Deep Purple
Made in Japan

The question here isn't whether you own 'Made In Japan', but: which version do you have? This isn't an album to review, but it's worth opening a small technical discussion, probably reserved for the most fierce fans but useful to all rock lovers (in general, and concert performances in particular) to understand how to craft the greatest live album in the history of rock. What is so universal and effective in this album, and what did Deep Purple have during those three days that they didn't have before or after?

Neither before, nor after, indeed. Given that there appears to be no complete video footage of those three August concerts, and knowing the Japanese, this is quite strange, the only reference performance is 'Denmark 1972', available for a modest price on DVD (and I recommend it because it also contains the only available excerpt from the 1973 American tour, which we mention right away because it pertains to our discussion). Great performance in Denmark, one of the band's best (along with those of 1970), but it's absolutely not the same thing. In February, Deep Purple didn't sound like they did six months later in the land of the rising sun. Nine months later, in the States, the stage performance was frankly disappointing, confused, and reductive in the attempt to vary the versions and approach to historic tracks, still a great listen but if that had been the standard of Mark II, we'd be here praising 'Made In Europe', not Tokyo and Osaka.

Deep Purple's sound has evolved constantly through the studio albums, with the only exception being 'Deep Purple' (a slight step back compared to 'Book Of Taliesyn'). Jon Lord (R.I.P.) recounts that the discovery of the definitive keyboard sound, which he called The 'Beast', left him bewildered and it took months and months to master it until he found the compromise. He doesn't explain it clearly, but it's understood that he had forsaken the Leslies (with some regret) and routed everything directly through the Marshalls, more controllable in terms of volume. A nice pedal, and probably the same compressor as Blackmore, allowed him to 'open' the sound to controlled distortion (on 'Fireball' and 'Machine Head', mostly dedicated to riffs) and maintain the beautiful Hammond sound of 'Concerto for Group and Orchestra' when he wanted, with no overlap of notes. Since Ritchie is known for not holding riffs for long periods, at least not consistently (except on 'Smoke On The Water'), Jon could play them entirely with a guitar effect (see 'Space Truckin’') and freely launch into solos (polyphonic or monophonic) without changing effects, which in 1972 wasn't straightforward. For the record, Ken Hensley chose instead to maintain the rotating Leslie effect (we hear it particularly on 'July Morning'), which made Uriah Heep a hard rock band with a significantly less granitic sound, softer, in harmony with the quasi-progressive style that also characterizes them through the choruses.

On 'Made In Japan', the keyboard is rendered superbly, in the bright tones of the solo parts as in the heavy bass and polyphonic riffs. However, the drum sound of Paice isn't very well curated; the larger toms sound dull while the cymbals are equalized only sufficiently, and what ultimately renders the performance quality is precisely the drummer's peculiar technique, which works a lot with hi-hats and cymbals (if it had been John Bonham, such equalization would have been ruinous). The reason why 'The Mule' solo, excellent from a technical standpoint, isn't generally mentioned among the memorable ones in rock history probably lies in the somewhat dull sound (referring to both the best vinyl edition, the 180 gr., and the USA CD remaster) and certainly doesn't reward Ian Paice's continual tom/cymbal work. This is definitely one of the sound recording flaws that led Blackmore and Gillan not to initially endorse the album's release.

Like Jon Lord, Roger Glover must also be pleased with what the album gives him in terms of sound and instrument perception. 'Machine Head', and even before 'Led Zeppelin II', are two great examples of how the bass sound can be placed in the right spotlight ('Lemon Song', 'Pictures Of Home') without unnaturally covering non-dedicated frequencies, and it's a huge task, as those who play and swear in the studio know from the mixer. It was even harder live in '72, and indeed there are many live performances from the period where the bassist at times seems to have gone to the bar ('Tokyo Tapes' is one of those). To not interfere with the kick drum and snare, the bass speakers were kept to the minimum necessary (both in number and volume) and I'd bet the dedicated monitor cabinets were practically mute, which confirms for me that the bassists of the era were heroic and much more talented than generally recognized.

The Lord/Blackmore interplay and its sound resolution are nonetheless the foundational element of Deep Purple's sound in 1971-72, and considering Lord's arrangements are more than satisfactory, it remains to be seen what happens on the guitar's side. The masterpiece of the Purple sound, especially live, is indeed Blackmore's instrument, and it's not even the sound engineers' skill; it's Ritchie himself working superbly. He doesn't have Hendrix's and Page's wah-wah, he has no distortion units because he's often inclined to arpeggiate, a bit of sustain and distortion is provided by the Marshalls, and the rest is done by a compressor and some caution in desk mixer equalization (probably some reverb on the 'classical' parts and a touch of flanger). At this point, it's all in the fingers, fellow guitarists: you've all understood that the Man In Black is exquisite and incredibly fierce in left-hand finger tremolo, stopping all non-resonant strings with the right hand (even in frequent swappings), adjusting intensity and volume with the right hand before even using the pedal, and avoiding double or triple note riffs to bare necessity, as there's Lord to support them. A heavy and clean sound, bright on the chords, fast but never overlapping: he allows himself to play Lazy and Child In Time without changing guitars or effects, and one is a clean boogie, the other requires a distorted solo. I adore Jimmy Page, but Blackmore's sound control is supernatural and never replicated in hard rock.

We come to the end laughing at Gillan's claims about his supposed bronchitis during those three Japanese nights because if he sings Child In Time like that with a ruined throat... the sound engineers have done a good job because the microphone is directional and well aimed, no other sound enters, and the voice is well positioned (most often on the left channel). It's noteworthy that the Purple Mobile Sound Unit does almost all the work; the legendary Japanese expertise is still in its early stages, and the contribution provided is useful but not essential (just listen to 'In Concert 1972' to test the EMI engineers' skill, although recording in a BBC theater is a bit different). The sonic highlights of 'Made In Japan' are probably 'Smoke On The Water', 'Strange Kind Of Woman', and 'Space Truckin' (the latter particularly because the final groove risked being muddled) but the whole album maintains more than satisfactory sound quality, slightly lacking in high frequencies but it was a persistent issue in 1972. The main merit, as we have seen, belongs to the band itself, playing at their peak while carefully separating parts and distinguishing roles, no one goes above the others and the overall rendition gains immeasurably. The final proof is in the encores the exhausted Deep Purple granted at the end of each night, all played without clarity and with palpable fatigue. With the sole exception of an exhilarating Black Night, the one that ended up on a single, the Purple seemed drunk and staggered conspicuously, and this terribly affected the sound, confused and overlapping to the point it sounds like another band. They had excellent reasons, I'd say.