The Forum
Inglewood, CA
June 28, 1979
Mike Millard First-Generation Tapes via JEMS
The Lost and Found Mike the MICrophone Tapes Volume 145
Recording Gear: AKG 451E microphones (CK-1 cardioid capsules) > Nakamichi 550 cassette recorder
JEMS 2022 Transfer: Mike Millard First-Generation Cassettes > Nakamichi RX-505 (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 Tonight's The Night (Gonna Be Alright)
02 You Wear It Well
03 The Wild Side Of Life
04 Get Back
05 You're In My Heart (The Final Acclaim)
06 (If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want To Be Right
07 Big Bayou
08 I Just Want To Make Love To You
09 Blondes (Have More Fun)
10 Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?
11 Maggie May
12 (I Know) I'm Losing You >
13 Standing In The Shadows Of Love >
14 Layla > Guitar Solo >
15 Bass Solo > Drum Solo >
16 Standing In The Shadows Of Love
17 Sweet Little Rock 'n Roller
18 Twistin' The Night Away
19 Stay With Me
20 Do Ya Think I"m Sexy? (Reprise)
Known Faults:
-Missing the first two songs of the show, "The Stripper/Hot Legs" and "Born Loose"
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 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
Rod Stewart, The Forum, Inglewood, CA, June 28, 1979
In the late '70s, Rod Stewart was a superstar and nowhere was he bigger than in Southern California. Riding a wave of pop success on the back of his disco-flavored smash hit "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy," Rod brought his Blondes 'Ave More Fun tour to Southern California for a tour-closing stand at The Fabulous Forum selling close to 100,000 tickets in the process. Impressive. Also, did you know Rod donated royalties from "Da Ya' to UNICEF?
Mike and Jim recorded the San Diego show which preceded the Forum run, night five of that six-show run on June 26, and the final concert at the Forum and of the tour on Thursday, June 28, 1979. As Jim notes below, they were in ideal taping position and Rod was using an overhead PA which was an innovation at the time, the combination of which leads to an outstanding recording that's up there with Mike the Mike's best. It's close, full fidelity and has an appealing balance of band and audience. Samples provided.
As he did on occasion, Mike missed the start of the show thanks to LA traffic, Forum parking or some other external factor, so not captured here are the opening music "The Stripper" into "Hot Legs" and "Born Loose." Mike gets rolling at the top of "Tonight's The Night" and by the standards of this tour, closing night does live up to Rod's promise early in the evening to "make it memorable." The set includes a couple of numbers not played at every 1979 show, "Big Bayou" and "Stay With Me," and closes with a reprise of the aforementioned No. 1 hit "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy," surely to the delight of many women in the crowd who were responding in the affirmative. Throughout the show Stewart is in fine voice and good spirits, and his band plays great. As was the custom, Carmine Appice takes a drum solo about two-thirds of the way through the set.
Here's what Jim R recalled about going to see Rod Stewart at The Forum:
Mike and I went to several Rod Stewart shows in the SoCal area in June 1979. This recording is of the June 28 show at The Forum, closing night of the worldwide "Blondes 'Ave More Fun Tour." Rod was so popular at the time, he played six nights at The Forum plus one night in San Diego. By comparison, New York City got only four nights at MSG. What's up NY?
At the June 28 show we sat in the sixth row on the floor, a little bit off center. This was a great seat due to the "clean stage look" Rod utilized: No huge PA stacks on each side of the stage blocking your view as was the custom a few years before; the entire PA was hung from the ceiling creating a very wide and open stage for Rod to work and work he did.
Our sixth row ticket stubs were printed on Forum premium glossy ticket stock instead of the typical bulk ticket stock, indicating our seats were "industry holdbacks" that were released a day or two before the show. Gotta have connections.
Any Rod Stewart concert in LA is a party scene, with lots of beautiful babes. No disrespect, just the truth. Rod is a non-stop, hard-working performer who knows how to win over his largely female audience. The setlist is varied with a few slower numbers to allow the audience to catch its breath. Of course, lots of good ol' rock 'n' roll, too.
At the end of the show, in typical fashion, Rod kicked a few soccer balls out to the audience. Listening to this tape again reminded me that it was Rod Stewart, then fronting The Faces, who was the first band Mike recorded with his then brand-new Nakamichi 550 and AKG 451E microphones in March of 1975. The rest is history.
I hope you enjoy this one as much as Mike and I did.
Cheers to my buddy Mike. RIP.
###
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.
As always, we shoutout our many contributors and supporters for their help each and every week. Professor Goody weighed in on proper pitch for Rod and mjk5510 is at the helm on post-production and cover art for all you aging CD burners out there.
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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