Deep Purple, Made in Japan

Sometimes I'm not in the mood for the drum solo in the Mule but its still a brilliant drum solo. A must have for any Metal heads past and present.

Deep Purple Mk II was arguably the best incarnation of the group, and with tracks from In Rock, Machine Head and Fireball on the set list, Made in Japan is for me the yardstick by which all other rock genre live albums should be judged. I won't froth obsequiously about the talented individuals, as that's been done 1000 times. For me it was how it all came together on the day, and how the Strat/Hammond created a combination that was unique, but also so right.

From the stills of the show it's clear Gillan et al had to work very hard to get the otherwise polite, but a little scared Tokyo kids enthused. By doing so they captured for posterity what it means to put on a live show. Most of the songs are better than their studio counterparts; find me a band from the last 20 years that can make a similar claim!