Deep Purple "Live In Japan" a.k.a. "Made In Japan" 1972*****

I found this LP at a 2nd hand records store in Tokyo; I am quite familiar with the (official, at least) discography of Deep Purple but couldn't recall an LP called Live In Japan. Last Concert In Japan, yes. Τhere it was, also in front of me. I bought that too, because I couldn't resist the serendipity of coming across that LP while travelling in the city where it was recorded. Could this be the classic DP live album Made In Japan, albeit with a different album cover and title? If I could only see the tracklisting I'd know for sure, but that was nowhere to be seen. What the heck, I thought; let's buy it anyway, it's cheap enough. It turns out my suspicion was correct: Indeed, Made In Japan retains this title all around the world with one exception: if it is actually made in Japan, then it's sold under another title. I can imagine the frustration of the Warner Bros Japan executive who had to release this for the Japanese market "Made In Japan? Why, all of our records are made in Japan! No, this is too confusing! Unacceptable, we must call it something else!". So I bought this one again, which is fine; I had it on cassette back in the day, and still have the remastered CD, but a nice gatefold double LP is a thing of beauty - plus, this album has sold more than a million copies in Europe but I'm fairly sure I'm the only person in my neighborhood who owns this particular version. The original international edition, the one everybody except me has, uses the same picture as the remastered CD but the lettering is reversed, black letters on gold background. One of my classmates taped it for me, maybe 40 years ago. "If you listen closely" he told me "you will hear a Japanese fan blowing his own brains out on the balcony". No shit! "Yes shit!" Play-rewind-play-rewind, and yes indeed there it was around 9:45' minutes in during "Child In Time", the unmistakable sound of a gunshot - or is it? There are more plausible theories, such as an amp blowing out, or a spring reverb unit built into Jon Lord's organ suddenly going into action. But the idea of a fan choosing that moment to commit suicide, combined with Gillan's wailing and screaming and lyrics about bullets flying and ricocheting, that is goosebumps-inducing stuff. No wonder this theory was so popular with teenagers in the 80's - though how it proliferated so far and wide in the pre-internet days, I don't know. I myself heard it from a friend who either heard it from a friend, or a pirate radio DJ. Urban myths aside, this live version of "Child In Time" is fantastic - the band were in great form, possibly inspired by the triumphant reception from the Japanese fans: Gillan goes from quiet and emotive to demented-all-hell-breaks-loose screaming, and Blackmore's solos are insane, way faster than the studio version. Opener "Highway Star" is just another amazing performance featuring a brain melting solo with an immense difficulty factor - I remember seeing Blackmore's Rainbow play Monsters Of Rock 2016; he started that concert too with "Highway Star" and we all wondered if he could still play this solo at the age of 70, after a 20-year absence from rock performances; he almost nailed it, which is why his performance from Bietigheim-Bissingen didn't make the cut on the Memories In Rock DVD - they included the performance from Loreley instead. Side B starts with the band introducing "Smoke On The Water" to mild applause; back then, it was just a track from their latest album, which a lot of fans hadn't heard yet. The audience claps along to the intro, which is slightly different to the one we know; instead of repeating the same riff six or seven times, Blackmore plays a variation the second time. Once more, great solos surpassing those of the studio version. Which brings us to the moment everyone dreads during arena rock concerts: the drum solo which takes up most of "The Mule"s 10 minutes. Side C opens with "Strange Kind Of Woman" which I never particularly liked as I considered it too poppy for DP; the live version, though, is pure dynamite. Near the end there's an amusing duel between Gillan and Blackmore, with the singer mimicking the sounds of the electric guitar. "Lazy" takes a long time to warm up; Jon Lord plays an extended jazz intro on the Hammond for a few minutes before the band join him for a great jazz-blues jam; Gillan even blows a mean blues harmonica, which is quite uncharacteristic. All of Side D is taken up by a 20-minute version of "Space Truckin'". People will tell you it's boring and indulgent 70's arena-prog-rock shit. Those people are not your friends. Why would you want to miss the chance to hear what the exhaust pipe of a spaceship would sound like? If sound could travel in space, that is. Now you know: it sounds exactly like Jon Lord's organ, which sounds like nothing else on planet Earth. This is probably the last time that Blackmore and Lord share the spotlight equally as soloists: during the band's early days Lord seemed to have the upper hand; by this time DP had already become Blackmore's band, but the live organ and guitar duels here don't produce a clear winner. It's the incredible virtuosity of these two instrumentalists, along with the undeniable skill of the rhythm section, and -above all- Ian Gillan's unbelievable vocals that have rendered this album the leading candidate for Best Live Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album, ever! Not only that; it's also probably the only classic live album in this genre that doesn't contain any overdubs. Others (Thin Lizzy's Live And Dangerous, Kiss Alive! and Judas Priest's Unleashed in the East, to name just the worst offenders) were almost completely recreated in the studio, but Live In Japan is the pure unadulterated live sound of a monster rock band at the height of their powers.

P.S. The 25th Anniversary Remaster contains a bonus CD with 3 songs from the Japanese tour encores: "Black Night" (previously released only as a single) and "Speed King" come from the August 17 Tokyo date; the former easily outstrips the rather tame studio version, while the latter is a bit messier but still good fun. The bonus CD closes with a cover of Little Richard's classic rockabilly "Lucille" recorded the previous night in Osaka - it's quite entertaining but a bit lightweight compared to the rest of the album. Indeed the classic 7-song version of Live In Japan is just impossible to beat, and the glorious chaos of "Space Truckin'" makes for a perfect ending.

***** for Highway Star, Child In Time, Smoke On The Water 

**** for Strange Kind Of Woman, Lazy, Space Truckin', Black Night (CD), Speed King (CD)

*** for The Mule, Lucille (CD)

Sadistic Mika Band "天晴 (Appare)" 1989****

One of the albums I was looking for during my recent trek of Japanese record stores was 黒船 (Kurofune) by Sadistic Mika Band (SMB). This 1974 LP was kind of historic as the album that literally put Japanese rock on the map. It was produced by big-time British engineer Chris Thomas who had previously worked with The Beatles and was fresh out of mixing Dark Side Of The Moon. It was simultaneously released not only in Japan, but UK and US as well, and later reissued a few times on CD. Imagine my surprise when I couldn't locate a copy in any of the maybe 20 shops I visited - or get a spark of recognition from young record store clerks whom I asked about it. I guess the latter shouldn't surprise me as it seems that all the young people follow is happy go lucky girl- or androgynous and moody boy- bands. In any case, I didn't come up empty handed; I got a vinyl version of Live In London, recorded by the original band around the same time as Kurofune when they were playing British dates alongside Roxy Music. And this reunion CD, chosen purely because of its pretty cover and price - I think it cost around JP¥500 (€3) at second-hand shop Disk Union. SMB were initially formed around husband and wife duo Kazuhiko and Mika Katō. They took inspiration from the nascent glam rock movement in UK, as well as The Beatles - the name was a nod to Lennon and Ono's Plastic Ono Band, with the "Sadistic" part inspired by Mika's attitude with knives in the kitchen. The classic lineup also included Yukihiro Takahashi on drums, lead guitarist Masayoshi Takanaka, and bassist Ray Ohara. Their debut caught the ear of Malcolm McLaren, who passed it on to Bryan Ferry, who introduced the band to Roxy Music producer Chris Thomas, who in turn invited them to UK to record an album together. Soon afterwards, the disintegration of Mika and Kazuhiko's wedding spelled the end of the band; Mika had an affair with, and later married, Chris Thomas. After they, too, divorced, she enrolled in a French culinary school and embarked in a career as a high profile pastry chef and sommelier. Kazuhiko continued either solo or in collaboration with other SMB members as The Sadistics, and in 1989 revived the SMB moniker, enrolling singer Karen Kirishima for the female vocal parts. Renowned composer and pianist Ryuichi Sakamoto assists on keyboards. The CD opens with lead single "Boys & Girls". It has an agreeable Talking Heads-like synth funk flavor, but I found it a bit too commercial sounding, not exactly what I expected from an art-rock band. But then I thought what do you expect, this was the late 80's. Even prog giants like Genesis and Yes, not to mention the band's old friends Roxy Music, had turned to synth-heavy pop songs. It was a hit at the time, helped by its use for a Mazda commercial. The following "脳にファイヤー! Brains On Fire!" suffers from the same 80's plastic synth sound, but it's an even better song with a nice chorus and electric guitar solos giving it a more rock'n'roll flavor. "薔薇はプラズマ (Bara Wa Plasma)" is more atmospheric, with Karen's vocals more to the front. She certainly has a sweeter, arguably better, voice than Mika. "賑やかな孤独 (Nigiyaka Na Kodoku)" and "暮れる想い (Kureru Omoi)" are a couple of beautiful melodic numbers. "42℃のピクニック(42 Degrees No Picnic)" is a poppy number with a catchy English chorus. Karen's vocal and Takanaka's tasty electric guitar solos elevate it greatly. "ダシール・ハメット&ポップコーン (Dashiell Hammet & Popcorn)" is disco-fied new wave, followed by another dancey tune called "Un Coco Loco". The percussion, horns, and partly Spanish lyric, give it a Latin tinge."愛と快楽主義者 (Ai To Kairakushugisha)" is a bluesy song reminiscent of 80's Eric Clapton, while the album closes with "7 Days At Last!" - the sparkling clean production does not disguise an underlying sense of darkness - or am I mistaken? The booklet includes Japanese lyrics, but that's not really helpful for me. In the end, despite the dated production, I really liked this CD. Some tracks were too bright and poppy for my taste, but right when you think you're listening to a typical pop new wave album, the admirable musicianship and sense of melody remind you there's something deeper. Sometimes I'm reminded of 80's prog pop experiments by Talk Talk and Marillion. Let's call it a pop album for musically educated adults.

**** for Boys & Girls, 脳にファイヤー！ Brains On Fire!, 賑やかな孤独 (Nigiyaka Na Kodoku), 暮れる想い (Kureru Omoi), 42℃のピクニック(42 Degrees No Picnic), 愛と快楽主義者 (Ai To Kairakushugisha), 7 days At Last!

*** for 薔薇はプラズマ Bara Wa Plasma,ダシール・ハメット&ポップコーン (Dashiell Hammet & Popcorn), Un Coco Loco

"Rolling Tickets - Live Back-" 1964-1969(rec)1982(comp)*****

Wow, it's been a month to the day - probably the longest time I've been away from you. Truth is, I've been quite busy at work, and then travelling - in Japan, for a large chunk of last month. You can bet I visited a lot of record shops there, and I have the receipts to prove it! I bought mostly albums by Japanese bands, although I found great stuff in all kinds. I'll present as many of my purchases as I can in this blog (notice I've given up on the ambition to present all, or even the bulk of, my collection here). Let's start with this one, by the "Rolling Tickets":

Who are the Rolling Tickets? you ask. Fair question, that's what I asked myself when I came across this LP at the Shinjuku Rock branch of Disk Union. My first guess was some kind of Japanese Rolling Stones tribute band, perhaps? No siree, this is a Japan-only official Rolling Stones compilation. What the hell does the title mean mean, then? Why tickets? Is it a live recording? What does the word back refer to? I guess what we have here is a typical case of Engrish, otherwise known as Japanglish. You'll see it everywhere in Japan, from street signs to slogans on standardized food packages: English phrases that apparently sound good to Japanese ears but make zero sense to English speakers. Something else that makes zero sense to me is the concept of this comp: sure, what we have here is 10 stone cold classics from the 60's. One could argue for the inclusion of "Paint It, Black" and a couple of others, but there's no doubt that the songs included here are among the band's best. For some reason, 4 of them are repeated twice, once in their studio version and once live. Hence the "live" of the title. Each side opens with two versions of one song and closes with two versions of another. Sandwiched between these we get 3 more studio recordings on each side. The LP comes with a big 4-page insert, containing the band's discography, complete lyrics for all the songs with their Japanese translation, and info on the latest 1981-1982 Rolling Stones world tour, as well as a short text on each track. So we learn that 3 out of the 4 live tracks come from Have Live If You Want It ("Under My Thumb","Time Is On My Side" and "Satisfaction") and one from Get Your Ya Ya's Out ("Honky Tonk Women"). The provenance of the rest is less clear: we learn that these are studio recordings (or, in one occasion at least, rocordings) which appear in this or that single, album, or comp, but not which mix is included. I'm guessing it's the US versions (Rolling Stones albums were released with different titles and tracklisting on the two sides of the Atlantic), because the record label is London, Decca's US subsidiary. While I know that some of these early songs were also recorded and released in stereo, the label denotes "mono" so these are the original mono mixes rather than the true stereo ones or the hastily "electronically re-channeled for stereo" ones which are reviled by audiophiles. I confess I have the vinyl "digitally remastered in stereo" reissues of those early US albums, and never had any complaints about the way they sound. Then again, I didn't have the original mono LPs for comparison. Maybe I should listen to them back-to-back with this Japanese comp and see which sounds better. In any case: Rolling Stones compilations are a dime a dozen, but this one may appeal to collectors because it centers on mono mixes exclusively, or because they get to listen the same song in two successive versions, a live and a studio one; notice the difference on the two versions of "Under My Thumb" below.

***** for Under My Thumb, Let's Spend The Night Together, Let It Bleed, You Can't Always Get What You Want, Time Is On My Side, Honky Tonk Women - Live, Honky Tonk Women, Jumpin' Jack Flash, Street Fighting Man, (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction

**** for Under My Thumb - Live, Time Is On My Side - Live, Mona (I Need You, Baby), (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction - Live