Highway Star
Encyclopedia
"Highway Star" is a song from the 1972 album Machine Head
by the British
rock
band Deep Purple
. It is characterised by a long classically-inspired guitar solo and organ solo. Ritchie Blackmore
claimed that he wanted the song to have a "Bach
sound."
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 for many years. These days the song is usually an encore.
The album Made In Japan features a live version of the song, and two live versions can be heard on the Deep Purple-Extended Versions Live Compilation CD. The first version heard on the CD is fused with the song "Not Fade Away
".
begins his organ solo (2:14). The organ solo lasts for about a minute, then Ian Gillan
sings the third verse of the song (3:24). At the conclusion of the third verse, the guitar solo
starts (3:46), and lasts for just under a minute and twenty seconds. Then, the fourth and final verse, which in the original recording is simply a repetition of the first verse down a fifth, is sung, finishing around 6:10. Depending on the version, there may be a 15 second-long exit section before the end of the song. When the song is played live, Gillan has been known to improvise its lyrics, as seen in the official video for the song. The guitar solo would gain recognition when readers of Guitar World
voted it #15 in their list of the "100 Greatest Guitar Solos".
genre as well as other bands from other genres.
Machine Head (album)
Machine Head is the sixth studio album released by the English rock band Deep Purple. It was recorded through December 1971 in Montreux, Switzerland, and released in March 1972....
by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
. It is characterised by a long classically-inspired guitar solo and organ solo. Ritchie Blackmore
Ritchie Blackmore
Richard Hugh "Ritchie" Blackmore is an English guitarist and songwriter, who was known as one of the first guitarists to fuse Classical music elements with rock. He fronted his own band Rainbow after leaving Deep Purple where he was unhappy because his favourite musical style wasn't adequately...
claimed that he wanted the song to have a "Bach
Bạch
Bạch is a Vietnamese surname. The name is transliterated as Bai in Chinese and Baek, in Korean.Bach is the anglicized variation of the surname Bạch.-Notable people with the surname Bạch:* Bạch Liêu...
sound."
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 BlackmoreRitchie Blackmore
Richard Hugh "Ritchie" Blackmore is an English guitarist and songwriter, who was known as one of the first guitarists to fuse Classical music elements with rock. He fronted his own band Rainbow after leaving Deep Purple where he was unhappy because his favourite musical style wasn't adequately...
grabbed an acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
and began playing a riff consisting of a single "G" repeated over and over, while vocalist Ian Gillan
Ian Gillan
Ian Gillan is an English rock music vocalist and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lyricist for Deep Purple. During his career Gillan also fronted his own band, had a year-long stint as the vocalist for Black Sabbath, and sang the role of Jesus in the original recording of Andrew Lloyd...
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
Machine Head (album)
Machine Head is the sixth studio album released by the English rock band Deep Purple. It was recorded through December 1971 in Montreux, Switzerland, and released in March 1972....
. The track remains one of the band's staples in live concerts, and was the set opener for many years. These days the song is usually an encore.
The album Made In Japan features a live version of the song, and two live versions can be heard on the Deep Purple-Extended Versions Live Compilation CD. The first version heard on the CD is fused with the song "Not Fade Away
Not Fade Away (song)
"Not Fade Away" is a song credited to Buddy Holly and Norman Petty and first recorded by Holly's band The Crickets in Clovis, New Mexico, on May 27, 1957...
".
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 Jon LordJon Lord
Jonathan Douglas "Jon" Lord is an English composer, pianist and Hammond organ player.Jon Lord, also known as 'Hammond Lord', is a classically trained piano player. He is recognised for his Hammond organ blues-rock sound and for his pioneering work in fusing rock and classical or baroque forms...
begins his organ solo (2:14). The organ solo lasts for about a minute, then Ian Gillan
Ian Gillan
Ian Gillan is an English rock music vocalist and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lyricist for Deep Purple. During his career Gillan also fronted his own band, had a year-long stint as the vocalist for Black Sabbath, and sang the role of Jesus in the original recording of Andrew Lloyd...
sings the third verse of the song (3:24). At the conclusion of the third verse, the guitar solo
Guitar solo
In popular music, a guitar solo is a melodic passage, section, or entire piece of music written for an electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. Guitar solos, which often contain varying degrees of improvisation, are used in many styles of popular music such as blues, jazz, rock and metal styles such...
starts (3:46), and lasts for just under a minute and twenty seconds. Then, the fourth and final verse, which in the original recording is simply a repetition of the first verse down a fifth, is sung, finishing around 6:10. Depending on the version, there may be a 15 second-long exit section before the end of the song. When the song is played live, Gillan has been known to improvise its lyrics, as seen in the official video for the song. The guitar solo would gain recognition when readers of Guitar World
Guitar World
Guitar World is a monthly music magazine devoted to guitarists. It contains original interviews, album and gear reviews and guitar and bass tablature of approximately five songs each month. The magazine is published 13 times per year...
voted it #15 in their list of the "100 Greatest Guitar Solos".
Covers
Because of its fast tempo, "Highway Star" is covered by numerous bands in the speed metalSpeed metal
Speed metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music that originated in the late 1970s from NWOBHM and hardcore punk roots. It is described by Allmusic as "extremely fast, abrasive, and technically demanding" music....
genre as well as other bands from other genres.
- Night RangerNight RangerNight Ranger is an American rock band from San Francisco that gained popularity during the 1980s with a series of albums and singles. The band's first five albums sold more than 10 million copies worldwide...
covers a portion of this song live during their song, "This Boy Needs to Rock". The album version of "This Boy Needs To Rock", from their Seven WishesSeven WishesSeven Wishes is the third studio album by the band Night Ranger, released in 1985 and produced by Pat Glasser.The title of "Four in the Morning " describes the time of day Jack Blades wrote the song. In an interview with the Songfacts website, he explained, "Literally, I wrote that song at 4 in the...
album, contains a lengthy guitar solo that is essentially exactly the same guitar solo found in "Highway Star". - Faith No MoreFaith No MoreFaith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed originally as Faith No Man in 1981 by bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist Wade Worthington, vocalist Michael Morris and drummer Mike Bordin. A year later when Worthington was replaced by keyboardist Roddy Bottum, and Mike...
has covered at least one verse of the song, which can be heard on the second disc of their greatest hits album Who Cares a Lot?. - X-CopsX-CopsX-Cops was a side project composed of members from the band Gwar and their extended "family" of musicians. Each member of X-Cops performed in a police uniform and had their own character. They released the album You Have The Right To Remain Silent... on Metal Blade Records in 1995...
, a GWARGWARGwar is a satirical heavy metal band formed in Richmond, Virginia, United States, in 1984. The band is best known for its elaborate science fiction/horror film inspired costumes, obscene lyrics and graphic stage performances, which feature humorous enactments of politically and morally taboo...
side project, covered the song (with slightly different lyrics to better reflect the theme of the band and album) on their only album, You Have the Right to Remain Silent...You Have the Right to Remain Silent...You Have the Right to Remain Silent... is the sole album by the band X-Cops. It was released in 1995.-Track listing:-Miscellanea:The photos on the inside of the CD booklet depict a murder crime scene being investigated by the X-Cops. On the wall in the victim's room is a poster of GWAR, the...
. - Metal ChurchMetal ChurchMetal Church was an American heavy metal band. They originally formed in Seattle, Washington as Shrapnel in 1980. Their first album was released in 1984, and the band's most recent work, This Present Wasteland, was released in 2008....
covered the song on their self-titled debut album. - Australian classical guitar band SaffireSaffireSaffire may refer to:* Saffire , an Australian guitar ensemble* Saffire - The Uppity Blues Women, an American blues ensemble* Saffire * Bajaj Saffire, scooter produced by Bajaj Auto* Safire Theatre complex, in Chennai, India...
perform an equally fast but acoustic cover of Highway Star on their 2004 CD Nostalgica. - Serbian band Cactus JackCactus Jack (band)-Band history:The band, originally named Caramba, was formed at the end of 1998 by Stevan Birak , Miodrag Krudulj , Vladimir Jezdimirović and Dušan Gnjidić ....
covered the song on their 2003 live/tribute album Deep Purple TributeDeep Purple Tribute (album)Deep Purple Tribute is a tribute and the second live album by Serbian hard rock band Cactus Jack. Two discs feature twelve cover songs originally released by British hard rock band Deep Purple...
. - Alter BridgeAlter BridgeAlter Bridge is an American rock band that was formed in 2004 in Orlando, Florida by lead guitarist Mark Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall, and drummer Scott Phillips, who are all also members of Creed. Lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Myles Kennedy, formerly of The Mayfield Four and the frontman...
covered the song several times on their concerts with Mark TremontiMark TremontiMark Thomas Tremonti is an American musician and songwriter, best known as the lead guitarist of the American rock bands Creed and Alter Bridge. He is a founding member of both bands...
and Myles KennedyMyles KennedyMyles Richard Kennedy is an American musician and singer-songwriter best known as the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Alter Bridge, and as the lead vocalist in Slash's current solo project...
playing both the guitar solo and the organ solo together. - Les FradkinLes FradkinLes Fradkin is a guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, composer and record producer. He is best known for being a member of the original cast of the hit Broadway show Beatlemania...
recorded a instrumental MIDI Guitar version for his solo album "Hyper MIDI Guitar" in 2010. - Type O NegativeType O NegativeType O Negative was a gothic metal band from Brooklyn, New York City. The band also incorporated elements of doom metal and thrash metal. Their dramatic lyrical emphasis on themes of romance, depression, and death resulted in the nickname "The Drab Four"...
has a version of the track on 'The Best of Type O NegativeThe Best of Type O NegativeThe Best of Type O Negative is an album from Roadrunner Records, featuring a collection of Type O Negative's music with the label. The album was released without Type O Negative's involvement , so it's unlikely that the record was officially recognized by the band themselves...
'. - Dream TheaterDream TheaterDream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung, and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of their studies to further concentrate on the band that would...
performed the song as well as the rest of the Made in JapanMade in Japan (album)Made in Japan is a double live album by English rock band Deep Purple, recorded during their first tour of Japan in August 1972. It was originally released in December 1972, with a U.S...
album on 13 January 2006. It was subsequently released as an official bootleg on Mike Portnoy'sMike PortnoyMichael Stephen "Mike" Portnoy is an American drummer primarily known as the former drummer, backing vocalist, and a co-founder of the progressive metal band Dream Theater, as well as the temporary drummer for the hard rock band Avenged Sevenfold. Known for his drumming prowess and technical...
Ytse Jam Records. - Bugotak band from NovosibirskNovosibirskNovosibirsk is the third-largest city in Russia, after Moscow and Saint Petersburg, and the largest city of Siberia, with a population of 1,473,737 . It is the administrative center of Novosibirsk Oblast as well as of the Siberian Federal District...
made their Men Chuguruk cover with throat singingOvertone singingOvertone singing, also known as overtone chanting, or harmonic singing, is a type of singing in which the singer manipulates the resonances created as air travels from the lungs, past the vocal folds, and out the lips to produce a melody.The partials of a sound wave made by the human voice can be...
vocals in Buryat languageBuryat languageBuryat is a Mongolic variety spoken by the Buryats that is either classified as a language or as a major dialect group of Mongolian. The majority of Buryat speakers live in Russia along the northern border of Mongolia where it is an official language in the Buryat Republic, Ust-Orda Buryatia and...
and instruments of SiberiaSiberiaSiberia is an extensive region constituting almost all of Northern Asia. Comprising the central and eastern portion of the Russian Federation, it was part of the Soviet Union from its beginning, as its predecessor states, the Tsardom of Russia and the Russian Empire, conquered it during the 16th...
n indigenous people. - Do As InfinityDo As InfinityDo As Infinity is a Japanese pop and rock band that formed in 1999 with three members: vocalist Tomiko Van, guitarist Ryo Owatari, and guitarist and composer Dai Nagao. The band's name is sometimes abbreviated as D.A.I., alluding to the fact that Do As Infinity was named after Dai Nagao...
covered the song on the last live from "Need Your Love Tour". It appears in their "Live in Japan II" DVD. - QuintorigoQuintorigoQuintorigo is an Italian band founded in 1996 by John de Leo, who left the band in 2005. Their genre vary from experimental, jazz, reggae, pop and rock music...
covered the song in their album Grigio. - The New Jersey band Project EriE has covered this song numerous times sans keyboard player, instead having lead guitar player Nikk Cubillos play the organ solo in addition to the guitar solo.
- Supergroup, ChickenfootChickenfootChickenfoot is an American rock supergroup, consisting of former Van Halen members Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony , solo artist Joe Satriani and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith. The band released their self-titled debut album, Chickenfoot, on June 5, 2009...
, have performed the song live. - BuckcherryBuckcherryBuckcherry is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California formed in 1995. The band released two albums, Buckcherry and Time Bomb , before partially dissolving in the summer of 2002. In 2005, lead vocalist Josh Todd and lead guitarist Keith Nelson reformed Buckcherry and released a new album...
recorded the song for NASCAR and included it on the 2009 re-release of their Black ButterflyBlack ButterflyBlack Butterfly is the fourth studio album by American hard rock band Buckcherry. The album was released on September 12, 2008 in Japan, Canada, and the United Kingdom while being released on September 16 in the United States. It had been in production since late 2007. The limited fan edition was...
Album. They have also been performing it live while currently on tour opening for KISSKISS (band)Kiss is an American rock band formed in New York City in January 1973. Well-known for its members' face paint and flamboyant stage outfits, the group rose to prominence in the mid to late 1970s on the basis of their elaborate live performances, which featured fire breathing, blood spitting,... - A DJ named Speedmaster recorded a faster eurodanceEurodanceEurodance is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1980s or early 1990s primarily in Europe. It combines many elements from House, Techno, Hi-NRG and especially Italo-Disco...
remix of the song for the 2001 DancemaniaDancemaniaDancemania is a series of remix compilation albums by i-DANCE. The series deals primarily with dance music, especially eurodance. Despite its tracks have been made by various musicians from all over the world mainly from the European continent, the albums have been released exclusively in Japan.The...
compilation Speed 6Dancemania SpeedDancemania Speed is a sub-series of Toshiba EMI's Dancemania compilation series. This series features faster, further remixed versions of recordings from previously released Dancemania albums or faster remixed covers of various famous songs...
. - East German band PuhdysPuhdysThe Puhdys are a veteran German rock band, formed in Oranienburg , in what was then the German Democratic Republic, in 1969, although they had been performing together, with various lineups, as the Puhdys since 1965. They continue to record and tour...
recorded a cover of this song on their English-language album Far From Home. - StryperStryperStryper is a Christian glam metal band from Orange County, California. The group's lineup consists of Michael Sweet , Oz Fox , Tim Gaines , and Robert Sweet...
covered the song on their 2011 release, 'The Covering'.
Appearances
- It is featured in 2007 music video game Rock Band.
- It is featured in 2008 music video game Rock RevolutionRock RevolutionRock Revolution is a music video game developed by Zoë Mode and HB Studios and published by Konami. It was first revealed on May 15, 2008, and released on October 15, 2008 for the Nintendo DS, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360...
. - It is featured in 2006 Nintendo DS music video game Elite Beat AgentsElite Beat AgentsElite Beat Agents is a music video game developed by iNiS and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld game console. It was first released in North America, and has since been released in Europe and South Korea . It is the spiritual sequel to Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan, a Japanese rhythm game...
. - Its electro mix is featured in 1993 battle-racing video game Rock n' Roll RacingRock N' Roll RacingRock N' Roll Racing is a battle-racing video game developed by Silicon & Synapse and published by Interplay for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis and the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1993. The background music consists of instrumental versions of several heavy metal and rock n' roll songs,...
. - Cover version is featured in music video game Guitar Freaks.
- It is featured in the video game The Lost and DamnedGrand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and DamnedGrand Theft Auto IV: The Lost and Damned is the first of two episodic expansion packs developed for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC versions of Grand Theft Auto IV, developed by Rockstar North. It was first released for the Xbox 360 on 17 February 2009 and on PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Windows...
on the in–game radio station Liberty Rock Radio. - It is featured in the video game The Ballad of Gay TonyGrand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay TonyGrand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony is the second of the two episodic expansion packs available to the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC versions of Grand Theft Auto IV, which was developed by Rockstar North and first released for the Xbox 360 on 29 October 2009. It was then released for both...
on the in–game radio station Liberty Rock Radio. - It is featured in the soundtrack of the 1993 movie Dazed and ConfusedDazed and Confused"Dazed and Confused" is a song by Jake Holmes, which was covered by The Yardbirds, and later reworked by Led Zeppelin who hold a separate copyright on the song.-Jake Holmes:...
. - It is featured in the soundtrack of the 1994 movie The Stöned AgeThe Stoned AgeThe Stöned Age is a 1994 American comedy film directed by James Melkonian, set during the 1970s about two long haired stoners named Michael Hubbs and Joe Connolly and one night cruising Southern California looking for alcohol, parties, and chicks.-Plot summary:The story takes place in Torrance,...
. - It is featured in That '70s ShowThat '70s ShowThat '70s Show is an American television period sitcom that centers on the lives of a group of teenage friends living in the fictional suburban town of Point Place, Wisconsin, from May 17, 1976, to December 31, 1979...
.