Chicago 1976-04-02 Sports Arena San Diego, CA

Chicago
Sports Arena
San Diego, CA
April 2, 1976
Mike Millard Master Tapes via JEMS
The Lost and Found Mike the MICrophone Tapes Volume 110

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

Transfer: Mike Millard Master Cassette > Yamaha KX-W592 Cassette Deck > Sony R-500 DAT > Analog Master DAT Clone > Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 > Sound Forge Audio Studio 13.0 capture > Adobe Audition > iZotope RX8 > iZotope Ozone 8 > Audacity > TLH > FLAC


01 Anyway You Want
02 Call On Me
03 Another Rainy Day In New York City
04 Something In The City Changes People
05 Together Again
06 Just You And Me
07 Once Or Twice
08 Scrapbook
09 Saturday In The Park
10 (I've Been) Searchin' So Long
11 Mongonucleosis
12 Old Days
13 You Get It Up
14 Hope For Love
15 Beginnings
16 Skin Tight
17 A Hit By Varese
18 Questions 67 And 68
19 Feelin' Stronger Every Day
20 25 Or 6 To 4

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 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

Chicago, Sports Arena, San Diego, CA, April 2, 1976

We shift back to early years of Mike "The Mike" Millard's legendary run of live taping to a somewhat unexpected pick, Chicago, performing in San Diego in support of Chicago VIII and even more so Chicago IX, their first Greatest Hits, released in late 1975.

Chicago doesn't exactly fit the profile of Millard's favorite artists or even those on the fringes, but Jim R explains below why he and Mike attended the concert. Chicago was undeniably big at the time; that Greatest Hits record would eventually go quintuple platinum. Even I was surprised how many of their songs I knew: "Saturday In The Park," (I've Been) Searchin' So Long," "Old Days," "Beginnings," "25 Or 6 To 4," and the one Chicago song I always loved as a kid, "Feelin' Stronger Every Day."

Horn bands were having a moment in the '70s, as Chicago's peers included Tower of Power, Chase, Average White Band and of course Blood Sweat & Tears, whose songs I often confuse with Chicago's, especially "You Make Me So Very Happy." In concert, horns added a great layer to a band's sound, bringing jazz and swing influences that can be heard in Chicago's set, especially the instrumentals.

Mike and Jim were way up front at this one, and close followers of the L&F series know that's not always ideal. Being too close can mean you're missing the direct sound from the PA and instead picking up a mix of on-stage instruments, monitors and amps, plus some distant PA.

Couple that with the notoriously bad acoustics in the San Diego Sports Arena and you get a recording that Mike himself rated "Poor." Millard applied the identical grade to The Who's performance at the same venue six months later (Vol. 60 in the Lost and Found series) and also Black Sabbath at Long Beach Arena in September 1975 (Vol. 36).

Millardophiles surely know that the Sabbath recording is one of the most treasured of the series. Ozzy's vocals were buried, because Mike was so close to the state, but the guitar sound is incredible, and with mastering support to help rebalance the audio, the released Sabbath is a special document indeed. The Who San Diego '76 isn't the same revelation and you definitely hear too much of the room, but it remains satisfying, especially for Keith Moon era recordings.

The sound of the Chicago capture is slightly south of The Who to be sure. Something about the loud dynamics of the horns and low mixes of the guitar and vocals makes for an unbalanced recording. But poor? Not at all. We did our best to help restore some of the lower elements and tame the loud ones, resulting in a fairly listenable tape of a band that wasn't recorded at anywhere near the frequency of the Zeppelins, Claptons and Eltons. Samples provided.

Here's what Jim R recalled about Chicago in San Diego 1976.

I went with Mike Millard to the Chicago concert at the San Diego Sports Arena in San Diego, CA on April 2, 1976.

Mike drove the car to SD, and we were joined by a couple friends of ours, one of which, Robert Loya, was a huge fan of Chicago. Robert was the reason we went, mostly to record it for him. Mike and I were only casual Chicago fans.

But the bigger question that remains is: Why did we go all the way to San Diego, about a two-hour drive, instead of The Forum shows a couple days before which were much closer? The answer is: Seat Location!

We sat second row center for face value instead of paying high scalper prices at The Forum. Robert got us the tickets. The San Diego Sports Arena always had a laid back vibe compared to the big LA venues, making it very easy to get equipment in. So that contributed to choosing San Diego as well.

Of course the big negative with the Sports Arena down there is the echo from exposed concrete walls. You're gonna hear them on the recording and a bit of us chatting at the start, too.

Teaser Alert: I shot pictures of the show, including a few of Mike "in action" with his famous yellow bag containing the Nakamichi 550 under his seat. In one of the photos you can see a mic head sticking out of his plaid hat. We look forward to sharing that with you down the road.

I hope you enjoy the show and artwork.

Cheers to my buddy Mike.

RIP, JR


###

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.

Team Millard continues to include Professor Goody on the plus/minus cents, while our efforts are led by mjk5510, including cracking the code on a seriously unfamiliar setlist that the Web offered help in compiling.

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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