12/04/2022
APRIL 1973 (49 YEARS AGO)
Deep Purple: Made in Japan is released.
# ALL THINGS MUSIC PLUS+ 5/5 (MUST-HAVE!)
# Allmusic 4.5/5
# Rolling Stone (see original review below)
Made in Japan is a live album by Deep Purple, released in the US in April 1973 (December 1972 in the UK). It reached #6 on the Billboard 200 Top LP's and #16 on the UK chart.
The album was recorded live over three nights during 15–17 August 1972 at Kōsei Nenkin Kaikan in Osaka and at Budokan in Tokyo, Japan, hence the name of the album. The tracks mostly come from their 1972 studio effort, Machine Head.
Deep Purple created the most effortless of great live albums. Laboring under the Machine Head tour and with inter-band relationships that saw both Gillan and Glover feuding with the sometimes difficult Blackmore and quitting the band early the following year, the record, for its part, does not suffer from the personnel inconsistencies, the band playing what would become, in retrospect, a greatest hits set. The consistency of the material - 'Child In Time', 'Strange Kind Of Woman', 'Space Truckin" - was, and still is, astounding, matched only by the arch standards of Purple's live performance.
The album was at first seen as somewhat unimportant by the band members, and only Roger Glover and Ian Paice showed up to mix it. It is organist Jon Lord's favorite Deep Purple album, and he describes the release as follows:
"Deep Purple was at the height of its powers. That double album was the epitome of what we stood for in those days. It wasn’t meant to be released outside of Japan. The Japanese said, 'Will you please make a live album?' We said, 'We don’t make live albums; we don’t believe in them.' We finally said okay, but said we wanted the rights to the tapes because we didn’t want the album to be released outside of Japan. That album only cost about $3,000 to make. It sounded pretty good, so we said to Warner Bros., 'Do you want this?' They said, 'No, live albums don’t happen.' They wound up putting it out anyway and it went platinum in about two weeks." ~ Jon Lord
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RECORD WORLD, April 21, 1973
MADE IN JAPAN DEEP PURPLE-Warner Bros. 2WS 2701 This two-record set was recorded live during the group's tour of Japan, and contains extended versions of seven of their best-known songs, including "Smoke On The Water" and "Space Truckin'." The album captures all of the musical pyrotechniques the group has been renowned for.
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ARTICLE/REVIEW from UK Music paper, 1972
"Just like its magnificent predecessor "Machine Head", this double album, which captures Deep Purple at their very best in the Land Of The Rising Sun, more than substantiates the undisputed truth that they're one of the few groups who have managed to combine creative intelligence with a complex high-energy electric rock.
Following in the grand tradition of great British rock bands, the Purple Gang - perhaps, even more so than ELP - have in their own inimitable way extended the early experiments of The Nice. However, in no way are Deep Purple plagiarists, they are what they play, and that's the reason why they enjoy mass acceptance. Purple have two major assets that The Nice lacked - an exceedingly professional full-lunged frontman in lan Gillan, and the greased- lightnin' digital gymnastics of guitarist Richie Blackmore.
In many ways, a "live" album is the best media for any first-class road band to present their music. Even though there can be faults in balance and mix, you can still judge the band for what they're worth. This particular album - worth double the price - will consolidate Purple's enviable position and convert many new fans. Though each is a virtuoso, neither Jon Lord, lan Paice, Roger Glover, Gillan or Blackmore allow their individual skills to get out of hand and detract from the collective performance.
You may have heard all seven cuts before - but not played with such power, exuberance, and sheer confidence.
This power is largely boosted by the responsive audiences Purple played in both Tokyo and Osaka. Indeed, half the enjoyment is in the two-way rapport between band and fan.
To Purple's credit, you don't need to dissect every track, because they maintain such a high standard of performance throughout. I detect a new-found funkiness in their intense drive. Jon Lord improves with each and every album - his keyboard dexterity is clear and precise even in the extremely fast passages. He disciplines himself, never allowing his playing to deteriorate into a meaningless jumble.
With brash confidence and showmanship, Richie Blackmore wields his axe, in a manner the makers didn't account for. He extracts a whole spectrum of discordant effects and runs his fingers over the strings with incredible speed.
As a unit Glover and Paice come on strong, fortifying the front line and also having individual workouts. Little lan's drumnastics on "The Mule" are much more than "just another" drum solo.
With such competition, one doesn't envy lan Gillan's position as a singer, yet it never becomes a pitched battle between who can sing/play louder than the other. Gillan's delivery of "Highway Star", "Child In Time" and "Strange Kind Of Woman" elevates him to the exclusive front man fraternity of Stewart, Jagger, Rodgers, Plant, and Daltrey.
When reviewing albums, I always work on the maxim, "Would I Buy This Record". As far as Deep Purple’s 'Made In Japan' is concerned, I have no hesitation in saying YES."
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ORIGINAL ROLLING STONE REVIEW
Deep Purple have had a rough time gaining and retaining the status of being Kings of the Heavy Metal Set, and with the release of their last album, Who Do We Think We Are?, many critics rejected the fawnish fivesome for (1) trying to step out of their league with electronic-cum-Yes gizmos and melodic lines or (2) staying within the confines of their initial blockbuster, Deep Purple In Rock. If you're expecting something new in terms of either approach or material from Made In Japan, you will be severely disappointing, but if you're a diehard fan of the group and not too interested in any great diversification from their old style, Made In Japan is an assured treat. For Made In Japan is Purple's definitive metal monster, a spark-filled ex*****on of the typical Purple style.
Unlike Five Live Yardbirds or Humble Pie - Rocking the Fillmore, Deep Purple deems it unnecessary to play any new material on their live albums. The live versions of all the songs are played at a much quicker pace than they were in the studio. So when "Strange Kind of Woman" or "Lazy" comes over the radio, the average listener will be able to jump up and say, "How come they're playing those Deep Purple records so fast?" only to be astounded when the Osaka audience's applause appears at the end of the song. This album was originally intended to be released only in the United Kingdom, but when hundreds of thousands of copies of the import started selling in America at ten bucks a shot, Warners decided to get on the case and released it just a few months after Purple's last LP.
As far as the artistic side of Made In Japan, Deep Purple have always been ace performers, rarely using any gimmicks other than their own volatile stage personalities. While Purple refuses to take themselves too seriously, all of the solos on Made In Japan are technically superior to most instrumental melodramatics one hears from supposedly more serious bands. Deep Purple is a tried-and-true Seventies group that has proven itself time and again, a favorite of many a serious musician (for instance, the Strawbs' Dave Cousins). While we still have to wait for their next release to know if they are going to continue at even keel, the fact is Made In Japan is here, and it's everything it should be and more, and Deep Purple can still cut the mustard in concert -- so be it.
~ Jon Tiven (May 24, 1973)
TRACKS:
All songs written by Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover, Jon Lord and Ian Paice except where indicated.
Side one
Highway Star - 6:50
Child in Time - 12:24
Side two
Smoke on the Water - 7:31
The Mule - 9:49
Side three
Strange Kind of Woman - 9:35
Lazy - 10:50
Side four
Space Truckin' - 19:41
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