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Alistair Tait Profile
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Registered: 04-2004
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Made In Japan - a review


Often considered to be one of the best live albums from its era, I decided to have a re-listen to the great Made In Japan album last Saturday afternoon (between the Six Nations rugby matches!).

The album kicks off with a storming rendition of Highway Star. You can really hear the power of the band with this song. Everything is solid and it sounds hot! Ian Paice’s drumming is fantastically tight and he really makes the band work. The energy continues with Child In Time and Smoke On The Water – despite being taken from different concerts! Excellent stuff though all the same!

Down point number one however comes with Mr Paice’s drum solo in The Mule. Drum solos are so bloody boring it’s unreal! The beginning of the track is played well though with lots of power. Generally speaking though this isn’t a great song.

Normal service is resumed when Strange Kind Of Woman comes blasting through the speakers! A great song this, and brilliantly played on this album. The middle interplay bit is bizarre in that Ian Gillan does at times actually sound like a guitar!! There is a bluesy vibe here going on here which (with hindsight) gives us a little indication of what was to come in later years. The version of Lazy is absolutely brilliant here and possibly the best song on the album.

Space Truckin’ clocks in at an astonishingly long 19 minutes. I’m sure this is going to annoy a few people here, but I find this to be really, really, really boring! The organ and guitar solos are nothing special and overall it’s a poor way to finish a damn good live album. I’m not a big fan of extended solos of any kind (in general) and find that this album suffers from their inclusion. But that was the ‘70’s for ya. No wonder punk came along!

Disc 2 has the encores. I remember reading an article with Ian Paice saying something along the lines that he could really hear the differences between the album disc and the encore disc when it was remastered. He said that the latter is a lot looser in feel and you could tell they were enjoying themselves. Totally agree there! The band sound a lot more relaxed on Black Night (which is a kicking version), Speed King and Lucille. All good stuff.

Overall, a great album although that is a bit of an obvious statement to make on a Deep Purple fan forum! I am pretty critical of the way the band has went in the past 25 years, but this album really shows what a good band they once were. The only downsides are the extended solos which I for one could do without hearing again.

Food for thought… stick this on, and then have a listen to Nobody’s Perfect! Same set, some difference!!!
27/2/2008, 18:25 Link to this post Send Email to Alistair Tait   Send PM to Alistair Tait
 
awiddlebored Profile
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Re: Made In Japan - a review


quote:

Alistair Tait wrote:

Often considered to be one of the best live albums from its era, I decided to have a re-listen to the great Made In Japan album last Saturday afternoon (between the Six Nations rugby matches!).

The album kicks off with a storming rendition of Highway Star. You can really hear the power of the band with this song. Everything is solid and it sounds hot! Ian Paice’s drumming is fantastically tight and he really makes the band work. The energy continues with Child In Time and Smoke On The Water – despite being taken from different concerts! Excellent stuff though all the same!

Down point number one however comes with Mr Paice’s drum solo in The Mule. Drum solos are so bloody boring it’s unreal! The beginning of the track is played well though with lots of power. Generally speaking though this isn’t a great song.

Normal service is resumed when Strange Kind Of Woman comes blasting through the speakers! A great song this, and brilliantly played on this album. The middle interplay bit is bizarre in that Ian Gillan does at times actually sound like a guitar!! There is a bluesy vibe here going on here which (with hindsight) gives us a little indication of what was to come in later years. The version of Lazy is absolutely brilliant here and possibly the best song on the album.

Space Truckin’ clocks in at an astonishingly long 19 minutes. I’m sure this is going to annoy a few people here, but I find this to be really, really, really boring! The organ and guitar solos are nothing special and overall it’s a poor way to finish a damn good live album. I’m not a big fan of extended solos of any kind (in general) and find that this album suffers from their inclusion. But that was the ‘70’s for ya. No wonder punk came along!

Disc 2 has the encores. I remember reading an article with Ian Paice saying something along the lines that he could really hear the differences between the album disc and the encore disc when it was remastered. He said that the latter is a lot looser in feel and you could tell they were enjoying themselves. Totally agree there! The band sound a lot more relaxed on Black Night (which is a kicking version), Speed King and Lucille. All good stuff.

Overall, a great album although that is a bit of an obvious statement to make on a Deep Purple fan forum! I am pretty critical of the way the band has went in the past 25 years, but this album really shows what a good band they once were. The only downsides are the extended solos which I for one could do without hearing again.

Food for thought… stick this on, and then have a listen to Nobody’s Perfect! Same set, some difference!!!



 I agree wholeheartedly about the extended solos. Space Truckin the song sounds great, however I always find myself moving ahead before the long drawn out solos.
 The Mule was an incredibly weak song to begin with and to include it in the set with an incredibly boring drum solo was a complete waste of space. I always forward past that rubbish.
 Both songs could have been replaced with the songs from the second CD, minus that poor version of Speed King, which I've heard much better from them including the Scandinavian Nights set.

---
"Blahh blahh blahh..gurgle gurgle gurgle..lickety split..seniorita said." Ian Gillan - Knebworth 85
1/3/2008, 15:49 Link to this post Send Email to awiddlebored   Send PM to awiddlebored
 
The Gypsy7 Profile
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Re: Made In Japan - a review


For me, Space Truckin´ is easily the best track on Made in Japan. Can´t get enough of it. emoticon
1/3/2008, 16:00 Link to this post Send Email to The Gypsy7   Send PM to The Gypsy7
 
doggone Profile
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Re: Made In Japan - a review


I like long solo's in DP. RB and JL know how to keep them interesting, unlike most other bands who try to jam but can't. (LZ being a perfect example). This is what made Purple a notch above the rest IMHO.
2/3/2008, 22:21 Link to this post Send Email to doggone   Send PM to doggone
 
Alistair Tait Profile
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Re: Made In Japan - a review


quote:

doggone wrote:

I like long solo's in DP. RB and JL know how to keep them interesting, unlike most other bands who try to jam but can't. (LZ being a perfect example). This is what made Purple a notch above the rest IMHO.



Totally, totally, totally disagree there mate! The band aint jamming - it's Jon Lord or Ritchie Blackmore soloing to Ian Paice's drum beat. Hardly jamming! Bores the !@#$ out of me. Saying that though, Led Zep have the same effect - I just aint a fan of pointless extended jamming.

They sound good when they're playing the songs though.
3/3/2008, 11:49 Link to this post Send Email to Alistair Tait   Send PM to Alistair Tait
 
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Re: Made In Japan - a review


So Ali, you'd rather it were as they are today, in terms of more songs versus extended solo's?
I'm with you on that, but at the same time would not have been as impressed with their stage show in 69 - 73 without that approach... I just wouldn't honor it since 1984.

Thanks for another good, albeit a bit brief but to the point review.
3/3/2008, 18:38 Link to this post Send Email to Gillans micstand
 
Alistair Tait Profile
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Re: Made In Japan - a review


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Gillans micstand wrote:

So Ali, you'd rather it were as they are today, in terms of more songs versus extended solo's?



Aye pretty much! I would've love to have heard the original Mk II have a bash at playing Pictures Of Home, Fools, Living Wreck, Demons Eye etc night in night out rather than have The Mule in all its glory.

Drums solos - you had to be there to enjoy them... unless you're a drummer that is!!
4/3/2008, 13:39 Link to this post Send Email to Alistair Tait   Send PM to Alistair Tait
 
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Re: Made In Japan - a review


Same here, all of those tracks, although reworked for the stage in the oh so good way they did in those days, unlike the somewhat scripted approach they have tend to have now.
4/3/2008, 13:52 Link to this post Send Email to Gillans micstand
 
Alistair Tait Profile
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Re: Made In Japan - a review


I listened to this again last night and just cannot get over how good Ian Gillan sounds on this album! Ive got a new appreciation for the guy...
15/3/2008, 10:12 Link to this post Send Email to Alistair Tait   Send PM to Alistair Tait
 
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Re: Made In Japan - a review


Brilliant live album, and Highwat Star, Smoke, CIT, SKOW and lazy are all fantastic...but I too could do without The Mule and Space Trucking.

But that was how things were back then...most bands I went to see featured long drum solos. The best 2 drum solos I remember were Cozy Powell with Rainbow, and the guy out of an American band I can't remember the name of now, but he played the drum solo with his hands, no sticks, damn, what was the band called? Not The Ozark Mountain Daredevils, was it? I know they did a song called Hot Rod, or something.

---
"I play the way I do because it allows me to come up with the sickest sounds possible. That's the point now isn't it?"
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