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Highway Star featured in video game
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIJLCImtF-E
Classic Deep Purple tune Highway Star is featured in the soundtrack for a new video game called Rock Band. U.S. cable channel VH1 Classic is currently running a 5 part special in promotion of the game (the special itself is called “Rock Band Countdown”). Each segment is based on the Top 10 in each category: Drummer, Bassist, Guitarist, Frontman and Rock Band. Ian Paice was given 4th place in the Drummer category, while Ritchie Blackmore was placed at number 6 in the Guitar field.
Rock Band was released in the United States on November 20 on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The game will be available in Canada on December 17, 2007, and in Europe in early 2008.
Thanks to Tracy Heyder for the info.
Unauthorized copying, while sometimes necessary, is never as good as the real thing
Isn´t that the game that you can play online, and every player can add a part of the band(guitar, bass, drums, vocals respectivly)? That´s a great idea! Have a global band playing together live!
November 28th, 2007 at 02:09When I saw this advert on American TV, I was ecstatic at the use of Purple and the publicity it brings.
However, I was offended that the makers chose this song to highlight in their commerical, yet on the Rock Band Band countdown of the greatest groups, DP didn’t even make the cut. In addition, no-one in the DP family made the cut in the vocal category. What gives?
So Purple is good enough to feature in the ad, but not good enough to be on their list.
November 28th, 2007 at 04:24I hate video game,slots…I am stopped at ‘800 because I like only playing cards chess drafts 8-D
November 28th, 2007 at 08:14T….I agree somewhat…..BUT
2 members of Deep Purple did make the cut…..Paicey and Blackmore. Also, if you watch the Special on VH1-C, they use the old TV Version of Highway Star whereby Ian is singing adlib lyrics because the song is in it’s infancy stage. They actually used the same video for both Paicey and Blackmore. That was very lame as far as I’m concerned. They couldn’t even use different footage for each. There are tons of available versions of Highway Star that they could have picked from for variety sake. Oh well, BETTER THAN NOTHING. Also, they should have had a Keyboard catagory. Both Jon Lord and Don Airey would have been chosen for sure. As far as the Vocal aspect, the catagjory was “Frontman”, not vocal talent. Though Purple have Great Singers to their credit, none are really known as Great Frontmen except for maybe Coverdale, but he didn’t really blossom as that until the “Hairband Version” of Whitesnake in ’87.
Yes I definately agree that Purple should have made the Top Ten Band list. That was a huge error.
Cheers and …..may Purple reign, Purple reign…..
November 28th, 2007 at 16:06I don’t understand how the game works, I just want to know where the Keyboards are? The commercial has four video characters peforming the song, yet no keyboards? If there is one song with a classic rock organ solo is has to be “Highway Star.” So basically Keyboard Players are now not even virtually acknowledged. My best to Don and Jon. As Dangerfield used to say… “I tell ya, no respect….no respect at all.” Well maybe in a future version of the game.
November 29th, 2007 at 03:30best
D
I find that Purples legacy in the music world is often criminally overlooked…especially in the UK!!
On the subject of frontmen, Gillan was one of the best frontmen in the world back in 70-72…Before the contrived hair bands of the 80’s, he set the foundations with his tall, long haired handsome (no I’m not gay) charismatic approach…Never over the top, just relying on what he was born with. Between him and Plant there really was no competition then (in terms of great frontmen;-)
November 29th, 2007 at 11:44This is not the first or even the second time they have put “Highway Star” in a video game. The most recent example was a Japanese game called Elite Beat Agents where you had to tap buttons to the beat of the song. The first and the best though was a killer midi version of it about 10 years ago in a game called Rock & Roll Racing, where you sped around a track blasting at other cars to several classic songs including HS, Paranoid, Born to be Wild and others. So much fun to drive recklessly and launch missiles while listening to a fav.
November 29th, 2007 at 17:49“We thought we’d caught the rainbow……….”
December 2nd, 2007 at 21:53