Highway Star (song)
"Highway Star" | |
---|---|
Single by Deep Purple | |
from the album Machine Head | |
B-side | "Highway Star (long version)" |
Released | July 1972 (Japan)[1] September 1972 (US)[2] |
Recorded | 6–21 December 1971 Montreux, Switzerland |
Genre | |
Length | 6:09 (album version) 6:39 (The 1997 Remixes version) |
Label | EMI (UK)
|
YouTube |
"Highway Star" is a song by the English rock band Deep Purple. It is the opening track on the band's sixth studio album Machine Head (1972) and is the fastest tempo song on the album. It is characterised by long, classically inspired guitar and organ solos.[6]
History
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.[7] The song first appeared on the 1972 LP Machine Head and remained one of the band's live concert staples, being the set opener even before it was released on any album.
Record World said of the U.S. single release that "This mover has a Led Zeppelin tint to it, and that could bring group back to the top of the pops."[8]
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. It is the opening track on the live albums Nobody's Perfect (1988), Come Hell or High Water (1994), and From the Setting Sun… (In Wacken) (2015).[9] The most famous live version is featured on the 1972 live album Made in Japan. The Guardian said, "Blackmore’s playing is like a force of nature on the Made in Japan version; those slashing chords in the intro, and that amazing solo featuring the distinctive neo-classical descending runs, combining the spirits of Bach and Jimi Hendrix."[10]
Structure
The structure of the song consists of a 35-second bass/guitar introduction, before the band launches into the thumping opening riff, which soon leads into the first vocals section (0:55). The first two verses are sung, then
The guitar solo would gain recognition when readers of Guitar World voted it No. 15 in their list of the "100 Greatest Guitar Solos".[13]
Personnel
Deep Purple
- Ian Gillan – vocals
- Ritchie Blackmore – electric guitar
- Roger Glover – bass
- Jon Lord – Hammond organ
- Ian Paice – drums
Production
- Martin Birch – engineer, mixing
- Jeremy "Bear" Gee – assistant engineer
- Nick Watterton – technician, Rolling Stones Mobile Studio operator
Covers
The song was covered by the Gwar side project X-Cops in their 1995 album You Have the Right to Remain Silent....[14]
In 2012, a tribute album featuring cover songs from Deep Purple's Machine Head was released, titled Re-Machined: A Tribute to Deep Purple's Machine Head. On this album, a live recording of "Highway Star" was featured by rock supergroup Chickenfoot, as well as a version recorded by Glenn Hughes, Steve Vai, and Chad Smith.[15]
In 2018, a cover by Cory Todd was used in the science fiction television series The Expanse, in the episode of season 3 "Delta-V".[16] The lyrics of the song were rewritten in the mix of English and Belter Creole, a constructed language made for the TV series by Nick Farmer, that was used in the show by Belters, the inhabitants of the asteroid belt and outer planets.[17] The lyrics were additionally adjusted to fit the in-universe setting, with the references to the car in the song being replaced with the spaceship.[18] The full version of the song was later placed on The Collector's Edition version of the TV series soundtrack that was released on 13 December 2019.[16]
Other bands to record the song include Dream Theater, Point Blank, Stryper, Metal Church, Buckcherry, Type O Negative, Faith No More.[19]
Uses in popular culture
The song was used in the music game Rock Band.
References
- ^ "Deep Purple singles discography".
- ISBN 978-1-908724-42-7.
- ^ Vinny Cecolini (20 June 2015). Shootin' the Sh*t — Volume One: Conversations with Rock Anti- Heroes, Icons & Metal Gods. BearManor E. p. 58. GGKEY:WN9DDZBW0R5.
- ISBN 978-1-55022-530-3.
- ISBN 978-0-8223-4733-0.
- ^ ":::: Roger Glover – the official website". Archived from the original on 11 March 2007.
- ^ "Roger Glover Interview". www.stevemorse.com. Archived from the original on 15 September 2005.[dead link]
- ^ "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. 23 September 1972. p. 10. Retrieved 29 March 2023.
- ^ "From the Setting Sun... (In Wacken) by Deep Purple on Apple Music". iTunes. Archived from the original on 29 November 2015. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
- ^ Tim Hall (23 July 2015). "Ritchie Blackmore – 10 of the best". The Guardian. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
- ^ April 2015, Guitar World Staff 13. "100 Greatest Guitar Solos: No. 15 "Highway Star" (Ritchie Blackmore)". guitarworld. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ deeppurpleos (10 May 2010), Deep Purple - Highway Star-German TV, archived from the original on 13 December 2021, retrieved 6 July 2016
- ^ "100 Greatest Guitar Solos: No. 15 "Highway Star" (Ritchie Blackmore)". guitarworld.com. 13 April 2015. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
- ^ Helber, Bob; Tartan, Frances; O'Hara, Gail (15 September 1987). "Death Piggy Spews and GWAR Too". Commonwealth Times. Richmond Va. pp. 1, 12–13. Archived from the original on 19 October 2014. Retrieved 7 June 2013.
- ^ "Re-Machined: A Tribute to Deep Purple's Machine Head - Various Artists - Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
- ^ a b "The Expanse - The Collector's Edition". amazon.com.
- ^ Dreyfuss, Emily. "That Cool Dialect on The Expanse Mashes Up 6 Languages". Wired.
- ^ Cory Todd (12 December 2019). "Highway Star (Belter Version)". youtube.com. Archived from the original on 13 December 2021.
- ^ Steve Huey. "Who Cares a Lot: Greatest Hits - Faith No More - Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic.