Xavier Birtwich's Collection
Yes 06/21/1975
Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, CA
| Source | Mike Millard AUD / 24bit & 16bit versions / xavierbirtwich01@gmail.com / one drive 1 TB |
| Media | FLAC 2 discs |
| Notes | Mike Millard AUD / 24bit & 16bit versions / xavierbirtwich01@gmail.com / one drive 1 TB |
| Tech Notes | Yes Hollywood Bowl Los Angeles, CA June 21, 1975 Mike Millard Master Tapes via JEMS The Lost and Found Mike the MICrophone Tapes Volume 59 2496 Edition Recording Gear: AKG 451E Microphones (CK-1 cardioid capsules) > Nakamichi 550 Cassette Recorder Transfer: Mike Millard Master Cassette > Nakamichi CR-7A (azimuth adjustment; Dolby On) > Sound Devices USBPre 2 > Audacity 2.0 capture > iZotope RX8 > iZotope Ozone 8 > Audacity > TLH > FLAC 01 Firebird Suite 02 Sound Chaser 03 Close To The Edge 04 To Be Over 05 The Gates Of Delirium 06 Your Move 07 Mood For A Day 08 Long Distance Runaround 09 Patrick Moraz Solo 10 Clap 11 And You And I 12 Ritual 13 Roundabout 14 Sweet Dreams Known Issues: -Left channel dropouts during "Intruder" patched with the right channel. 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 Yes, Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, CA, June 21, 1975 We revisit another one of Mike's favorite bands with this Yes performance at the Hollywood Bowl. Millard's recording is well traveled on bootlegs like Same Old Yes Songs and Sorcerer's Apprentice, along with numerous traded and torrented versions. This was the band's Relayer tour which started the previous November and featured keyboard player Patrick Moraz in the place of Rick Wakeman, a change that did not prove popular with Yes fans. Wakeman did his own solo tour this year which a future Millard release will document. The Bowl show features what was the standard setlist for the tour, highlighted by songs like "Close To The Edge," "And You And I" and "Long Distance Runaround," plus an encore of "Roundabout" and "Sweet Dreams." As Jim notes below, he and Mike had good seats for recording, but getting a great pull from the Hollywood Bowl remains tricky to this day. To the good, there are no issues with room acoustics; to the bad, sound level restrictions often mean the PA isn't loud enough. Not surprisingly Mike the Mike overcomes this to capture an excellent recording. Previous versions of his tape have always had what I would describe as a boxy, unbalanced sound. This new transfer from Millard's master cassettes along with a bit of mastering help improve the sound spectrum. It should be said that his 45 year old cassettes were in fragile (no pun intended) condition and needed considerable restoration to play properly. The first tape proved the most challenging so while we have upgraded the overall sound, it is possible you'll hear differences in this new transfer from ones done decades ago. Here's what Jim R recalled about Yes at the Hollywood Bowl: I attended the Yes concert at the Hollywood Bowl with Mike Millard on June 21st, 1975. Being a summer of '75 concert meant I pushed Mike into the Bowl in his wheelchair. You might call this the middle of the "Wheelchair Era": Led Zeppelin was three months before, and the Stones were the following month. I smuggled in extra D cell batteries in a fake lens case; if Mike got busted he would offer up his batteries knowing all the while I had backup. Yes was one of our favorite groups, but this tour featured Patrick Moraz on keyboards. I know he is considered an excellent musician but I and many others prefer Rick Wakeman. But what can you do? Yes had an elaborate stage set up and an excellent sound system. Any concert at the Hollywood Bowl is magical, it is such a special venue. The band was tight as usual. We sat in Box 221, which at the time was in the 3rd row of boxes on the right side of center. Mike and I also saw them two days later at the Long Beach Arena, where we sat in the 7th row on the floor. Of course we recorded that one as well. I hope you enjoy Yes at the Hollywood Bowl as much as Mike and I did. ### JEMS is proud to partner with Rob, Jim R, Barry G and 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. Professor Goody put extra effort into this one, for which we offer extra thanks in addition to calling out the continued work of our post-production partner and resident cover artist mjk5510. Finally, cheers to the late, great Mike the MICrophone. His work never ceases to impress. May he rest in peace. BK for JEMS |
| Microphones | AKG 451E Microphones (CK-1 cardioid capsules) > Nakamichi 550 Cassette Recorder |
| Trades Allowed | Yes |
| Ratings | Sound: AUD |
| Reference / Generation | xavierbirtwich01@gma |
Owned by Xavier Birtwich
· Last Updated Jan 21, 2026
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