Jackson Browne * 1990-11-16 * Shrine Auditorium * Los Angeles, CA * Mike Millard Master Tape Volume 128 * 16/44.1 & 24/96 Editions

Jackson Browne
Shrine Auditorium
Los Angeles, CA
November 16, 1990
Mike Millard First Generation Tapes via JEMS
The Lost and Found Mike the MICrophone Tapes Volume 128
16/44.1 & 24/96 Editions

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

Transfer: Mike Millard Master Cassette > Nakamichi Cassette Deck 1 azimuth-adjusted playback > Sound Devices USBPre2 > Sound Forge Audio Studio 13.0 capture > Adobe Audition > iZotope RX8 > iZotope Ozone 8 > (16/44 only - MBIT+ resample to 16/44.1) > Audacity > TLH > FLAC


01 Farther On
02 Cocaine
03 Our Lady Of The Well
04 For Everyman
05 The Word Justice
06 World In Motion
07 Soldier Of Plenty
08 In The Shape Of A Heart
09 Sleep's Dark And Silent Gate
10 The Pretender
11 I'm Alive

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 Mike, 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 1993.

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.


Jackson Browne, Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles, CA, November 16, 1990

When I first learned Mike Millard's taping career extended into the late '80s and early '90s, I wondered if we had ever attended and taped the same concert, as I began seeing shows in LA during that period and eventually moved to SoCal. This is one of those shows.

Jackson Browne shared a bill with Bonnie Raitt and Bruce Springsteen performing two nights at the Shrine Auditorium to benefit the Christic Institute, a progressive legal-rights organization that was deeply opposed to the covert operations exposed during Iran-Contra affair at the time.

Browne has a deep history of supporting left-leaning causes, Raitt too, but for Springsteen, this marked his most public support yet for an overly political cause, despite having played the No Nukes concerts (which also featured Browne and Raitt) in 1979. The Shrine shows were also Springsteen's first concerts in two years and even more significantly, his first solo performances since the early '70s. All of which made the Christic shows a very big deal and an extremely tough ticket.

I traveled down from Seattle to see these shows with most of the JEMS team and we recorded both concerts on our newly purchased DAT recorder. No fewer than five tapers also captured the first night of the Christic gigs, Mike among them. While there are many good recordings, I rate Mike's the best.

Both of Springsteen's Christic performances were officially released in June 2016, but Raitt and Browne's sets remain unreleased. This week we release Jackson's opening set on the first night in an outstanding, up-close recording by Mike The Mike. The set runs just under an hour and finds Jackson in fine form. Unlike Springsteen, Browne performs both solo and with backing musicians, and Mike deftly grabs it all. Samples provided.

Jackson performed an 11-song set, and he and Raitt returned for the final encore after Springsteen played, but those two songs, "Highway 61" and "Across The Borderline," were released by Springsteen and therefore omitted here.

While I never met Millard, it is meaningful to me that we were in the same room at the same time recording concerts by musicians we loved. That kinship makes the Lost and Found series just that much sweeter.


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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.

Shoutouts this week to Professor Goody for pitch guidance, Rob S for transfers and scans and mjk5510 for post production, patience and artwork.

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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