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Rating:
THE REVIEW
Despite the majority of Deep Purple fans, I am one of those who love Mk IV, the lineup with guitarist Tommy Bolin replacing Blackmore. With him, Deep Purple released only one album, the excellent (in my opinion...) "Come Taste The Band," and the subsequent customary tour.
One of the first stops of that tour was precisely the Budokan Hall in Tokyo, where the five recorded a series of four sold-out nights!! (not a small feat considering it's a 15,000-seat auditorium). From those concerts, this vinyl was derived, released however only in 1977, after the lineup had already dissolved. But let's move on to the analysis of this masterpiece.
As soon as I lower the needle, the notes of "Burn" immediately start, a classic piece of the group with the riff performed excellently by Bolin. It is followed by "Love Child" from the new record, a classic Deep Purple song, with a blazing keyboard solo that continues relentlessly into the next "You Keep On Movin'", one of the best pieces from the album, performed even better than the original. Then a surprise, as Bolin grabs the microphone and performs his "Wild Dogs" from his album teaser! The song is a beautiful six-minute ballad accompanied by the excellent Paice as always. Another piece from the new record, the incredibly fast "Lady Luck" is a hard rock gem. The song ends while Coverdale makes a prologue for "Smoke On The Water" which Bolin doesn't ruin at all; in fact, he adds an excellent Clapton-style guitar solo. The seventh track is "Soldier Of Fortune" performed in a very short but splendid version thanks to Coverdale's interpretation.
The last two gems of the album are the instrumental part of "Woman From Tokyo", in a few words a keyboard solo from the masterly Lord as usual, and finally, a beautiful rendition of the classic from mk II, namely "Highway Star" where the audience literally goes wild!
I conclude by saying that it's a magnificent album, that every rock fan in general should own. Personally, it is one of my favorite live records, I recommend it, especially the vinyl, to truly savor the essence of a real Deep Purple concert.
See you soon, BYEEEEEE!
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Summary by Bot
This review celebrates Deep Purple's 'Last Concert in Japan,' capturing the iconic Mk IV lineup with Tommy Bolin. The live performance features powerful renditions of classic and new tracks, including Bolin's unique contributions. Praised as a must-have for rock fans, especially on vinyl, the album perfectly conveys the energy and skill of the band on stage. The reviewer strongly recommends it as one of the best live rock records.Tracklist Lyrics
Deep Purple
English rock band formed in 1968, pioneers of hard rock. Best-known for classic lineups (notably Mark II) and landmark releases such as Machine Head and the live double Made in Japan.82 Reviews
