I brought you my top ten bands that should be in Rock Band, but I have other artists I’d love to see in the game who, for one reason or another, will never make it. Actually, most of the reasons are that the proper masters simply do not exist for these artists and cover songs just wouldn’t be the same.
Django Reinhardt
I admit I come to this list as a dedicated Rock Band guitarist (and secondarily as a vocalist), so it should come as no surprise that my Wishful Thinking list is comprised mainly of great guitar players. And Django Reinhardt is one of the greatest guitar players of all time. If I had to pick a Django song for the game, it would be, without a doubt I’ll See You In My Dreams.
Forget it. The ultimate guitar player. The ultimate grandfather of rock n’ roll attitude and mythology. Rock Band in general needs more blues – and real blues, not Blueshammer blues – but much of the best stuff, the realest stuff, was recorded under the worst circumstances.
Picking a Johnson song must come down to Crossroads and Hellhound on My Trail. I went with the second one.
I guess technically you could probably do Ben Folds Five songs on Rock Band in the same way you do Yeah Yeah Yeahs (or theoretically The White Stripes), but without the piano what’s the point? So many BFF songs would be wonderful to play and sing in the game… if there was a piano peripheral. But who wouldn’t dig singing ‘Kiss my ass… goodbye’ in One Angry Dwarf?
I don’t care what Chuck D has to say about it, Elvis Presley was a legend to me. And unlike some of the other acts on the Wishful Thinking list, his songs would fit right into the Rock Band instrumentation. If there are masters where each are recorded discreetly, that is. And what vocalist wouldn’t want throw down on Hound Dog?
5 – The White Stripes
I have to believe that the only reason The White Stripes are not yet in Rock Band is that they’re missing a bassist. But so are The Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and The White Stripes are about a thousand times better a band. So the great peppermint drought of Rock Band must end, and it must end now.
Song: You’re Pretty Good Looking (For a Girl)
Album: White Blood Cells
I’m a pretty huge fan of this band, and naming one album that’s their best is hard, but White Blood Cells is a delightfully concentrated dose of what makes the Stripes the Stripes.
4 – The Drive-by Truckers
Another band whose absence, even just in DLC, baffles me. This is the kind of driving, fun Southern rock that can make for the best mid-tier tracks in any of these games. And The DBT have so many songs that would just kick ass on Rock Band that their absence is, frankly, inconscionable. Fuck, I want a whole expansion pack of just the Truckers discography. But in the meantime I’d settle for a song. And while the song I want might create some issues with the censors because it talks about getting fucked up, it also perfectly encapsulates the absolute joy of rock music.
Song: Let There Be Rock (sorry, there were no cleaner versions on YouTube)
Album: Decoration Day
Southern Rock Opera is my hands down favorite DBT record, but Decoration Day is probably their most accomplished. But hell, I’d take both.
3 – Pink Floyd
Is this one of those ‘No duh’ choices where Harmonix has tried and tried to get Floyd but it just hasn’t worked out? Maybe, although I never felt that Floyd was as difficult as The Beatles or Zep. One of the more obvious problems with Floyd, though, is that their best stuff tends to be jammy and long and not always utilizing all four Rock Band parts at once. Listening to Shine On You Crazy Diamond Parts I-V you can’t help but imagine yourself holding that plastic guitar… until you realize that the first guitar part doesn’t kick in until minute two!
But Floyd does have lots of classic songs that are more conventional and would be welcome in the game. And imagine having a Rock Band party where everybody chimes in on the second verse of Another Brick in the Wall Part 2? Like duets, that’s something else this game needs lots,lots more of: chant along songs.
Song: Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2
I know I just said how tough Shine On You Crazy Diamond would be to realize on this game without killing a party, but fuck it. I want to see a DLC album that is geared for the really hardcore who want to experience the album. I’ll stand around, happily.
2 – Neil Young
Whether solo or with Crazy Horse, Neil Young quite simply demands to be in this game. His vocals might be tough to sing, considering his style, but the best voices are the most idiosyncratic. And with forty years of absolute gold, he has an incredible catalog from which to pick. And fuck it all, I just want to be able to shred guitar on Cortez the Killer.
Song: Cortez the Killer
Album: Harvest
There’s not a bad song here, and the country-rock stylings of the album would be a wonderful change of pace for the game. Harvest, Old Man, Alabama, The Needle and the Damage Done – damn it, I want them all.
1 – Bruce Springsteen
At first Bruce – especially E Street Band era Bruce – seems like a no-brainer. Then you listen to the albums and realize that the best stuff is the keys and the glockenspiel and a whole bunch of other non-Rock Band instrumentation. Clarence Clemons’ sax gets all the best solos. But dammit, I just want to be the guy who calls vocals on Born to Run at every party.
Song: Born to Run
With today’s launch of Rock Band 2 there are 500 songs available for that game, a truly remarkable number of tracks and bands. But Harmonix is still just scratching the surface of what’s out there, so I’ve decided to throw together a very subjective list of the top ten bands I think still need to be seen on Rock Band. For the purposes of being completist, I’ve only included bands that (to the best of my knowledge) are not on Rock Band or any of the 700 Guitar Hero games, but I must admit that I don’t know the full playlists of that version of Guitar Hero you play with your belt buckle or the edition that comes bundled with your microwave (one of those is real).
This is a highly subjective list, which means you’ll notice Vampire Weekend can fuck right off and suck my dick. Rock Band 2 has too many crummy modern songs for my taste as it is, and playing it last night with friends I kept feeling like I was in the closing credits of a high school comedy starring Seth Green.
Also take note that I’ve tried to do a couple of things with these choices: I’ve tried to stick with bands/songs that either work for Rock Band as it is or that would improve the game in ways that I’ve long wanted it improved. When songs/bands don’t work in Rock Band as it is, I’ve tried to examine that. And I’ve left off songs/bands that can’t be on Rock Band in masters form. Some of those you’ll find on the third page, in the Wishful Thinking section. I’ve also left off Led Zeppelin and The Beatles – these are both no duh choices that are held up by licensing and little else.
For each band I’ll list a song that would make a great stand-alone choice for the game, but also an album that would be wonderful as a complete download. For some of these bands choosing the album was almost arbitrary, as they have so many good ones from which to choose.
I don’t expect you to agree with it all, so make your voice heard via email – devin@chud.com or on our message board.
10 – Pavement
I actually can’t believe Pavement isn’t already in one of these games. One of the greatest 90s rock bands, Pavement makes music almost tailor made for a music game, filled with great guitar hooks and poppy choruses. The problem with picking a Pavement song for this list is winnowing it down. The urge is to go with Cut Your Hair, their biggest hit, or maybe Stereo. I love Spit on A Stranger, Range Life, Gold Soundz… so many songs that are so good. But for my choice I went back to the very first Pavement song I ever heard, off their first LP, Slanted & Enchanted.
Song: Summer Babe
Album: Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain
This is, for me, the Pavement masterpiece. I love every Pavement record, but Crooked Rain is magic from the first note to the last.
9 – Prince
Have you ever wanted to get head while playing guitar in one of these games? The main reason you haven’t is that there’s no Prince on them. Prince can play some fucking blistering guitar, and his songs will pump up your party with the quickness. And the wetness. Sadly, there are no Prince songs on YouTube, so the best you’re going to get is this cover:
Song: Let’s Go Crazy
Album: Purple Rain
You have to ask?
8 – Liz Phair
A truism: There are not enough girl songs on Rock Band. The theory, perhaps, is that girls will sing guy songs but guys won’t sing girl songs. I don’t know if that’s the case, but more ladies need to be represented in these games. The problem with Liz Phair becomes apparent the very second you try to pick the song to highlight – her very best song ever, without a doubt, is Fuck and Run, but that sucker is going to wreak havoc with your game rating. On top of that, Phair’s voice is lower, making her not as ideal a girlie singer. Still, she writes terrific pop songs, and deserves to be represented.
Song: Supernova
Album: Exile in Guyville
I split the difference here. Supernova is a memorable, commercial song with good parts for all the instruments, but Exile in Guyville is her masterpiece, and it contains the problematic Fuck and Run. Offer it as DLC with a parental warning or something.
7 – Johnny Cash
Where’s the country, Rock Band? We got Jimmy Buffett DLC, meaning the margarita rock crowd is covered, but the greats of country music remain unrepresented. It seems to me that the country artist least likely to cause a stroke for the fans of the franchise. The only problem that might arise would be finding out which Cash tunes have the proper masters available – some of Cash’s best stuff might be relegated to the Wishful Thinking section as a result.
But besides bringing country to Rock Band, I task Johnny Cash with doing something else for the game – bringing duets. There’s a better than average chance soon enough that we’ll be owning two mics, or at least a mic and a headset, so duets seem feasible. And they’re definitely fun. Coming at Rock Band as a party game, the duet adds a whole new level of good times for the group.
Song: Darlin’ Companion
Album: Johnny Cash At Folson Prison
I’m probably breaking my own rules here – is it possible that Folsom Prison was recorded on enough tracks to separate every instrument out? – but it’s worth it for a record both seminal and wonderful. And Jackson makes for another phenomenal duet.
6 – Wilco
I really want to put Uncle Tupelo in here, but I have to make some concessions to commercialism. And it’s not like Wilco isn’t a great band all on their own, with a catalog almost swamped with songs that would be amazing on Rock Band. What’s cool about Wilco, in fact, is the way the band has changed over its history, meaning that you could have two Wilco songs on one game and they might sound almost nothing alike.
Song: Can’t Stand It
Album: Being There
This was a tough one. While I think Yankee Hotel Foxtrot would be better known (and easier to do, having fewer songs), Being There is just an album I love. Subjective decision takes the day!
