| On August 15th, 1972, the lauded Mk2 line-up of Deep Purple featuring Ian Gillan, Ritchie Blackmore, Roger Glover, Jon Lord & Ian Paice took the stage in Japan for the first of three shows that would give rise to one of rock’s most celebrated live albums, “Made In Japan”. This just announced new Super Deluxe Edition of the landmark release features new stereo and Dolby Atmos mixes of the original live recording by acclaimed producer Steven Wilson, alongside all three concerts newly remixed by Richard Digby Smith, and several rare single edits. |
| Wilson harnesses the raw energy of the original tapes in his new stereo and Atmos mixes. “It’s all completely as it happened on the night,” he says. “The album has a power and sense of abandon that they never quite captured in the studio. Hopefully this new mix makes it feel even more like you’re there.” |
“Made in Japan” – recorded over three nights in August 1972 at venues around Japan, this was the album that sent Deep Purple into the stratosphere and cemented their place in rock history. Deep Purple’s three concerts in Japan in August 1972 — Osaka on Aug. 15th and 16th, and Tokyo on Aug. 17th were originally whittled down for a seven-song double album for release in that country later that year. The U.K. version of the LP was released in late 1972, with the U.S. following in March 1973.
“It’s all completely as it happened on the night,” Wilson notes in a press release announcing the set. “The album has a power and sense of abandon that they never quite captured in the studio. Hopefully, this new mix makes it feel even more like you’re there.”
Steven Wilson’s remix of Deep Purple’s classic 1972 live album “Made in Japan” will be released as part of a deluxe 5CD and blu-ray set in August. The primary purpose was to create 5.1 and Atmos versions, as the original stereo is definitive and one of the best sounding live records of all time. Still the record company have elected to also include my new stereo mix – a step along the way to creating the surround versions – on one CD of the set, and on 2 vinyl records included with a 10LP set.
The performances on “Made in Japan” were recorded economically on 6 channels of an 8 track tape (the remaining 2 recording the sound of the audience and hall ambience), so making the surround versions was a question of spreading these elements out around the listener without losing the fire and directness that makes this one of the greatest live records. My hope is that hearing it in this way makes it feel even more like you’re there, a new experience of something that will be instantly familiar to people who love this record, but also one where they can hear it in a fresh way.
“On Aug. 15, 1972, Deep Purple took the stage in Japan for the first of three shows that would give rise to one of rock’s most celebrated live albums, Made In Japan. This Super Deluxe Edition of the landmark release arrives exactly 53 years after the first performance was recorded. Made In Japan Super Deluxe Edition) features new stereo and Dolby ATMOS mixes of the original album by acclaimed producer Steven Wilson, all three concerts newly remixed by Richard Digby Smith, and several rare single edits. Singer Ian Gillan, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, keyboardist Jon Lord, bassist Roger Glover and drummer Ian Paice — Deep Purple’s famed Mk II lineup — turned studio staples like Smoke On The Water, Highway Star and Space Truckin’ into explosive live statements. “We came halfway around the world and found the audience singing every word. It was magical,” Glover recalls in the collection’s liner notes. Wilson harnesses the raw energy of the original tapes in his new mixes. “It’s all completely as it happened on the night,” he says. “The album has a power and sense of abandon that they never quite captured in the studio. Hopefully this new mix makes it feel even more like you’re there.”
“The Made in Japan” 5CD/blu-ray and 10LP vinyl editions are released on 15th August.
The Fat Angel Sings 