Purplish and Deep . . .

Since it is Friday and for myself a three-day weekend before the upcoming new year holiday, let's play a few of The Gadfly's favorite 70's tunes shall we?

I can remember the very first time I heard Deep Purple's opening track on their 'Machine Head' album.  Listening to it being played on an LP record on a decent turntable connected to a good sound system for that era (1971-72), I was only nine years old at the time.  When that intro to 'Highway Star' started playing with it's frenetic, progressive, opening guitar tempo segueing into lead singer Ian Gillan's guttural shriek, it blew my little kid mind.  And the Ritchie Blackmore guitar solo in that lick is nothing short of mind-bending.  That was the beginning of my life-long love affair with classic hard rock.

And that ending:

🎶 Nobody gonna take my car
I'm gonna race it to the ground
Nobody gonna beat my car
It's gonna break the speed of sound
Ooh, it's a killing machine
It's got everything
Like a driving power
Big fat tires and everything

I love it and I need it, I bleed it
Yeah, it's a mad hurricane
Alright, hold on tight
I'm a highway star
I'm a highway star
I'm a highway star......... 🎶

It doesn't get any more mesmerizing to a nine-year old than that.

The rest of that album is just as bad ass as well with great singles like "Space Truckin,'" "Lazy," "Pictures from Home," and of course the iconic, "Smoke on the Water."

Therefore, since the whole damn album is killer -- here it is.  Please enjoy:

--- TFG