Led Zeppelin, le 1975-03-27 à Inglewood, CA (The Forum), USA
EX AUD
ANA-M > FLAC
AKG 451E > Nakamichi 550 cassette deck // Mike Millard
Led Zeppelin
The Forum
Inglewood, CA
March 27, 1975
Mike Millard Master Tapes via JEMS
The Lost and Found Mike the MICrophone Tapes Volume 222
1644 Mastered Edition
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 > Sound Devices USBPre2 > Audacity 3.1 capture > dadgad mastering > FLAC
01 Introduction
02 Rock And Roll
03 Sick Again
04 Over The Hills And Far Away
05 In My Time Of Dying
06 The Song Remains The Same
07 The Rain Song
08 Kashmir
09 Since I've Been Loving You
10 No Quarter
11 Trampled Underfoot
12 Moby Dick
13 Dazed And Confused
14 Stairway To Heaven
15 Whole Lotta Love
16 Black Dog
Known Faults: Rain Song, No Quarter, Moby Dick, Dazed And Confused - tape flip cuts
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
Led Zeppelin, The Forum, Inglewood, CA, March 27, 1975
We're down to just handful of DIME friendly recordings still to be released in the Lost and Found series. Surely this tape of Led Zeppelin's final night at The Forum in 1975 is one collectors have been waiting for given its epic length, famous JJ Jackson and Linda Lovelace introduction and special, sublime inclusion of "Since I've Been Loving You."
March 27, 1975 is one of the most famous Millard captures, presented here from a DAT transfer of Mike's master cassettes made by Rob S in the early 2000s. While it is an excellent recording there are portions didn't transfer optimally either because of azimuth alignment issues or damage to the underlying masters.
In a recent conversation with one of Millard's allies circa 1988-94 we learned that Mike's LZ master tapes did show signs of wear and tear from excessive playback, and some required re-shelling and splicing. One of these factors contributed to the fidelity issues present on this transfer. That being said portions unaffected by these issues sound excellent.
A rip of Rob's DAT made from Millard's master cassettes was provided as .flac files to esteemed LZ mastering engineer dadgad to again assist on this release. He prepared both a flat transfer edition (fixing only levels, pitch and phase issues, with no EQ or other mastering applied) and a second, "respectfully mastered" edition as he puts it, that fine tunes the sound for what we feel is optimum listening pleasure. As Jim notes below, this night was recorded from the very front row. Samples provided.
Here's what Jim R recalled about Led Zeppelin's final night at The Forum in 1975:
I went with Mike Millard to the Led Zeppelin concert on March 27, 1975. It was the third show of three at The Forum that also ended the US tour. Closing nights always had extra buzz. We knew the band would give it their all and play till they had nothing left, and boy was that true. Led Zeppelin played for close to three hours and 45 minutes.
This was the seventh time we saw them on the 1975 tour, an embarrassment of riches. Seven for seven, all possible SoCal shows: Two in San Diego, a pair in Long Beach and three at The Forum, the band's home away from home.
Keep in mind this was still the early days of Mike's "Nakamichi 550 + AKG 451e" era. At this point his work was only known to a handful of friends in SoCal. After the Forum Zep shows, Mike's reputation was about to take off!
We got Mike's equipment into the building using his dad's wheelchair, the original, legendary method. It was also still the good ol' days when they allowed cameras in. With Mike seated and me pushing, we were escorted by security down to floor level in the service elevator--full VIP treatment. Little did they know what was inside Mike's seat cushion. LOL. Once on the floor level we had to make a pit stop at the men's room to unpack the Nak from the seat cushion and put it in his bag. Keep in mind this all takes a lot of time and explains why some taping started a little late. Not this one though.
Mike and I sat Floor Section C, Row 1, Seats 7-8. The right floor section at the Forum was 10 chairs across, with seat 10 being on the inside aisle.
Yes MIKE TAPED FROM THE FRONT ROW. That takes a lot of balls, especially given there were but two measly seats between us and the security guards sitting in the aisle. Most of the time they were looking down the aisle away from the stage as fans were always trying to move up closer. As such, Mike was very cautious in keeping an eye on his mic levels.
Another danger in taping from the front row was the real chance of getting caught by Peter Grant and one of his many cronies. Peter was very protective of the band and would take no mercy on anyone recording one of their shows. He had a notorious reputation for physical retribution. Yikes!!!
March 27 being closing night also meant it was the third time Mike and I were seeing Zep play after meeting Plant, Jones and Bonham a few days before in the lobby of their preferred LA headquarters, the Continental Hyatt House on Sunset Boulevard. We heard they were staying there during the entire West Coast run. All three band members were friendly and autographed some photo prints I had on hand from the prior Long Beach shows. Page was holed up in his room.
March 27 was an excellent performance. All four members were in top shape. Great jamming throughout the night, with many extended solos by Page.
After the concert, we continued our new tradition of drinking ice cold beers (which had been chilling for four+ hours) in the parking lot while listening to the recording we just made on headphones. Those walking by Mike's car were offered a listen.
I am pretty sure most of the pictures included in the artwork are from this March 27 show, but don't hold me to it. In some of the pictures you can see our angle of view to the stage from the front row on the right side.
As usual, I hope you enjoy the sights and sounds of this great show. Cheers to my buddy Mike and the late great John Henry Bonham. May they both RIP.
###
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.
As always, we thank our contributing partners who help keep the Lost and Found series flowing week after week: Rob S for his transfer, Jim R for his notes and photos, Professor Goody for his pitch guidance and mjk5510 for post production and artwork. Special recognition goes to dadgad for his partnership on JEMS' Led Zeppelin master releases.
Finally, cheers to the late, great Mike the MICrophone. His work never ceases to impress. May he rest in peace.
BK for JEMS
The Forum
Inglewood, CA
March 27, 1975
Mike Millard Master Tapes via JEMS
The Lost and Found Mike the MICrophone Tapes Volume 222
1644 Mastered Edition
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 > Sound Devices USBPre2 > Audacity 3.1 capture > dadgad mastering > FLAC
01 Introduction
02 Rock And Roll
03 Sick Again
04 Over The Hills And Far Away
05 In My Time Of Dying
06 The Song Remains The Same
07 The Rain Song
08 Kashmir
09 Since I've Been Loving You
10 No Quarter
11 Trampled Underfoot
12 Moby Dick
13 Dazed And Confused
14 Stairway To Heaven
15 Whole Lotta Love
16 Black Dog
Known Faults: Rain Song, No Quarter, Moby Dick, Dazed And Confused - tape flip cuts
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
Led Zeppelin, The Forum, Inglewood, CA, March 27, 1975
We're down to just handful of DIME friendly recordings still to be released in the Lost and Found series. Surely this tape of Led Zeppelin's final night at The Forum in 1975 is one collectors have been waiting for given its epic length, famous JJ Jackson and Linda Lovelace introduction and special, sublime inclusion of "Since I've Been Loving You."
March 27, 1975 is one of the most famous Millard captures, presented here from a DAT transfer of Mike's master cassettes made by Rob S in the early 2000s. While it is an excellent recording there are portions didn't transfer optimally either because of azimuth alignment issues or damage to the underlying masters.
In a recent conversation with one of Millard's allies circa 1988-94 we learned that Mike's LZ master tapes did show signs of wear and tear from excessive playback, and some required re-shelling and splicing. One of these factors contributed to the fidelity issues present on this transfer. That being said portions unaffected by these issues sound excellent.
A rip of Rob's DAT made from Millard's master cassettes was provided as .flac files to esteemed LZ mastering engineer dadgad to again assist on this release. He prepared both a flat transfer edition (fixing only levels, pitch and phase issues, with no EQ or other mastering applied) and a second, "respectfully mastered" edition as he puts it, that fine tunes the sound for what we feel is optimum listening pleasure. As Jim notes below, this night was recorded from the very front row. Samples provided.
Here's what Jim R recalled about Led Zeppelin's final night at The Forum in 1975:
I went with Mike Millard to the Led Zeppelin concert on March 27, 1975. It was the third show of three at The Forum that also ended the US tour. Closing nights always had extra buzz. We knew the band would give it their all and play till they had nothing left, and boy was that true. Led Zeppelin played for close to three hours and 45 minutes.
This was the seventh time we saw them on the 1975 tour, an embarrassment of riches. Seven for seven, all possible SoCal shows: Two in San Diego, a pair in Long Beach and three at The Forum, the band's home away from home.
Keep in mind this was still the early days of Mike's "Nakamichi 550 + AKG 451e" era. At this point his work was only known to a handful of friends in SoCal. After the Forum Zep shows, Mike's reputation was about to take off!
We got Mike's equipment into the building using his dad's wheelchair, the original, legendary method. It was also still the good ol' days when they allowed cameras in. With Mike seated and me pushing, we were escorted by security down to floor level in the service elevator--full VIP treatment. Little did they know what was inside Mike's seat cushion. LOL. Once on the floor level we had to make a pit stop at the men's room to unpack the Nak from the seat cushion and put it in his bag. Keep in mind this all takes a lot of time and explains why some taping started a little late. Not this one though.
Mike and I sat Floor Section C, Row 1, Seats 7-8. The right floor section at the Forum was 10 chairs across, with seat 10 being on the inside aisle.
Yes MIKE TAPED FROM THE FRONT ROW. That takes a lot of balls, especially given there were but two measly seats between us and the security guards sitting in the aisle. Most of the time they were looking down the aisle away from the stage as fans were always trying to move up closer. As such, Mike was very cautious in keeping an eye on his mic levels.
Another danger in taping from the front row was the real chance of getting caught by Peter Grant and one of his many cronies. Peter was very protective of the band and would take no mercy on anyone recording one of their shows. He had a notorious reputation for physical retribution. Yikes!!!
March 27 being closing night also meant it was the third time Mike and I were seeing Zep play after meeting Plant, Jones and Bonham a few days before in the lobby of their preferred LA headquarters, the Continental Hyatt House on Sunset Boulevard. We heard they were staying there during the entire West Coast run. All three band members were friendly and autographed some photo prints I had on hand from the prior Long Beach shows. Page was holed up in his room.
March 27 was an excellent performance. All four members were in top shape. Great jamming throughout the night, with many extended solos by Page.
After the concert, we continued our new tradition of drinking ice cold beers (which had been chilling for four+ hours) in the parking lot while listening to the recording we just made on headphones. Those walking by Mike's car were offered a listen.
I am pretty sure most of the pictures included in the artwork are from this March 27 show, but don't hold me to it. In some of the pictures you can see our angle of view to the stage from the front row on the right side.
As usual, I hope you enjoy the sights and sounds of this great show. Cheers to my buddy Mike and the late great John Henry Bonham. May they both RIP.
###
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.
As always, we thank our contributing partners who help keep the Lost and Found series flowing week after week: Rob S for his transfer, Jim R for his notes and photos, Professor Goody for his pitch guidance and mjk5510 for post production and artwork. Special recognition goes to dadgad for his partnership on JEMS' Led Zeppelin master releases.
Finally, cheers to the late, great Mike the MICrophone. His work never ceases to impress. May he rest in peace.
BK for JEMS