Black Sabbath + Ruby Starr & Grey Ghost @ Long Beach Arena 1975-09-07

 
https://pixeldrain.com/l/k5Jo17bh

 This one is quite common and is probably my 2nd favorite Millard recording. Though it's nearly identical to Asbury Park, probably thee greatest ROIO ever unearthed, this is still an excellent listen and sounds like he is front of Iommi's amp as he is even higher in the mix than usual. Can never have too much Iommi. Or anyone else which is why Sabbath must always be played loud.  

Really dig the Ruby Starr set. Though a likely assessment that she is interchangeable with any number of acts in 1975, this would be an amazing show to see in 2026. 

 

 

 

 

Black Sabbath
Long Beach Arena
Long Beach, CA
September 7, 1975
Mike Millard Master Cassettes via JEMS
The Lost and Found Mike the MICrophone Tapes Volume 36
1644 Edition

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

Transfer: Mike Millard Master Cassettes (TDK KR90) > Nakamichi RX-505 (azimuth adjustment; Dolby On) > Sound Devices USBPre 2 > Audacity 2.0 capture > iZotope RX6 > iZotope Ozone 6 > Audacity > TLH > FLAC

01 Killing Yourself To Live
02 Hole In The Sky
03 Snowblind
04 Symptom Of The Universe
05 War Pigs
06 Megalomania
07 Sabbra Cadabra Jam >
08 Sometimes I'm Happy Jam
09 Supernaut
10 Iron Man >
11 Orchid >
12 Rock 'N' Roll Doctor Jam
13 Black Sabbath
14 Spiral Architect
15 Embryo >
16 Children Of The Grave
17 Paranoid

Known Faults: Imperceptible cut in “Black Sabbath”

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

Black Sabbath, Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, CA, September 7, 1975

Our journey through the Millard catalog continues with Mike’s master cassettes of Black Sabbath at the Long Beach Arena, on tour in support of Sabotage. We believe this recording to be wholly uncirculated, perhaps due in part to the “Poor” rating Mike assigned this work on his tape list.

How anyone would judge this recording as poor is beyond me. While I’m no expert in Sabbath, I find it hard to believe there are many if any recordings from this tour as good as Mike’s capture, which I don’t hesitate to call excellent. So why did Mike rate it Poor?

If there’s a pattern to his negative ratings, they are often applied to shows where he is extremely close to the stage, picking up more on-stage monitors than PA, which can sometimes result in an unbalanced, unsually guitar-heavy recording (stay tuned in the coming weeks for Fleetwood Mac 1980 which is almost all Lindsey Buckingham).

The Sabbath show has some of that, with Tommy Iommi’s guitar way up front, but there’s something to be said for it. Afterall, his tone IS Sabbath’s sonic signature along with Ozzy’s voice. As the recording starts, Mike takes a few minutes to settle into optimal position, but once he does he stays pretty locked in which, judging by the firecrackers, took some doing in a presumably rowdy crowd.

With mastering work, we’ve attempted to bring the rest of the band into better balance and pull Ozzy’s vocals forward. The result is to our ears an impressive capture of the sultans of sludge that’s sure to please the discriminating Sabbath collector. Samples provided.

The setlist doesn’t spend too much time on the new album, dipping in for three songs, “Hole In The Sky,” “Symptom Of The Universe” and “Megalomania.” The rest plays out as is a greatest hits of sorts, with fine versions of “Snowblind,” “Paranoid,” “Iron Man” and “Children Of The Grave.”

Here’s what Jim R recalled about the Sabbath show:

Mike and I attended the Black Sabbath concert on Sept 7, 1975 at the Long Beach Arena. We sat in the 3rd row, dead center at the front of our sweet spot for sound quality.

The wheelchair era was fully established by this point in 1975. I pushed Mike into the building and helped him to his seat next to me. It was also was an extremely active concert year: Mike and I attended and recorded many shows including Jethro Tull, Faces, Zeppelin, Yes, Pink Floyd, The Stones, Clapton, Elton John and The Allman Brothers.

The Sabbath concert was sandwiched three weeks after Eric Clapton (Vol. 33) and three weeks before Elton John San Diego (Vol. 28).

Mike was not that into Sabbath, but he agreed to record it as a favor to me. I was the bigger fan. In fact, my first concert ever in 1972 was Sabbath with Yes as the opening act. What a bill. My favorite member of the band was Geezer Butler, the wild bass player.

The show was typical Sabbath. A mix of old and new tunes. Ozzy shouted multiple "We Love You" and "Get Higher" exclamations. Geezer was his energetic self. Iommi was steady on lead guitar. Bill Ward hammered away on the drums.

On this tour the band did a lot more jamming than previous ones, especially compared to the first time I saw them in 1972, where each song played live sounded pretty much like the album.

I hope you enjoy the show. Included are a handful of pictures I took. Cheers to Mike.


###

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’ve written before about the care and creative Mike applied to his cassette labeling and this Sabbath show is a particularly fine example, with the band’s logo in red letters on a blue background on the tape spine and the black and red S emblazoned on the main panel. Someday we’ll publish a coffee-table book so you can see them as the works of art that they are.

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. Our releases would be nearly as compelling without Jim’s memories and photos. His Sabbath images are particularly good.

As always, post-production was done by mjk5510, our partner and friend. Thanks as well to Goody for giving the pitch his thumbs up.

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

BK for JEMS







Ruby Starr and Grey Ghost
Long Beach Arena
Long Beach, CA
September 7, 1975
Opening for Black Sabbath
The Lost and Found Mike the MICrophone Tapes Volume 55
(16/44 Edition)

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

Transfer: Mike Millard Master Cassette > Nakamichi CR-7A (azimuth adjustment; Dolby On) > Sound Devices USBPre 2 > Audacity 2.0 capture > iZotope RX8 > iZotope Ozone 8 > Audacity > TLH > FLAC

01 You Need a Chain
02 Sweet Sweet Sweet
03 Long Wait
04 Let Your Love Drift Away
05 Money
06 Wall to Wall
07 I'll Come Back
08 Living Proof
09 Top Me Off With All Of Your Love

Known Faults: 
-Burning Whiskey: opening song presumed missing
-You Need a Chain: joined in progress

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

Ruby Starr and Grey Ghost, Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, CA, September 7, 1975

This week we showcase one of the more obscure artists Mike recorded, Ruby Starr and Grey Ghost performing an opening set ahead of Black Sabbath.

It was not Mike's standard practice to record opening acts. In fact, there are but a handful of occasions when he did. The presumption as to why is that he didn't want to run the risk of getting caught recording a band he likely didn't care all that much about, which might cause him to miss the artist he had gone to all the trouble to come record in the first place.

It did happen a few times early on. After that it evolved to a selective choice based on the opening artist. I suspect Mike was not a Ruby Starr fan nor had he ever heard of Grey Ghost as they were billed. Many of you probably aren't familiar either, unless you on the scene in Milwaukee in the '70s and '80s where she had a solid career as a club act.

Starr is probably best known as back-up singer for Black Oak Arkansas and the duet partner of lead singer Jim "Dandy" Mangrum on the self-referential single, "Jim Dandy."

Starr signed to Capitol and released three albums in the mid-70s, the first of which was the eponymous Ruby Starr & Grey Ghost which they were supporting this night in the opening slot for Sabbath.

Starr's style may not be as Southern Rock as Black Oak Arkansas, but she is a classic rock belter and delivers an over the top performance that is joined in progress, missing (based on another West Coast set list) her best known song at that time, "Burning Whiskey."

I mean no disrespect when I say Starr and Grey Ghost are interchangeable with any number of generic and largely forgotten classic rock bands in the '70s. Based on a YouTube video of the San Francisco show within days of this appearance, Starr surely garnered attention for wearing cutoff shorts and a bra on stage, with a huge head of hair to swing around. 

Most of the songs in the set come from her debut album, the origin of others is unclear as are a couple of the song titles which I guessed at.

Those of you who downloaded the Sabbath set will recall it had incredible up-close sound and that's repeated here. So despite it being a recording of a band most people don't even know, Mike's work is positively stellar. Samples provided.

I also know there are going to be a handful of you there who will be blown away by the appearance of any live Ruby Starr recordings, let alone a Millard master.

I asked Jim if he remembered anything about Ruby Starr and he said, "I thought enough of her to take a couple of pictures. Usually I do not take any of a warm-up band. At the show I thought she was a reincarnation of Janis Joplin. Maybe even a cross between Janis Joplin and Tina Turner (her legs)." Jim's photos give us original images for our cover art.

###

JEMS is proud to partner with Rob, Jim R, Barry G and other friends 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 roll call of collaborators this week again includes pitch maestro Professor Goody, along with the perennial inclusion of mjk5510 who is the backbone of the consistency of this series. We thank them both.

IMPORTANT NOTE ON FUTURE MILLARD RELEASES: Many of you have reached out about known or possible Mike the Mike recordings that can't be shared on DIME per the NAB list. Rather than go through all the DIME-friendly shows first (which, happily, is gonna take awhile), we are going to branch our Lost and Found series, occasionally releasing non-DIME shows on an alternative but familiar platform with different rules. This week is a Mike the Mike double-shot, with Ruby Starr here and Kansas New Year's Eve 1977 elsewhere.

So if by chance a Saturday comes and a new Lost and Found release isn't here or it seems like we skipped a volume on DIME, look elsewhere. As we always say, True Tapers Dig!

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

BK for JEMS