Led Zeppelin
Long Beach Arena
Long Beach, CA
March 12, 1975
Mike Millard Master Tapes via JEMS and Dadgad
The Lost and Found Mike the MICrophone Tapes Volume 103

Contrast Clause
This is a direct transfer of a partial master tape and different from these alternate sources
http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=690235
http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=710433

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

Transfer: Mike Millard Master Cassette > Yamaha KX-W592 Cassette Deck > Sony R-500 DAT > Analog Master DAT Clone > Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 > Sound Forge Audio Studio 13.0 capture > Adobe Audition > iZotope RX8 > iZotope Ozone 8 > Audacity > TLH > FLAC

01 Stairway To Heaven (joined in progress)
02 Whole Lotta Love >
03 The Crunge >
04 funky interlude >
05 Black Dog
06 Heartbreaker >
07 I'm A Man (Bo Diddley cover)
08 Heartbreaker

Known Faults: missing entire set before "Stairway to Heaven"

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

Led Zeppelin, Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, CA, March 12, 1975

What could have been.

Vol. 103 of the Lost and Found series revisits one of Mike Millard's greatest frustrations and missed opportunities: his excellent but disappointingly short recording of Led Zeppelin's second show at the Long Beach Arena on March 12, 1975.

Mike The Mike made an outstanding recording of night one on March 11 (Vol. 37 in our series), and as Jim R points out below, he was poised for even better results at the second show. Alas, as Jim explains in detail, the late arrival of a friend's wheelchair caused them to miss more than two hours of the concert. Mike finally gets rolling just as the band starts "Stairway To Heaven" and the 34 minutes he does capture are outstanding.

While there have been excellent copies of other Millard LZ recordings in circulation for many years, the two Long Beach shows seem to be the exceptions. Like our release of March 11, Rob's DAT transfer of March 12 from Mike's master cassette is superior to other versions we've heard. Thanks to dadgad's excellent mastering work, this should be an upgrade for all of you. Samples provided.

While Mike wasn't able to record the full March 12 show, his friend Ed F did, albeit on inferior equipment. Late last year we were able to transfer Ed F's master cassettes. Dadgad mastered our transfer and posted the full 3/12/75 show, a release that seemed to fly under the radar, but is worth finding if you want to listen to the full performance:

http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=690235

Here's what Jim R recalled about that fateful night in Long Beach, March 12, 1975:

This is the infamous incomplete recording of Led Zeppelin at the Long Beach Arena. I went with Mike to this show. We saw more of the parking lot than the concert itself.

Why does this recording start with "Stairway"? Over the years many people have asked why it was so short. Well, here is the story behind it.

In a nutshell Long Beach 3/12/75 triggered Wheelchair Era 2.0

Wheelchair Era 1.0 involved a paraplegic friend of ours named Mike L.

During a ticket camp out, Mike L offered to smuggle in Millard's gear using his wheelchair. That's when we first figured out we could hide the sizable Nakamichi 550 in Mike L's wheelchair cushion. Once inside, we would transfer the deck to Millard's bag.

Keep in mind, these were the early days of the Nak 550 and AKG mic rig. Mike first used it at the Rod Stewart/Faces concert at The Forum a week earlier. The second and third shows with the new set up were the Zep Long Beach gigs. So the original wheelchair method with Mike L had only been deployed twice leading up to this show on March 12.

The night of the second Zeppelin show, Mike L, a stoner at the time, was extremely late. Millard was livid. Veins were popping out of his neck. We were both extremely agitated and disappointed. How could someone be late, be SO late to a concert this significant? By the way, we had arrived early.

This is the show where we had third row center seats on the floor. The previous night we were relegated to the risers next to the stage. The sound was much better in the third row than in the risers. We went from a PA tape to a stage monitor tape from our sweet spot.

On our way home after the show, still seething with frustration, Mike and I realized there had to be a better way. We could not rely on someone else. We needed to come up with a solution before Zeppelin returned 12 days later for the Forum gigs. That's when Millard remembered his dad, who had a bum leg, had an old wheelchair in his garage. We would rig up the seat cushion and I would push him in. Mike L was out.

Wheelchair Era 2.0 was born on March 24, 1975, at Led Zeppelin's first Forum show of the run. Our modus operandi continued for quite a while, several years in fact, before security caught on and forced us to devise other method$.

But back to March 12. Mike let me go inside before him, as he could manage things on his own with Mike L. What Millard and I did see of this show, we loved. Mike got into the arena before "Stairway," but it took some time to wheel down to the floor, transfer the equipment and get set up before he could press the record button. Of course, the huge bummer of missing so much of this show haunted us for years. It is still haunting me to this day as I type this out.

Included are a couple pictures I hurriedly took during the show.

Enjoy.

###

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.

Hats off this week to our Zeppelin mastering ally Dadgad for giving this his gentle polish. The cover art features some of Jim's original photos and ticket stub, appealingly designed by JEMS own mjk5510 who handled post-production as always.


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: