Brand X
The Roxy
West Hollywood, CA
September 22, 1979
Early Show
Mike Millard Master Tapes via JEMS
The Lost and Found Mike the MICrophone Tapes Volume 188
1644 Edition

Recording Gear: AKG 451E Microphones (CK-1 cardioid capsules) > Nakamichi 550 Cassette Recorder

JEMS 2022 Transfer: Mike Millard Master Cassette > Nakamichi Cassette Deck 1 azimuth-adjusted playback > Sound Devices USBPre2 > Audacity 3.1 capture > iZotope RX > iZotope RX9 Advanced and Ozone 9 > MBIT+ resample to 16/44.1 > Audacity > xACT 2.50 > FLAC

01 Fanfare
02 Disco Suicide
03 Algon (Where An Ordinary Cup Of Drinking Chocolate Costs L8,000,000,000)
04 Dance Of The Illegal Aliens
05 Don't Make Waves
06 Malaga Virgen
07 ...And So To F...
08 Access To Data

Known Faults:
-None

John Goodsall - guitar
Percy Jones - bass
Robin Lumley - keyboards
Phil Collins - drums
Peter Robinson - keyboards

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

Brand X, The Roxy, West Hollywood, CA, September 22, 1979, Early Show

The jazz-fusion group featuring Phil Collins on drums came to Los Angeles for three nights and six shows at The Roxy in September 1979, supporting their album Product released a week before. The band's final gigs on September 23 were released in 1996 as Live At The Roxy LA, sourced from soundboard cassette tapes.

Beyond his love of all things Genesis, Mike was into jazz fusion, which explains why he went hard, recording four of the Brand X sets over two nights.

We previously released the early and late shows from the night before (Vol. 124 and 159 respectively in our series), and now we jump ahead one day with the early set from September 22, again captured in remarkable quality, especially for a club show. Samples provided.

The 9/22 early show setlist is the same as the previous night's late show. By this point, three sets in, it seems Mike was getting pretty comfortable with the band, so much so that they autographed his cassette j-card. Pretty fucking cool.

Here's what Jim R recalled about Brand X at The Roxy 1979:

I went with Mike to both shows on 9/22. Having a full-time job, the fact that these performances took place on a Saturday night meant I could sanely fit the two shows into my schedule. Keep in mind, a late show at The Roxy might typically end around 2am, and with the long drive home to the OC, we�d get home after 3 am. Getting to sleep-in Sunday morning after Brand X was a must.

As far as the autographs on the j-card, to the best of my foggy recollection, it must have been between sets with a band member recognizing Mike from attending a number of shows. A conversation was struck up. And the rest is history�

###

JEMS is proud to partner with Rob, Jim R, Ed F, Barry G 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.

Once again this week Rob S handled the transfer; Professor Goody advised on pitch; and mjk5510 took care of post production and artwork. Cheers to all three.

Finally, here's to the late, great Mike the MICrophone. His work never ceases to impress. May he rest in peace.

BK for JEMS

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

Images for this show: