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Queen 03/03/1977

SHOWID 277483

Set I

Ogre Battle, White Queen, Somebody To Love, Killer Queen, The Millionaire Waltz, You're My Best Friend, Bring Back That Leroy Brown, Sweet Lady, Brighton Rock,
'39, You Take My Breath Away, White Man, The Prophet's Song

Set II

 

Set III

 

Comment

 

Collectors With This Show

User (active/rating) Media / # Show Sound Details DB Source User Source
Slick2007 (5/5) FLAC / 1 B+ View  
John H (5/5) flac / 2 AA AA View   audience
Notes: Mike Millard Original Master Tapes via JEMS The Lost and Found Mike the MICrophone Tapes Volume 19 Recording Gear: AKG 451E Microphones (CK-1 cardioid capsules) > Nakamichi 550 Cassette Recorder Transfer: Mike Millard Master Cassettes > Yamaha KX-W592 Cassette Deck > Sony R-500 DAT > Analog Master DAT Clone > Fostex D5 DAT > Sound Devices USBPre 2 > Audacity 2.0 capture > iZotope RX6 > iZotope Ozone 6 > MBIT+ resample to 16/44 > Audacity > TLH > FLAC Known Faults: -Tie Your Mother Down: start cut -Brighton Rock: splice -Now I'm Here: start slightly cut Intro 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 LA circa 1975-77. For further details on how some tapes in this series came to be lost and found again, as well as JEMS' history with Mike Millard, please refer to the notes in Vol. One: http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=500680 Until this year, 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 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 long gone. Internet myths suggest Millard destroyed his master tapes before taking his own life, an imprudent detail likely concocted based on assumptions 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. 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 inquiring about the tapes after his death 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. Here is Rob’s account of how Millard’s master tapes were saved: After Mike left us, I visited his mom Lia occasionally, usually around the holidays. She’d talk about the grandkids and show me pictures. She had no one to help out around the house so I did some minor improvements like fixing a kitchen shelf that collapsed and another time a gate that hadn’t worked for years. After a few visits, I explained to Lia how the tapes were metal, up to 25 years old already and would eventually deteriorate. She agreed to let me take the tapes and make copies. We went into Mike’s bedroom and it was exactly like I remembered it when I was there years before. I loaded up every tape I could find and went to work copying them. Oldest first, some requiring “surgery.” Months later when I was done copying, I compared what I had copied to a list Mike had compiled of his masters and realized there were many shows missing. I returned the tapes and asked Lia if we could see if there were any more somewhere else in the house. We went into a back bedroom and found a bunch of boxes filled with more original master tapes. I loaded them up, thanked Lia and left. This was the last time I would see her. I copied the rest of the tapes and stored the masters in a cool dry place until late last year when Jim R. reached out. We had known each other through Mike. After speaking with Jim, and later BK who had tracked him down, I knew their partnership was the “right way” to get this music out to everyone who wanted it, and I’m sure Mike would have agreed. ### Initially, Rob copied a large batch of Millard’s master cassettes to DAT and returned them to the house. The second time around, he was given a large portion of the cassette collection, different from what he had copied to DAT. The first round of DAT transfers features some of Millard’s most famous recordings of Led Zeppelin, ELP, the Rolling Stones and Jethro Tull. The second traunch of actual cassette masters includes his captures of Yes, Genesis, Peter Gabriel, Rush and Pink Floyd. As exciting as it is to access Millard’s masters of the shows we know and love, there are many new recordings in both collections from artists like Elton John, Queen, Thin Lizzy, Eric Clapton, The Who, the Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty, Guns N’ Roses, Linda Ronstadt, David Bowie, the Moody Blues, U2 and more. Even with an information gap in the mid ‘80s when Millard was surely taping but there is no tape or written evidence as to what he captured, we have now confirmed some 290 shows Millard did record. Of those, there are master cassettes for approximately 100 shows, DATs off masters of another 75 and first generation analog copies for 30-35. Together, that nearly quadruples the number of extant Millard recordings. Our original master tapes series began with Pink Floyd, which you can find here: http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=667745&hit=1 http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=667750&hit=1 Queen, The Forum, Inglewood, CA, March 3, 1977 We continue with the first of many new-to-the-world Millard recordings, this one capturing Queen on the U.S. tour in support of A Day at the Races. Queenlive.ca lists a partial extant recording of this show, but the version of it on YouTube is clearly a different performance (most likely the night before, March 2). It appears Millard’s recording never circulated beyond his friends if that, as no first generation copy is known. The Queen master tapes were among the first batch of cassettes Rob transferred to DAT himself in the early 2000s. While we don’t have the master cassettes, the analog transfer to DAT was done well. The azimuth alignment and phase are both solid. Incredibly, Mike himself only rated this recording Fair, and nothing could be further from the truth. His tape of this fine Queen performance has all the attributes of his best work: up close, full fidelity, clear instrument separation and little annoying audience interaction, though make no mistake the crowd is extremely excited to see Queen. It stands comfortably with the Mike titles we know and love. Samples provided. Millard’s dear friend Jim R was with Mike at the show and shot the original unpublished photos we are fortunate to include with this release. Here’s what he recalls: Mike and I attended the Queen concert on March 3, 1977. I pushed him in the wheelchair. Hard to believe in hindsight, but at the time, Queen was considered a Led Zeppelin copycat. So, being loyal LZ fans, we planned to "boycott" the show. But upon hearing the buzz about the upcoming concert and with some prodding from friends, we both decided to attend. At the last minute we scored 15th row center seats on the floor. Not in our desired sweet spot (5th row center) but they would do. Our seats were on the aisle and there was a crush of fans at the start of the show. This caused extra security in our aisle. We were in section B, the center section on the floor next to the stage, Section B contains 25 rows. About halfway back, two security members sit in chairs in the middle of the aisle. With Mike and I sitting 15 rows back on the aisle, this put the security practically next to our seats. Yikes!!! The show had decent sound and good lighting. Thin Lizzy opened and I took a handful of pictures of them. Freddie wore three outfits during the show, a white, a black and one with red and white stripes. The encore was sizzling with “Jailhouse Rock” and a bit of Elton John’s “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting.” ### MIKE AND STAN Meeting Jim, then Barry and ultimately connecting with Rob has added incredible new chapters to my personal Mike the MIC story that started in 1986 when I first saw a box of Millard tapes and heard stories about how he recorded. I’m lucky and grateful that all four of us share a deep appreciation for what Mike documented over the years and the on-going belief in his mission to share the music among friends, which is why we do this. As joyous as this initial Millard master release has been, it is bittersweet. The person who showed me that original box of Millard tapes and told me the stories was Stan Gutoski, the S in JEMS. He met Mike face to face on two occasions and the pair had a few phone calls, sharing notes on how they recorded shows, comparing gear and ultimately trading copies of their recordings. Game respecting game. During a 1992 meet up in SoCal, they even spoke about losing their fathers and hugged each other in camaraderie, something Stan never forgot. Sadly, on Friday, January 24, 2020, Walter Stan Gutoski, passed away. He was 74. Stan had gone into the hospital in December because of a spinal infection that severely limited his mobility. I spoke to him at the time, sharing various JEMS updates which always lifted his spirits, even as he sounded weak. He was released, but his condition didn’t improve after he left the hospital, and in mid January I got updates from his son that didn’t sound promising. Last week, his son told me Stan was back in the hospital battling pneumonia, and it was clear his health was rapidly deteriorating. I began to consider how soon I could fly up to see him. On Thursday night, I asked if there was an opportunity to call Stan in the hospital, and his son said perhaps he could put me on speaker phone for a minute if his dad was up to it. Sensing that might not happen, I followed up with a text: “Please tell Stan I love him dearly and that we found Mike Millard’s master tapes a few weeks ago.” His son replied, “Wow. The taper’s ‘Ark of the Covenant.’ That’s amazing. I’ll tell him.” Mid morning the next day, Friday, his son texted, “Good morning. My dad passed away a few minutes ago.” It was the stomach punch I knew was coming, but not this fast. Way too fast. I started crying. His son then texted: “My brother and I and my youngest son stayed with him until 6:30 am. He never went to sleep. He kept fighting it. He was impressed about the 280 shows [Millard recorded]. He kept making me repeat the number. He wanted to know what years and what cities/venues. I guess he can just ask him now in person. [They are] hanging with Jared watching Tom Petty and George Harrison play.” If ever there was a moment of happiness and sadness at the same time, reading that text was it. While I’m not religious, the thought of Mike Millard, Stan Gutoski and our late, great friend Jared Houser (the J in JEMS) all hanging together in heaven is something I am only too happy to believe. ### JEMS is thrilled to partner with Rob, Jim R and Barry 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 has kept these precious tapes under wraps for two decades, but once he learned of our methods and stewardship, he agreed to contribute the Millard DATs and cassettes to the program. Our production support team also deserves credit. Thanks to Goody for giving this his stamp of pitch approval and to mjk5510 for his essential work on all JEMS projects. We can’t do it without you. This one’s for you, Raf. Finally, cheers to the late, great Mike the MICrophone, Jared Houser and Stan Gutoski. May they rest in peace. Can’t wait to hear the heaven tapes someday. BK for JEMS
Shearing (5/5) FLAC / 2 A View   The Lost and Found Mike the MICrophone Tapes Volume 19 | AKG 451E Microphones (CK-1 cardioid...
Shearing (5/5) FLAC / 2 A View   Original bootleg discs > EZ CD Audio Converter > FLAC level 5
Notes: "Queen - L.A. Forum 1977 2nd Night - Mike Millard Original Master Tapes", Wardour – Wardour-407
wes meyette (5/0) / View  
OldNeumanntapr (5/5) FLAC / 0 A View   AKG 451E Microphones w/CK-1 Cardioid Capsules >Nakamichi 550 Cassette
Notes: (Recorded By Mike Millard)
Metal Trader (5/5) CD / 2 9 View   AUD [1:46:30]
BLG (5/0) FLAC / 1 View   AKG 451E/CK1's > Nakamichi 550 > anaM > DAT1 > FLAC
gwendibbley (5/0) Digital / View  
cotaper (5/5) flac / 1 B+ View  
Notes: 59 minutes
Yoshi (5/0) MP3 / 1 View  
Joe (5/5) CD-R / 1 A- View   Aud
Notes: Best Friends
George (4/5) flac / A- View  
Andrew Davies (4/4.4) CDR / 1 View  
Liquidscream (4/5) CDR / 1 View  
Gabacho (3/4.7) / 1 B+ View   AUD
Daniel Brown (3/0) FLAC / 0 View  
Notes: 334mb
RM's Giant Live Music Archive (2/5) FLAC16 / 0 View   The Lost and Found Mike the MICrophone Tapes Volume 19 (RR109)
Notes: Mike Millard Original Master Tapes via JEMS The Lost and Found Mike the MICrophone Tapes Volume 19 Recording Gear: AKG 451E Microphones (CK-1 cardioid capsules) > Nakamichi 550 Cassette Recorder Transfer: Mike Millard Master Cassettes > Yamaha KX-W592 Cassette Deck > Sony R-500 DAT > Analog Master DAT Clone > Fostex D5 DAT > Sound Devices USBPre 2 > Audacity 2.0 capture > iZotope RX6 > iZotope Ozone 6 > MBIT+ resample to 16/44 > Audacity > TLH > FLAC
RM's Giant Live Music Archive (2/5) FLAC16 / 0 View   The Lost and Found Mike the MICrophone Tapes Volume 19 (RM011)
Notes: Mike Millard Original Master Tapes via JEMS The Lost and Found Mike the MICrophone Tapes Volume 19 Recording Gear: AKG 451E Microphones (CK-1 cardioid capsules) > Nakamichi 550 Cassette Recorder Transfer: Mike Millard Master Cassettes > Yamaha KX-W592 Cassette Deck > Sony R-500 DAT > Analog Master DAT Clone > Fostex D5 DAT > Sound Devices USBPre 2 > Audacity 2.0 capture > iZotope RX6 > iZotope Ozone 6 > MBIT+ resample to 16/44 > Audacity > TLH > FLAC
Death Glider (1/0) CD-R / 1 View   Source, recording process, & lineage info are unknown.
Notes: FLAC/sg1000c
Ben (0/0) FLAC / 0 A- View  
Notes: AKG 451E Microphones (CK-1 cardioid capsules) > Nakamichi 550
mats666(Int.) (0/0) FLAC / View  
Notes: (MR) Millard
-SoG- (0/5) Flac / 1 C+ View  
Notes: Audience Recording