Deep Purple's «Made in Japan» against Led Zep's «How The West Was Won»

I have heard both records many times the last days... I read the rave reviews about Led Zeppelin triple-live record and it seems that it belongs to the best (Hard Rock) live recordings.

For my musical understanding Deep Purple's Made in Japan is the definite winner!!! Made in Japan has no weakness... except for the drumsolo, but the other songs are unbelievable! I have not the same feeling, when I heard How The West Was won... some great songs and some which sounds like fillers (IMHO).

Both live recordings present the groups at their height, but what's your opinion against Deep Purple's classic Made in Japan?

 

Nothing more than the best live rock album ever recorded, IMHO.

But of course, that boils down to personal tastes. While HTWWW is an outstanding historical document, it does not represent a snapshot in time as well as a coherent performance as does MIJ.

Dut Dut Duhhhhhh, Dut Dut, Duh Duhhhh.......

Note: If you don't understand what I just typed, please reference:

Butthead, Beavis and......

BGL

 

How the West was Won is a better staged concert and set. I could have lived without Moby Dick but then again this is Bonzo in 73.
It would have been better too with Tangerine and Thank You but I have no complaints. Best live recording I own except Live at Leeds Complete(boot).

Joe

 

Wasn't Made in Japan originally issued to the Japanese market exclusively? I seem to remember it as a hot import, that subsequently gained an international release.

Even though there are some dynamic performances on MIJ, I always felt that it was was weighed down by too many lengthy tracks that I never listen to all the way through. I can't recall the last time I heard the end of Space Truckin'. The last time I heard the end of the drum solo was sometime in the year it was first released. Songs from 1 album dominate the set so much, we used to call the album "Machine Head Live".

While the Zep set has many of the same flaws (songs too long, long drum solo), if you eliminate some of them, you can get a pretty good cross section of their entire career up till that point. I voted for Zeppelin.

 

Right... the same sucessfully story like Cheap Trick's "At Budokan"

 

Actually, it does, BG. The Deep Purple MIJ performances were cobbled together from the best performances of three different shows on different nights and in different venues in Japan. There is an import 3 CD set of the remaining performances and explanations for why certain performances were culled from each specific gig to release the original album.

HTWWW is also assembled from two close proximity gigs on the same tour at different venues in Calfornia.

BTW, while I greatly admire MIJ, it has always been a minor annoyment that Ritchie Blackmore muffs the openning of Smoke On the Water and then starts it over; the versions from the other performances are equally flawed for different reasons, albeit enjoyable. Nevertheless, I've always wondered if Blackmore found amusement in tossing in sour/missed notes and false starts in this their arguably greatest number.


Cat

 

Muffs it??????? Geesh, I am no band historian, but I always LIKED the way he hit the whammy bar during the opening.

And besides, how the hell can you muff the intro to Smoke on the Water?!?!?!?!

In my youth, whenever I would play that riff (come on now, how many people of a certain age that picked up the guitar DID NOT try to play SOTW???) I would try to play it the way he played it live.

You have shattered my dreams!!!!!

BGL

 

Ritchie didn't screw up the intro on SOTW on Made In Japan. He did however screw up the intro on SOTW the next 2 nights in Japan. The SOTW found on Made In Japan is from the 1st night. The next 2 nights where he screws up the inro can be found on the 3 CD set Live In Japan. Great set!!!

 

Dreams restored!

BGL

 

Roger that.

I have a bad habit of getting HTWWW and the live DVD bass-ackwards.

BGL

 

re: drum solos

Heh. My fave part of most shows is the drum solo, and by far my ultimate drummers are Paice and Bonham. I'm always a little amazed that people are turned off by the drummer finally getting a little room to move around the kit and show his stuff.

Sadly, I never saw either of these two in concert, but I find it amusing that when a drum solo starts, and people shuffle off to the rest room, I get to move up for a closer look, and often, a better seat.

 

Led Zep's songs arrangements and production was much better than Deep Purple... hear the songs on Led Zep III and IV. But they couldn't play live all the fine arrangements... similar problem like ELP.

Deep Purple exceeded their studio arrangements... Smoke On The Water, Lazy, Strange Kind Of Woman or Highway Star smokes the studio versions. For me... Deep Purple was the "better" Live band!

 

I agree. Both were powerful live acts but DP was "on" more nights than Zep were. Zep did change up their set list way more than Purple did so that could be a factor and they played longer sets.

 

It's the same with Jimmy Page and Ritchie Blackmore... Page is a brilliant studio guitarist... he could transfer the feeling onto tape! I missed that playing by Ritchie Blackmore... he was never a very good rhythmguitarist... and thanks God, he was "supported" by Jon Lord, who played rhythm fills like a guitarplayer, otherwise he couldn't improvise so good...

 

Well, I like that version of the song too, but I've always been left with the inescapable impression that it was a loose start that Ritchie and the boys (of summer) started over, probably because one or more of the other band members wasn't ready when Ritchie hit the first notes. To my way of thinking, the live version of "Smoke..." that was released on Deep Purple "In Concert" is much tighter, but the recording quality isn't nearly as good as the performance itself. It's hard to fault the live recordings made during the Japan tour.

As for Jimmy Page, it's readily apparent watching the band's progress on the DVD set from the early B&W TV performances right up through Earl's Court that they started off fairly tight, but as Jimmy & Robert got more and more into improvising Led Zep became less and less polished (i.e., rehersed) as a live act. That isn't to say that they didn't perform excellent live shows, but one reason I think that Zeppelin seems so hit and miss is due to their extended songs allowing too much opportunity for Page and Plant to "derail." On HTWWW, my favorite performances are on that first CD, including a killer version of "Black Dog" that's the signature live version of that song as far as I'm concerned.


Cat

 

Not even Purple can touch this live Zeppelin set, I'm going with Zeppelin.

 

MIJ is for me memories of beer, snacks, my dorm and loud, loud music. As nothing can beat that, did I go with MIJ.

I did also like Deep Purple live better than Led Zep, the times that I saw them. Even if Uriah Heep played the **** out of Deep Purple at Sweden Rock Festival in '94. (Well, it was still Karlshamn Rock Festival then).

If any of you happened to be there, and heard a drunk guy shout Uriah Heep all through the Deep Purple concert, then have you meet me!

 

Rainbow's "On Stage" is also a very good live document - very raw performances, which blows away their studio counterparts.

I have seen Rainbow (R. Blackmore-Ronnie J. Dio-Jimmy Bain-Cozy Powell-Tony Carey) in 77... an awesome performance. Particulary the last song and Yardbirds cover "Still I'm Sad" was outstanding... by the way this track was recorded in Cologne, Germany for "On Stage".

 

Led Zepplin would win hand's down from me. I have my own personal reasons for not liking Blackmore as well as Ronnie James Dio.

 

Care to expound? We all know how wierd Blackmore is (sort of the Phil Spector of the guitar world) but what about Dio?

Oh, I agree with Claus about Purple vs. Zep live. Although the new Zep stuff is awesome, DP at their peak were consistently great. They just couldn't seem to get it together in the studio after Machine Head.

 

Rainbow Live In Germany 2 CD set is even better since it's the full set taken from the German tour.

 

I expounded a while back on this matter

It's a long read but the info is here, http://www.stevehoffman.tv/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=14614&highlight=Arch+Top+Guitar

 

Consider my vote a tie. It's like being forced to choose between either your left or right leg; you need both. They're each indispensable recordings, and pretty damn great.

Josh

 

My vote goes for Deep Purple. I saw Zeppelin several times in the early '70's and admit that they were excellent live, but overall I prefer their studio releases. In the early '70's, Deep Purple were a powerhouse live, and I loved the way that Blackmore and Lord fed off of each other in concert. They pushed each other to play better, which to me is where live Zeppelin were lacking, because they were based primarily on Jimmy Page's guitar work. Basically, Zepp lacked the instrumental fire that Blackmore and Lord produced.





Ed Hurdle
HeavyDistortion

 

I only can agree to your statement!