Paul Simon
Pacific Amphtheatre
Costa Mesa, CA
September 28, 1991
Mike Millard Master Tapes via JEMS
The Lost and Found Mike the MICrophone Tapes Volume 91
1644 Edition

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

JEMS 2021 Transfer: Mike Millard Master Cassettes > Nakamichi CR-7A (azimuth adjustment; Dolby On) > Sound Devices USBPre 2 > Audacity 2.0 capture > iZotope RX8 > iZotope Ozone 8 > convert to 16/44 > Audacity > TLH > FLAC

01 The Obvious Child
02 The Boy In The Bubble
03 She Moves On
04 Kodachrome
05 Born At The Right Time
06 Train In The Distance
07 Me And Julio Down By The Schoolyard
08 I Know What I Know
09 The Cool, Cool River
10 Bridge Over Troubled Water
11 Proof
12 Instrumental
13 The Coast
14 Graceland
15 You Can Call Me Al
16 Still Crazy After All These Years
17 Loves Me Like A Rock
18 Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes
19 Hearts And Bones
20 Late In The Evening
21 Gone At Last
22 America
23 The Boxer
24 Mrs. Robinson

Known Faults:
-Loves Me Like A Rock: start slightly cut

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

Paul Simon, Pacific Amphitheatre, Costa Mesa, CA, September 28, 1991

This week moves us up one year to 1991, staying in the same location as last week's Santana show for Paul Simon at the Pacific Amphtheatre. He was touring in support of The Rhythm Of The Saints, released in October 1990, though the show has a healthy dose of the Grammy-winning Graceland as well, for which Simon had not done extensive touring after its release in 1986.

The sound of those albums and the large band Simon put together for this tour were ideal for late-summer, outdoor-venue performances and the Costa Mesa crowd was jubilant. Simon had played the Hollywood Bowl the night before; these shows came at the very end of the tour which would play its final date of the year at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in the Bay Area, the night after Costa Mesa.

The construction of the set list is most appealing, mixing newer material and classic solo tracks to start, dropping in a Simon & Garfunkel classic, staying relatively contemporary for another spell, then hitting a couple additional solo standouts before capping the night with four iconic Simon & Garfunkel numbers: "America," "The Boxer," "Mrs. Robinson" and "The Sound of Silence." I can think of many heritage artists who could take a lesson from this setlist approach.

Simon is in fine voice and the band is impeccable. We often refer to the Pacific Amphitheatre as one of Mike Millard's home courts, and tonight he clearly has his preferred seats and taping location, resulting in another excellent recording, on par with his strongest work from the early '90s era. Samples provided.

Mike taped 16 shows in 1991, in what we now believe was his last fully active year, though there were still recordings to come in 1992 and 1993 which we will revisit in our next two volumes.

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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 Rob handled the transfer, Professor Goody the pitch-tuning and of course mjk5510 handled post production and artwork. Thank you all for your continued support.

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: