Bob Dylan
Civic Auditorium
Santa Monica, CA
November 19, 1979
Mike Millard first gen via JEMS
The Lost and Found Mike the MICrophone Tapes Vol. Seven

Recording Info: AKG-451E microphones > Uher CR-240 cassette recorder

JEMS 2014 Transfers:
Part One: First-generation reel copy (3-3/4 IPS) made by Mike Millard for SG > Otari 5050 mkII azimuth-adjusted transfer >

Part Two: First-generation cassette copy made by Mike Millard for SG > Nakamichi CR-7A azimuth-adjusted transfer >

Sound Devices USBPre 2 > Audacity 2.0 (24/96) capture > pitch correction > iZotope RX MBIT+ resample 16/44.1 > Peak Pro XT (volume smoothing / edit / index) > xACT 2.21 > FLAC

Reel Source
101 Gotta Serve Somebody
102 I Believe In You
103 When You Gonna Wake Up
104 When He Returns
105 Man Gave Names To All The Animals
106 Precious Angel
107 Slow Train
108 Covenant Woman
109 Put Your Hand In The Hand (Regina Havis)
110 Gonna Change My Way Of Thinking

Cassette Source
201 Do Right To Me Baby (Do Unto Others)
202 Solid Rock
203 Saving Grace
204 Saved
205 What Can I Do For You?
206 In The Garden
207 Band Introduction
208 Blessed Be The Name
209 Pressing On

JEMS is pleased to release the seventh (six Dylan, one Springsteen) in a series of recordings made by legendary taper Mike Millard, AKA Mike the MICrophone, best known for his masters of Led Zeppelin in and around LA circa 1975-77. For further details on how these tapes came to be lost and found again, as well as JEMS' history with Mike Millard, please refer to the notes in Vol. One http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=500680

Installment No. 7 is, sad to say, the last of the Dylan recordings made by Millard and given to SG of JEMS. It is the second of a four-night run at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in the midst of the vibrant Gospel Tour and a performance every bit as potent as the first show, sharing the identical set list (as did the entire tour), but with even more on-stage testifying from Bob.

It is also another admirable example of great work from Millard. Based on the sound, he is in a very similar seat to night one, close to the PA with a quiet crowd around him, and the AKGs + Uher yield a mighty impressive pull. Samples provided.

You’ll note that this recording comes from two different tape sources, one reel to reel the other cassette. All told, Millard sent SG a box containing four reels and ten cassettes, and the first 50 or so minutes of the 11/19 show was used to fill out side two of the reel containing the full 11/18/79 recording. But Millard also dubbed a copy of the complete 11/19 Dylan set on cassette, though on this night it seems he did not record the opening songs by the back-up singers, so the both the reel and cassette copies of the show start with “Gotta Serve Somebody”.

Given its faster speed and wider tape, the reel copy is slightly richer sounding than the cassette copy, so we’ve elected to share all of the reel source and pair it with the remaining part of the show from the cassettes to form the complete set. The difference is subtle between the sources, but in the spirit of transparency we’re telling you.

Lossless Bob has four entries for this show that appear to tie back to the same underlying recording (which may or may not be Millard’s tape, we haven’t confirmed, though at least one version of those recordings has the opening gospel numbers). Even if it is Millard’s, this should be a bigger upgrade to circulating sources than 11/18 was, based on the ratings given to the extant sources on Lossless Bob as it is another excellent, up-close capture.

Sadly, we have reached the end of Millard’s Dylan tapes that we know of. For those of you keeping score at home, there are still two more Millard tapes to go, both Springsteen shows. We hope you’ve found Millard’s Dylan work as ear-opening as we have. It is has been our pleasure to be able to present it to you.

If you'd like to learn more about Mike the MICrophone, the links below offer a glimpse of his story.

Millard's Wikipedia page
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Millard

The best article written about Millard has been deleted from the original website but is reprinted here:
http://www.classicrockforums.com/forum/f6/led-zeppelin-official-thread-6185/index164.html

Thanks again to WG for finding the tapes and to SG for providing JEMS with another fascinating chapter of taping history and there have been many. Also, JEMS continues to depend on mjk5510 for his vital contributions to get these recordings into your hands. He is an essential part of the process at this point.

Here's to the late, great Mike the MICrophone and to finding more lost tapes.

BK for JEMS

Images for all shows as well as full size images for this show.

Images for this show: