In 1975, he moved to San Francisco, California, where he subsequently recorded two solo albums in collaboration with Neil Young and producer/engineer John Nowland as the first German musician.

For the album "Full Moon California Sunset", Michels was awarded the "Deutscher Schallplattenpreis", the predecessor of the Echo Music Prize, in 1978.

In 2003, Warner Strategic Marketing/Warner Music Germany had released the complete Michels/Percewood's Onagram back catalogue as digitally remastered CDs with previously unreleased bonus tracks and alternative takes.

In the same year, German hip hop group Fettes Brot scored a chart hit with the Michels–Reiser song "Ich bin müde" ("I'm tired").

A: Do You Still Dig It / B: Ramona from Roma A: Now I Know You / B: Crazy Enough A: Bitte Sehr (Wenn die dunklen Wolken…) / B: Unten im Keller A: Tanz auf dem Vulkan / B: Irgendwas stimmt hier nicht A: Kleiner Träumer / B: Zukunft der Vergangenheit A: Dies könnte unsre Heimat sein / B: Keine Probleme A: Bei Mondschein… / B: Brechen kannst du mich nie A: Love Letters to the Moon / B: Herzverloren A: Dancin' on the Edge of Life / B: Lover and Friend (Charts: #45 D – Media Control) Lebenslange Reisen / Bring Me Water / Bring Me Water (Acoustic Version) Bring Me Water / Take Me Back into Your Arms / 100 Beats Per Minute / Bring Me Water (Acoustic Version) Deal Together + Digital remastered, with unreleased bonus-tracks and alternative-versions