Made In Japan

In 2004, MF DOOM and Madlib teamed up to release Madvillainy, a landmark album in the underground hip hop scene. Its influence in that sphere was immediate, and along with the two other albums he released in that year, Madvillainy cemented DOOM as a singular force in hip hop history. Madvillainy saw DOOM leaning into his meticulously-crafted supervillain persona, aided by Madlib's madcap sampling to become an auditory comic book. The album features appearances from Madlib's rap moniker Quasimoto and DOOM's alter ego (and second namesake nod to Marvel's Dr. Doom) Viktor Vaughn. Over the years, Madvillainy grew broadly esteemed across all genres, and today it is widely regarded as a masterpiece—arguably the pinnacle of both artists' illustrious and individually-impressive careers. But Madvillainy isn't on this list. Instead, we get a live album from Deep Purple. It's seven tracks, and four of the seven we already heard on Machine Head. It's my new lowest rated album, worse than Scott Walker because it's a redundancy. This is my nightmare. Favorite tracks: Mule. Album art: Don't care at all. 0.5/5

We get it. You’re good at playing your instruments. We literally get it.

yesterday afternoon i wrote a grumpy review asking why a live album by The Who would make the cut, only to be presented with an extra long live Deep Purple album. i’m sure it would have been awesome to be at this concert in person. and the album would probably be great to listen to if you had seen them live, But for me, it takes a lot of imagination to really enjoy this highly indulgent rock with crazy long drum and guitar solos. this is an album for Deep Purple fans, not for everyone to ,listen to before they die.

It’s good but then it’s all “play that one bit for 10 minutes” and I got bored

It's like being at a concert, without any of the context that makes it exciting! I'm not a huge DP fan to begin with. This wasn't bad, but I can't see myself listening to it again just for laughs.

Bland boomer dad rock.

Pretty good album, but I feel like the bar should be considerably higher for a live album to make this list. Outside of Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison, I'd be hard pressed to think of one that has the significance to be on here. The Quintet's Jazz At Massey Hall?

Would just prefer the album cuts

The mother of all live albums.

Problem isn't the excessively silly solos and virtuoso prog. Those are the fun bits. But they're also only the trimmings. The rest of the bird--rhythm, melody, gestalt--is alarmingly absent. And whether a song is 12:02 or 02:12 you can't paper over that. However... However, however, however... At least these dorks don't try that stuff and fail miserably. (Yes, I'm being an apologist). They just ignore it completely and bear down on what they can do. In a way, that's better. I guess. I mean, probably not. But I've said it now. Anyway, it means we get unbelievable songs like Smoke On The Water (by which I mean it's unbelievable that such a great riff can be part of such an indifferent song) so it can't be all bad. Except it can. Probably is. But I liked it enough anyway.

Absolute monster shred fest. Super tight and tuned in. Love all the call and response solos. I think it might be too long for five stars but I'm giving it anyway cause of Smoke on the Water.

Now we're talking. One of the greatest live albums of all time. Just listen to to that drumming of Ian Paice. Blackmore on Guitar and Gillan's singing on child in time. EPIC! Five Stars. Jon Lord on organ and Glover on Bass. A classic album, if ever I heard one. Worth it for Highway Star only.

One of habitual contenders for best live rock album of all times. And deservedly so.

“Made in Japan” by Deep Purple (1972) As live albums go, this one is excellent, but it still has the weaknesses inherent in all live rock recordings. The 2014 remaster is a great improvement over the original, and the Osaka, Japan audience is generally better behaved than your typical American audience, so it’s not as bad as many other live albums. “Smoke on the Water” is of course, a classic. But even here, the audience clapping on the intro drags against the tempo. Plus, the gain is a little light. Everyone needs to listen to this track especially. Over and over. Hard Rock History 101. 3/5

This band is known for playing well live but the album has too much navel gazing. The 6 minute intro to Lazy is 4 minutes too long and the 6 minute drum solo on the Mule is 6 minutes too long. Don’t get me started on Space Trucker. I took a pass on the additional songs Spotify offered in the deluxe package including around 17 versions of Black Night. I really don’t get this album.

So good! Ritchie Blackmore and John Lord absolutely burning it up on some of my favorite Deep Purple tracks done live with a ton of energy.

Mesmerizing, mind blowing how this is a live cd, it sounds so good sometimes it sounds like a studio version. The energy is awesome, they improvised some parts and it sounds so natural and fun. This is my first listen to a deep purple record and I enjoyed it, might have to give an actual studio record a listen. The 20 minute version of space truckin was epic, I love how the audience fell silent for a couple seconds at the end because of the history they just witnessed.

Fantastic musicians playing classic rifts and great solos. Very good live album, crowd not annoying like in some live albums.

Awesome album. Classic for a reason. Really long tracks but an amazing live album. Shredding guitar solos + great drums make me wish I was there. Fave track is Smoke on the water of course, but also thoroughly enjoyed the drum solo.

A fun listen, only song I knew was smoke in the water but I actually liked the other songs more, as well as the extended jamming. A good example of how rating these albums can kind of be apples and oranges, and you would rate a live album in a different criteria than you’d rate a studio album you’ve heard many times.

So, I’ve mentioned a band I was in for a bit before which consisted of a properly trained Jazz Pianist, a saxophonist who programmed synths to sound like video game bleeps and who was obsessed with Oxygene by Jean-Michel Jarre, and me, a self-taught Punk Guitarist and Blues singer. It was, as you might have guessed, an odd mix for a band, but we managed to make it work somehow. I had to learn how to solo during my time in the band, and one of the ways that I did was by listening to Made In Japan on my trip to the rehearsal space, which was out in the middle of nowhere and took me about an hour and a half to get to. I genuinely believe that this is one of the greatest pieces of recorded music ever put to tape. It’s such a perfect encapsulation of a Rock concert experience, in a similar way to Live & Dangerous, but with enough subtle differences that it makes having a separate entry on this list justified. Thin Lizzy were a Hard Rock band who genuinely wrote songs, they took just as much from Soul and Folk as they did from Rock and the Blues. And so, while there were improvisational parts to the songs, the solos are mostly improvised, Brian Downey’s drum solo etc, they were parts within an established song structure. Deep Purple’s strength is less in the structure of the songs, I think that’s why I’ve never got on as well with their studio output, and more with the way they can twist and turn the compositions to suit their improvisational wants during the songs live, to make it fresh and exciting every time. I’m listening to The Mule at the moment, and my god, Ian Paice is a beast. Take Ginger Baker and shove him up his own arse, that’s the drum solo I want to keep listening to. In a departure from my prepared remarks, who wants to hear a joke? None of you? Ahh, who cares. A letter appears on the desk of Ian Paice. It’s addressed ‘To The Greatest Drummer In The World.’ Ian Paice reads that and thinks, ‘No, that can’t possibly be me.’ So he forwards it on to John Bonham. Bonham reads the envelope, ‘To The Greatest Drummer In The World’ and thinks, no that can’t be for me.’ So he forwards it on. It appears on Ginger Baker’s desk. He reads the envelope, ‘To The Greatest Drummer In The World’ and says to himself, ‘No, that can’t be for me.’ So he also sends it forward. Eventually, it ends up on the desk of Buddy Rich, who sees the address, ‘To The Greatest Drummer In The World’ and nods to himself. ‘Yes,’ he thinks, ‘this must be for me. So he opens it, and starts to read, ‘Dear Ringo,’ The guitar and voice play-off on Strange Kind Of Woman is just fantastic. I just love all of this album. And Child In Time, oh god I could talk about this album all day, all the while telling drummer jokes. OK, one more quickly, How can you tell when there’s a drummer at the door? They knock four times then come in early

One of the classic live recordings of the 70s. The energy is still very high and the band is simply on fire.

Deep Purple kills it. All classic tracks, all expanded and harder than ever. Not to mention an absolutely amazing drum solo.

Can’t believe I thought smoke on mirror was just a one off This whole album was insane, and I thought I usually dislike live recordings. The solos and vocals and drums are all amazing. I wish that the songs were a little shorter, but I guess it allows for more solos Wasn’t really listening to the lyrics

What a banger of a live album. If only I could have been at a show like this back then. I'm over me "born in le wrong generation" high school cringe days, but I still wish I could step into an older time and place to have been there for this.

What a great album from the height of the MK II lineup. Just such a well recorded live album, the sound is quite heavy and fat, something that didn't get captured on Fireball and In Rock as much. Sure there might be some over indulgence on the solos esp the Mule but that's the 70's man.

Arguably the greatest live album of all time.

Masterpiece. Loved it. I'll be listening to this album a lot now.

In terms of 70’s hard rock bands whose best-known works are arguably their live albums, I’ve always rated Made in Japan higher than Live and Dangerous (I think the overdubbing allegations have hurt my impression on it) but lower than Strangers in the Night (still not convinced that anyone’s guitar tone can match Schenker’s here). I can understand how this will turn listeners, especially those who don’t like drum solos, but on this listening everything clicked for me. Gillan’s manic vocals are perfect, the band is in top form and the songs feel alive here. I think I need to give it an A. Side note- my uncle saw Purple on this tour and said that the setlist was exactly the same as this album, down to the “Space Truckin’” drum solo

One of my favourite live albums, love how bands used to do these long versions of songs they already had studio versions for. The live part really adds something to the songs instead of it just being the same version with some applauding

If any band was meant to have their live versions heard, it's Deep Purple. Highway Star and Smoke on the Water Alone.

5/5. The best live album I know. Every song is enhanced live and the solos and instrumental work is so much better than studio. Truly amazing.

I love being reunited with an old song. I thought I only knew one song, "Smoke on the Water," on this album. But as I started this album two moments from my past came flooding back as “Highway Star” blazed out of the speakers. Once when my parents were out of town I jealously listened to it through the door of my older sister’s room where she was holed up with her rock friends. Or the time it was blaring out of her cool boyfriend’s Plymouth Barracuda as he dropped me off at school one day. One of the few moments in junior high when I felt like a badass arriving at school... Listening to this album brought me back to those fleeting moments of cool confidence. Only now those moments weren’t as fleeting and I really enjoy this album from beginning to end. Extended organ, guitar and drum solos? Twenty minutes of “Space Truckin’”? Sign me up! Really enjoyed Made in Japan. This is fantastic - right up there with my favorite live albums.

Wonderfully excessive. Is it indulgent, absolutely, but the over-the-top elements are what made it great at the time. A seven-minute drum solo. That clearly is a non-existent concept at the time. A double album with seven songs was also a stunner at the time. But putting the excess in context, this is brilliant heavy metal and one of the best rock live albums ever.

Fantastic album from start to finish. Never heard this side of Deep Purple. Incredibly mixed and sounds amazing for a live LP.

-Alright this is an impressive live recording so far -Yeah this is fantastic. I'm really into the music, it's super dimensional, and I have a live feel from it. -This could easily be a five-star album. The guitars are insane and this has just been an incredible listen. Invigorating.

Never listened to deep purple, hell of a live album. A lot of respect for the drumming.

A great live album. The improvisation is amazing!

So good. Not always a fan of live albums, but this is live rock at it's best

One of the greatest live albums of all time.

One of the greatest live albums ever and a favourite of mine for years. I love every note, from the hard rocking of Blackmore's guitar to the bleepy, bloopy proggy noodling of Lord's Hammond organ. I prefer the original album to the deluxe version, so for the true experience I only listened as far as the end of Space Truckin'. The tighter 1 hour run time is a much better package and perfectly formed. Anything else is just too much imo.

Probably the best live they ever did

Deep Purple's records are incredible, and this live album really showcases their ability to both play their stuff with precision, and take the liberties that make a liv show exciting and unique. Ian Gillian and Ritche Blackmore <3

Wat een live-band! prachtige drumsolo!

Epitome of the era

Hoo boy the band is on FIRE here! I just changed my opinion on them having heard this album tonight.

I really enjoyed this live album, for some folks considered the best live rock album of all time. Lengthy interpretations gave artists many opportunities to shine throughout the set. I was amused by the energy from the band - their enthusiasm and fun during the gigs might be the reason some put it in the best. I wouldn't go so far as to follow this statement but, nonetheless, it's a pleasant musical experience to know.

I once played soccer with Deep Purple's Ritchie Blackmore, this was almost as good.

Good time seventies rock fun! The right side of prog. Feels electric, and makes me miss playing live music. I love how wild and untamed it is.

I'm not into live album with longer than necessary tracks But it makes me want to listen more from Deep Purple Update: this album actually feels like floating in a dream even without being too familiar with the band. I recommend. Way more pleasant than the Smashing Pumpkins 2h+ album

An artifact from when frontmen aspired to be Jesus, guitarists charged by the note, and every other hard rock song ended verses with an ejaculatory “ta-dah!” or “duh-dum!”, sometimes followed by a gallop, this is a good time provided you don’t mind it lasting the length of a Deep Purple concert. The distorted organ blast - arf - at the start of Lazy is tremendous, though it peters off into a jazzy emptiness - arf, arf again.

Now, this is a proper live album. Captures the moment perfectly, sounds great, all giant sweaty arse rock classics, lots of solos and no filler.

If you’re like me, a little Deep Purple goes a long way. Fortunately for people like us, most of their best songs are at the beginning of this record. Unfortunately for people like us, they extend all of them and pack each one with incessant guitar, drum and organ wankery - I mean “solos”.

Great album from a great band. The only thing that bothered me were the length of the tracks. I get that it's a live album but still

Seems like a pretty epic show to have attended. You can definitely feel this band’s soul. Puts me in the mindset of a flower child of the 60s on acid. Dig the beginning of the show, started to fall off a bit for me at Space Truckin…great instrumentation but the jams get really long and drawn out. I’m also a little confused by the end because there are a couple repeat songs. Solid show overall!

Monotonous. Why do half the albums on this list sound like this.

Smoke on the water is classic. Rest of it was decent rock music.

Obviously incredibly talented instrumentalists. And I enjoyed listening Child in Time and The Mule. But I felt the album as a whole was underwhelming and I'm not sure why. Maybe I just expected everything to sound like Smoke on the Water.

I used to rather like Deep Purple as a lad. So I do have some residual fondness for them hanging around. On this occasion I struggled to muster up the strength to get past a couple of songs. I would’ve been on board had it been a more concise studio album. (Why do I think that album should have an N on the end??) I guess some bands really live and breathe the live show and this is true enough for....ah who am I kidding, I didn’t listen to it.

Why???

Is this some kind of pre-Spinal Tap joke album? It's a bunch of self-indulgent and embarrassing nonsense...

This was so hard to get through. I don't know why the 1001 link was an hour longer (twice as long) than the album listen on Spotify but I had to listen. The songs were very mediocre and forgettable. I like drums but the 9 minute drum solo (the mule) was too much. The individual songs were also too long. Black night is 6 minutes (multiplied by 3), Lucille is 9 minutes, and child in time is 12 minutes which is insane. I gasped out loud when I saw space truckin for 20 minutes just put me out of my misery already. If I have to listen to black night one more time (making it 4 times total), I will lose it. I don't know how anyone can make it through this entire album and enjoy it. Sorry for uncultured. 1/5

I'm fairly certain this would be much better if I were a fan of this band prior to listening to this, or if I had somehow seen the concert live before I was born. However, this album is so long that it felt like a chore to get through the whole thing, especially with the ridiculous runtimes of each song. The instrumental solos were crazy long, which would be fine live at the concert, but doesn't translate well to the recording, and I didn't see the merit of listening to 3 different recordings of the same song. The music itself is actually quite enjoyable, and I liked at least parts of every song, so it's hard to pick favourites. I think I would be better off listening to the original versions of these songs and their original albums, which I think I would enjoy a lot more and rate a lot higher. I get its cultural significance, and that it is slightly different since it a live album, but I didn't love these particular recordings. I would've given it a 2 for the songs, but there are two more Deep Purple albums on this list, so there's no reason I NEEDED to hear this before I die. 1, there are definitely other albums that deserved this spot

awesome noodling

Bliss. Best live album ever. Packed with energy.

One of the better live albums I’ve heard. Be prepared for jam sessions.

Hard rock standard. Like a Schubert Lied or Bach Kantate. Period.

FWIW I am really enjoying this. It feels a /bit/ Spinal Tap-ish haha but def it’s fun and exciting. ROCKIN’ actually. Lazy is a serious jam and there is plenty of good stuff all through this record, not the least of which are the 3 opening tracks (Highway Star, Child in Time, Smoke on the Water) - all recognizable hits and all are exciting performances.

Phenomenal live album. I'm not a big Deep Purple fan, but this truly is a band performing at the top of their power. Every song on the set is improved upon. Full of memorable moments like the call and response between guitar and voice on "Strange Kind of Woman", the long keyboard solo with the Holst interpolation on "Space Truckin'", and many more. Key tracks: Highway Star Child in Time Smoke on the Water Strange Kind of Woman Space Truckin'

Following from my previous review....if Neil Young's "On the Beach" suggests creative processual emergence, then this live album combines that kind of exploratory creativity with established nodes of musical identity for Deep Purple. Beyond studio artificially, where levels are checked, retakes are common, post-processing is essential, and solitary tracks are captures in isolation from other band members, this is a recording of organic synergy, of collaborative intensity in real time, together, between musicians who are intimate enough with each other's creativity that they can play with and off each other, renewing each other in a live moment of ephemeral energy.... And what an energy. An event, a single moment in time, recorded, captured, replicated and replayed in ways that blasphemes against the very nature and purpose of a live concert....so much needs to be said about what a recording does with and to the liveness of a moment. Like a photograph, these sounds have been stolen and preserved from time's relentless stream, enabling this experience for ears like mine which could never have witnessed it in person. The air moves in this room in the same way it did in Japan, that day... All said, this is an experience, and this band is spectacular. I bought this album for my dad one Christmas with the few dollars i'd saved from my job working at a gas station....it represents our shared love of music and of music that moves the heart and mind. "Child in time" here is a fucking triumph.

I don't know if I can name a single Deep Purple song. Oh JK Smoke on the Water, Highway Star from Dazed and confused prolly some more too. Man these guys were legends. This is good ol 70s rock man! 🤘🏽 Okay I didn't think I'd enjoy this live version but I'm super diggin it. 5 solid stars here.

This album was weird and funky. I loved it!!!

Oooooooh, tu tu tum

Previously rated: Machine Head (5/5) In Rock (5/5) *********************** I listened to the original 76-minute release, but I am adding the 123-minute deluxe version to my playlist. Excellent live album from an excellent band. I enjoy the noodling and jamming and the drum solo, all of it. Favorite track: Highway Star

Nice

Legendäre Songs mit voller Power im Konzert. Klasse. Die Musiker beherrschen ihr Handwerk. Das nächste Highlight hier!

I’m not the biggest fan of Deep Purple—they’ve always been more of a middle-of-the-road band for me—but maybe this album just caught me in the right mood. I really enjoyed it and rocked out from beginning to end. The recording quality is pretty solid, which is a plus, and it truly captures the energy of their live performances. The musicianship is absolutely top-notch, and you can tell that all the band members were feeding off each other, which made the performance even more engaging. Every instrument and every player holds their own, bringing their unique flavor to the overall performance, whether it’s the vocals, guitar, drums, or organ. The extended improvisations and longer versions of the songs compared to the studio albums really add to the experience. Normally, I pass up live albums, but every once in a while, you come across one that’s absolutely amazing, and this is definitely one of those.

Awesome

One of the Greatest live album in the World. Most Days it is simply The Best.

Great quality in this live album, the energy on the stage is captured so well. Amazing organ and harmonica bits throughout, as well as improv and jamming over their tracks.

Amazing live versions of their best songs. Excellent mixing for a live recording.

Unbelievable performance on this one from Deep Purple. Absolute masters of their craft. The performance in particular of Child In Time here is complete and utter perfection. Everything that rock n roll is supposed to be done absolutely perfectly by one of the best bands to ever string up their instruments. For me this is among the greatest live albums of all time and a must listen for any fan of rock music.

One of the best live

Wow, what a wonderful live album. Music at its finest.

I heard this a LOT in the late 70s, fab live album, Lazy really stands out for me

Possibly one of the best live albums I’ve ever heard. Everything is so crisp and the solos are phenomenal. All around a fantastic listen that just flew by due to how much I was enjoying it. 10/10

I'm a higway star! Simply good better ... perfect! And then Smoke on the Water, brilliant! ... and this is also a concert recording Sound and vocals are very well mixed. A pleasure to listen to the album... I would have loved to have been there

The best live album from one of the best live bands ever.

Incredible performance by Blackmore

A classic live album - great songs, the best Deep Purple line up (Mk. II) and a great recording. Loved diving back into this album.

I had zero interest in listening to this album. The way highway star opens is just great! I wish I could have been at this show. This record is amazing and now I get the hype.

Það hefur verið algjörlega truflað að fara á þessa tónleika og það var algjörlega æðislegt að hlusta á þessa plötu. Þetta varð fljótt ein besta tónleikaplata sem ég hef heyrt. Þótt hún sé 2 tímar er ég búinn að hlusta á hana tvisvar. Súpergott.

I saw this was a 2 hour live album and was not excited. Since then I've listened to it three times through! What a surprise, the vocals, the absolute expert level of instruments and the passion of the performance put me over the top. Consider me the newest Deep Purple fan.

This album rocks

epic live

Absolute Bang! Live album with such a massive sound. Purple at their prime: no mistakes! Actually, you can hear mistakes in their performances. Even just a few. But that's what make this album so great: Their REAL! They're actually playing. And playing very well!

cool

Not a single bad track, not a dull moment here.

I am completely and totally sure this was not *made* in Japan. The music was *played* in Japan, I'll give it that, but now way in creation that it was actually made there. People don't generally know this, but the lyrics in Japanese songs are in Japanese, it's required by deep and abiding custom. Truth! So for instance, "Smoke on the water" would have actually been "Sa-moke-a on de watashi wa". That's how I can tell this wasn't made in Japan.

Had only heard the studio versions of these songs before this. Massive. Everything you'd want in a 1972 live album (and even some of what you don't -- the drum solo). But it's barely a bump in the road as the Child of Time becomes the Space Truckin' Highway Star. Excellent.