Made In Japan (The Remastered Edition) [Live]

The road of excess leads to the palace of the most revered heavy metal music. While by modern day standards Deep Purple may not be as immediately noted as Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath as major influences on the heavy metal scene that emerged in their wake, one listen to this sprawling live set recorded over three nights in August 1972 makes this British group’s influence undeniable. Singer Ian Gillan’s falsetto screams on “Child In Time,” his macho swagger at the front of “Strange Kind of Woman,” guitarist Ritchie Blackmore’s dexterous guitar workouts on “Smoke on the Water,” and the 20-minute “Space Truckin’” and the interplay throughout with organist Jon Lord have all been imitated by so many second and third generation groups that these original moves can sound vaguely passé. Only the indulgent drum solo at the center of “The Mule” becomes wearing (and to drum students this is surely not the case). The rest of these extended workouts are enjoyably overblown, indulging in an improvisatory excitement that few groups achieve. The re-mastered edition includes an organ-heavy read of Little Richard’s “Lucille,” the European b-side “Black Night” and “Speed King.”