Record Reviews

DEEP PURPLE ~ MADE IN JAPAN (DELUXE EDITION) UNIVERSAL 602537696406 (Barcode: 602537696406) ~ UK ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1972 Released: 2014 British Rock legends Deep PurpleFind albums by this artist, in their second incarnation called Mk II, were one of the definitive bands of all times and this live recording captures the band at their absolute peak form, resulting in an iconic album which is an integral part of the pantheon of live Rock albums. The band was an incredible amalgamation of talent and included the fierce rhythm section: bassist Roger GloverFind albums by this artist and drummer Ian PaiceFind albums by this artist, two absolutely stupendous instrumentalists: organist Jon LordFind albums by this artist and guitarist Ritchie BlackmoreFind albums by this artist and a charismatic, energetic and unstoppable vocalist Ian GillanFind albums by this artist. Between them they also shared a rare ability to write incredible catchy riffs that stuck with the listener forever and some of the most beautiful Rock melodies ever composed. As a result at that time they had only very few competitors to the "Kings of Rock" title. Originally this album was released as a double LP, a tradition that started in the late 1960s and continued for the decade to come, with most top Rock acts releasing at least one double live album during their career. The album included seven original Deep Purple tunes, originating from the three studio albums that preceded this recording: "In RockFind albums with this title", "FireballFind albums with this title", and "Machine HeadFind albums with this title". The average playing time of each of these tunes is over ten minutes, which means these were expanded versions, full of long solo spots, improvised passages and a general mayhem and race with the devil. The level of musicianship, energy, inventiveness and sheer stunning brilliance is simply astounding. This Deluxe edition of the album adds a second CD of previously unreleased material recorded at the same concerts that produced the original album, and includes mostly encores the band played at the time. It includes songs which were not included on the original album, one of which is the band´s cover of a classic Rock song (they rarely played covers so this is a treat). Of course one can only speculate when the complete recordings done on the three nights in Japan will be released in their entirety. In retrospect this is a piece of the Holy Grail, which appeared on earth for a brief decade and then was lost again. Nobody makes music like this any more and probably nobody will ever do. Thank God for sound recording and record labels for sharing this Ambrosia with us (for a fee, mind you). I pity the generations that came after ours for being ignorant of this music´s existence.

CD 2 Digipak Remastered Bonus Tracks Essential Recommend To A Friend

DEEP PURPLE ~ MADE IN JAPAN (LIMITED EDITION SUPER DELUXE BOXED SET) UNIVERSAL 602537696383 (Barcode: 602537696383) ~ UK ~ Classic Rock Recorded: 1972 Released: 2014 This is the expanded reissue / remix of the seminal live album by iconic British Rock group Deep PurpleFind albums by this artist, recorded in Osaka and Tokyo during three consecutive nights on August 15, 16 and 17, 1972. The album was recorded by the original Mk II lineup of the group with vocalist Ian GillanFind albums by this artist, guitarist Ritchie BlackmoreFind albums by this artist, keyboardist Jon LordFind albums by this artist, bassist Roger GloverFind albums by this artist and drummer Ian PaiceFind albums by this artist. The Box Set presents the full concerts played during the three nights on CD1 to CD3 and the encores of all three nights on CD4. There is also a DVD with a documentary about these concerts and other material, as well as a replica of a 7” Vinyl single released in Japan during the tour and a plethora of printed materials. The set list of the three concert is identical, as are the encores (with one exception). This provides the fans with an opportunity to compare these concerts looking for subtle (and sometimes less subtle) differences between them. Of course, every live concert is different from another, but the creativity of these musicians is truly amazing and in fact they are able to create many variations of the same tunes in a most astonishing way. This album has been hailed for generations as “the best live Rock album of all time”, and it certainly deserves an honorable place on a pedestal of most memorable live recordings for its sheer power, ingenuity and brilliant music, uniquely combined into one. The new remixes might surprise listeners, who have listened to the earlier versions of this album (and who hasn’t?), as it offers a much more detailed separation between the instruments and clear sound. Of course even if you already have an earlier version, this Box Set is worth having, except for the fact that it now has an astronomical price rag. Overall, this is a monumental historic Rock document, which is an essential part of every decent Classic Rock record collection, not necessarily in this expanded version. If your wife is bothering you about wasting money on buying records, tell her that this album is now worth over ten times as much as you paid for it ten years ago ;) Best investment ever!

Updated: 06/02/2024Posted: 06/02/2024

4CD+DVD+VINYL SINGLE 6 Box Set Remastered Bonus Tracks Essential Recommend To A Friend