Meanwhile, the band undertook four North America tours in 1972, and a Japan tour that led to a double-vinyl live release, Made in Japan. Originally intended as a Japan-only record, its worldwide release saw the double LP become an instant hit. It remains one of rock music's most popular and highest selling live-concert recordings. The classic Deep Purple Mark II line-up continued to work, and released the album Who Do We Think We Are in 1973. Spawning the hit single "Woman from Tokyo", the album hit number 4 in the UK charts and number 15 in the US charts while achieving gold record status faster than any Deep Purple album released up to that time. But internal tensions and exhaustion were more noticeable than ever. Following the successes of Machine Head and Made in Japan, the addition of Who Do We Think We Are made Deep Purple the top-selling artists of 1973 in the US. In Japan alone, Machine Headand Made in Japan would go on to sell well over 1 million copies combined on the back of multiple reissues.
"When I was nine years old it was all about Deep Purple. My all time favourite [album] is still Made in Japan"
— Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich.
New line-up, successes and struggles (1973–1976)
Gillan admitted in 1984 that the band was pushed by management to complete the Who Do We Think We Are album on time and go on tour, although they badly needed a break. The bad feelings, including tensions with Blackmore, culminated in Gillan, followed by Glover, quitting the band after their second tour of Japan in the summer of 1973. In interviews later, Lord called the departure of Gillan and Glover while the band was at its peak "the biggest shame in rock and roll; God knows what we would have become over the next three or four years."
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