what a cd!!! - i was really impressed with this cd. if you are a longtime fan of the deep purple family tree, or just a fan of good old school hard rock , this cd is great, joe lynn turner is amazing ,and is glenn hughes and the band doesnt miss a .beat the sound quality is simply stunning.so buy it ,get some friends,some drinks warn the neighbors and crank it up
Interesting collaboration by two second tier rockers. - I bought this Live In Tokyo with some hestitation. First off, Hughes already destroyed Japan with his own band of musical mercenaries in the 1990 s, and a damn fine job he did. He also has managed to release a long string of always interesting musical projects for the world to hear. Jolene, on the other hand, has not exactly set the world on fire since leaving Rainbow and Deep Purple. I avoided the two HTP studio albums like the plague, but took the chance on a live setting either making or breaking them for me. Well, other than an original composition that s a complete steal of Highway Star as a concert opener, the album starts well. Too much howling and screaming for my taste, and being forced to listen to Jolene scream is a nerve shatterer. Both Joe and Glenn try to upstage each other, which is only annoying because their band is completely smoking them in every song. The band plays so well and so confidant, they could make anyone look good. They frequently carry the load of keeping the songs on track as both singers bask in the spotlight a bit too much. Still, despite the occasional goof, the musicians pull this one off very well. Some of the best versions of Rainbow songs ever played on a stage, by ANYBODY! With the chances of the MIB playing electric looking slimmer each year, maybe the only chance to hear these songs played right is by supportin HTP. God help me, I m actually encouraging people to buy an album with Turner on it! If you like Purple and you liked Rainbow and you can stomach JLT and Glenn howling like banshees from time to time, this album is for YOU. The musicians are just superb and play some of the songs better than the originals did.
Right Where They Should Be - Glenn Hughes and Joe Lynn Turner are right where they should be on this album. Showcasing Deep Purple, Rainbow, and HTP songs, Live in Tokyo is an example of two veteran rockers who could play any new group under the table. Both sing with an intensity rarely found on live recordings from new rock bands. Devil s Road and You Can t Stop Rock and Roll are great opening numbers, and my favorites (among the new songs) on the CD. Of the older songs, Death Alley Driver, Mistreated, and King of Dreams are my favorites. Death Alley Driver sounds even better than on the Rainbow studio recording. Hughes turns out a soulful and emotional Mistreated -- not to be missed. Turner s voice, of course, is as sexy as ever on King of Dreams.All in all, it is definitely a top live recording. This is a cd that captures two veteran rockers that have survived the ups and the downs of the business. They are obviously in it for the music. Their Japanese backing band (different from the backing band on the studio version) never falter. The guitarist even sounds like Blackmore at times! The organist is ever-present. The drums at the beginning of Ride the Storm blew me away.