THE BAND: Ritchie Blackmore (guitars), Ian Gillan (vocals), Jon Lord (keyboards), Roger Glover (bass), Ian Paice (drums & percussion).

THE DISC: (1973) Originally 7 songs clocking in at 77 minutes; 2 vinyl album presented on one disc. This digitally remastered "25th Anniversary" edition (1998) contains a 2nd disc with 3 bonus songs, "Black Night", "Speed King" and a 50's cover "Lucille". Disc-2 clocks in at approximately 21 minutes. Included with the discs is a 14-page booklet with original artwork and bonus color band photos, song titles, song times, and a brief 3-page intro. Songs recorded live in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan. There is also a (most complete) rare 3-disc version availabe as well. Originally on Warner Bros label, this remastered edition is on Rhino.

COMMENTS: "Made In Japan" is perhaps one of the best live recordings of a hard rock / heavy metal act ever. Think of the other classic acts that had great live albums from the past... Peter Frampton, Led Zeppelin, Kiss, Foghat, UFO, Lynyrd Skynyrd, etc. "Made In Japan" offers the complete package - excellent sound quality/production, emotion, energy, excitement, audience participation, and a great selection of songs. The audience was respectfully quiet during the songs and really let it out in between them. Incredibly, no added audience filler noise! The slower parts of "Child In Time" - you can hear a pin drop. It's interesting to listen, when "Smoke On The Water" is introduced by Gillan the crowd is silent... almost like they're not sure what they're about to hear. The 6 minute drum solo on "The Mule" was enthralling from Ian Paice - one of my favorite all-time rock drummers. Jon Lord's keyboard work is 2nd to none. His best work on this album is on the songs "Lazy" and "Child In Time". Seems that Lord and Blackmore had some great fun dueling back and forth. Some of the tunes, like "Strange Kind of Woman" and "Child In Time" sound better here than on the studio album. Gillan's interaction with the audience at the end of "Strange Kind Of Woman" is priceless. Ritchie Blackmore's trademark guitar sound and blistering solo's are amazing. 7 total songs - short track list but 6 of the 7 songs are 9+ minutes or longer. Two songs ("The Mule", Strange Kind Of Woman") from "Fireball"; one song ("Child In Time") from "In Rock"; and four from "Machne Head". The album closer is the marathon "Space Truckin'" clocking in at just under 20 minutes. "Made In Japan" is a highlight reel of two great shows on the "Machine Head Tour" in '73. The only thing wrong with this original issue is that it's just not long enough. Now, with the remastered "25th Anniversary" edition you can buy more of the show. Classic disc (5 stars).

Rarely does an album so completely succeed that it becomes the benchmark by which all others are judged. Even though it was released in 1972, it continues to impress and amaze listeners some 30 years hence.

One of the most important charactoristics of this album is the sound. For a live recording, the mix on this album is just about perfect. Ritchie's guitar pierces through the wall of sound like a knife's edge. John Lord's hammond is captured well from it teeth rattling lows to its distortion tinged highs. Roger's bass chuggs along and supplies the low end for Ritchie and John to work. And Ian Paice, long known as the fastest drummer in hard rock hits with an authority rarely captured live.

The show starts with the legendary opening song, Highway Star. A song with an excess of speed and a tongue in cheek comparison between a hot rod and a woman. "Child in Time" allows Ritchie and singer Ian Gillan to extend themselves. "Smoke on the Water" proves to be just as heavy now as it was then. "The Mule" allows drummer Ian Paice to demonstrate his drumming skills with great speed and fluidity. "Strange Kind of Woman" is the showcase for Ian Gillan's vocals as he and Ritchie trade off lines in one of the classic moments of live performances. "Lazy" is the mostly instrumental workout for John and Ritchie and shows the absolutely evilest sounds ever wrenched from an hammond organ. The set closes with a 20 minute cruise through hard rocks outer space on "Space Trucking" incorperating elements of songs from previous albums.

This mix has become "sacred" to Deep Purple fans over the years. This version doesn't change the sound at all, just remasters from the best mixdown master tapes. The included extra disc contains songs from that live performance that hadn't been released to complete the show. This is the best live album ever recorded, and one would be hard pressed to find a better or more definitive live recording. This recording is the Benchmark Standard!

This is Deep Purple at their peak. There is an energy level here that has rarely been matched. The vibe to this album is just fantastic. Even Gillan's between song banter is cool. ("Can we have everything louder than everything else")

Blackmore's performance is jaw-dropping, especially the solos on "Highway Star" and "Child in Time". And the rest of the band is right there with him. The improvisational moments are sheer bliss. The guitar/vocal interplay on "Strange Kind of Woman" is worth the price of admission all by itself. And Paice proves over and over again that he is the most underrated drummer in rock.

The remastered sound is crisp and clear, and the bonus tracks and additional liner notes on this version are the icing on the cake. The entirety of Deep Purple's output from 1970 to 1973 should be mandatory for any hard rock fan's collection and this is a great place to start.

I loved this album back in 1972 and I'm still amazed by it's sonic impact today. Deep Purple's recording engineer Martin Burch was asked to capture some shows from the 1972 Machine Head Tour on tape. During the August 1972 Japanese leg of the tour, he had his chance to record. Burch was supplied with an unimpressive, cheap looking Ampex 8-track recorder to get the job done. Burch was dissapointed with the equipment he was given and was certain that the results would be a total waste of his time.
When the entourage arrived back in England, Martin Burch took the time to throw the eight track recording tapes onto a studio deck and have a listen. COMPLETE AND TOTAL SHOCK !!! The combination of skillful microphone placement, concert hall acoustics and the unexpected superior performance of that little Ampex tape deck had collectively ganged up to captured one of the finest quality live rock recordings of all time.

Upon listening to this album, my respect for Deep Purple more than tripled. Where once I was satisfied with merely owning "Machine Head," now I find myself searching out all of the band's releases; such is the power of this album.

What more can be said than that this is a masterpiece? Every member is in top form, from Gillian to Paice to Blackmore. Some have expressed irritation at Ritchie's very extended solos, but I don't think I will ever tire of hearing him play; the man was far ahead of his time. Gillian's vocals are incredible, during not only his much-lauded exchange with Blackmore during "Strange Kind of Woman," but also throughout "Child in Time" and "Lazy." It must be said that the highlight of this great achievement comes at its very end, however, during the awe-inspiring climax of "Space Trucking."

Including the second disc of encores, "Made in Japan" clocks in at over an hour & a half long; it seems to last scantly more than a handful of minutes, and one is compelled to hit "play" again the instant that "Lucille" has concluded.