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‘Made In Japan’: Deep Purple Rock Tokyo And Osaka On Classic Live Album

‘Made In Japan,’ the double live set recorded in the summer of 1972 during the band’s first tour of Japan, charted in January 1973.

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Deep Purple 'Made In Japan' artwork - Courtesy: UMG
Deep Purple 'Made In Japan' artwork - Courtesy: UMG

One of the most celebrated live rock albums in history made its big entrance on January 6, 1973. Made In Japan, the double live album recorded in the summer of 1972 during the first tour of Japan by Deep Purple, debuted on the UK chart. Its US debut followed on April 21.

The album featured only seven tracks across the four sides of the original vinyl release, four of them taped at their show at the Festival Hall in Osaka on August 16; one at the same venue the night before; and the other two at probably the best-known venue in those early days of Western bands exploring that market, Tokyo’s Budokan.

This was already Purple’s second live album, but a very different animal to their first, the 1969 recording of Jon Lord’s Concerto For Group and Orchestra. This time, chiefly at the request of their Japanese label, the idea was to create a record of the band’s powerful live show. It was also a chance to present an in concert version of the band’s anthem-in-the-making from the Machine Head album of only a few months earlier, “Smoke On The Water.”

Twenty minutes of ‘Space Truckin’’

Included on Made in Japan in live form are three more songs from Machine Head, which had been on the UK charts for 24 weeks after its April 1972 debut. The live set’s opening “Highway Star” was another new Purple favourite, while “Lazy,” a seven-minute track on Machine Head, extended to nearly 11 on the live record. The closer, taking up the whole of side four of the vinyl release, was “Space Truckin,’” which expanded from a four-minute original to an epic of nearly 20 minutes on Made In Japan.

Listen to the best of Deep Purple on Apple Music and Spotify. 

Purple were on a hot streak in which both Machine Head and its predecessor Fireball had topped the British chart, but as often with live albums, there was less chart glory to be had this time. The album debuted in the UK that first week of 1973 at No.16, as a various artists compilation called Twenty All Time Hits of the 50s continued at No.1. In fact, the top four on that chart were all compilations. Only Slade gave the Top 10 a rock flavour with their Slayed? album.

Still cutting the mustard

Made in Japan is Purple’s definitive metal monster, a spark-filled execution,” wrote Rolling Stone. “Deep Purple can still cut the mustard in concert.” No.16 proved to be the peak position for the Purple album, which nevertheless topped the charts in Germany, Austria and Canada. Its more modest UK performance was also in great contrast to its American fortunes. It climbed to No.6 there, going gold within two months and platinum in 1986. Purple had never been that high on the US album chart, and never have again.

Buy or stream the 2014 deluxe reissue of Made In Japan.

21 Comments

21 Comments

  1. Grant

    January 7, 2015 at 8:02 pm

    The greatest live album of all time for sure. The sounds quality for the time is amazing, but the musicianship is really unparalleled by any other band live. Thank you to Martin Birch for bringing this live act to tape in all its glory, his engineering was in credible.

  2. Mike

    January 7, 2015 at 8:30 pm

    Indeed it is! Magnificent Musicians, unforgetable sounds. Music-Heroes, thats what Deep Purple are!

  3. Zimmertunes

    January 7, 2015 at 9:19 pm

    Saw them in June, 1973 in Chicago. They played the entire album, plus Going Down for an encore. My favorite concert of all time. Highlight was Blackmore, under a strobe light, for tje middle bridge of Child In Time. Still gives me chills, when I play the album!

  4. roma

    January 8, 2015 at 7:53 am

    yes,this is greatest live album.i listening it 30 years ego and now to

  5. edgar55

    January 10, 2015 at 11:00 pm

    CLASICO ENTRE LOS CLASICOS

  6. javier calderon armenta

    January 21, 2015 at 2:20 am

    Buenisima Banda, la mejor de los 70’s con este disco alucinaba jeje

  7. Barry Gordon

    April 22, 2015 at 1:01 am

    The BEST Rock Album of all time. Rock music has gone down hill ever since.

  8. Alan

    April 22, 2015 at 11:30 am

    Definately on of the bands milestone live recordings! Awesome !!! You won’t hear songs played like that ever again!! A masterpiece!! Thank u !! Deep Purplr!! Rock on!!!

  9. Aldoux

    April 22, 2015 at 2:19 pm

    I’ve purchased the 2014 vinyl reissue and sounds loud and crisp as ever. The best live album ever closely followed by Allman Brothers’ Fillmore East…

  10. Eonymia

    April 22, 2015 at 3:04 pm

    Almost as good as rory gallagher’s irish tour ’74. Thin lizzy’s live and dangerous is pretty good competition too.

    • Cnosni

      January 6, 2018 at 3:51 am

      Live and Dangerous,with the exception of the corned noise,is studio overdubs on both vocal trsck# and lead guitars,so in effect it’s not even a live album.

  11. Orlando

    April 22, 2015 at 4:02 pm

    Simply the best……
    .

  12. Alvaro Terren luna

    April 22, 2015 at 9:24 pm

    There is a 3 cd set unedited of the 3 days of concert in osaka , and elsewhere dont remenber exactly..( I dont have it with me) but tree versions of the same songs ! perfect sound !!

  13. Simon

    April 23, 2015 at 2:14 am

    How this great band has not been inducted into the Roll and Roll Hall of Fame is beyond belief. But then again, looking at some of the artist inducted maybe its better that they arn’t.

  14. SpeedkingATL

    January 6, 2016 at 6:56 pm

    My favorite live album of all time. Saw my first DP show in Charlotte in the summer of 72 and though I’ve seen DP around 15-16 different times, nothing compares to the MK 2 lineup at that time. The recent box set with all 3 concerts and all encores is fantastic as the songs were actually quite different from night to night. Having the live versions of “Black Night” is almost worth the purchase price. The sound quality of this live set has always been fantastic and the louder the better!

  15. angelo russo

    January 7, 2016 at 6:43 am

    was 14 years old when i saw a late night show on the abc in australia called in concert shown at midnight crawl out of bed to watch deep purple were on this night live in japan been hooked since never will we see a band of the mark11 lineup again perfect sound musos unreal paiceys drum solos lord gillan glover and i nearly forgot the man in black r.blackmore as much as he wanted his way or the highway he was spellbounding to watch seen them many many times up till today still making great music but nothing of those days gone buy my lp collection will be coming with me when god calls me d.p forever.

  16. Mirosław Szczurowski

    January 7, 2016 at 3:29 pm

    To na pewno koncert wszech czasów. już nic nigdy takiego nie powstanie !!!

  17. Phil

    February 28, 2016 at 4:19 pm

    I bought the 9LP version. =)

  18. Steve Rast

    January 6, 2017 at 5:32 pm

    I got the vinyl back in 73 and wore them out. Best live album ever. Bought the CD a couole years ago and still thinks its the best

  19. Zee

    August 18, 2020 at 9:16 pm

    I was 13 when it came out and I still live in it today

  20. Søren Skaarup

    April 21, 2023 at 7:23 pm

    Deep Purple “Made in Japan” was released in december 1972 in Denmark and with a pretty friendly pricing…I’ve bought every new issue during time…I will definately recomend the japanese SHM cd version.
    The sound is crystal clear in comparison to the some what blurry sound of earlier releases.

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