Jerry Garcia Band
Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre
Irvine, CA
May 19, 1989
Mike Millard First- and Second-Generation Tapes via JEMS
The Lost and Found Mike the MICrophone Tapes Volume 203

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

JEMS 2023 Transfer: 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 > Audacity > xACT 2.50 > FLAC

01 How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
02 Stop That Train
03 Get Out Of My Life Woman
04 Run For The Roses
05 I Shall Be Released
06 I Hope It Won't Be This Way, Always
07 Deal
08 The Harder They Come
09 Waiting For A Miracle
10 Simple Twist Of Fate
11 Don't Let Go
12 That Lucky Old Sun
13 Midnight Moonlight

Known Faults:
-Don't Let Go: splice

Introduction to the Lost and Found Mike the MICrophone Series

Welcome back 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

Jerry Garcia Band, Irvine Meadows, Irvine, CA, May 19, 1989

Series followers will know that Mike Millard recorded the Grateful Dead on two occasions, but his GD bonafides run even deeper as this release of the Jerry Garcia Band illustrates.

Mike attended this one with Rob S, who is responsible for moving Millard down the Deadhead path. As Rob writes below, it was the first time seeing Gracia's side project and what a fine show they witnessed, loaded with excellent covers including a couple of tasty reggae nuggets in "Stop That Train" and "The Harder They Come."

As was the case with all Orange County venues, Mike and Rob are sitting in ideal seats near the PA and his capture is up to his usual standards. We would have released this show earlier in the series, but the second of the two first-generation tapes Mike made for Rob after the show is MIA.

Recently, Rob found a set of second-generation tapes he had made himself, and rather than hold out hope to find the missing Tape 2, we've decided to release the first set from first-gen cassette and the second set from the second-gen tapes as the sound quality difference seemed minor at best. Samples provided.

Here's what Rob S recalled about seeing Jerry Garcia with Mike Millard:

Mike picked me up at my house which was about 15 minutes away from the venue. This was the first Garcia show I attended, so I am sure it was Mike?s as well. We had seats in the Orchestra section, between the PA stacks.

Garcia?s day job was playing lead guitar in the Grateful Dead, but he filled time between Dead tours with his own Jerry Garcia Band. The Dead had gotten so popular by this point that Jerry's own ?bar band? was now playing sheds and arenas on their own. His bandmate and rhythm guitarist Bob Weir was also touring with bassist Rob Wasserman and they opened the evening (Lost and Found Vol. 161).

Garcia?s Dylan covers were always excellent and ?Simple Twist of Fate? does not disappoint. ?The Harder They Come? and ?That Lucky Old Sun? both stand out, aided by Melvin Seals? keyboards. There are some super low keyboard tones that I can?t recall hearing anywhere else, and Mike?s AKG microphones capture them more than adequately. I hope you enjoy this one as much as I did.

###

JEMS is immensely proud to partner with Rob, Jim R, Ed F, Barry G, Jim Ri 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.

Thanks this week to Rob S for providing the tapes and doing the transfers; Professor Goody for tuning the pitch; and mjk5510 for working on a late deadline to get this one out and keep our weekly series on track.

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

BK for JEMS

