David BowieConvention Center
Anaheim, CA
September 16, 1974
Mike Millard Original Master Tapes via JEMS
The Lost and Found Mike the MICrophone Tapes Volume 31
Recording Gear: (Probably) Shure microphones > Sony TC-152SD Cassette Recorder
Transfer: Mike Millard Master Cassettes > Yamaha KX-W592 Cassette Deck > Sony R-500 DAT > Analog Master DAT Clone > Focusrite Scarlett 6i6 > Sound Forge Audio Studio 13.0 capture > Unfilter > iZotope RX6 > iZotope Ozone 8 > Audacity > TLH > FLAC
01 Intro > 1984
02 Rebel Rebel
03 Moonage Daydream
04 Sweet Thing
05 Candidate
06 Sweet Thing (Reprise)
07 Changes
08 Suffragette City
09 Aladdin Sane
10 All The Young Dudes
11 Cracked Actor
12 Rock ’N’ ’Roll With Me
13 Knock On Wood
14 It's Gonna Be Me
15 Space Oddity
16 Future Legend
17 Diamond Dogs
18 Big Brother
19 Chant Of The Ever Circling Skeletal Family
20 Time
21 The Jean Genie
22 Rock ’N’ ’Roll Suicide
23 Somebody Up There Likes Me
Known Faults:
-Rock ’N’ ’Roll Suicide: start slightly cut
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:
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.
David Bowie, Convention Center, Anaheim, CA, September 16, 1974
Our series marches on with a major if confounding discovery: Millard’s recording of David Bowie at the Anaheim Convention Center which was the last show on the original Diamond Dogs tour. Not only is Millard’s tape uncirculated, there are no other known recordings of this show at all. Even details of the setlist are new.
Mike’s Bowie recording comes from his pre-Nakamichi 550 era, when he was still recording on the Sony cassette deck with what Jim R remembers as Shure microphones. As we heard on his Jethro Tull ’75 tape, he was still getting very good results even before the equipment upgrade. But by his own ratings system, Millard scored his Bowie ’74 master “Bad.”
Mike was his own toughest critic, and some of the tapes he rated as middling have proven to be excellent. Unfortunately, that is not the case here.
The reason for the harsh rating isn’t down to his recording gear but the venue. Mike grabs the whole show with his usual skill, but due to the positioning of his seats and the PA mixed with venue acoustics, there is a truly nasty echo afoot. The tape has portions that are clear and highly listenable, but when it gets loud, the bass end blows out and worse still, the echo causes what you might call a double hit, meaning you hear the drum quickly followed by an almost equally loud echo of that drum hit. Instead of “THUMP,” we get “THUMP-thump.”
The result is bizarre as the tape is quite good in spots, while at other times the echo layer and bass issues kind of overwhelm everything. We did work in mastering to mitigate the issues a little and even called on some of our audio expert friends to see if they might have corrective suggestions. We improved things on the margins, but the problem I have described remains quite present. Samples provided.
That’s a shame because this is a very good Bowie performance. We’re blessed to have a high quality soundboard recording of the show two weeks earlier at the Universal Amphitheatre, but the sets are different, notably the closer “Somebody Up There Likes Me” which wouldn’t be released until Young Americans in 1975.
I was reading a post recently about having “bootleg ears,” which is the ability to tune into a recording of varying quality and hear past its deficiencies. That’s a good approach for this challenging but ultimately rewarding Millard master that captures the last show of the original Diamond Dogs tour. When Bowie resumed in October, the band line up had changed for what’s often referred to as the Soul or Philly Dogs tour.
Here’s what Jim R recalled about the show:
Mike and I along with a friend of Mike's attended the David Bowie concert on Sept 16, 1974 at the Anaheim Convention Center. We sat on the Floor, 15th row center. Roughly 10 rows behind our sweet spot. This was the first Bowie concert for any of us.
The show was in the "Pre Wheelchair Era.” Security was extremely relaxed at the Convention Center, in fact it was more at an "amateur hour" level. I smuggled in fresh batteries in a fake lens case at the bottom of my camera bag. If Mike was stopped by security, he would simply offer up his batteries, knowing all the while I had a fresh set if needed. We would enter into the building using separate doors to avoid the appearance we knew each other.
This was also the "Pre Nak Era.” Mike used a Sony TC-152SD and Shure mics I smuggled in my camera bag and Mike's friend smuggled in an 8mm movie camera. The three of us met up several days later at Mike's house syncing up the film with Mike's recording. It would be in perfect sync for several seconds, then drift apart. A little frustrating, but it was loads of fun. Where is that footage now?
Mike had not utilized the hat yet for holding his mics. He taped the Shure mics to the chair arms. We then covered them up with a jacket with the mic heads sticking out. Speaking of amateur hour, if you listen closely, you can hear us talking, Mike included, between songs. Sometimes our voices sound more distant, confirming the microphone location on the chair arms further from our mouths than if the mics were in Millard’s hat.
The Anaheim Convention Center is small for an arena. Capacity is around 7500. Despite the smaller size and our 15th row seats, the sound quality was not very good. Perhaps they skimped out on the PA system. Being in the 15th row caused my pictures to be on the grainy side. But what can you do, we were happy to be there.
Despite the sound system, the show was great. David's voice was in fantastic shape and showed tremendous range.
Of note, the face value of the ticket is $9.00, very high for 1974 standards. The highest price was usually $6.50 or $7.50. Did the higher price cover Bowie’s theatrical props?
I hope you enjoy Mike’s recording and my pictures.
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JEMS is proud to partner with Rob, Jim R and Barry G 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 these 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. You’ll be pleased to learn Rob found a few more master tapes in recent weeks, as the Millard canon continues to expand. It is also amazing to pair these recordings with Jim’s previously unpublished photos of the same show. 15th row or not, he got some great shots this night.
As always, special thanks to our post-production supervisor mjk5510. Even when we think we have finished the work, he does something extra to make the final version that much better. Shoutout as well to Goody for his help in correcting the pitch on this show.
In these unprecedented times we will continue to put more music in your hands and ears while everyone is bunkered in.
Please stay positive, help your neighbors, help strangers and let’s get to the other side of this intact. Better still, make a donation to a food bank or other key support organization helping out those who are struggling even more than you are to get by.
Lastly, 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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