Search - Deep Purple :: Last Concert in Japan

I'm afraid it's just bad...

04/21/2002

(2 out of 5 stars)

"...Well as a producer and musician myself there is no way that the abysmal guitar playing and vocals on this live album can be 'fixed in the mix'!I love Bolin's playing on "Come Taste the Band" and even bought the recent California rehearsal tapes he made with the band in '75. However on this Japan concert he was suffering from a serious arm injury (the result of falling asleep comatose on his arm after, you've guessed it, getting stoned.) I mean, just listen... he can't even play the riff to Smoke on the Water correctly and his attempt at the solo is almost laughable if it wasn't for the tragic personal demons that led this ultimately talented guitarist to his death a year later. His playing throughout is truly awful apart from Wild Dogs, a song of his own, on which he gets himself together just about enough to play an acceptable version.There are no such excuses for Coverdale and Hughes' vocals however which are truly terrible. Hughes was Bolin's heroin buddy at the time and Coverdale was said to be unhappy and drunk a lot of the time and boy does it sound like it. I love Coverdale's studio and live work with the Blackmore incarnation of Purple and also his early Whitesnake output but this is definitely his lowest ebb. As for Hughes... sheesh, he sounds out of his head and as if he is just waiting for his next fix.The 2 remaining original Purple members, Lord and Paice sound like desperate men trying to carry 3 members who are simply not cutting it. In fact they do a brilliant job in the circumstances, especially Paice's drumming which is full of fire and inventiveness.So why 2 stars then...? 1 for the version of Wild Dogs and 1 for Lord and Paice's salvage job.This album is Deep Purple's darkest hour, the 4 surviving band members in hindsight all agree with that and the fact this album should never have been released. The album is for completists only or those with a morbid enjoyment of a once great band on it's knees."

A Horrible Mix of Something Wonderful

Joe | Denver, CO | 11/08/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Last Concert in Japan should never have been released. The mix leaves Bolin far too quiet and the song selections from the concert do not show the strength of this lineup. Another unfortunate occurance was that this show was not particularly the best that Purple did on that tour, let alone in Japan. I give the music 5 stars because I have heard it in other forms. This ENTIRE concert is availible on a proper mix on the 2-CD set "This Time Around: Live in Tokyo", and you won't even recognize it compared to this waste of time. But if you want to hear Mk IV at their peak, get "King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents" (or "On the Wings of a Russian Foxbat", same concert) to hear an amazing display of music. The 2 disc Tokyo show or the King Biscuit show is some of the finest live Purple you will ever add to your collection, but avoid this sad release all together."

Not as bad as you heard

carlos | Southamerica | 07/02/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I thought that this cd was a real disaster. Well is not Deep Purple at its best. But actually Tommy Bolin did not played as bad as you may think of. He did an acceptable job. The crowd is excited and this give you real good vibes. You have to remember that Deep Purple had its heyday in the seventies, period. It's not the same thing for them in the nineties when they played in a dusty stadium somewhere in Bolivia. In this concert they played a great venue: the Budokan. They were certainly in their golden age, not their darkest hour. If you are a Blackmore fan you cannot appreciate this CD, but if you like Tommy Bolin you could understand what I am saying."