MADE IN JAPAN

Remarkably their best selling album in the history of their career, Deep Purple finally came up on top after the success of the double LP Made In Japan (which was sold for the same price of a single album during the holiday season, but released after WDWTWA in '73). The big highlight of this album is a killer version of their hit single Smoke On The Water, which sounds, in my opinion, better than the studio original despite Ian's crippling vocals after recovering from brochitis. However, the song holds up well, at almost 7.5 minutes, with Ritchie's growling guitar licks and Jon's mega-mechanical sawtooth Hammond organ. Highway Star (also at 7 minutes) also takes the crowd by storm rolling out faster than the original (Ritchie almost loses it during his solo) but just an exciting tune to hear live. Child In Time becomes even more dramatic than its studio counterpart with a longer jam, 12.5 minutes to be exact, between Ritchie and Jon. The Mule was one minor upset by allowing Ian Paice some elbow room for a lengthy 8 minute drum solo (only a minute and a half of the melody is heard with another tagged at the end).

Gotta take a listen to Strange Kind Of Woman (8.5 minutes), wich includes the surprise guitar/vocal interplay with the audience (classic DP!). Then Lazy comes in with a lengthy blues jam (about 11 minutes worth) until the final track, Space Truckin', makes the big closer. The tune, being a gargantuan 20 minute medley, ST includes remnants of earlier DP tracks like Mandrake Root and Fools.

If one comes across the recent CD reissue, there's a bonus added: the encores. This includes the previously released Black Night (from 24 Karat Purple CD), and two unrealeased recordings of Speed King and a cover of Little Richard's Lucille.