The Kinks
Hollywood Palladium
Los Angeles, CA
August 19, 1981
Mike Millard First-Generation Tape via JEMS
The Lost and Found Mike the MICrophone Tapes Volume 120

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

JEMS 2020 Transfer: Mike Millard First-Generation Cassette > Nakamichi RX-505 (azimuth adjustment; Dolby On) > Sound Devices USBPre 2 > Audacity 2.0 capture > iZotope RX8 > iZotope Ozone 8 > MBIT+ resample to 1644 > Audacity > TLH > FLAC


01 Intro
02 Around The Dial
03 The Hard Way
04 Where Have All The Good Times Gone
05 Bird Dog (Everly Brothers cover)
06 Catch Me Now I'm Falling
07 Yo-Yo
08 LA Blues > Lola
09 Too Serious (Dave Davies solo song)
10 Back To Front
11 Misfits
12 You Really Got Me
13 A Gallon Of Gas
14 Celluloid Heroes
15 All Day And All Of The Night
16 Give the People What They Want
17 Come On Now
18 Low Budget
19 Twist And Shout
20 Destroyer
21 Pressure

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 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

The Kinks, The Palladium, Los Angeles, CA, August 19, 1981

This week the Lost and Found series of Mike "The Mike" Millard's legendary recordings serves up its third offering from The Kinks. Vol. 120 captures the band performing at the Palladium in Hollywood, playing ahead of the release of Give The People What They Want. The Internet lists the street date of the album as August 15, 1981, but during the show Ray Davies says the new LP should be, "out in about ten days, a week, ten days time."

The imminent release of the band's new album might explain why the Kinks were playing The Palladium after playing The Forum four nights earlier, with the smaller venue serving as some kind of promo/album launch event. The (presumably) shorter than normal setlist featuring several songs from the new album further supports the idea of this being a label showcase of some kind, though it is also possible a second encore is missing in action.

The 20-song set we do have offers a tasty mix of classic and late '70s revival Kinks, as the group were on something of a roll with a series of albums starting with Misfits through 1983's State of Confusion that resonated at FM album-oriented rock stations. The band includes five songs from the forthcoming Give The People What They Want, including what might well be the first ever performance of the rock-radio staple "Destroyer," which is introduced in the encore as the "first song on side two" and seems wholly unrecognized by the audience.

Speaking of audience, there's a funny moment right after "Catch Me Now I'm Falling" where Mike's efforts are audibly interrupted by a wayward soul:

Mike: Somebody is standing there
Rando: Who is?
Mike: My partner will get you out of here
Rando: Oh, I'll be out of here in no time

The Kinks sound fantastic and despite recording from the balcony, Mike makes a very nice recording that's punchy and crunchy in all the right ways. Samples provided.

Here's what Jim R recalled about The Kinks at the Hollywood Palladium, August 19, 1981:

I went with Mike Millard to The Kinks at The Hollywood Palladium on Aug 19, 1981. The venue had GA seating--we avoided standing on the floor, instead opting for the balcony with chairs and tables. Taping standing up in a venue like that is near impossible. From our vantage point we could watch everyone slug it out, so to speak, on the floor. If memory serves, we probably met Ed F there and sat near each other.

The Palladium is a famous building with a long history in Hollywood. It consists of a large, roller rink-like floor with dual balconies, one on each side that wrap around part of the way from the front of the room towards the back. Obviously the tables near the middle were the most desirable. The Palladium's second level it isn't up high like a theater balcony, maybe only 30 feet off the ground and level with the PA, which accounts for the good sound Mike got.

A bit of trivia: the year before I saw Chuck Berry at the Palladium just after he got out of prison. It was a benefit concert.

The Kinks were on our "Must See" list since we first saw them in 1978. Very much a "Party Band" with songs dating back to the '60s. Ray Davies is a brilliant showman and he had the audience eating out of his hand almost right from the start. It was a fun show, and a rocker, as usual. No pictures unfortunately, way too risky.

I hope you enjoy this one 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.

Every week we acknowledge the contributions of our extended JEMS support team, including Professor Goody, who helped set the pitch adjustment, and vital behind-the-scenes contributor cpscps who helps us keep our promises. Of course mjk5510 led our post-production and contributed his always-appealing artwork. Thank you all.

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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