Rod Stewart
Pacific Amphitheatre
Costa Mesa, CA
September 13, 1991
Mike Millard Master Tapes via JEMS
The Lost and Found Mike the MICrophone Tapes Volume 219
16/44 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 RX8 Advanced and Ozone 10 > MBIT+ resample to 16/44.1 > xACT 2.50 > FLAC

01 Maggie May
02 Rhythm Of My Heart
03 Sweet Little Rock 'N' Roller
04 Some Guys Have All the Luck
05 Downtown Train
06 Lost in You
07 Tonight's the Night (Gonna Be Alright)
08 Hot Legs
09 Forever Young
10 Sweet Soul Music
11 In The Midnight Hour
12 Time Is Tight
13 You're in My Heart (The Final Acclaim)
14 The First Cut Is The Deepest
15 Early One Morning
16 Reason To Believe
17 Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?
18 This Old Heart of Mine (Is Weak for You)
19 The Motown Song
20 Twistin' the Night Away
21 Rhythm of My Heart (Reprise)

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 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

Rod Stewart, Pacific Amphitheatre, Costa Mesa, CA, September 13, 1991

As we move into the tail end of DIME friendly Millard recordings, its not surprising there are still a few from his most-taped artists, which includes Rod Stewart. From 1986 to 1996, Stewart toured every year save for 1997 which meant plenty of SoCal stops. This one was in support of what was arguably his biggest 1990s album, Vagabond Heart.

The album spawned two hit singles, "Rhythm Of My Heart" and "The Motown Song," both of which feature here. In fact, "Rhythm" follows "Maggie May" as the second song of the night and closes the show in a reprise. Stewart also performs Tom Waits' "Downtown Train" from the album, which would become one of his most beloved late-career tunes.

The rest of the set leans into Rod's rich catalog plus a deeper dip than usual of Memphis soul, including a fine three-song run of "Sweet Soul Music," "In The Midnight Hour" and "Time Is Tight." His backing band is strong though there is an over reliance of now dated sounding synthesizers as is the case with so many shows from this era.

Millard is seated in the 12th row for this one and the PA was booming with a lot of low-end which he captures effectively. The result is like all of his work from the Pac Amp, rich, up-close and clear. 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.

Chipping in this week as always are Rob S who handled our tape transfer, Professor Goody who provided the pitch prescription and mjk5510 spearheading post production and artwork.

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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