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Rock Band Licenses The Beatles
Posted by
CmdrTaco
on Thu Oct 30, 2008 08:26 AM
from the it's-about-time dept.
from the it's-about-time dept.
eldavojohn writes "The Wall Street Journal is reporting that MTV's Rock Band has gained the licenses to an undetermined number of songs. Details are scant, but it would be nice to see a whole game based on just the evolution of The Beatles' music. According to Reuters, this has been in the works for months. Hopefully I can finally hide my strained vocals to so many beautiful songs within the privacy of my home instead of drunk off my ass at a bar."
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Bonus points (Score:5, Funny)
You get bonus points for playing bass left-handed.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Actually, rhythmically, Ringo (or Paul if you subscribe to that theory) was right on. It's just that a lot of the rhythms that were played were off-beat. There's a major difference between the two.
Re:Bonus points (Score:5, Insightful)
Sorry, but Ringo and Paul were the tightest rhythm section ever. Most bands tend to slow down or speed up the tempo at the beggining or the end of a song. Not Ringo.
Besides, there's a lot of reasons why an aspiring young drummer should listen to the beatles, for a quick start, read here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringo_starr#Drumming_ability_and_appreciation [wikipedia.org]
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
You kid, but that could very well be a Challenge within the game (Beatles Tribute Band: five stars and play the bass lefty and you get quadruple money or something), or even an Achievement/Trophy on 360/PS3. Didn't one of the Guitar Hero games give you an achievement for only strumming up while playing the bass?
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
That would work, yeah. What's got me excited is that I'm really, really shit at the drums. So this is the game for me!
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Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
I really hope they would.
I truly love the Beatles, but I wouldn't say most of their catalog lends to the Rock Band crowd.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Actually, while my family (wife and three girls) enjoy playing Rock Band, they keep saying there needs to be a Pop Band so that they know more of the songs......I say it's time to branch out. (RB2 is a little better, but still heavily rock.)
(And for the record, the Guitar Hero franchise has a similar song class).
Layne
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
I am a big fan of hip-hop, but I don't think it would be that much to play in a rock band setting. It's centered around rhythm and lyrical flows rather than a melodic progression. There are of course as always, exceptions.
As for the next version of DDR,I wish they'd license some Wu-Tang.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Rock Band before iTunes? (Score:2)
Re:Rock Band before iTunes? (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Re:Rock Band before iTunes? (Score:4, Insightful)
Parent
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Does the future of popular music rest with video games?
Wouldn't that be the future of the past's popular music? It's not like Fall Out Boy (or whoever is popular now) is releasing straight to Rock Band before going on iTunes.
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Re:Rock Band before iTunes? (Score:5, Informative)
Parent
Short straw has to be Ringo! (Score:2)
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Re:Short straw has to be Ringo! (Score:5, Insightful)
Why the hell is this popular?
Because it's a fun game, and they aren't uptight dickwads about it.
Are all these people idiots?
No, but you certainly are. Games don't have to model something you can't do in real life to be fun. No one bitches about how people playing Call of Duty should pick up a real gun and join the real army. The only people who bitch about games like Rock Band are musicians who act all fucking cool about it. Grow the fuck up.
And yes, I play real guitar (as my nick might indicate). I don't feel the need to be a prick about it to everyone who doesn't, though.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
I always bitch when I see grown adults dedicating weeks of their time developing skills in inane games of pretend. Particularly when they start trying to show off how "awesome" they are at it like they're looking for a cookie. It's disgusting.
Well, don't bother coming to our kickass game of Dungeons and Dragons, then...
Re:Short straw has to be Ringo! (Score:5, Insightful)
Blah blah blah [xkcd.com].
Since you say in another post you're against adults spending weeks gaining skills in 'inane games of pretend', your obviously not a fan of video games in general (since that's what they all are). That's nice for you, but why don't you just avoid game-related stories since you don't belong and have nothing to contribute to them?
Parent
They must be trying to change the game... (Score:5, Insightful)
This is tantamount to a complete change of rules in the sales of these. The original target markets are the youth. Most youth could care less about the Beatles and especially the early stuff. They want the metal, they want the punk-funk, they want that sort of stuff that is modern and from their era, not something from prehistoric times.
I can say that with a little moniker of authority as I am a working musician, and have been for quite a number of years both professionally and privately.
Also being a Dad, who at this juncture is 53 years old, (soon to be 54) with a 12 year old and 13 year old at home (yea' they're mine!), and a 20 year old that just moved back in. They like it when Dad plays his old Beatles albums (Yea, I still have the vinyl) and CD's, but when they are listening to their players or stuff on their computers, it's always their modern music that they like. Most times they tolerate Dad listening to this stuff in the car or van, but many times bring their MP3 players and plug their phones in their ears and they're off in their own worlds.
So I have a thought that this will be a gargantuan marketing flop. I don't see much out there in the way of parents my age that would buy this sort of thing. I could be wrong but even my band mates have indicated that they wouldn't spend money on that.
Re:They must be trying to change the game... (Score:4, Insightful)
I'm 32 and I listen to just about everything. My son will grow up listening to everything.
I am a musician and my son will be as well. I am under the impression that children need indoctrination in music.
The beatles will always be in my top 3 no matter what happens. I will try to instill an appreciation for all music in my son.
So how do you deal with the 3-chord knockoffs being published these days? There's a very low wheat/chaff ratio.
Parent
Re:They must be trying to change the game... (Score:5, Insightful)
"So how do you deal with the 3-chord knockoffs being published these days? There's a very low wheat/chaff ratio."
There have always been bands full of low talent hacks, and the wheat:chaff ratio has always been low. The crap bands will be forgotten, and in 30 years when everything new right now counts as "classic" they'll wonder how we managed to have so much amazing music with so little shit. That's just how it works.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Howard Goodall on The Beatles... (Score:3, Interesting)
If you like The Beatles, it's well worth looking at composer Howard Goodall's analysis of their music and development. Not at all dull and dry, but accessible, entertaining and informative.
'Tis (mainly) on YouTube...
Part 1 [youtube.com]
Part 2 [youtube.com]
Part 3 [youtube.com]
Part 4 - can't find the damn thing. Curses!
Part 5 [youtube.com]
Part 5 [youtube.com]
Really, I can't recommend this enough.
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Your son will rebel against your authoritarian ways in his teenage years by being a book nerd;)
Re:They must be trying to change the game... (Score:4, Insightful)
Parent
Re: (Score:2)
Well, the average US gamer's age is 35 years old, that's still not quite in the range of growing up with the Beatles but who hasn't grown up listening to them? I think this will go over well. Parents, when faced with the option of buying Guitar Hero World Tour or Rock Band 2, they might have heard that they can get Beatles' songs with Rock Band 2, and that's the deal breaker.
Re:They must be trying to change the game... (Score:4, Insightful)
Really, the songs ought to just be add-on modules that you can install and play whatever you like. Games like Rock Band or Guitar Hero should be thought of as platforms.
I'm 33 years old, I love video games, I like the Beatles, I play Rock Band/Guitar Hero, and there's several million people who are just like me. I think they'll be fine on sales.
If they want to do a Jazz Band or a String Quartet game, I'll start worrying more about sales. Those would be pretty cool games, but probably won't have a mass market appeal in quite the same way as a game based on pop does.
Parent
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Most youth could care less about the Beatles
Umm, the phrase is "*couldn't* care less". Why would we care if the youth *could* care less?
Idiom "could care less" (Score:2)
Umm, the phrase is "*couldn't* care less". Why would we care if the youth *could* care less?
Because in practice, "could care less" is short for "could barely care less" or "could care less, but it would be a chore".
Re:Idiom "could care less" (Score:5, Insightful)
Because in practice, "could care less" is short for "could barely care less" or "could care less, but it would be a chore".
No... it really isn't. :) It's just a misstatement of the phrase by people who don't think about the words they're speaking or typing.
Parent
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Once enough people "misspeak" the expression, it reaches critical mass and becomes proper usage.
I can accept that for, say, mispronounciations, such as irregardless (well, "accept" isn't quite right, but...). But, come on, this is *clearly* a case of an incorrect grammatical construction.
So while this may be common usage, it most certainly is not *proper*.
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You're forgetting that there's a generation that's halfway between you and your kids. As a 3X-year-old, I and my similarly-aged friends are huge fans of Rock Band. Bear in mind that we're probably one of the earliest generations to have grown up with video games (enabling us to see past the stigma of games being "for kids"), so we're most certainly
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Yeah, kids these days like things modern and from their era... like Aerosmith and Pat Benatar and Cream and the Sex Pistols. Guitar Hero III is chock full of older music and that Aerosmith Guitar Hero package sold very well. I can't imagine the Beatles doing any worse. I would agree with your assessment except that your original assumption: "The original target markets are the youth." is waaay off. The appeal might not skew as high as 53 year olds who already know how to play an instrument, but there ar
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
I cant entirely agree with your assesment that the target market for Rock Band is the youth (unless you mean younger than you) I'm 30 and almost everyone I know who is 20-40 loves Rock Band, the diversity of the songs is quite apparent that they are targeting a broad audience. The amount of Rock Band parties that friends have and friends who arent gamers have had is astounding, when you go to bar and they have a Rock Band night you know this is not just for the kids.
lets take a peek at the set list for Rock
Abbey road (Score:5, Funny)
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Will this include.. (Score:2)
Apple Music (Score:2)
They're not still bitter over that Apple Corpse/Music legal fight are they?
oh please (Score:2)
In related news... (Score:5, Funny)
They've also licenced all of Mozart's works for their upcoming Harpsichord Hero.
I'm sure the kids are dying to pretend playing grandpa's music.
Beatles Story? (Score:5, Funny)
'All together now', 'Ask me now' 'Any time at all' 'Because' 'I should have known better'. 'I want to tell you' 'In spite of all the danger' 'I'll be on my way' 'With a little help from my friends'. 'Help', 'I'm so tired', 'I'm only sleeping', 'I'm down'. 'Good night'!
No new games, please (Score:5, Insightful)
No, actually it wouldn't be nice to have another whole new game just for one band. What would be nice is to be able to purchase and download individual songs at a reasonable price. The AC/DC version of Rock Band costs $40 for 18 songs, and you can't buy individual songs - it's all or nothing. This shit has gotta stop.
Wake me when.... (Score:3, Funny)
Seriously, that is cool. It might be fun to get the whole family playing 'Hey Jude'.
Not Rock Band (Score:4, Informative)
It's going to be a whole new game, not an expansion for Rock Band. Also, it won't be out until XMas 09.
Hooray for the Beatles! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:In the mean time... (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm not trying to knock on your decision to try a real guitar, but at such a novice and uncommitted level of playing, are you really doing anything more useful than what you'd get farting around with RockBand?
You're not likely to build a musical career out of it. You're not learning any special skills that are applicable to the rest of your life (at least not any that can only be learned through "real" guitar playing).
If you're having fun with it, that's great. But the suggestion that everyone who's enjoying guitar hero or rockband would be better served with a real guitar is missing the point of those games. And stating that messing around with a real guitar is inherently a more worthwhile activity than a video game is short-sighted as well.
Parent