Glenn Hughes had second thoughts about whether to contribute to Deep Purple tribute album Re-Machined.
But in the end he appears on two tracks of the disc dedicated to celebrating the 40th anniversary of the band’s groundbreaking Machine Head album.
Re-Machined is released later this month but is available now as part of a Classic Rock Fan Pack.
The former member, who’s currently fronting Black Country Communion – although possibly not for much longer – recorded a version of Maybe I’m A Leo with Chad Smith and Luis Maldonado.
Then when keyboardist Jon Lord died suddenly, he went back into the studio to lay down a cover of Highway Star, even though Smith’s band Chickenfoot had already delivered their own version. His take on the track is included as an exclusive bonus in the Fan Pack edition.
Hughes tells Noisecreep of his involvement: “At first I wasn’t sure I wanted to be. There are certain songs I wouldn’t want to try and re-do.
“Originally Black Country Communion was going to do Highway Star, but Joe Bonamassa was just too busy. So I did Maybe I’m A Leo and I love how it turned out.
“The reason we did Highway Star was, I’d just gotten off a plane and heard the news about Jon. I was just crushed.
“I knew Chickenfoot had already done it, but I wanted to do something for Jon. So we got Steve Vai for a very quick, live and wonderful recording session.”
Hughes, a member of Purple between 1973 and 1976, says Vai is “king of that genre” and adds: “He inspired me to really open up my pipes and go for it, which I did, for Jon.”
He believes Machine Head stands out because “it blended so many interesting types of metal songs.
“When I think about the prototype of what heavy metal was back then, there were two huge bands that mattered. We can include Zeppelin but I know Jimmy and Robert don’t consider them part of that. So the two primary bands were Sabbath and Purple.
“But whereas Sabbath was heavy, Purple was more refined and melodic metal. It was different.”
Re-Machined Classic Rock Fan Pack track listing
01. Smoke On The Water – Carlos Santana
02. Highway Star – Chickenfoot
03. Maybe I’m A Leo – Glenn Hughes, Chad Smith, Luis Maldonado
04. Pictures Of Home – Black Label Society
05. Never Before – Kings Of Chaos (Joe Elliott, Steve Stevens, Duff McKagan, Matt Sorum, Arlan Schierbaum)
06. Smoke On The Water – The Flaming Lips
07. Lazy – Jimmy Barnes, Joe Bonamassa
08. Space Truckin’ – Iron Maiden
09. When A Blind Man Cries – Metallica
10. Highway Star – Glenn Hughes, Steve Vai, Chad Smith, Lachlan Doley (exclusive track)