James Taylor
Wilshire Theatre
Beverly Hills, CA
May 3, 1981
Mike Millard First Generation Tapes via JEMS
The Lost and Found Mike the MICrophone Tapes Volume 81

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

Transfer: Mike Millard First Generation Cassettes > Nakamichi CR-7A (azimuth adjustment; Dolby On) > Sound Devices USBPre 2 > Audacity 2.0 capture > iZotope RX8 > iZotope Ozone 8 > Audacity > TLH > FLAC

01 You Can Close Your Eyes
02 Mona
03 Wandering
04 Sweet Baby James
05 Riding On A Railroad
06 How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
07 Stand And Fight
08 Brother Trucker
09 Hey Good Lookin'
10 Walking Man
11 B.S.U.R.
12 Hard Times
13 It's Gonna Work Out Fine
14 Up On The Roof
15 Fire And Rain
16 Carolina In My Mind
17 Millworker
18 Twelve Gates To The City
19 Streamroller Blues
20 I Will Not Lie For You
21 Daddy's All Gone
22 Handy Man
23 Her Town Too
24 You're Only Lonely
25 Faithless Love
26 Your Smiling Face
27 Mexico
28 Country Road
29 Money Machine > Band Intro
30 You've Got A Friend

Known Faults:
-None

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 MICrophone, 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 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.

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

James Taylor, Wilshire Theatre, Beverly Hills, CA, May 3, 1981

We continue to move in parallel by volume and year in the Lost and Found series, arriving at 81 on both counts and a lovely performance by James Taylor. He was on tour in support of his tenth album, Dad Loves His Work, which yielded the single "Her Town Too," a duet with JD Souther, who joins for last several songs of this show.

Taylor offers a long, luxurious set that mixes originals and his many beloved covers, from "How Sweet It Is" to "You've Got A Friend." It is a warm, inviting performance captured marvelously by Mike Millard from the sixth row in typical Mike the Mike fidelity and clarity. Taylor is backed by a crack band, led by ubiquitous guitar player to the stars, Waddy Wachtel, joined by Billy Payne on keyboards and Rick Marotta on drums among other notable contributors. James himself is in fine voice and charming throughout a winning evening.

Mike's recording is highly satisfying, balancing the ambience of the theatre and up-close sound. Samples provided.

Here's what Jim R recalled about James Taylor in Beverly Hills 1981:

I attended the James Taylor concert with Mike Millard on May 3, 1981. It was at the Wilshire Theatre on Wilshire Blvd in Beverly Hills, not to be confused with the other Wilshire Theatre on 8th St in LA.

A group of us met there; listening carefully, I can hear friends that sat next to us. This was helpful in that we knew they would be quiet and form a buffer. We sat in the sixth row on the aisle, just left of center, right in our sweet spot. We had very devoted fans around us.

Being an LA venue meant we had to get our choice seats from a ticket broker. Fortunately, we had a working relationship with a few of them and were able to buy our tickets at a decent price.

No cameras were allowed, so I laid low and left my camera equipment at home.

The Wilshire Theatre is now called the Saban Theatre, with capacity a scant 2000. It opened in 1930 as a movie palace and in 1981 was converted into a stage venue. The venue naturally had excellent acoustics. Being in the sixth row was quite the intimate setting, fitting for a James Taylor concert.

JT, in addition to being a great songwriter, was quite the storyteller as you will hear throughout the show. As a side note, I had Mike make my copy in the next day or two after the concert.

I hope you enjoy the show as much as Mike and I did.

###

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.

Thanks to our tag-team partners: Professor Goody, who provided the pitch tuning guidance, and mjk5510, who keeps the Millard/JEMS trains not only running on time, but looking smart in their custom CD artwork.

Finally, cheers 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:

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