PINK FLOYD – THE LATE GREAT MILLARD TAPES 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION (3CD)
$59.00
SIGMA – 3 CD
Description
Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles, CA, USA 26th April 1975 ULTIMATE SOUND!!!
★1ST GEN DAT COPY REMASTER…UPGRADE!!!
　The legendary Mike Millard recording is now available in a memorial edition to celebrate its 50th anniversary!
　The official 50th anniversary edition of “Flames of Fire” was announced, but the shocking inclusion of the official April 26, 1975 recording by Mike Millard shocked fans worldwide. Perhaps thanks to Rolling Stone magazine’s insistence that the release be official, the official release of the Millard recording, and moreover, the Floyd recording, was finally realized. No doubt Millard himself is laughing uproariously in heaven, as if he’d won a life of his own.
　Therefore, there is no way that the official release will be the mirrored master as is, and if Steven Wilson is involved, some kind of equalization will definitely be added. Even if the sound quality of the mirrored recording is good, there is no way that some kind of tweak will be made. Therefore, enthusiasts are waiting for the release of this official release, as if to say, “Let’s see what they can do.”　
　This brings a renewed appreciation for the original Millard recording. But aren’t the Sigma 242 “LOS ANGELES 1975 4TH NIGHT: MIKE MILLARD ORIGINAL MASTER” and the Sigma 286 “ULTIMATE MILLARD” enough? … You’re right. In 2020, JEMS released the master cassette of this recording, and it seemed as if this Millard’s once-in-a-lifetime audience recording had been perfected.
　However, among the many mirrored recordings, the Floyd April 26, 1975 recording has been widely available among traders for a long time, even compared to “Eddie.” Perhaps due to the constant requests for copies, the tape’s sound quality began to show signs of deterioration over time. This is the reality that 45 years had passed since JEMS released the master.
　Ironically, the 1st Gen, considered the definitive version among enthusiasts before this master, successfully captured the master’s condition before it began to deteriorate. Furthermore, a DAT copy exists in which the transfer from tape was extremely natural. Therefore, for this release, we chose this 1st Gen version. We somehow managed to obtain this 1st Gen copy from Millard, who was known to be quite strict when it came to trading, in his later years. For some reason, this 1st Gen copy began circulating among traders in Japan around the early 2000s, and the nostalgic Highland album “THE LATE GREAT MILLARD TAPES” was based on this 1st Gen version. At the time, the era of CD-R recordings was already shifting to CD-R, but the DAT copy version was finally available for release. The recording includes a detailed mic test by Millard himself at the beginning of the recording, and the title album has been highly acclaimed, especially overseas, and has long been considered the best of the April 26, 1975 release. Therefore, we chose the title of this release as a homage to this classic.
　This release is a return to the 1st Gen version, and what is most surprising is the sound quality. 2025’s technology has succeeded in fully extracting the sound quality of the 1st Gen copy, something that was not possible with the Highland version released over 20 years ago. The natural, deep bass and extended treble sound are clearly superior to the 2020 master version at a listen. Indeed, compared to the rich sound quality of this release, the master version has a slightly shattered feel, as if the treble is being forcibly pulled, which is a sign of the deterioration of the master.
　However, the 1st Gen version had a problem with periodic pops in the left channel. This was a drawback of the cassette, and was a problem that was left unaddressed on the Highland version. This time, we manually removed each and every bit of it, resulting in a more perfect sound quality that showed the difference from the already degraded master.
　This is the latest and greatest version of the April 26, 1975, mirrored recording, which will finally be officially released in December, recorded in its original sound quality! And while the official mirrored recording part is included on Blu-ray, this one has the added advantage of being available on CD for quick listening. So… let’s listen to this and see what Wilson has to offer.
Disc 1 (63:22)
01. Millard Mic Test
02. Introduction
03. Raving And Drooling
04. You Gotta Be Crazy
05. Shine On You Crazy Diamond Part 1-5
06. Have A Cigar
07. Shine On You Crazy Diamond Part 6-9
01. Millard Mic Test
02. Introduction
03. Raving And Drooling
04. You Gotta Be Crazy
05. Shine On You Crazy Diamond Part 1-5
06. Have A Cigar
07. Shine On You Crazy Diamond Part 6-9
Disc 2 (56:56)
The Dark Side Of The Moon
The Dark Side Of The Moon
01. Speak To Me
02. Breathe
03. On The Run
04. Time
05. Breathe (Reprise)
06. The Great Gig In The Sky
07. Money
08. Us And Them
09. Any Colour You Like
10. Brain Damage
11. Eclipse
02. Breathe
03. On The Run
04. Time
05. Breathe (Reprise)
06. The Great Gig In The Sky
07. Money
08. Us And Them
09. Any Colour You Like
10. Brain Damage
11. Eclipse
Disc 3 (24:18)
01. Audience / MC
02. Echoes
