Deep Purple at Nippon Budokan, August 17, 1972. (Photo: Koh Hasebe/Shinko Music/Getty Images; used with permission)
On August 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. A new Super Deluxe Edition of the landmark release is coming August 15, 2025, via Rhino/Warner Records. The collection features new stereo and Dolby ATMOS mixes of the original by acclaimed producer Steven Wilson, all three concerts newly remixed by Richard Digby Smith, and several rare single edits. The 5-CD/Blu-ray set is available for pre-order in the U.S. here and in the U.K. here. [A 2-LP version of Steven Wilson remixes is available for pre-order in the U.K. here.]
From the June 18 announcement: 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.
The band enlisted engineer Martin Birch—who had worked on several of their best-known studio albums—to record the shows to eight-track tape at Festival Hall in Osaka and the Budokan in Tokyo. The performances on the Super Deluxe Edition capture Deep Purple at full throttle, powering through songs from their then-new album Machine Head, along with classic rock favorites like “Child In Time,” “Strange Kind Of Woman,” and “Speed King.” The collection also includes rare single edits, like the German version of “Black Night” and the Mexican edit of “Space Truckin’.”
Originally intended as a Japan-only release, the double live album became a surprise global phenomenon. Released in the U.K. in December 1972 and in the U.S. the following March, Made in Japan went Platinum in America and several European countries.
As Best Classic Bands noted in its Album Rewind: Between 1970 and 1972, Deep Purple had produced Deep Purple In Rock, Fireball and Machine Head with this lineup, building up their worldwide profile with successful tours from Scandinavia to Australia, Italy to North America. But this was a band about to implode: by June 1973 Gillan and Glover would be gone, but not before a few more triumphs, trials and tribulations.
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.”
Deep Purple Made in Japan Super Deluxe Edition 5-CD/Blu-ray Track Listing
Deep Purple, Made in Japan, Super Deluxe Edition pack shot.
CD One: Original Album (2025 Steven Wilson Remix)
“Highway Star”
“Child In Time”
“Smoke On The Water”
“The Mule”
“Strange Kind Of Woman”
“Lazy”
“Space Truckin’”
CD Two: Osaka, August 15, 1972
“Highway Star”
“Smoke On The Water”
“Child In Time”
“The Mule” (Drum Solo)
“Strange Kind Of Woman”
“Lazy”
“Space Truckin’”
CD Three: Osaka, August 16, 1972
“Highway Star”
“Smoke On The Water”
“Child In Time”
“The Mule” (Drum Solo)
“Strange Kind Of Woman”
“Lazy”
“Space Truckin’”
CD Four: Tokyo, August 17, 1972
“Highway Star”
“Smoke On The Water”
“Child In Time”
“The Mule” (Drum Solo)
“Strange Kind Of Woman”
“Lazy”
“Space Truckin’”
CD Five: The Encores
“Black Night” (Osaka, August 15, 1972)
“Speed King” (Osaka, August 15, 1972)
“Black Night” (Osaka, August 16, 1972)
“Lucille” (Osaka, August 16, 1972)
“Black Night” (Tokyo, August 17, 1972)
“Speed King” (Tokyo, August 17, 1972)
Single Edits
“Black Night” (German Single Edit)
“Space Truckin’” (Mexican Single Edit)
“Smoke On The Water” (U.S. Single Edit)
Blu-ray
Made in Japan – Steven Wilson Atmos Mix
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