Neil Young @ Universal Amphitheatre 1983-01-23

 



LIMITED TIME / LAST TIME

https://pixeldrain.com/u/k73bwayV


Finally hearing this for the first time as I don't hit the acoustic shows quite as reflexively

Neil Young
Universal Amphitheatre
Los Angeles, CA
January 23, 1983
Mike Millard First Generation Tape via JEMS
The Lost and Found Mike the MICrophone Tapes Volume 74

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

Transfer: Mike Millard First Generation Cassette > Nakamichi RX-505 (azimuth adjustment) > Sound Devices USBPre 2 > Audacity 2.0 capture > iZotope RX6 > iZotope Ozone 6 > CD Wave > ffmpeg > FLAC

01 Motor City
02 Revolution Blues
03 Don't Let It Bring You Down
04 Soul Of A Woman
05 Are There Anymore Real Cowboys?
06 Old Man
07 My Boy
08 Helpless
09 Dance Dance Dance
10 Heart Of Gold
11 Don't Be Denied
12 Pochahontas
13 Sail Away
14 Powderfinger
15 Ohio
16 Human Highway
17 After The Goldrush
18 Transformer Man
19 My My, Hey Hey (Out Of The Blue)
20 Mr. Soul
21 Comes A Time
22 I Am A Child
23 Computer Age

Known Issues: First song, "Old Laughing Lady" is missing.

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

Neil Young, Universal Amphiheatre, Los Angeles, CA, January 23, 1983

Weird tour, weird tape.

The Mike Millard archive opens up to early 1983 and Neil Young playing LA in support of his controversial Trans album. Indeed it is a strange set, largely performed solo, mostly acoustic, but then venturing on occasion into the electronic-based music featured on the album.

To be fair, the performances of Neil classics this night are quite good, but when things shift for the undeniably weak "Transformer Man" and the needless reinvention of "Mr. Soul," results are mixed at best (my bias is obvious). There are few crowds as noisy and boisterous as a Neil Young crowd and you'll hear more audience noise and chatter on this than a typical Millard tape. Highly typical was Mike and Jim missing the first song, "Old Laughing Lady," as Mike's fades up this copy just before "Motor City."

Our source this week is a first generation cassette Mike made for Ed F. As noted above, it is a weird tape in that it is the only one in our series to date where there are several edits between songs, presumably to fit the entire show onto a single 90-minute cassette. Perhaps that lack of preciousness about preserving the "full" recording was a statement about the performance. Hard to say.

In addition to the edits, it is a bit hissier than most of the first-generation copies of Millard masters we have transferred. There is also distortion during the louder electronic numbers caused by pre-amp overload. I can only imagine how challenging it would be set the proper levels for a show that ranges from quiet acoustic guitar to giant bass synthesizer notes. Which isn't to say it is a bad recording. The majority of the acoustic songs sound great, caveats noted and samples provided. 

Here's what Jim R recalled about seeing Neil on the Trans tour 1983:

Mike and I went to the Neil Young concert on Jan 23, 1983 at the Universal Amphitheatre. We sat 12th row center behind the pit. Great seats sound wise.

It was a last minute decision to go to this concert. In examining my ticket stub, I see the print date was two days before the show; that means our tickets were held by the promoter for industry types. Unused tickets are then sold a day or two before the show.

The opportunity to see Neil Young at a relatively small venue was too tempting to pass up. My memory of the show is pretty fuzzy, keep in mind it was some 38 years ago. That’s all I got this week. Cheers.

###

JEMS is proud to join with Rob, Jim R, Barry G, Ed F and 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 usual, Professor Goody provided pitch guidance and mjk5510 handled post-production and cover art. Thanks to them both for their continued excellent service.

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

BK for JEMS