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JETHRO TULL - ANAHEIM 1977 [MILLARD TAPE]

May 16, 2023 – 6:44 am

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JETHRO TULL
Anaheim 1977 [Mike Millard Master Tapes via JEMS, 2CD]
The Lost and Found Mike the MICrophone Tapes Volume 136. Live at the Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, CA; April 7, 1977. Very good audience recording.

Thanks to Mike Millard; Rob, Jim R; Barry G; JEMS; BK; Goody; and mjk5510 for sharing the show at Dime.

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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.

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.

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Jethro Tull - Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, CA; April 7, 1977

Another week, another one of Mike “The Mike” Millard’s outstanding recordings of Jethro Tull. Anaheim 4/7/77 is the companion to Vol. 85 (April 6) in the Lost and Found series, capturing back to back nights at the Convention Center in Anaheim on the Songs From The Wood tour.

As Jim notes below, he and Mike caught four shows in 1977 including the tour openers in Pasadena (Lost and Found Vol. 51) and Los Angeles (Vol. 12). The band was meant to play Anaheim in late February 1977, but the shows were rescheduled to April due to throat issues suffered by Tull leader singer Ian Anderson according to the Tull fansite ministry-of-information.co.uk.

Jethro Tull’s West Coast run in early April, which also included San Diego, Long Beach and Las Vegas, was rescheduled from February and tacked onto the end of the US tour, just before the band flew to Germany to start their European leg.

The setlist is virtually identical between the two Anaheim nights. As for the sound quality, that’s pretty much a tie as well, though perhaps this recording just nudges out the first show. Mike’ recording, as is so often the case, is exceptionally clear and close.

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Here’s what Jim R had to say about seeing Jethro Tull play in Anaheim 1977.

I went with Mike Millard to the Jethro Tull concert at the Anaheim Convention Center on April 7, 1977. Can you believe that was over 45 years ago? Lots of cobwebs.

We attended both Anaheim concerts (April 6-7) after the shows were rescheduled from February. The Songs From The Wood tour began in SoCal in January, where Mike and I recorded the first two gigs, Pasadena and downtown Los Angeles. Both were outstanding performances so we were excited to see the band again in Anaheim.

On this, the second show, we sat in the sixth row on the floor, but off to the side just a bit. For the first night we sat on the floor in the 11th row center. Being five rows closer night two I was able to take better photos.

As noted in Volume 85, Mike and I finally figured out how to make excellent recordings in the Anaheim Convention Center after challenges with Bowie and ELP in 1974 and improved results with Rick Wakeman in 1975. With a capacity of 7,500, the Convention Center is a little less than half the size of The Forum. In addition, it had a ceiling that dipped in the front and back of the stage, similar in shape to a Pringles potato chip. All of this lends itself to the potential of great sound due the acoustics of the room, as long as you are in the right spot.

You always get your money’s worth when you see Jethro Tull. Ian Anderson is such a dynamic performer. You can’t take your eyes off of him and he mixes in a little (often semi-appropriate) humor. From time to time you can hear Mike chuckle into his mics–hey, sometimes it cannot be helped. Being well into the tour, the band firing on all cylinders.

Ian Anderson could be a mesmerizing performer. On occasion, he would connect individually with members of the audience if you caught his eye with a unique pose. Once he saw you, he would match your pose for a few seconds, then continue on. This happened to me along with a couple of our friends who also had great seats. Anderson’s pose mimicry was something we would all talk about after the show.

The Anaheim Convention Center was a very laid back place in 1977, so we easily smuggled in Mike’s gear and my photo bag. The security folks, who were the age of my grandparents, would believe anything you told them. You just needed to sell it a bit and be polite.

I hope you enjoy the sights and sounds of this one.

Cheers to my buddy Mike. RIP.

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JEMS is proud to partner with Rob, Jim R, Ed F, Barry G, Jim Ri 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.

Our thank you list this week includes Professor Goody, who fine-tuned the pitch of the recording, Rob S who transferred the Tull master tape to DAT and ripped the DAT for this release, Jim R, who shot photos at the show, and mjk5510, who designed the cover art and continues to manage the JEMS release queue week in, week out.

Finally, here’s 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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Lineage:
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 > iZotope RX > iZotope RX9 Advanced and Ozone 9 > Audacity > xACT 2.50 > FLAC

Click on the highlighted tracks to download the MP3s (320 kbps). As far as we can ascertain, these tracks have never been officially released on CD.

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Disc 1
Track 101. Wond’ring Aloud 3:09
Track 102. Skating Away On The Thin Ice Of A New Day 4:46
Track 103. Jack-In-The-Green 3:21
Track 104. Thick As A Brick 15:02
Track 105. Songs From The Wood 5:02
Track 106. Instrumental/Drums 4:56
Track 107. To Cry You A Song 2:32
Track 108. A New Day Yesterday/Flute Solo 15:02
Track 109. Velvet Green 6:57
61 mins

Disc 2
Track 201. Hunting Girl 6:40
Track 202. Too Old To Rock ‘n’ Roll 3:55
Track 203. Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony 3:20
Track 204. A Minstrel In The Gallery 5:51
Track 205. Cross-Eyed Mary 3:38
Track 206. Aqualung 8:42
Track 207. Guitar Solo 3:06
Track 208. Wind Up/Back-Door Angels 12:24
Track 209. Locomotive Breath/Dambusters March/Back-Door Angels (Reprise) 9:16
57 mins

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