There are times when words like “classic” or “legendary” feel cheapened by overuse. Lars Ulrich, however, is under no illusion: Made In Japan isn’t just one of those records you nod along to when rock historians bring it up. For him, it is the live hard rock record. Full stop.
Speaking in a new video uploaded to Deep Purple’s official channel, the Metallica drummer doesn’t hedge his bets, doesn’t qualify the statement, he crowns the 1972 double album the outright best of its kind. And he’s not saying it lightly. “I have heard it just about 18,000 times,” he insists, before making the point that every single spin still makes him feel something new. That’s not nostalgia. That’s durability.
Recorded across three nights in Osaka and Tokyo, the original album was already viewed as a high watermark in the live rock canon. Yet, with Steven Wilson’s 50th anniversary remixes and expanded box set, featuring full recordings of all three nights, Ulrich believes the experience has only intensified. “One night Child In Time is this long, the other night it’s that long… Blackmore’s in a different mood, Paice is pushing against him differently, Gillan takes it somewhere else… and it’s all so crazy cool,” he raves. That kind of variation isn’t sloppiness. It’s chemistry captured in real time.
He closes his monologue with the conviction of a man who knows he’s not overselling anything: “In terms of live hard rock and roll, this is as good as it gets. Made In Japan, people. Made In Motherf***ing Japan.”
And while some might accuse Ulrich of excess enthusiasm, even Classic Rock’s own Neil Jeffries couldn’t disagree, awarding the reissue a rare 10/10 and praising Wilson for unearthing hidden subtleties that somehow sat unheard for half a century.
In the end, Ulrich’s giddy reverence rings true: Made In Japan isn’t just an album. It’s a monument to a band at the peak of its powers, one that even five decades on still makes veterans of the genre sit back in awe.
