20 Most Important Hard Rock Albums Of All Time
5. Made In Japan - Deep Purple
Out of all the great rock bands to come out of the late 60's, Deep Purple seemed to always have the most class in their music. From their seasoned musicianship to their intelligent chord progressions, everything about the band gave you the impression of professional musicians who just happened to play hard rock. However, once they took to the stage, all bets were off for pure musical anarchy.
Taken from their 1972 tour of Japan, Made in Japan remains one of the greatest live albums in the world of hard rock music. As opposed to using the album as a way to piggyback off their hits, Purple use the opportunity to stretch their songs to unforeseen lengths, like expanding their tune "Space Truckin" to nearly 20 minutes. While it seems like a daunting length for your average hard rock track, the songs on here never waste a second of time, as Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord, and Ian Paice each take solos that hold up as some of the greatest feats of musicianship in pop music.
On the vocal front, the album also features some of Ian Gillan's greatest screams, like on the live juggernaut "Child In Time." Their studio albums may have sold like gangbusters, but Made In Japan just goes to show that the best way to translate hard rock is to deliver it to the people directly.