Immediately after Stathis had sent in his regular review we got this one. Wierd as Stathis usually is the one who gets the promo CDs and none of us had heard of this Mr. No-Rant before. Well, here's his review. I think this reviewer has been seen in English tabloid papers under the name of N.O. Clue.

MiJ25 - another review

Hot on the heels of last year's behemoth of a live set, Live at the Olympia, Deep Purple follow up with another double live album, Made In Japan. This time, they've gone back to basics, in a sense. They've sacked the horn section, gone is the sheer variety of the set list (LATO boasted 17 songs) and the concise nature of the performances- none of the songs on Made In Japan is shorter than 7 minutes, and the longer clocks in at 20. The new boy Ritchie Blackmore, presumably Steve Morse's replacement for this brace of gigs in Japan, acquits himself really well. He's shrewd enough not to tackle any of the Morse-era tracks, and sticks to pre-reunion stuff, plus a cover of an old rock 'n' roll number from a long time ago, Lucille. This is the only criticism that can be aimed at this album, which is musically faultless. It's a testament to the staying power of 25-27-year-old songs such as Smoke on the Water or Child in Time how well they stand up today. It can't hurt that the band were obviously in top form during those three nights in Japan. Well recommended. Buy or die!

I.G. Norant
Music reviewer