Highway Star

The energetic drive of Highway Star stems from a spontaneous spark. Imagine the band on a tour bus back in 1971, with a journalist asking how they composed. Ritchie Blackmore, without hesitation, grabs an acoustic guitar and starts repeating a single "G" note over and over. At the same time, Ian Gillan improvises lyrics over that steady pulse. What began as a live demonstration that very night turned into a musical piece that already hinted at becoming a classic. This song, featured as the opening track on the 1972 album Machine Head, stands out for its breakneck speed—the fastest on the record—and for its extended solos with a clear classical influence, both in the guitar and the organ.

The recording of Machine Head had a unique character. In December 1971, the band sought a rawer, more live-like sound and for that purpose rented The Rolling Stones' mobile studio. The plan was to record at the Montreux casino, but a fire destroyed the venue. They had to improvise at the Grand Hôtel, a building closed for winter, adapting it for the recording sessions. The result was an album that, with Highway Star as its spearhead, became one of Deep Purple's most acclaimed works. The song's structure begins with a bass and guitar intro of about 35 seconds, followed by the powerful main riff. After the initial vocals, Jon Lord unleashes a Hammond organ solo evoking Baroque and classical styles, using the harmonic minor scale. Then, Ian Gillan takes over the vocals again before giving way to Blackmore's extended guitar solo, which he crafted to sound inspired by Bach, building his interpretation on a chord progression borrowed from the German composer. The song concludes with a repeat of the first verse, and in some versions, a brief final flourish. Blackmore's skill in this track, especially in the live version from Made in Japan, has been praised for its intensity and the incorporation of neoclassical descending runs, blending the spirit of Bach with that of Jimi Hendrix. In fact, the guitar solo was voted in 2015 as one of the 15 greatest of all time by Guitar World readers.