01. Peter Gabriel introduction [0:27]
02. King Of Pain [8:04]
03. If You Love Somebody Set Them Free [6:13]
04. One World (Not Three) [8:06]
05. Fragile [4:09]
06. They Dance Alone [7:53]
06. Fortress Around Your Heart [5:02]
07. Bring On The Night [2:17]
08. When The World Is Running Down, You Make The Best Of What's Still Around [8:55]
09. Every Breath You Take (with Bruce Springsteen) [6:34]

Total Running Time: [57:44]

Mike Millard First-Generation Tapes via JEMS
The Lost and Found Mike the MICrophone Tapes Volume 149

Recording Gear: AKG 451E microphones (CK-1 cardioid capsules) > Nakamichi 550 cassette recorder

JEMS 2022 Transfer: Mike Millard First-Generation Cassette > Nakamichi RX-505 (azimuth adjustment) > Sound Devices USBPre 2 > Audacity 2.0 capture 2496 > iZotope RX8 > iZotope Ozone 8 > MBIT+ resample to 1644 > Audacity > TLH > FLAC

Known Faults:
-They Dance Alone: end cut

Introduction to the Lost and Found Mike the MICrophone Series

Welcome to JEMS’ Lost and Found Mike the MICrophone series presenting recordings made by legendary taper Mike Millard, AKA Mike The Mike, best known for his masters of Led Zeppelin done in and around Los Angeles circa 1975-77. For the complete details on how tapes in this series came to be lost and found again, as well as JEMS' long history with Mike Millard, please refer to the notes in Vol. One: http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=500680. 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 1993. 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.

The full back story on how Mike’s master tapes were saved can be found in the notes for Vol. 18 Pink Floyd, which was the first release in our series transferred from Millard’s original master tapes:
http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=667745&hit=1
http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=667750&hit=1

Sting, Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA, September 21, 1988
With our 149th volume we add yet another new and possibly unpredicted artist to the Mike the Mike roster, Sting, playing his set as part of the multi-artist Human Rights Now! tour in support of Amnesty International. Millard recorded the entire Amnesty show in Los Angeles and we've previously featured Bruce Springsteen's (Vol. 9) and Tracy Chapman's (Vol. 138) performances in the Lost and Found series. Now you might be thinking Mike only recorded Sting because he was on the Amnesty bill with other artists he was passionate about (Peter Gabriel and Springsteen), but as it turns out  he also recorded Sting's 7/30/88 show at the Pacific Amphitheatre, which leads me to believe he was something of a fan though he never taped The Police. In a twist we'll get into later in the series, there are further Sting recordings in the archive that have Mike's imprint on them if not his hand. Sting had two post-The Police solo albums under his belt by this point, The Dream Of The Blue Turtles (1985) and ...Nothing Like The Sun (1987), tracks off both of which feature here. Sting's band on the Amnesty Tour had some notable players as well, with Branford Marsalis on saxophone and Kenny Kirkland on keys. His set was the kind of pop-rock-jazz blend you might expect if you know his early solo work, with a few key Police songs thrown in, notably the set-opening "King of Pain" and the set-ending "Every Breath You Take" featuring Bruce Springsteen on backing vocals. We've established that Mike Millard was no fan of stadium shows, but with a bill this strong and reserved seating in the cavernous Coliseum, he made an exception. The quality of his recording is very good given the circumstances and comparable to the pull he made of Tracy Chapman. For lack of a better word it does get a little wavery in spots, perhaps owing to microphone movement, wind or other factors, but for the most part it is a very good listen. Samples provided.

###

JEMS is proud to partner with Rob, Jim R, Ed F, Barry G, Jim Ri and many 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. The Lost and Found series would ground to a halt without the contributions of our partners and allies. Thanks to Professor Goody for pitch adjustments and to mjk5510 for his post-production work and CD artwork contributions. Next week we hit another milestone with Vol. 150 of the Lost and Found series. We've chosen something fitting the occasion, Finally, cheers to the late, great Mike the MICrophone. His work never ceases to impress. May he rest in peace. BK for JEMS

Dimeadozen.org: Torrent 735156 (by mjk5510)