Moody Blues
Pacific Amphitheatre
Costa Mesa, CA
August 30, 1990
Mike Millard Master Tapes via JEMS
The Lost and Found Mike the MICrophone Tapes Volume 131
1644 Edition

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

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 > TLH > FLAC

01 Lovely To See You
02 Gemini Dream
03 The Voice
04 Rock 'N' Roll Over You
05 Tuesday Afternoon
06 I Know You're Out There Somewhere
07 The Story In Your Eyes
08 Your Wildest Dreams
09 Isn't Life Strange
10 The Other Side Of Life
11 I'm Just A Singer (In A Rock And Roll Band)
12 Nights In White Satin
13 Legend Of A Mind
14 Question
15 Ride My See-Saw

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

Moody Blues, Pacific Amphitheatre, Costa Mesa, CA, August 30, 1990

To refresh memories, Mike's legendary taping career has four distinct phases: 1973-74 the pre-Nakamichi era; 1975-83 the Nak/AKG golden era; 1983-88 the self-imposed hiatus; and 1988-93 the return and final chapter.

The Moody Blues are one of the few artists Mike captured in all three active taping eras, with this being the last of his recordings of the band. Mike taped 20 shows total in the year 1990, including several at local-to-him Pacific Amphitheatre, where he seemed to have the run of the place in terms of access and tickets.

November 1989 saw the release of the Moody Blues Greatest Hits and the 15-song setlist performed in Costa Mesa the following summer is a best-of to be sure, which all the big hits represented, "Nights in White Satin," "Ride My See-Saw," "I'm Just A Singer," "Question," "Tuesday Afternoon" and "The Voice" among them.

I didn't realize what touring animals The Moody Blues were. Some permutation of the band hit the road every year between 1986 and 2018! The early '90s alone, 1990-1994 they performed nearly 400 times.

Mike recorded the Moody Blues set from Row J at the Pac Amp, presumably the tenth row, and his work is excellent, rich, full and up-close sounding. Samples provided.


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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.

This week's release features pitch adjustments by Professor Goody, while mjk5510 did the heavy lifting in my absence, taking on mastering and post-production working from a fresh master transfer by Rob. Thanks to all three of them and the entire JEMS family for the support.

Finally, here's 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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