Steve Van Zandt: God-like.
MTV Games, Harmonix and Electronic Arts are upping the ante for rock-based music videogaming. Not only have they added drum'n'bass (well not drum'n'bass but drums and bass), they're now offering entire albums as game levels for Rock Band.
Now, for decades you hear little aside from CSI soundtracks from former Mod 'Faces', The Who, and then they come along in Glastonbury performances and videogames. Yup, that's right, the first album to be made available is going to be 1971's post-Mod, Who's Next by the very The Who.
Featuring such CSI classics as Baba O'Riley and Won't Get Fooled Again (but not Who Are You? from 1978), we're told that, "Who's Next will be the first album available for Rock Band owners to purchase soon after the game's release with new content planned every week following Rock Band's launch this Holiday".
Two things to note here, first 'Holiday' means Christmas, and the album title does indeed not have a question mark. Bah!
But the awesomeness doesn't stop there for Rock Band - the really great news for true fans of things that go, "Yeaaah!", "Crasssh!", and "Boom-a-da-boom-a-da!" is that rawk god, (Miami) Steve Van Zandt is to chair Rock Band's Music Advisory Board. Awesome! Seriously, 'Little Steven's Underground Garage' radio show is one of the single most brilliant contributions to 'Rawkkkk!' in history. If the man can bring even an inkling of his vision into a videogame, then SPOnG is already queuing to buy (yes, 'buy') our copy.
Despite no other rock gods (or even Tommy Lee) being confirmed for the board, Mr Van Zandt is still being quoted as telling the fans, "I am honoured to have been asked to lead the Rock Band Music Advisory Board. It is amazing how effective the game is in communicating the coolest music ever made, and still being made, and at the same time, capturing the spirit of fun that got us all into Rock-and-Roll in the first place."
Maybe, he'll get to launch the game in Sun City?
Finally, the hard gen you've been waiting for. The initial Rock Band tracklist in full. Now, aside from the songs we've marked as "Oh, Dude, No!" all the others are the real, original recordings digitally remastered for videogame action. We're assuming this list was put together slightly before Mr Little Steven came on board†, but that is simple speculation so we're not going to comment on it. Let's Raaaaaaaawkkk!
Black Sabbath - Paranoid - "Oh, Dude, No!"
Blue Oyster Cult - Don't Fear the Reaper
Bon Jovi - Wanted Dead or Alive
David Bowie - Suffragette City
Foo Fighters - Learn to Fly
Metallica - Enter Sandman
Mountain - Mississippi Queen - "Oh, Dude, No!"
Nirvana - In Bloom
Queens of the Stone Age - Go With the Flow
Rush - Tom Sawyer - "Oh, Dude, No!"
Stone Temple Pilots - Vasoline
The Hives - Main Offender
The Ramones - Rockaway Beach
The Strokes - Reptilia
The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again
Weezer - Say It Ain't So
Well, there's a Rush track on there... say no more.
Now, for decades you hear little aside from CSI soundtracks from former Mod 'Faces', The Who, and then they come along in Glastonbury performances and videogames. Yup, that's right, the first album to be made available is going to be 1971's post-Mod, Who's Next by the very The Who.
Featuring such CSI classics as Baba O'Riley and Won't Get Fooled Again (but not Who Are You? from 1978), we're told that, "Who's Next will be the first album available for Rock Band owners to purchase soon after the game's release with new content planned every week following Rock Band's launch this Holiday".
Two things to note here, first 'Holiday' means Christmas, and the album title does indeed not have a question mark. Bah!
But the awesomeness doesn't stop there for Rock Band - the really great news for true fans of things that go, "Yeaaah!", "Crasssh!", and "Boom-a-da-boom-a-da!" is that rawk god, (Miami) Steve Van Zandt is to chair Rock Band's Music Advisory Board. Awesome! Seriously, 'Little Steven's Underground Garage' radio show is one of the single most brilliant contributions to 'Rawkkkk!' in history. If the man can bring even an inkling of his vision into a videogame, then SPOnG is already queuing to buy (yes, 'buy') our copy.
Despite no other rock gods (or even Tommy Lee) being confirmed for the board, Mr Van Zandt is still being quoted as telling the fans, "I am honoured to have been asked to lead the Rock Band Music Advisory Board. It is amazing how effective the game is in communicating the coolest music ever made, and still being made, and at the same time, capturing the spirit of fun that got us all into Rock-and-Roll in the first place."
Maybe, he'll get to launch the game in Sun City?
Finally, the hard gen you've been waiting for. The initial Rock Band tracklist in full. Now, aside from the songs we've marked as "Oh, Dude, No!" all the others are the real, original recordings digitally remastered for videogame action. We're assuming this list was put together slightly before Mr Little Steven came on board†, but that is simple speculation so we're not going to comment on it. Let's Raaaaaaaawkkk!
Black Sabbath - Paranoid - "Oh, Dude, No!"
Blue Oyster Cult - Don't Fear the Reaper
Bon Jovi - Wanted Dead or Alive
David Bowie - Suffragette City
Foo Fighters - Learn to Fly
Metallica - Enter Sandman
Mountain - Mississippi Queen - "Oh, Dude, No!"
Nirvana - In Bloom
Queens of the Stone Age - Go With the Flow
Rush - Tom Sawyer - "Oh, Dude, No!"
Stone Temple Pilots - Vasoline
The Hives - Main Offender
The Ramones - Rockaway Beach
The Strokes - Reptilia
The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again
Weezer - Say It Ain't So
Well, there's a Rush track on there... say no more.
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