The Pretenders
Perkins Palace
Pasadena, CA
September 5, 1981
Incomplete
Mike Millard First-Generation Tape via JEMS
The Lost and Found Mike the MICrophone Tapes Volume 101

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

JEMS 2021 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 Brass In Pocket
02 Mystery Achievement
03 (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher And Higher (Jackie Wilson cover)

Known Faults: Entire main set is missing. This recording only contains the three-song encore.

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 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 Pretenders, Perkins Palace, Pasadena, CA, September 5, 1981

Having just cleared 100 releases in the Lost and Found, we begin our second lap with a Millard recording that is significant for its brevity as the shortest recording in the collection.

These 18 minutes capture The Pretenders encore at Perkins Palace in Pasadena and a fabulous if brief guest appearance by Bruce Springsteen on a cover of Jackie Wilson's "Higher and Higher." Millard completists may recognize that track which was a bonus track Mike added himself to the first generation copy of Bruce Springsteen, Sports Arena, August 23, 1981 released as Vol. 54 in the series. Here "Higher and Higher" appears in context as the last song of the night.

All of which begs the question: What happened to the first part of the show? No, we're not missing part one. From what we have been able to gather, this was one of the rare occasions where Mike was busted for taping (curiously another also occurred in Pasadena, as Mike was caught at the door trying to sneak in his gear to record Stevie Wonder as the Pasadena Civid Auditorium in 1979).

How the bust went down is currently lost to history. Was he caught early in the show, then figured he would try again for the encore? Or perhaps he was caught after the show, and gave up the first tape but somehow kept or hid the second. How it went down would be interesting to know, but the end result is the same, Mike only grabbed 18 minutes of the show.

That's a bummer, because the portion Mike did get is excellent quality (samples provided) and you can't beat the original Pretenders line-up. But we've all been there. You can't tape 300+ shows and not get popped a couple of times.

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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.

We thank Professor Goody for his continued help improving the pitch of Mike's recordings and to JEMS' own mjk5510 for his always-excellent artwork and post-production support. The last few weeks of major releases in multiple formats was a heavy load. This brief recording allows us all to catch our collective breath.

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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