Deep Purple - Highway Star (cover)

You know Deep Purple. No, it wasn't a question. I claimed it. You know them AND you like them. No, in fact you worship them. (Not as much as you worship Cygnus Rock Band, but you do worship them.) Again this wasn't a question. You know their entire discography. You bow down for Ian Gillan, Ritchie "Mfkin God" Blackmore, Jon Lord and Glenn Hughes. You know who they are, without Google. 

And most of all, you know at least five, no, TEN of their best songs. Beside "Smoke on the Water" of course. Be cultured. Please.

Of course a lot of memories come back. They were among the first rock bands I got to like, beside KISS, Led Zeppelin and Bon Jovi. I was maybe 14, and a family member, whom I had perhaps mentioned - if not here, then elsewhere - regularly travelled to Vienna (the capital of Austria) at that time to shop. In those days the Iron Curtain had already fallen, the borders were open and from this sad little country a lot of people went to the western neighbor to buy microwave ovens, CD players, VHS players, all those things that were a dream only during the communist years. This family member of mine regularly travelled to Vienna to buy all sorts of stuff (he brought e.g. sweets from there which we had never heard of) and he had a nice habit of buying a bagful of CD's every time. These CD's were of the most different genres, from Rod Stewart through Tina Turner to Manowar (!) and whenever we had a family reunion, I always had a few empty cassettes in my pockets to copy the rock CD's he brought home. Gary Moore, Rainbow, a compilation CD with Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Uriah Heep among others, and of course Deep Purple. I remember how I fell in love right there with songs like "My Woman from Tokyo", "Strange Kind of Woman", "Smoke on the Water" or "Speed King". I remember the impact Ian Gillan's voice had on me - powerful tenor, almost like an opera singer. It still does. He's a legend. They are all legends. Period. 

I think this was the first cover Cygnus Rock Band has made under the name "Cygnus Green Thirteen", starting a fantastic, one-of-a-kind series with their Friday releases for 110 consecutive weeks. It's my own opinion

or call it my perversion

but the fact I love this cover so much is because I can hear how VERY MUCH they have improved during those 110 weeks compared to this song. It's so raw, full of energy, full of radioactivity and even though you can hear that this cover is the first step of a very long journey, it's a fantastic work in every sense.

I could compare it to two young wolves, two future alpha males that try their power and skills while hunting for the very first time on their own; while later they are leaders of a pack that follows them loyally wherever they go.

The cover starts with a gratifying, well-deserved nuclear explosion and it keeps this energy level until the very last note.

My own thought, so it's not carved in stone, but I think the key of this song is the rhythm section, much stronger than at other songs. 

I'm sure Deneb and Ruxx had some contacts even at that time who could lend them some enriched plutonium to rub the drums and the bass strings with. They rumble together from the very first second discharging so much energy that would be enough even for the landing of and UFO. Ruxx keeps the pace like a humane metronome, giving the solid ground to the bass (and of course to all the other instruments).

If you ever tried drumming, or just have at least some slight idea about how music works, then you will know that this is the hardest for a drummer, to keep a certain pace from the beginning to the end, possibly in 4/4. For this very reason there's that agreement among drummers that it's not a drum solo full of crashes and breaks that is a living hell, but playing e.g. "Bolero" by Ravel.

For this reason and for many other reasons you stand up NOW and salute for Ruxx. No matter where you are, no matter what you were actually doing. If you were doing something inappropriate, then bear the consequences.

The bass is insane.

Well, of course, it's Roger Glover

and Deneb

and I can really, really, seriously recommend everyone with considerable hearing to listen to this song focusing only on the bass.

No, I don't fkin care that you "don't hear it". You hear it. You just have too much earwax in your ears and a nasty amount of rust instead of brain cells 😒

It's NU-CLE-AR and not just that.

It's something very complex and the bass player needs to rely A LOT on the drummer - and obviously the drummer needs to be aware of that. These two musicians have to work very very close, they need to be VERY aware of what the other one is doing, MEANWHILE working together with the other band members. But still they must form a sort of "band within the band" and beside being a true challenge as a musician, it's also a huge test on how they can rely on each other as human beings as well.

Now I can hear with my mind's ears that some might claim "oh, the bass just needs to be punchy and tight, that's it" and such things. My dear, NO. It's NOT just "being punchy". First, this bass line needs a firm ass to sit on while you practice it enough for such a radioactive wild boar sound. Second, it's complex and technical enough 

okay, the Master of Puppets level can't be exceeded, I agree

to raise this cover and most of all the bass's work above many other bass lines and covers, even those Cygnus released later. This work that Deneb is doing here is not just a fantastic example of how a bassist and a drummer should ALWAYS work together, but also of dedication you need to play such a complex bass with this elegance and massive reliability as he does.

And by the way, I don't like when someone, ANYONE underestimates my favorite bassist's work in any way. Thank you for your attention.

Ruxx and Deneb sing this cover in duet, and that's my no. 2 favorite part of it all. For me it's even more nuclear a bit than the rhythm section

and this means a HUGE performance, especially knowing Cygnus Rock Band and their level of radioactivity around the drums and the bass

these two rockers sing their heart out. Energy level 200%, enthusiasm 500%, creativity 300%, if you dare not to get swept off your feet, you're officially a heartless piece of stone.

The first solo is played by the keyboard, Reny brings the Jon Lord level. Again I want to suggest to the listener to focus on the bass during the solo, because you can hear some smaller and bigger gems and virtuoso pieces while the Mexican is half standing above his synths as he is playing.

And after the solo you give them all a standing ovation. I don't care where you are and what you're doing at the moment. Stand up and applause!!!

The second solo is brought to you all by Blu,

but in the meantime you get smashed up on the wall to be a wallpaper by the vocals and the rhythm section and right now you're scratching yourself off with an apologetic smile just to get another amount of nuclear contamination, but you ARE happy to get it and you want more

and you're again keeping your ears open for the bass while everyone's favorite Mexican guitarist is caressing your eardrums in Ritchie Blackmore style.

Hereby I demand a bass cam for this song!!!

The third verse sets your last remainings on fire and get ready to dissolve with a happy smile in a fantastic nuclear explosion through the cathartic outro of the song.

Again the bass!!!!

Then you kindly pick yourself together from your radioactive ashes and you start it all over. And you fkin enjoy it.