Fleetwood Mac
Hollywood Bowl
Los Angeles, CA
September 1, 1980
Mike Millard Master Tapes via JEMS
The Lost and Found Mike the MICrophone Tapes Volume 80

Recording Gear: AKG 451E Microphones (CK-1 cardioid capsules) > Nakamichi 550 Cassette Recorder

Transfer: Mike Millard Master Cassettes > Nakamichi RX-505 (azimuth adjustment; Dolby On) > Sound Devices USBPre 2 > Audacity 2.0 capture > iZotope RX8 > iZotope Ozone 8 > Audacity > TLH > FLAC

01 Monday Morning
02 The Chain
03 Don't Stop
04 Dreams
05 Oh Well
06 Rhiannon
07 Over And Over
08 What Makes You Think You're The One
09 Sara
10 Not That Funny
11 Never Going Back Again
12 Landslide
13 Tusk
14 Think About Me
15 I'm So Afraid
16 Angel
17 You Make Loving Fun
18 World Turning
19 Go Your Own Way
20 Sisters Of The Moon
21 Songbird

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 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

Fleetwood Mac, Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, CA, September 1, 1980

Volume 80 means 1980 and a significant show: the final night of Fleetwood Mac's Tusk tour at the Hollywood Bowl. This Monday night gig, the second of a two-show finale, warranted a write-up in Rolling Stone as it marked the end of a long album cycle and a run of 112 shows.

Tusk isn't everyone's cup of tea, but if you're a fan of the creative genius of guitarist Lindsey Buckingham, the album was his showcase. This particular recording puts a zoom lens (or microphone in this case) on Lindsey's playing.

According to Jim, he and Mike recorded from the front row of Section E, which is the second section back at the Bowl behind the Garden Boxes. That's far enough away that one wouldn't expect Millard to be picking up a lot of on-stage amplifier and monitor sound, but for whatever reason, the PA mix Mike grabs is heavily focused on Buckingham's guitar. You can hear every detail and nuance of his playing, which makes this a fascinating listen.

That being said the tape needed an extraordinary amount of work to pull up the rest of the instrumentation and especially the vocals. On some songs, the balance is pretty good; on others, voices are still low. You'll hear moments where Mike shifts the axis of his microphones and the composition of the mix changes significantly. Why there is so much guitar coming through the PA I can't explain but the tape doesn't lie.

If you love the sound of Lindsey's guitar you're in for a real treat. If you are more of a general Fleetwood Mac fan, there's still plenty to enjoy here. Samples provided.

Here's what Jim R had to say about Fleetwood Mac at the Hollywood Bowl 1980:

I attended the Sept 1, 1980 Fleetwood Mac concert with my buddy Michael G Millard.

We sat in Section E, Row 1. This is in the first row of the bench seats located to the sides of the Terrace Boxes, which is the second section of box seats. Our position corresponded with the 10th row of Terrace box seats.

Box Seat rows at the Hollywood Bowl are spread out with extra aisle ways to provide easier access. So instead of being 10th row distance wise, we were the equivalent of 25 rows back. In addition, being in Row 1 meant there was a wide aisle in front of us. In other words, we much farther back than we were accustomed to.

With a capacity of 17,500, the open air Bowl has seats that just seem to keep going further and further back up the hill. Those final rows of benches feel like a mile away. No thanks. There were a ton of people behind us.

Seating nuances aside, the Hollywood Bowl boasts excellent acoustics and has a much larger sweet spot than other venues. Regardless, I would say we were a little behind our desired taping position.

This was the very last night of the Tusk tour that started in October '79, the end of the third and final leg. Mike and I, being dedicated fans, attended and recorded a show in the first leg of the tour at The Forum in December 1979. We sat in the 5th row that night. Now that's more like it.

For some reason (maybe ego?), Lindsey dominated the rest of the band in the mix. He was very aggressive and his volume was way up. The highlight for me was hearing "Sisters of the Moon" from the Tusk album. My pictures suffer from being so far back. I hope you enjoy the artwork and music.

###

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.

Special thanks to Professor Goody for his pitch perspective and, as always, the chairman of our Lost and Found program, mjk5510, who helps so much on on the ones and twos and the pixels.

Finally, cheers to the late, great Mike the MICrophone. His work never ceases to impress. May he rest in peace.

BK for JEMS