"Highway Star" is a song by the English rock band Deep Purple. It is the opening track on their 1972 album Machine Head and is the fastest song in tempo on the album. It is characterised by a long, classically inspired guitar solo and organ solo. Organist Jon Lord claimed that the organ and guitar solos were based on Bach-like chord sequences.
This song was born on a tour bus going to Portsmouth in 1971 when a reporter asked the band how they wrote songs. To demonstrate, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore grabbed an acoustic guitar and began playing a riff consisting of a single "G" repeated over and over, while vocalist Ian Gillan improvised lyrics over the top. The song was refined and was performed that same night. The song first appears on the 1972 LP Machine Head. The track remains one of the band's staples in live concerts, and was the set opener even before it was released on any album.
The very first live version released, recorded live for German TV program Beat-Club in September 1971 is featured on the History, Hits & Highlights '68–'76 DVD. The most famous live version is featured on the 1972 live album Made in Japan, where "Highway Star" is the first song. It's also the opening track on the live albums Nobody's Perfect (1988) and Come Hell or High Water (1994).
On February 26, 1985 Coliseum, New Haven, Conn. !!!
ReplyDeleteReturning to the stage with the same power and conviction that made them the masters of their trade more than a decade ago, Deep Purple played to a sold-out crowd of hard-core fans. The quintet's new sound resembles the old - hard, very loud metal rock - though the new is more melodic.
The show opened with the hard-driving "Highway Star," featuring the agressive rhythm work of drummer Ian Paice and bassist Rogger Glover.
Smoke on the water always gets all the attention on most radio stations but this is the gem this is where its at.
ReplyDeleteThe guitar solo in this song was ranked #19 in the List of 100 Greatest Guitar Solos by Guitar World magazine.
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