Made in Japan by Deep Purple

One of the best ever live albums

It is an album that should be mentioned in any discussion of the best ever live albums. Forty years after its release (1972) it remained so. In 2012 a Rolling Stones magazine poll ranked Deep Purple’s Made In Japan at number six in best live albums of all time.

It was released in the heyday of Deep Purple, mark II: the legendary guitarist, Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord on Hammond organ, Ian Paice on drums, Ian Gillan on vocals and Roger Glover on bass. All musicians were on top of their game. They had played long enough with each other to be a tight ensemble. This live recording of some of their shows in Japan captures their playing at their most wild, raw and accomplished, showing off their considerable improvisational skills.

This line-up of the band was formed in July 1969. In this period they had evolved from being a pop psychedelic band to becoming the part of the vanguard of the heavy rock genre, alongside other British bands such as Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. Such bands were responsible for being the forerunners of the metal scene that developed a few years later.

Their most commercially successful studio album, Machine Head (see my article), had been released earlier the same year. Made in Japan was a live recording of the subsequent tour, showcasing…