MY FIRST LOVE

Deep Purple MADE IN JAPAN

The Swedish shred star reflects on the live album that impacted him more than any other.

“I was nine or ten years old when my elder brother brought home Made In Japan. I’d already heard Deep Purple’s In Rock and Fireball, both of which had affected me in Biblical proportions.

I went out and got Machine Head because I had loved Made In Japan so much. But as a naïve little kid from Sweden I couldn’t understand why Lazy and Space Truckin’ had suddenly become so short.

“No other live album had such a huge impact on me. Made In Japan had so much crazy energy, man.

Back then, without the internet, MP3 players and thousands of radio stations to choose from, hearing a new record for the first time was such a religious experience. I actually wore out three or four copies of the vinyl edition.

“I often listened to the album with Blackmore’s solos turned down, replacing them with my own and recording them on to this cassette player of my uncle’s. I took the tapes into school saying: ‘Listen to this.’ My friends would go: ‘Yeah, Made In Japan. So what?’ But it was me playing the guitar! I had everything down so faithfully; I even knew when Blackmore touched his pick-up switch, so I did the same thing.

“Even now, when I put on Made In Japan in my car I still go: ‘Fuck! This is an incredible album.”’