail likely concocted based on the assumption that because his master tapes never surfaced and Mike’s mental state was troubled he would do something rash WITH HIS LIFE’S WORK. There’s also a version of the story where Mike’s family dumps the tapes after he dies. Why would they do that?
The truth is Mike’s masters remained in his bedroom for many years after his death in 1994. We know at least a few of Millard’s friends and acquaintances contacted his mother Lia inquiring about the tapes at the time to no avail. But in the early 2000s, longtime Millard friend Rob S was the one she knew and trusted enough to preserve Mike’s work.
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UK - Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, CA; July 28, 1978
We begin a new year in the Lost and Found series with UK opening for Al DiMeola in the summer of 1978. This tour was in support of the so-called supergroup’s first album and featured the original lineup of John Wetton on bass and vocals, Allan Holdsworth on guitar, Eddie Jobson on keyboards and violin and Bill Bruford on drums.
The fact that they were opening for DiMeola suggests they played jazz fusion and, on some level, they did. But they were equal parts prog rock and even a bit of pop-rock too at least on the songs that most heavily featured Wetton’s vocals. He move even further in that direction a few years later with Asia.
The set relies heavily on the band’s self-titled debut released in March 1978, but also contains a couple of tracks that would wind up on their 1979 sophomore effort, Danger Money: “The Only Thing She Needs” and “Ceasar’s Palace Blues.”
Mike the Mike made great recordings in many Southern California venues, but his work at the Santa Monica Civic always seems among his best. This is an outstanding, sharp recording that offers full fidelity and then some.
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Here’s what Jim R recalled about the UK show:
I attended the Al DiMeola/UK show with Mike on July 28, 1978. UK was the opener and we were familiar with some of the band members, so their appearance was icing on the cake. We had ideal seats in the second row center behind the pit, definitely in the sweet spot. The main floor of Santa Monica Civic was sloped so we had clear line of sight to the PA, just one of the reasons that made it one of our favorite venues to record in. Another was that with security wasn’t nearly as intense as bigger venues with bigger acts.
Mike’s excellent recording reflects our sweet spot position.
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JEMS is proud to join with Rob, Jim R, Barry G, Ed F and others to release Millard’s historic recordings and to help set the record straight about the man himself.
We can’t thank Rob enough for reconnecting with Jim and putting his trust in our Millard reissue campaign. He kept Mike’s precious tapes under wraps for two decades, but once Rob learned of our methods and stewardship, he agreed to contribute the Millard DATs and cassettes to the program. Our releases would not be nearly as compelling without Jim’s memories, photos and other background contributions. As many of you have noted, the stories offer an entertaining complement to Mike’s incredible audio documents.
This week’s release got special TLC from none other than Professor Goody and we thank him for that. Of course, mjk5510 is also in the mix as always, handling post-production even during the holidays.
JEMS wishes you all a much improved 2021 and with it the hope of a return to live concerts. Until then, we’ll keep digging through the archive to bring old live music back to life.
Finally, cheers to the late, great Mike the MICrophone. His work never ceases to impress. May he rest in peace.
BK for JEMS
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Lineage:
AKG 451E Microphones (CK-1 cardioid capsules) > Nakamichi 550 Cassette Recorder
Transfer: Mike Millard Master Cassettes > Nakamichi CR-7A (azimuth adjustment; Dolby On) > Sound Devices USBPre 2 > Audacity 2.0 capture > iZotope RX8 > iZotope Ozone 8 > Audacity > TLH > FLAC
Click on the highlighted tracks to download the MP3s (320 kbps). As far as we can ascertain, these tracks have never been officially released on CD.
Please Do Not Hammer The Links. Due to the size of some of the files, please be very patient when downloading the tracks. It could be that the server was very busy. The tracks should still be around. Please try again later.
Kindly email us if you encounter persistent problems downloading the files. Also email us if you have any rarities you’d like to share with our readers.
Track 01. Alaska 3:35
Track 02. Time To Kill 5:25
Track 03. The Only Thing She Needs 7:22
Track 04. Forever Until Sunday 6:00
Track 05. Thirty Years 8:13
Track 06. By The Light Of Day 1:25
Track 07. Presto Vivace/In The Dead Of The Night Part 1 8:44
Track 08. Caesar’s Palace Blues 5:16
46 mins
Lineup:
John Wetton - bass, vocals [1949 - 2017]
Allan Holdsworth - guitar [1946 - 2017]
Bill (William) Bruford - drums
Eddie (Edwin) Jobson - keyboards, violin
Click here to order UK/John Wetton releases.