Category Archives: Live Tokyo 23 October 1978 Shinjuku Koseinenkin Hall

…this release is one of the earliest recorded moments (and the first time on CD) of the newly formed Gillan line-up…A must for all Gillan fans despite the bootleg quality.

Steve Ward, Wondrous Stories (October 2001)

…Ian Gillan is in great form, his vocals on the classic ‘Child In Time’ are awesome…I would definitely recommend this album to Gillan fanatics…

Jilly’s Rock World (October 2001)

…The band was still in transition, moving from the jazz of IGB into a much harder vein, and although the sound quality still leaves much to be desired, it again shows Ian in great voice…

Feedback, (November 2001)

…merits historical significance for capturing Gillan before their big breakthrough with ‘Mr Universe’…

Dave Ling, Classic Rock (November 2001)

If you belong to the true Purple (Gillan) fans, then don’t miss this interesting live gig with nice covers of ‘Smoke On The Water’ and ‘Child In Time’.

Psychedelic, Issue 9, November 2001

These live tracks…capture the atmosphere of one of the live dates on the band’s 1978 jaunt to Japan…devotees of the band should enjoy their exploits here…

Retford Times

A new band built around keyboard player Colin Towns crashes through a set dominated by the latest album, Gillan, but finds room, too, for a couple of old Deep Purple chest-beaters…An excellent booklet adds to the fun.

Jo-Ann Green, Goldmine, October 2001

…a real gem…a live set to die for. Great material and enjoyable sleeve notes make this a top-notch effort.

Joe Geesin, Record Collector (March 2002)

Overall, a really good recording of the band’s mini-tour of Japan. In fact, I’ll say it’s nearly comparable to a live Purple show…Damn, is it just me or does this disc rock? Nifty twelve page booklet with well written liner notes and interesting memorabilia.

Banzai, USA (March 2002)

ANGEL AIR RECORDS released quite a few live-CDs of GILLAN, and ‘Live Tokyo…’ is one of them. This CD is a nice mixture of GILLAN originals and DEEP PURPLE tracks. Highlights are of course the DEEP PURPLE tracks “Smoke on the water” and “Child in time”, but also some of the GILLAN tracks are performed quite well, such as “I’m your man”, “Dead of the night” and “Tokyo flight”. The sound quality is slightly better than the other live-CD, reviewed below. The liner notes are an excellent read while listening to this live-CD!(Points: 7.5 out of 10)

Strutter magazine (September 2003)