The first record section is a 1973 tour show at Budokan in Japan on November 8, 1973.

The second recorded section is from a 1971 tour show in Sam Houston Coliseum.

Live in Japan was re-released on CD by Omnivore Recordings in 2011 and again in 2013 with bonus tracks.

The album was by produced by Leon Russell, Nobuya Itoh, Peter Nicholls and Denny Cordell.

[4] One of his biggest early fans,[5][6] Elton John, said Russell was a "mentor" and an "inspiration".