Yes
The Forum
Inglewood, CA
October 6, 1978
Mike Millard Master Tapes via JEMS
The Lost and Found Mike the MICrophone Tapes Volume 121
1644 Edition

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

Transfer: Mike Millard Master Cassettes > Nakamichi RX-505 (azimuth adjustment) > Sound Devices USBPre 2 > Audacity 2.0 capture 2496 > MBIT+ resample to 1644 > iZotope RX8 > iZotope Ozone 8 > Audacity > TLH > FLAC
01 Young Persons Guide To The Orchestra
02 Siberian Khatra
03 Heart Of The Sunrise
04 Future Times / Rejoice
05 Circus Of Heaven
06 Time And A Word
07 Long Distance Runaround
08 The Fish (Schindleria Praematurus > Survival
09 Perpetual Change
10 Soon
11 Don't Kill The Whale
12 Madrigal
13 The Clap
14 Starship Trooper
15 Madrigal > On The Silent Wings Of Freedom
16 Rick Wakeman Solo
17 Awaken
18 I've Seen All Good People
19 Roundabout

Jon Anderson
Steve Howe
Chris Squire
Rick Wakeman
Alan White

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. 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: [Link]

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:

[Link]
[Link]
Yes, Millard and the 1970s (Save For 1976)

Before we get into this specific show, now seems as good time as any to reflect on Yes's touring history and why they were such a favorite of Mike "The Mike" Millard.

Among the big arena-rock groups in the '70s, Yes was arguably the most active and consistent touring band.

Led Zeppelin, The Who, the Rolling Stones all took a year off here and there, and Genesis seemed to tour incessantly. But Yes mounted US tours every single year between 1972-1979, each a significant outing in terms of the quantity of dates, with the possible exception of 1973 which was 18 shows. Yes was truly a touring workhorse, rivaled only by another Millard favorite, Jethro Tull. I suspect British tax laws may have played a role in why both bands spent so many months away from the UK.

Because Mike and Jim were such big fans, they took full advantage the band's US performance frequency, recording 11 total Yes concerts in the '70s, missing only 1976 when the Los Angeles-area date moved Yes out of arenas and into Anaheim Stadium. What happened in 1976 you ask?

Millard eschewed large, general admission concerts where securing an ideal taping location was a crapshoot at best. At the baseball home of the then California Angels, Yes was headlining a bill with Peter Frampton, Gary Wright and Gentle Giant. The same line up played a San Diego date the next night at Balboa Stadium, also undesirable. But there was still a chance to catch Yes on the 1976 tour in a considerably smaller room.

Yes' routing saw them travel north after the So Cal dates to play the Bay Area, the Northwest, Salt Lake City, Denver, El Paso, Phoenix and Las Vegas before skirting close to So Cal again for a scheduled show at Bakersfield Civic Auditorium on August 2, 1976.

It seems bizarre that Yes would play in front of a reported 55,000 people in Anaheim on July 17 and 15 days later schedule a show 135 miles away at a 3,000 seater. But Bakersfield presented an ideal opportunity for Mike to record Yes in 1976 in more favorable conditions, and likely sealed the decision to skip the stadium shows.

Mike and Jim drove to Bakersfield to see the band at the intimate venue, only to arrive to the news that Yes's speaker system was too large to fit the tiny Bakersfield Civic stage, resulting in the cancelation of the show. The situation was covered by the local newspaper, The Bakersfield Californian, the next day, in a story which not only includes a photo of Mike and Jim standing at the box office window looking at a handwritten sign that said "Yes" Canceled, but also this amusing reporting:

"Among those ticket holders disappointed by the Yes cancelation were Jim Reinstein and Mike Millard, who drove from Fullerton to see the concert. They were among 40-50 ticket holders who discovered the concert was canceled only after they arrived in town. Millard jokingly said the group's amplifier's 'probably wound have blown the roof' off the Civic even if the speakers had fit the stage." The newspaper reporter was having fun with the whole thing and the band's name, ending his piece with, "The result: No Yes."

Fun fact, Mike didn't record his first stadium show until 1982, when he saw The Who at Jack Murphy Stadium on October 27. His list rates the recording as "Poor." He didn't attempt to record a stadium show again until the 1988 Amnesty International tour featuring Bruce Springsteen, Peter Gabriel, Sting and Tracy Chapman played the LA Coliseum on September 21, 1988. That time the results were considerably better.

Yes, The Forum, Inglewood, CA, October 6, 1978

1978 saw the release of Yes' eighth studio album, Tormato, after which the band went through line-up changes and permutations that persist to this day, making it the final album from the "classic" Yes period. As Jim notes below, the tour in support of Tormato was also the band's first to be presented In The Round, with the stage set up in the center of arenas instead of one end and set on a rotating platform to give more of the audience a better view of the stage.

This recording is the second night of a two-show stand at The Forum. Mike also recorded the first night, portions of which are featured on the band's live box set The Word Is Live making it more challenging to release on DIME but which will eventually be included later in the Lost and Found series.

The '77 setlist shifted materially from the prior year, with this show featuring five songs from Tormato. The band's ninth studio album is something of a divisive record, owning in part to the use of new synthesizers and keyboards. The tour however was largely viewed as a success and the band's playing is strong.

Despite the In The Round staging, Mike's recording is excellent, rich and full sounding with little audience interference. He did have a minor issue with one channel in the first hour of the show which we have addressed here. In that portion, the stereo imaging gets a bit narrower but still sounds great and on par with the rest of the recording. Samples provided.

Here's what Jim recalled about Yes performing In The Round at the Forum, October 6, 1978

I attended the Yes concert on Oct 6, 1978 at The Forum. We also went the night before and recorded that show as well.

These concerts were presented "In-The-Round" with the stage in the center of the floor on what was a large rotating platform. For most people, they were able to sit quite a bit closer than they would have in a traditional configuration. But for Mike and I, who always sat close up, the staging meant half the time, half the band was turned away from us. Not good, but what can you do? It was an interesting approach regardless.

For the Oct 6 show we sat in Loge Section 9, Row DD. Loge 9 is dead center of the building; Row DD was three above the floor or what would be perfect center court seats for a Lakers game, almost on the court. Being three rows above the floor gave us a direct line of sight to the PA.

The night before we sat in the fifth row on the floor. I took a limited amount of pictures both nights due to security concerns. Remember, if I got caught taking photos, it increased the chances of Mike getting snagged as well.

Going into these In-The-Round Yes shows, we were concerned about the sound echoing about from the stage shifting. Keep in mind half the PA was pointing away from us, just like the band. But Clair Brothers being a first-class sound company got it right and the sound was excellent both nights as reflected on Mike's recordings.

Mike and I being huge Yes fans enjoyed these shows, though we were a just a bit disappointed that they did not play a couple of our favorites: "And You and I" and "Close to the Edge."

Please enjoy the sights and sounds on this one.

Cheers to my buddy Mike. 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 Professor Goody for his guidance on pitch and mjk5510 for his post-production work and artwork using some of Jim's fine photos.

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

BK for JEMS