The National live at Manchester Apollo (Gary Mather / Live4ever)
The legendary prolific bootlegger Mike Millard is the inspiration for The National‘s new live album Juicy Sonic Magic.
Producer and engineer Erik Flannigan taped the band’s performances at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, CA on September 24th and 25th last year using vintage analog recording equipment which replicates those Millard used during the 1970s and 80s when he covertly recorded many iconic artists of the era.
“The most celebrated audience taper of the period, Mike Millard, recorded in and around Southern California beginning in 1974 and continued into the early ’90s,” Flannigan says.
“Millard’s legend is built in part on the cunning and subterfuge he used to get his nearly 15-pound cassette deck and microphones into venues like the The Forum, Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, and The Roxy.”
“For years I have pondered what made Millard’s recordings so good, and eventually I had an idea: What if you recorded a concert today with the same equipment Millard used in 1977? Would it sound like his tapes? Would it tap into his Midas touch?”
The results will be released as a three-cassette box-set on November 29th.
