Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Sports Arena
Los Angeles, CA
April 26, 1991
Mike Millard Master Tapes via JEMS
The Lost and Found Mike the MICrophone Tapes Volume 174
1644 Edition

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

JEMS 2023 Transfer: Mike Millard Master Cassettes > Nakamichi Cassette Deck 1 azimuth-adjusted playback > Sound Devices USBPre2 > Audacity 3.1 capture > iZotope RX > iZotope Ozone > MBIT+ resample to 16/44.1 > Audacity > xACT 2.50 > FLAC

01 Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black)
02 Crime In The City (Sixty To Zero, Part 1)
03 Blowin' In The Wind (Bob Dylan cover)
04 Love To Burn
05 Cinnamon Girl
06 Mansion On The Hill
07 Fuckin' Up
08 Cortez The Killer
09 Powderfinger
10 Love And Only Love
11 Rockin' In The Free World
12 Like A Hurricane
13 Roll Another Number (For The Road)

Known Faults: some volume fluctuation and channel instability through first several minutes

Neil Young: guitar and vocals
Ralph Molina: drums and vocals
Frank "Poncho" Sampedro: Guitar, synthesizer and vocals
Billy Talbot: bass and vocals

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

Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA, April 26, 1991

Get out the earplugs, as this week we return to Neil Young & Crazy Horse on the road supporting Ragged Glory. Los Angeles was the last stop on the Smell The Horse tour, legendary for its amplified eardrum assault, which began each night with opening act Sonic Youth (sadly Mike didn't tape) and continued with Neil and the Horse testing the limits of their amps.

It's the companion recording to Vol. 112 of the series, which presented the second night on April 27. Even a seasoned pro like Millard apparently wasn't ready for the high db levels and he struggles to get his levels set at the start of the show resulting in material audio issues with the opening song, "Hey Hey, My My (Into The Black)." Mike attached a hand-written note to tape one that reads "Left side distorted. When making copies do a right side stereo split."

We've elected to leave both channels intact as distortion isn't as much of an issue as the changing levels themselves, which we've done our best to address in the mastering process to smooth out your listening experience. Mike gets things into a decent place for the second song, "Crime In The City" and from there the recording stays fairly consistent. For the second show Mike recorded from the arena risers; night one he is on the main floor in Sec F, Row 12, perhaps getting more of the full impact of the PA. Samples provided.

The April 26 setlist is identical to night two and captures Young at a creative peak, with new songs like "Rockin' In The Free World" and "Crime In The City" holding their own next to classics like "Cortez The Killer" and "Powderfinger."

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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.

Tip o' the hat this week to Rob S for the transfer; Professor Goody for the pitch guidance and mjk5510 for post production and artwork.

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.

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