Little Feat
Pacific Amphitheatre
Costa Mesa, CA
September 15, 1990

Mike Millard Master Tape via JEMS
The Lost and Found Mike the MICrophone Tapes Volume 102, 1644 Edition

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

JEMS 2021 Transfer: Mike Millard Master Cassettes > Nakamichi Cassette Deck 1 azimuth-adjusted playback > Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 > Sound Forge Audio Studio 13.0 capture > Adobe Audition > iZotope RX8 > iZotope Ozone 8 > MBIT + resample to 1644 > Audacity > TLH > FLAC

01 Hate To Lose Your Lovin'
02 That's Her, She's Mine >
03 Fat Man In The Bathtub
04 Forty-Four Blues >
05 Rock And Roll Doctor
06 Down On The Farm
07 Rad Gumbo
08 Texas Twister
09 Let It Roll
10 Dixie Chicken >
11 Tripe Face Boogie

Introduction to the Lost and Found Mike the MICrophone Series

Welcome to JEMSâ€™ 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. 

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 Millardâ€™s original master tapes.

Yes, you read that correctly, Mike Millardâ€™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 weâ€™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 Mikeâ€™s mental state was troubled he would do something rash WITH HIS LIFEâ€™S WORK. Thereâ€™s also a version of the story where Mikeâ€™s family dumps the tapes after he dies. Why would they do that?

The truth is Mikeâ€™s masters remained in his bedroom for many years after his death in 1994. We know at least a few of Millardâ€™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 Mikeâ€™s work.

Volume 102 of the Lost and Found series takes us back to the Pac Amp in Costa Mesa where Little Feat opened for Santana. We released the Santana show as Volume 90, so now the entire night is preserved.

We've mentioned before that Mike was not in the general habit of recording opening acts, but it did happen on occasion. The resurrected Little Feat plays a slightly longer than typical opening set and given the sympathetic pairing with Santana, their performance is well received by the crowd.

Like Mike's Santana recording, the Feat capture is very good, full fidelity and relatively close, but does have more audience noise than usual, likely owing to a late summer vibe at an outdoor venue. Samples provided.

The band was on tour in support of Representing The Mambo, which was their final release on original label Warner Bros. Records. It included a minor hit of sorts, "Texas Twister," which became something of staple for Little Feat mk2. The set opens with, "Hate To Lose Your Lovin'," another "modern classic" and the first song from the prior album, Let It Roll, which marked the beginning of their next chapter.

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 canâ€™t thank Rob enough for reconnecting with Jim and putting his trust in our Millard reissue campaign. He kept Mikeâ€™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 Jimâ€™s memories, photos and other background contributions. As many of you have noted, the stories offer an entertaining complement to Mikeâ€™s incredible audio documents.

As always, it is a team effort to keep the weekly releases flowing. Professor Goody chipped in with pitch guidance and mjk5510 handled post-production and artwork with aplomb as always. 

Rest assure the second batch of 100 Millard releases will pack plenty of heat, as we move from Mike the Mike's great '70s work through this active period in the '90s.

Finally, cheers to the late, great Mike the MICrophone. His work never ceases to impress. May he rest in peace.

BK for JEMS