Review by Stephen Raiteri
This special edition three-CD set features the three 1972 concert recordings from which the classic Made in Japan album was selected, remixed, and remastered, and almost complete. A few encores and two songs from Made in Japan had to be left off, as the remaining tracks clock in at over 230 minutes. The band played almost exactly the same set each night, so there's lots of duplication here, but they're in fantastic form throughout most of the performances. The second show, over half of which did make it onto Made in Japan, burns brilliantly and white-hot from start to finish, and there are other new highlights as well, including the wailing encore "Black Night." Only you can decide if you need three 20-minute versions of "Space Truckin'," but for fans this is a valuable set - not only for comparative listening (Jon Lord never plays the intro to "Child in Time" the same way twice), but also for presenting more of the band at and near the height of its powers. This is another fine set released through the efforts of the Deep Purple Appreciation Society, who also provide the excellent liner notes and packaging.