MTV is currently selling a doozie of a package: Rock Band Special Edition (which includes the first game, a microphone, guitar and drum peripherals) and Rock Band 2, all for $79 with free shipping. The package is available for both Xbox 360 and the PS3.
If you’ve never dipped into this series, now is the time to do it. Admittedly, the Rock Band guitar is kind of shitty, but you can find replacement guitars online for pretty cheap.
Russ, wake up! It’s Christmas Day! Well, it may as well be, because Sub Pop records just announced that they are hooking up with the Rock Band Network (which I just learned about, and it sounds awesome!), and could potentially be dumping their entire catalog onto the game!
Can you imagine how rad it’s going to be to Rock Band-’em-up to some Sunny Day Real Estate, The Thermals, Hot Hot Heat, or even…The Jesus and Mary Chain?! R-B-I*!
*That means “Rad Beyond Imagination.
If you haven’t seen it yet, above is the box art for Harmonix’s upcoming The Beatles: Rock Band, which we are pretty excited about. Looks pretty darn classy, if you ask me. Not so classy: the $250 price tag for the special edition (the one with all the instruments). Hope you still have your old Rock Band perpihs!
I haven’t been this excited about a single track coming to Rock Band for a while.
The Shins’ single “New Slang”, from their 2001 debut album Oh, Inverted World, is easily their best song and one of my favorite tracks from the past ten years. Will its awesomeness translate into fitting Rock Bandery?
Did I just make up a word?
I’ve come to the conclusion that Harmonix needs to work on a piano-centric version of Rock Band. It could be more of a training tool than an actual, honest-to-god fun/rock game. I think the flowing gem design of Rock Band and Guitar Hero could be used towards tickling the ivories; start small (one octave) and work your way up to Ludwig Van Beethoven in no time. I’d even dish out some moolah for the keyboard peripheral.
I think the greatest thing about all of these music/rhythm games is that I’ve learned how to hold my own on the drums thanks to Rock Band. I’ve always wanted to be better at the piano, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to take lessons, so this would be my best bet.
What do you think? Or are you burnt out from music games already?
I have a few predictions. In this order:
1. Mark will download the entire Pearl Jam Ten album when it comes out as Rock Band DLC next week
2. Mark will have his face rocked like he was Bon Jovi
3. Mark will get a noise complaint and have to turn his shit down, and will then make a post or two whining about it
Or, he won’t download it all, despite being excited about the news initially.
First off, look at George’s teeth! Secondly, with the recent announcement of The Beatles: Rock Band, we each came up with our six favorite Beatles songs. Here we go:
Mark:
6. Lovely Rita (Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1967)
When I started thinking about this list, this song was the first tune that popped into my head. Much of my list will probably be from the Sgt. Pepper album, which (among other things), focused much on average, everyday life. Maybe that’s why it’s my favorite album, because I understood it the most at the young age in which I heard it. Also, did you know that this seemingly innocent song played a big part in the “Paul is dead” theory because people thought Paul died in a car crash due to being distracted by the “meter-maid?” Me neither!
5. I Am The Walrus (Magical Mystery Tour, 1967)
There is only one person on planet Earth that knows exactly what this song is about, and he is dead. Coo coo ca choo.
4. Across The Universe (Let It Be, 1970)
I have to be honest, it’s a little embarrassing writing this list. You see, I just don’t have the Beatles knowledge that I should have, especially compared to Russ and Tyler. As a matter of fact, my first experience with this sublime and powerful song wasn’t even with the Beatles’ version, it was the Fiona Apple version. I know, lame. But soon after, I listened to the original and fell in love with it even more.
3. Come Together (Abbey Road, 1969)
It’s difficult for me to put this song on here, because on Friday and Saturday nights at my work, we have karaoke, and at least once a week, someone gets up on the stage and butchers this song in a sake-bomb induced, stumbling, drunken nightmare. But listening to the original song feels like audible coolness coming out of my speakers. If I listen to it while I’m walking, there’s only one thing to do: strut. If I’m driving, I tilt the seat back a little bit. If I’m just sitting around, I will ever-so-slightly move my head to the beat. This is an ageless song that will continue to be great regardless of musical time period (which right now will be known as the “Shit” and/or “Rap-Rock” Period).
2. A Little Help From My Friends (Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1967)
This is another song that I heard a cover of before I heard the original Beatles version, and that cover was the theme song for The Wonder Years, done by Joe Cocker. I didn’t even really like the song in that version, it was too raspy and old-guy sounding. The Beatles’ version which I heard later however, was so much more youthful and alive, and really sounded like an average guy that sometimes just needed a little help from his friends.
1. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1967)
The title track of my favorite Beatles album is kind of a strange pick, because it almost seems more like an intro (and an outro) than just a regular song. It’s really catchy, though, and I love how it directly references the band’s alter-egos (Billy Shears=Ringo).
Can I tell you a little side story about one of my experiences with the Beatles really quickly? Thanks. In 2004, I spent about a month in the heavily communist, heavily impoverished nation of North Korea. Western culture has seeped at least a little bit into every corner of the world, it seems, except this one. They still listen to old traditional music and lead very enclosed lives. When we were leaving, though, I got one of the North Koreans to play the Sgt. Pepper album in our SUV as we were driving back down south. We listened to about thirty seconds of the opening track when the head of our group promptly removed it and handed it back to me. I’m sure that was the first and last time any of the three North Koreans in that car ever heard the Beatles. It was a surreal moment.
Russ:
6. If I Fell (A Hard Day’s Night, 1964)
The oldest song in my list, “If I Fell” has always stuck with me because of its dual-vocal harmony and lack of general song structure (it has a slightly awkward intro, and no real “chorus”). This is definitely the old-style Beatles, which I never really dug, but that doesn’t stop this one song from getting stuck in my head for days at a time.
5. Across the Universe (Let It Be, 1970)
The third song on The Beatles’ last album, “Across the Universe” features some pretty hefty orchestration for such a simple track, which adds a lot of depth and vitality to the song. Couple that with Lennon’s tinny-sounding vocal lead, and we’ve got a keeper.
4. Yellow Submarine (Revolver, 1966)
Written by Paul, but credited to both Lennon/McCartney and sung by Ringo, this song has a true group feeling to it. That might be the myriad of sound effects in the background, though. Either way, this song invokes such a vivid picture in my mind, which could also be attributed to the film, but whatever, I’m done making excuses – this is a catchy song, with a lousy but fun vocal performance, and a chorus vocal harmony that’s so in-your-face that you can’t help but hear both simultaneously as two distinct voices, and I like that. A lot.
3. Strawberry Fields Forever (Magical Mystery Tour, 1967)
It’s strange that such an essential song never made it to a real album (it was originally intended for Sgt. Pepper’s but ended up on the double-EP “album” Magical Mystery Tour). What really makes this track stand out (besides the seamless way that each part flows into one another) is Ringo’s drumming – it’s easy to not notice it initially, but when you focus on it, it’s really something to be reckoned with. So colorful! I mean, so colourful!
2. A Day In The Life (Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, 1967)
Five minutes that feels like ten, but in a good way. Sgt. Pepper’s closer is usually heralded as their best song, and I have a hard time disagreeing. This thing is just drenched with ambition and confidence; this is these dudes at the top of their game, closing it out with one of the biggest and longest chords of their time (a 40-second E major).
1. Eleanor Rigby (Revolver, 1966)
It’s funny, I’m firmly on the John side of the Lennon/McCarthy camp, but it’s a Paul song that is my favorite. It’s also funny because none of the guys played anything in the recording, just vocals, making it not a very “Beatlesy” song at all. “Eleanor Rigby” starts right in the thick of it, which I love – no intro or anything. The lyrics are more direct than their later material, which I find refreshing. In my many years of listening to this song, its two minutes have never been long enough.
Tyler:
6. Rocky Raccoon (White Album, 1968)
First off, no — I don’t think this song is better that Yesterday or The Long and Winding Road. I chose it for purely for sentimental reasons. When I was a kid I had my dad’s old record player in my room and I would always listen to his old LPs. I used to love the White Album because it had this song. Of course back then I used to think it was a literally about this Disney raccoon name Rocky and he was going on an adventure to get his girl back…. then he got shot in the stomach in a bar. Normal kids stuff.
5. Golden Slumbers (Abbey Road, 1969)
One of the cool things about owning all of the Beatles albums in that as you build this library of classic music you also find out where the songs come from. My parents played nothing but oldies on the radio while I was growing up and it exposed me to a lot of Beatles tracks without knowing it. Obla di obla da, Birthday, Helter Skelter and on and on… Golden Slumbers is a song that I’d heard plenty of times before but it wasn’t until I bought Abbey Road myself that I could really listen to it in a different way.
4. Michelle (Rubber Soul, 1965)
I don’t like too many of the older-poppy Beatles stuff, but this one is right up there with If I fell in that is has a beautiful melody combined with sweet sentiment (gets me every time *weep*). There is nothing to dislike about this song, I mean, it’s about a guy trying to tell a girls he loves her in broken french, so ro-MAN-tic!
3. Oh Darling (Abbey Road, 1969)
It’s funny to look at pictures of the Beatles and listen to songs like Oh Darling. The song itself is so soulful and (at its rockier points) raw that it’s hard to believe these four young, posh, British blokes churned out a bluesy number so well. They just get down to it at certain parts in this song, and that is why I put it at no. 3.
2. Hey Jude(Hey Jude, 1970)
Oh, man. A top six Beatles list without Hey Jude isn’t a real list! We all know that it was written by Paul for John’s son Julian while his parents were divorcing, but what you don’t know is that I had this song on a mix CD with Baba O’Riley and Fat Bottomed Girls (which I listened to almost every morning in the shower, btw) and it was soooo good. I should have marketed that mixtape, I would have made a fortune!
1. In My Life (Rubber Soul, 1965)
I can’t really say why this is my favorite Beatles song, I know that when I first heard it that I thought it sounded incredibly recent. I showed it to whoever would listen and told them that it was a song that could be released then and it would be a hit. It’s a love song by the Beatles and I’m pretty sure that says it all. Plus it has a killer harpsichord solo as well.
Seeing as how Rock Band has acquired exclusive rights to the Holy Grail of the music game genre with The Beatles, how much do you want to bet that Guitar Hero/Activision is trying to sew up the the Rolling Stones license right now? Really, there is nothing bigger than The Beatles, especially Aerosmith or Metallica, but I’m sure they’re not just going to live and let this die.
I know that even though it’s an inferior game, the Guitar Hero franchise still greatly out-sells Rock Band, mainly because of the established branding, but I feel this Beatles game is definitely going to narrow that gap. It’s a definite pick-up for me.
The Beatles: Rock Band was officially announced today, with a release date of 9/9/09.
That’s only six months away!
Reading online that next week’s Rock Band downloadable tracks are right up my alley: alt-country and Jimmy Eat World. Remember back in ’07 when I said that JEW’s second album, Clarity, would be awesome on Rock Band? Someone’s listening, if only slightly.
Truth be told, I only really like the first alt-country song (taken from DBT’s latest album, Brighter Than Creation’s Dark), and “Lucky Denver Mint” is the only must-have JEW song (although “Sweetness” is damn catchy and might be fun to play), but it’s a nice change of pace from the unremarkable, unwanted garbage-spewing that has drenched the catacombs of Harmonix for the past few weeks.
Alt Country Pack (680 / $8.49)
* “3 Dimes Down” by Drive By Truckers (160 / $2)
* “Can’t Let Go” by Lucinda Williams (160 / $2)
* “People Got a Lot of Nerve” by Neko Case (160 / $2)
* “Time Bomb (LIVE)” by Old 97s (160 / $2)
* “Satellite Radio” by Steve Earle (160 / $2)
Jimmy Eat World Pack (440 / $5.49)
* “Futures” by Jimmy Eat World (160 / $2)
* “Lucky Denver Mint” by Jimmy Eat World (160 / $2)
* “Sweetness” by Jimmy Eat World (160 / $2)
Circuit City is currently selling the black wireless Les Paul Guitar Hero guitar for $20. That’s $40 off the regular $60 retail price of what I consider to be the best guitar for rhythm games of all time. You can pick it up at your local store, or order it online here. Orders of $25 and more get free shipping, too. And yes, it works on Rock Bands 1 and 2.
That’s not the only deal to be had at the store, though. Mayhaps you prefer the wired X-Plorer guitar? 10 smackers. Or howzabout a drum throne for $15?
Did you guys hear that Ten by Pearl Jam is going to be released as DLC on March 24th next year? I plan on being broke then, but this just may be the RB2 purchase catalyst that I’ve been waiting for.
There are three albums that I’ve always thought should be released as DLC for the Rock Band franchy. Pearl Jam’s “Ten” is one, Weezer’s Blue Album is another, and Menudo’s “Somos Los Hijos del Rock” is the third. That would be un sueño vuelto realidad.
My friend Nate is currently #6 on the Rock Band leaderboards for the Foo Fighters’ “Doll” on Vocals. Not bad, considering it’s his wife that has all the singing talent in the family, which you can just barely manage to make out over my obnoxiously loud drumming in the video below:
That’s us about a year ago. I’m much better on drums now, don’t you worry your pretty little head.
Here’s a quick way to unlock both of the “Flawless Drumming: Scored 100% notes hit as a drummer on Expert” achievements in Rock Bands 1 and 2 (10g and 25g, respectively).
First, you need to buy Nirvana’s “Polly” from the store for $2, if you haven’t already. It’s a good song, don’t worry. You have heard it before, right? You did live in the 90′s, right, right? Next, play the song on Expert on both games. As long as you know how to hit a total of 8 notes in 3 minutes, you should do okay. Bam, 35g!
I bought a little game called Rock Band 2 today while shopping for domesticating things like a tool chest, spackle, and drywall anchors. I haven’t opened her up yet but I know it’s going to be pretty sweet. Funny thing is, I still feel like I have more to do in the first Rock Band – I never played a career on vocals, for instance – but with RB2 already out I really can’t get excited about going back to #1. Honestly, I would prefer that Harmonix release a Rock Band game every two years instead, so that way they have a lot more time to improve upon the game, and we have a lot more time to get excited.
Russ Crandall:
Tyler Miller:
Steve McKay:
Giang Cao:
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