The songs you'd like to see in Rock Band thread

[Prodigy]

(hope there's no thread on this matter already)

I know there's a ton of DLC on the way (500 songs by the end of the year including RB 2, or so they said), and I know this thread will be completely useless, but just for the sake of it and the pleasure of arguing/dissing our musical taste : what would be the 10 tracks (or track packs) you would absolutely like to see in Rock Band and its sequel ?

Not the perfect set list nor the objective set list, just songs you would love to play, and why. It can be anything of course, since the game already cover a wide musical range, from Duran Duran to Machine Head, but at least let's keep things believable - no Stairway to Heaven, since we all know where Jimmy Page stands on using his masters for musical games.

My dream list as of today :

AC/DC - Squealer. Best Angus Young solo ever in my book, probably a bore for everyone else though (vocals, drums, bass)...

A Deep Purple pack, with at least Lazy & Child in Time. Like Squealer Child in time would be pretty boring for the most part (and rather hard to sing), but I would love to play the solo. As for Lazy, well, just listen to the song, what's not to like ?

A UFO pack with Boogie for George/Rock Bottom, self explanatory, great guitar riffs, great guitar solo for Rock Bottom.

Dire Straits - Sultans of Swing. Come on, 6 Guitar Hero games, two Rock Bands, no Mark Knopfler ?? Perfect in almost every area, guitar, singing, drums, bass...

Suicidal Tendencies - Lost Again. I need to work my double strums and on my endurance as a drummer...

The Cramps - I was a teenage werewolf. This game needs some psychobilly !

Soundgarden - Rusty Cage. Many Soundgarden songs would be good of course but this one clearly has the energy required. I can totally picture me and my friends playing it.

Girls against Boys - Kill the sexplayer. Sexy and noisy as hell, love the drums.

And I would also love some Mclusky, more Queens of the Stone Age, but that's definitely not going to happen.

[Fozzle]

I want Hocus Pocus, by Focus.
Thats it.

[ColonelT]

Pearl Jam - Ten. The complete album.

Huey Lewis and the News - Every album, every song. Stop laughing.

[Wallapuctus]

Sisters of Mercy pack: Vision Thing, Temple of Love, and Lucretia My Reflection

[Moore]

I'd loooove some cramps in there. I'd prefer googoomuck, muleskinenr blues or OOH EE AH A AH

More Pixies

Anything by Pigface, though you'd need at least 9 drummers which would be expensive.

I'd like some Dwarves or Angry Samoans or (old) Circle Jerks.

Supersuckers.

DK

Misfits would be a nice fit too.

Minor Threat.

The Nomads

The Maggots

Stiff Little Fingers

Naked Raygun

The Bishops

The Sonics

Joy Division

.45 grave (PARTYTIME!!!)

Dinosaur Jr

Iggy/Stooges

Lulu's Marble

The Stranglers

Operation Ivy

[perrinbar]

I would like to see the entirety of The Bends by Radiohead, or OK Computer. Preferably both, but I think The Bends would work the best.

[delirium]

Dire Straits - Sultans of Swing. Come on, 6 Guitar Hero games, two Rock Bands, no Mark Knopfler ?? Perfect in almost every area, guitar, singing, drums, bass...


Yessssss. I knew there was a song I really wanted but couldn't remember what it was. That was it.


Here's some other I'd like:
Toadies - I Come From the Water
Modest Mouse - Dashboard
Pantera - Cemetary Gates
Elvis Costello - Lipstick Vogue
Heart - Barracuda
Green Day - Jesus of Suburbia
Candlebox - You
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Sweet Home Alabama
Cake - Short Skirt Long Jacket

[Prodigy]

I would like to see the entirety of The Bends by Radiohead, or OK Computer. Preferably both, but I think The Bends would work the best.

Hell yeah.

Many great inputs, loved the Focus piece.

[Jazar]

One that I would love to rock out on but will sadly NEVER see the light of day on Rock Band would be Silent Hill - Waiting For You (live At Heaven's Night) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WUxlXpZ5eM). I would kill to rock out to this - drums, guitar, vocals, all of it.

[DavidKaye]

This thread would be so much cooler if it was started by someone who works at Harmonix, but I'll bite nonetheless.

The Rolling Stones: Brown Sugar, Paint It Black, Jumpin' Jack Flash

The Cure: Disintegration (Album)

Suede: Animal Nitrate, The Drowners, Animal Lover

Morrissey: Suedehead, The National Front Disco, Irish Blood, English Heart

Paul Weller: I Walk on Gilded Splinters, Stanley Road, Blink and You'll Miss It

[Pumpkinhead]

Tool Pack- Lateralus, Vicarious and Sober

Helmet Pack- Unsung, Milquetoast, and Wilma's Rainbow

Opeth Pack- Bleak, Reverie/Harlequin Forest, and Ghosts of Perdition

Alice In Chains Pack- Would, I Stay Away, and Rain When I Die

The Cult - Fire Woman

The Cranberries - Zombie

Flaw- Amendment

Mushroomhead - Sun Doesn't Rise.

Jimmie's Chicken Shack -Dropping Anchor

Fuel- Shimmer

Godsmack -Alive

Muse -Stockholm Syndrome

Great White -Rock Me

Hum -Stars

The Hunger -Vanishing Cream

Incubus - Sick Sad Little World

Silversun Pickups - Well Thought Out Twinkles

K's Choice - Not An Addict

Limp Bizkit - Nookie

Live - Lakini's Juice

Pantera - Cemetary Gate.

Slayer - Seasons in the Abyss

[Jason McMaster]

I'd loooove some cramps in there. I'd prefer googoomuck, muleskinenr blues or OOH EE AH A AH

More Pixies

Anything by Pigface, though you'd need at least 9 drummers which would be expensive.

I'd like some Dwarves or Angry Samoans or (old) Circle Jerks.

Supersuckers.

DK

Misfits would be a nice fit too.

Minor Threat.

The Nomads

The Maggots

Stiff Little Fingers

Naked Raygun

The Bishops

The Sonics

Joy Division

.45 grave (PARTYTIME!!!)

Dinosaur Jr

Iggy/Stooges

Lulu's Marble

The Stranglers

Operation Ivy

you covered most of mine, but I'd like to add Pulp

Wow, and Pigface. Not a lot of Pigface fans around.

[Conrad]

These are fun to drum along to on the steering wheel, so I think they'd be fun to play as well.

Queen - Fat Bottomed Girls
Kinks - Lola
ZZ Top - Sharp Dressed Man, Legs
BTO - American Woman
Jim Croce - Bad Bad Leroy Brown

Or in a different vein, the PE/Anthrax version of Bring The Noise.

[Talisker]

A song or two from Dread Zeppelin, so I can get my Tortelvis on.

[ChiTownBluesFan]

Heard this at the Bears game last night, and thought it'd be great for drums.

Van Halen - Hot For Teacher. Actually, any old Van Halen will do.

[dwinn]

The Song Remains the Same.

[JPR]

It would be easy for me to get ridiculously obscure, but here are a few things that I think might actually be considered:

Hum - "Stars" or "You'd Prefer An Astronaut" (vid (http://120minutes.tumblr.com/post/9135291) of the latter)
The Kinks - "This Time Tomorrow"
Modest Mouse - "Trucker's Atlas" or "Night on the Sun"
Built to Spill - "Car", "Twin Falls", or basically anything off of Secret or Perfect
The Walkmen - "The Rat"
The Smiths - "Cemetry Gates" or several other songs
Uncle Tupelo - "Factory Belt", "Punch Drunk", "Gun"
Son Volt - "Drown"
Wilco - Plenty of things
The Dismemberment Plan - "Face of the Earth" or something else
Archers of Loaf - "Web In Front"
At the Drive In - something. One Armed Scissor is in GH4, so they could probably get that
Yes - something. Maybe "Heart of the Sunrise"
Death Cab for Cutie - something from 2003 or earlier. Maybe "405" or "A Movie Script Ending"
Radiohead - "Paranoid Android" and most of The Bends

I agree with Pearl Jam - Ten, a select few Misfits songs (probably not Skulls or Braineaters, for example. It would be pretty great to play Bullet, but I don't really see that happening), I think Rusty Cage is one of the better Soundgarden suggestions.

Really, I could do this all day long, so I'll stop here. Plus, I don't have any music in front of me, so it's a little harder to just work off the top of my head.

[salwon]

They need to release a metal-free version.

Oh, and some Wilco - Misunderstood would be awesome but never happen, but Passenger Side would work as well.

[Prodigy]

Kinks - Lola

Oh my god yes, and Powerman. The world definitely needs more Kinks.

[Adam B]

Soul Coughing. All of it.

Times one million.

[Rasputin]

Wow, with the exception of Conrad, way to obscure your lists up.

Bon Jovi - Lay Your Hands On Me
The Cult - Fire Woman
Def Leppard - Pour Some Sugar On Me
Chuck Berry - Johnny B Goode
Motley Crue - Kickstart My Heart
Blondie - Call Me
Evanescence - Bring Me To Life
Korn - Twisted Transistor
Queen - Fat Bottomed Girls
Golden Earring - Radar Love (or White Lion)
Cake - Love You Madly

And for my obscure ones:
Lordi - Blood Red Sandman
Sisters Of Mercy - When You Don't See Me
White Lion - Transformers (or Black Lab)

Oh, and salwon, I hope you burn, you filthy, FILTHY heretic!

[delirium]

Evanescence - Bring Me To Life


Oh God no!


Golden Earring - Radar Love


Oh God yes!

[Pumpkinhead]

More Pixies


Please no. I will not debate the quality of The Pixies. But their music is decidedly unfun to play in the game.




Blondie - Call Me


Umm....

Oh nevermind.

[Machfive]

Something from Dream Theater. Since there'll probably only be one song ever, something really like. Like the entirety of A Change of Seasons.

[MattKeil]

A whole hell of a lot more AC/DC and DLR era Van Halen.

Don't Stop Believin' by Journey for the ultimate Rock Band party experience.

And even though it'll never happen, I'd like to see Even Rats by The Slip return (it was a bonus track in GH1).

Huey Lewis and the News - Every album, every song. Stop laughing.

Fuck. Yes. People would line up to sing Power Of Love, and you all know it.

[Rasputin]

I love how every thread about this eventually starts going into the "cooler than thou" state of message board conversations. Which, I suppose, is the natural state of the internet.

I like "Call Me". I heard that shit for the first time when Debbie Harry performed it with the Electric fucking Mayhem which kicks the hell out of any other band. PERIOD.

[delirium]

I love how every thread about this eventually starts going into the "cooler than thou" state of message board conversations. Which, I suppose, is the natural state of the internet.

I like "Call Me". I heard that shit for the first time when Debbie Harry performed it with the Electric fucking Mayhem which kicks the hell out of any other band. PERIOD.

The point was...Call Me is already in the game.

[Rasputin]

Ah, well, that explains it. I haven't had my Xbox for several months, which makes me very sad for not having RB, so I have missed that DLC. I'm sure those who are looking after it have downloaded it and are playing the hell out of it. Totally my bad.

Electric Mayhem still rocks, though.

[Pumpkinhead]

I love how every thread about this eventually starts going into the "cooler than thou" state of message board conversations. Which, I suppose, is the natural state of the internet.

I like "Call Me". I heard that shit for the first time when Debbie Harry performed it with the Electric fucking Mayhem which kicks the hell out of any other band. PERIOD.

No offense intended. (And strangly enough Call Me is a bitch on drums for me).


Good call on Kickstart My Heart too. I meant to put that one on my list.

[jerri blank]

I love how every thread about this eventually starts going into the "cooler than thou" state of message board conversations. Which, I suppose, is the natural state of the internet.

Well, the natural state of Qt3, at least.

"No Excuses" by Alice in Chains would be fun on drums - I love the intro but have never really been able to play it.

I'd love to see some Jeff Buckley - maybe the whole Grace album, with the exception of Corpus Christi Carol and Hallelujah (since they don't have all the parts). Hell, his mother will sell his shit out to anyone, anytime, so I would imagine all Harmonix would have to do is ask.

[Shadarr]

ZZ Top: La Grange, Sharp Dressed Man, Legs
Bad Religion: Sorrow, American Jesus, Anesthesia
AC/DC: Back In Black (the album), Who Made Who (the album), Thunderstruck
Judas Priest: The Sentinel, Desert Plains, Painkiller (the album)
Megadeth: Blood of Heroes, Almost Honest, In My Darkest Hour
Four Horsemen: Rockin' Is My Business
Garbage: Only Happy When It Rains

[Jab2565]

So far no one has mentioned any of my picks (which shows how obscure they must be.)

Anything from Eric Clapton

The White Room by Cream.

Someone to love by Jefferson Airplane.

I don't know if they would fit, but ELO. I think some of the rock lovers on QT3 are having chest pains from my list right now.

[Rasputin]

No offense intended. (And strangly enough Call Me is a bitch on drums for me).


Good call on Kickstart My Heart too. I meant to put that one on my list.

Kickstart is on a mix CD I got from Harmonix through a friend who went to one of their parties, so I'm pretty hopeful for it.

I also would like Nirvana - You Know You're Right

[Rasputin]

So far no one has mentioned any of my picks (which shows how obscure they must be.)

Anything from Eric Clapton

The White Room by Cream.

Someone to love by Jefferson Airplane.

I don't know if they would fit, but ELO. I think some of the rock lovers on QT3 are having chest pains from my list right now.

Fuck yes, Someone to Love.

[Wholly Schmidt]

Something from Dream Theater. Since there'll probably only be one song ever, something really like. Like the entirety of A Change of Seasons.
There was a Dream Theater song last week, wasn't there?
So far no one has mentioned any of my picks (which shows how obscure they must be.)

Anything from Eric Clapton

The White Room by Cream.

Someone to love by Jefferson Airplane.

I don't know if they would fit, but ELO. I think some of the rock lovers on QT3 are having chest pains from my list right now.
Man, I'd kill for White Room.

You know what might be fun? Outkast - Hey Ya. I think it could work. It probably wouldn't be the kind of song you play because you love the instrument parts, but it'd be a hit at parties and a good one to draw people into the game. I wouldn't mind a few more songs like that. Maybe some Gorillaz too.

[Moore]

you covered most of mine, but I'd like to add Pulp

Wow, and Pigface. Not a lot of Pigface fans around.

Pigface is sometimes my favorite band. definitely the best shows I ever went to (pigface Team 94 and 95).

[Moore]

Please no. I will not debate the quality of The Pixies. But

pixies is fun to sing though, since I dont even need to see the screen. I'll take all of Frank Black's solo work too, even the demo tapes of every pixies song ever that he did before the pixies existed.

[Lietgardis]

Pigface is sometimes my favorite band. definitely the best shows I ever went to (pigface Team 94 and 95).

I used to make a point out of going to see Pigface on every tour, but the last one (2005, maybe?) really sucked. Maybe it's because I went from seeing them in a large, energetic venue in Portland to seeing them in a cramped, shitty goth club in Austin. I never really cared for their albums.

A few selections on topic:
Pig, "Painiac"
KMFDM, "Flesh"
Marilyn Manson, "Wrapped in Plastic"
In Flames, "Leeches"
and ... Queensryche, all of Operation Mindcrime

[Aeon221]

Hendrix.

[Bahimiron]

Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon.
Bad Religion - Just about any of their Epitaph stuff or anything from Stranger Than Fiction.
Foo Fighters - Everlong, Monkey Wrench.
Johnny Cash - Hey, I can dream, right?

[sinfony]

The Mars Volta, "Goliath"

[Robert Sharp]

First, I love Pumpkinhead's list. So most of those would be on my list as well.

Guns N' Roses: Rocket Queen, Welcome to the Jungle (is this one in RB2?)

Metallica: For Whom the Bell Tolls, Am I Evil (Diamond Head version acceptable)

Megadeth: In my Darkest Hour

Jethro Tull: Cross-Eyed Mary

Led Zeppelin: What Is and What Should Never Be (perfect Rockband song)

Bang Tango: Someone Just Like You

Tool: Sober

Bad Brains: With the Quickness; Re-Ignition

Ministry: Thieves; So What? (live version); Scarecrow (might not work in RB, but I love the song); Lay Lady Lay (do they do covers?)

Ten Years After: I'd Love to Change the World

Iron Maiden: Wasted Years

Tribe: Here at the Home

Bon Jovi: You Give Love a Bad Name

Motley Crue: Shout at the Devil; Looks that Kill; Dr. Feelgood (my wife loves it)

I'll stop here....I could go on and on and on.

[Arioch]

Uriah Heep - Lady in Black
Bachman Turner Overdrive - You ain't seen nothing yet
Queen - Bohemian Rhapsody
Arctic Monkeys - I bet you look good on the dancefloor
Bloc Party - Hunting for Witches
Metallica - Nothing else matters
Heroes del Silencio - Entre dos Tierras

[Robert Sharp]

Uriah Heep - Lady in Black


Wow. I had no idea that other people even knew about that song. I agree that it's cool. The way it builds on itself would fit RB well too. Interesting pick. The Wizard is my favorite UH song though, and it would be a nice, quick tune to add.

[Kalle]

Håkan (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLVJtAocCHA) Hellström (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgJo8H6rG_k)

[Prodigy]

How could I forget - I need me some Kyuss. Come on, Harmonix, if you're reading this thread, bring on Allen's Wrench or Demon Cleaner.

[Not One Of Us]

Why? Because I want them.

A Perfect Circle - The Outsider
Aerosmith - One Way Street
Audioslave - Broken City
Beta Band - Inner Meet Me
Boredoms - Molecicco
Boston - Don't Look Back
Clutch - A Shogun Named Marcus
Cream - Crossroads
David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust
Derek and the Dominos - Layla
Devo - Gut Feeling (Slap Your Mammy)
Disturbed - Fear
Electric Light Orchestra - Evil Woman (Stripped Down Mix)
Elton John - Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting
Fatboy Slim - Weapon of Choice
Guns N' Roses - Sympathy for the Devil
INXS - Calling All Nations
Iron Maiden - Hallowed Be Thy Name
Jimi Hendrix - Voodoo Child (Slight Return)
John Lennon - I'm Losing You (Anthology version with Cheap Trick backing)
Kittie - Charlotte
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free Bird
Malice Mizer - Brise
Marilyn Manson - Doll-Dagga Buzz-Buzz Ziggity-Zag
Megadeth - Last Rites / Loved to Death
Moi dix Mois - Nightbreed
Molly Hatchet - It's All Over Now
Mötley Crüe - Kickstart My Heart
Monty Python - I Bet You They Won't Play This Song on the Radio
N.W.A. - Express Yourself
N17 - Version 1.2
Nine Inch Nails - Complication
Nirvana - Radio Friendly Unit Shifter
Offspring - Pay the Man
Oingo Boingo - Only a Lad
OOIOO - Oizumio
Outlaws - There Goes Another Love Song
Pantera - Cowboy From Hell
Peter Gabriel - Digging in the Dirt
Pink Floyd - Money
Primus - Eleven
Prodigy - Shoot Down
Queen - The Prophet's Song
Radiohead - Cuttooth
Rage Against the Machine - Snakecharmer
Rolling Stones - Bitch
Sex Pistols - Pretty Vacant
Smashing Pumpkins - Tonight, Tonight
Snake River Conspiracy - You and Your Friend
Spinal Tap - Stonehenge
Stephen Jay - Whatever It Is
System of a Down - Vicinity of Obscenity
They Might Be Giants - They Might Be Giants
Trashmen - Surfin' Bird
Tool - Forty Six & 2
Tweaker - Take Me Alive
Type O Negative - An Ode to Locksmiths
VAST - Touched
Velver Underground - Rock and Roll
War - Whose Cadillac is That?
Warren Zevon - Werewolves of London
Weird Al Yankovic - Albuquerque
White Zombie - Super-Charger Heaven
The Who - The Song is Over

Deep Purple - Machine Head (full album)

No Beatles or Zep mentioned for the obvious reason; hoping they aren't going to fart around and just release all the AC/DC albums in full; couldn't for the life of me come up with a Chemical Brothers song that I thought would work; instrumentals now to be considered due to YYZ!

[Prodigy]

Man I want so much songs from your list.

[Chuck Jordan]

Soul Coughing. All of it.

Times one million.
We have a winner. A full-album download of El Oso would be the pinnacle of my experience as a videogame player. (If not the crowning achievement of western civilization).

Plus Surfer Rosa by the Pixies.

Also: I met some of the Harmonix folks at PAX and they're some of the nicest people you'd ever want to come in contact with. As if it weren't enough that the game itself is so well-produced.

[malkav11]

Tool, A Perfect Circle, Disturbed, Rammstein. I couldn't tell you exact songs that'd work well for the game (though I'd love to see pretty much any of 'em except Tool's "Eulogy", which as great as it is would be very poorly suited to Rock Band.).

Also wouldn't mind some Lacuna Coil or Nightwish, if something appropriate could be found. And there are a bunch of German bands that I'd like but unless they hit big in America I doubt they'd ever come to the American Rock Band or Guitar Hero franchises. Things like Megaherz, Oomph!, and Eisbrecher.

[Prodigy]

I know realize there's virtually no U2 in those games, though Desire would be a blast to play in Rock Band.

[Robert Sharp]

I'd rather have something from Achtung, personally. I'm not a huge fan of Desire. Also, a lot of U2 songs are very repetitious, which isn't much fun in RB.

[Prodigy]

Desire may not be their best musically speaking but I think it has the energy required, much like the Jet song (Are you gonna be my girl).

[beloved one]

Sadly, this thread just makes me realize how right Harmonix is about their audience! I'd like some songs from Metric, Sleater-Kinney and some other chick rock bands. But I read people's lists of like 50 songs or bands they'd like in this thread, and they are all male.

Harmonix says they want to add more bands with female leads, but surveys always shoot them down... so I guess I'm just hoping they say screw the rest of you in this thread, and start adding at least a couple Sleater-Kinney songs. ( I had such high hopes when they had Carrie Brownstein do an early piece on RB! )

[JPR]

I just plain do not like female vocals. There are a few bands with both a male and female vocalists whom I like enough that I can tolerate the girl (Sonic Youth, for example), but there is no female-led band that I would listen to on purpose. And I'm being literal, as far as I know.

[Robert Sharp]

Desire may not be their best musically speaking but I think it has the energy required, much like the Jet song (Are you gonna be my girl).

I agree. I used to play bass for that song in a band. I mean I wasn't their bass player, but it was hard enough to play bass and sing that the normal singer/bass guy would get me to sit in during that song, if I was around, so he could perform better.

[Robert Sharp]

Really, JPR? I like K's Choice, Lacuna Coil, Concrete Blonde (at least some of it), and several others.

[salwon]

Concrete Blonde or Sleater-Kinney both seem like complete no-brainers once they're mentioned. Shit, why couldn't they just release some Joan Jett or Pretenders? You can't tell me some fucktards in a focus group don't love Rock and Roll.

[JPR]

Really, JPR?

Yep. I'm pretty sure that the only female-fronted band whose music I own is Portishead, and I've probably listened to it twice since I bought it in 1997 or whenever. I don't know what it is about them, exactly, but female vocalists don't appeal to me at all. I generally don't pay any attention to lyrics, and the vocals are usually the least interesting to me of the (typically) 4 instruments.

[Ryan Markel]

"Do You Feel Like We Do."

(unison bonus for voice and guitar)

[Neopythia]

I could probably list fifty songs, but I would love to have selections from Motley Crue, Van Halen, Queen, and Tom Petty.

If I could chose one from each I would pick:

Kickstart my Heart
Hot for Teacher
Bohemian Rhapsody
Running Down a Dream

[Pumpkinhead]

Really, JPR? I like K's Choice, Lacuna Coil, Concrete Blonde (at least some of it), and several others.


Concerning female vocals I'd like to see some Cranberries (Zombie, Dreams), Silversun Pickups (Well Thought out Twinkles, Lazy Eye*), more Flyleaf (All Around Me, Fully Alive), and The Breeders (Cannonball).


*In Rock Band 2.

[Not One Of Us]

Sadly, this thread just makes me realize how right Harmonix is about their audience! I'd like some songs from Metric, Sleater-Kinney and some other chick rock bands. But I read people's lists of like 50 songs or bands they'd like in this thread, and they are all male.

Well, I think it comes down to there not being a lot of female fronted bands that people actually know about (I've never heard of Metric or Sleater-Kinney, for example). A good deal of modern female fronted bands that get a lot of play today are just like the lot of modern male fronted bands that get a lot of play today: they suck. There's not a lot of classic female fronted bands, so of course those lists are going to be unbalanced.

And hey, my list had three of them, two of which are all-female bands. I didn't have any Kate Bush listed as I couldn't come up with a good track I'm familiar with that I'd think would fit Rock Band.

[Anders Hallin]

Sadly, this thread just makes me realize how right Harmonix is about their audience! I'd like some songs from Metric, Sleater-Kinney and some other chick rock bands. But I read people's lists of like 50 songs or bands they'd like in this thread, and they are all male.

Harmonix says they want to add more bands with female leads, but surveys always shoot them down... so I guess I'm just hoping they say screw the rest of you in this thread, and start adding at least a couple Sleater-Kinney songs. ( I had such high hopes when they had Carrie Brownstein do an early piece on RB! )
Well, this is hardly the place to go to for a fair assessment when it comes to appropriate gender balance.
Here's a summary of the RB2 setlist:
http://www.feministgamers.com/?p=487

The thing to remember is that Rock Band is one of those games with crossover appeal that potentially can reach a whole lot more people than the 360, for instance, usually reaches, and can definitely establish the console as a "family toy," rather than a geek toy. The posters here have little if any interest in such crossover appeal, as they're all a bunch of geeks already. So if I was in Harmonix's shoes, I'd definitely try to establish that crossover appeal, and that includes having songs that a wide variety of people would be willing to sing.

And hell yes, I want Sleater-Kinney.

[Robert Sharp]

I guess. But my wife loves this game and is not a hardcore gamer. At first, she did wish there were some more female lead vocals, but now she doesn't care at all and rarely mentions them on her list of songs she'd like to see.

I'd love some Crazy on You though. I'd also like to eat some kind of mushroom with Ms. Slick. Some Joplin would be fine too. There's plenty of classic tracks. How about Britney Fox? Oh, I think those are dudes.

[Anders Hallin]

I guess. But my wife loves this game and is not a hardcore gamer. At first, she did wish there were some more female lead vocals, but now she doesn't care at all and rarely mentions them on her list of songs she'd like to see.
I don't really see how that disagrees with me. I'm not saying that lack of female lead vocals = no crossover appeal, just that it's a hindrance to the game's crossover appeal.

[Robert Sharp]

I wasn't disagreeing with you. That's why I said 'I guess' and then added a qualifier.

[Moore]

Yep. I'm pretty sure that the only female-fronted band whose music I own is Portishead, and I've probably listened to it twice since I bought it in 1997 or whenever. I don't know what it is about them, exactly, but female vocalists don't appeal to me at all. I generally don't pay any attention to lyrics, and the vocals are usually the least interesting to me of the (typically) 4 instruments.

That does mean you'd like The Slits though, so there is 2 for you at least.

[Prodigy]

I just plain do not like female vocals. There are a few bands with both a male and female vocalists whom I like enough that I can tolerate the girl (Sonic Youth, for example), but there is no female-led band that I would listen to on purpose. And I'm being literal, as far as I know.

You don't like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs song ? It's one of our favorites, although it's very easy when you play guitar or bass. We also bought Date with the night and it's a bitch to play.

As for Bohemian Rhapsody, how on earth could I forget that one ? We need it. No, let me get this right : we NEED it.

[Wholly Schmidt]

You don't like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs song ? It's one of our favorites, although it's very easy when you play guitar or bass. We also bought Date with the night and it's a bitch to play.
It's awesome to play.

[Prodigy]

Yeah, but the guitar part is like, whew.

[Wholly Schmidt]

Huh. Now that you mention it, I think I've only ever played the drums. Which are also, like, whew, but an awesome kind of whew.

[Juste]

I'd really like a NWOBHM pack, with some Saxon, Iron Maiden, Motorhead, Diamond Head and Def Leppard (Early stuff of all these bands) would sit just right with me.

[Prodigy]

Oh no they didn't :
http://www.co-optimus.com/article/444/Nevermind_Never_Officially_Confirmed_for_Rock_Band _DLC.html

I was not really holding my breath but come on, Territorial Pissings FTW.

[Brian Seiler]

I'd love to see more Queen, but every song I think I might enjoy, I immediately think of a couple of reasons why I couldn't. Like multi-tracked layered vocals. Which is why I can't have The Prophet Song, which I would definitely enjoy more than Bohemian Rhapsody, which would have the same problem. Except worse, because The Prophet Song is just done as a round, so you can easily pick out the primary track.

Fat Bottomed Girls is still in play, though. Where's my Fat Bottomed Girls at?

[JPR]

You don't like the Yeah Yeah Yeahs song ? It's one of our favorites, although it's very easy when you play guitar or bass.

One of my least favorite songs in the main setlist. It's down there with Sweet. The vocals aren't the only (or even the biggest) problem, though -- I have never liked anything about the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

[Rock8man]

I played Livin' on a Prayer in Rock Band 2 last night. Man, both Wanted Dead or Alive in RB1, and this song in Rock Band 2 are such perfect songs for this game. I'm not much of a Bon Jovi fan, and don't have their albums or anything, but I have to admit that so far the evidence suggests that a 'Bon Jovi's Hits' DLC pack would be the perfect DLC for this game.

[Wholly Schmidt]

Wanted Dead or Alive still doesn't do anything for me in Rock Band or otherwise, but Livin' on a Prayer is awesome with the crowd singing along.

Actually, most of these songs are awesome with the crowd, and I'm noticing it a lot more than I did in RB1. I don't know if I'm playing better, or if it's in more songs this time around, or if it's because I've got my speakers set up differently these days, but the crowd is one of the best parts about this game.

[Lizard_King]

Well, this is hardly the place to go to for a fair assessment when it comes to appropriate gender balance.
Here's a summary of the RB2 setlist:
http://www.feministgamers.com/?p=487

The thing to remember is that Rock Band is one of those games with crossover appeal that potentially can reach a whole lot more people than the 360, for instance, usually reaches, and can definitely establish the console as a "family toy," rather than a geek toy. The posters here have little if any interest in such crossover appeal, as they're all a bunch of geeks already. So if I was in Harmonix's shoes, I'd definitely try to establish that crossover appeal, and that includes having songs that a wide variety of people would be willing to sing.

And hell yes, I want Sleater-Kinney.
I can think of one reason why I hope that "crossover appeal" you look for doesn't become a mission for Harmonix.
*Although awesome on them for putting an Abnormality [Visions] song in there.

Most of my favorite female vocalists are in genres that aren't appropriate for the game. My emphasis would be on diversity in types of music overall, of which the vocalist is only a small part most of the time. The upcoming Stevie Ray Vaughan album is a step in the right direction. Not because I don't like metal, but because I like to mix it up.

[Prodigy]

I played Livin' on a Prayer in Rock Band 2 last night. Man, both Wanted Dead or Alive in RB1, and this song in Rock Band 2 are such perfect songs for this game. I'm not much of a Bon Jovi fan, and don't have their albums or anything, but I have to admit that so far the evidence suggests that a 'Bon Jovi's Hits' DLC pack would be the perfect DLC for this game.

I agree. I would even go as far as to say I really don't like Bon Jovi and each time I'm having a blast playing Wanted Dead or Alive. So yeah, their/his songs are perfect for RB.

[Funkula]

There are two bands I really really really really want to see in Rock Band and I have very little hope of either. Electric Six (Danger! High Voltage would be my pick) and KMFDM (don't have a specific song in mind, just one of the ones with more guitars and less electronic noise).

[Talisker]

Have I mentioned that Rock Band needs more Muse?

Yes, I believe I have :)

[JPR]

My picks remain Hum and Built to Spill.

[Ryan Markel]

I agree with more Muse, and just earlier I was thinking that som Gin Blossoms would be amazing.

[Rock8man]

... and just earlier I was thinking that som Gin Blossoms would be amazing.

Good call Ryan. I haven't heard that band name since the mid 90s. I think their hits would be perfect for Rock Band.

[Wholly Schmidt]

So what are the most obvious bands overlooked by Guitar Hero and Rock Band so far? Off the top of my head I come up with Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, U2, Pink Floyd, and--don't laugh--Green Day.

[biclops]

I could list a lot, but I'd be quite pleased to get anything from the following artists:
Ministry
Echo & The Bunnymen
Joy Division
Pat Benatar (by anything, I mean Love is a Battlefield)
The Violent Femmes

And more Radiohead, (early) REM, and Bowie. Also: Alice in Chains' Jar of Flies as a DLC album.

[Omniscia]

I didn't have any Kate Bush listed as I couldn't come up with a good track I'm familiar with that I'd think would fit Rock Band.

Damn, it is hard to think of one. The closest I can come is "Hounds of Love" with the guitar covering the cello part.

I'm one of those folks who doesn't think there's anywhere near enough Rush available, yet, so I won't go there except to declare that outright.

Aside from that, I'd really like to see most, if not all, of Ozzy's "Blizzard of Ozz." There's enough to keep everyone busy on that album, and a great deal of it rocks.

Zep's "Rock and Roll" would be ideal.

There are just too many possibilities!

[quatoria]

I'd love to see some Melt Banana, but it would be the least popular DLC ever. Only me and sluggo would want to play the guitar track. Wouldn't mind seeing some 16 volt, some more Nine Inch Nails. In a different direction, some Decemberists or Arcade Fire would be awesome - The Mariner's Revenge Song would be a fantastic vocal play. It'd also be fun to play some ohGr or Violent Femmes. And like Biclops said, more Radiohead would be great, too, especially their earlier rock-focused stuff. Pyramid Song would be a bit too strange for Rock Band, I think.

[Greedo]

and ... Queensryche, all of Operation Mindcrime

The previous posts pretty much include most of what I would name.

But if I could pick only one album to have as DLC, this would be it.

The vocals would be an ass-kicker for sure, but I still want it . . .

[Omniscia]

How do you handle the talky bits, though? "Suite Sister Mary" would rock, however.

[Talisker]

I'd pay an embarrassing amount of money for a Yes pack: Roundabout, Heart of the Sunrise, Owner of a Lonely Heart, Long Distance Runaround, Yours Is No Disgrace, and Siberian Khatru would be a decent start.

(None of those are over 10 minutes, I'm not being loony and suggesting Close to the Edge or anything)

(Now, that said, I will be loony and say that Thick as a Brick would be utterly epic, although I'm not sure how a pair of 22 minute songs would work as DLC :)

[MattKeil]

Thick As a Brick would require a way to disable it in World Tour mode. Nobody's picking Mystery Setlist if there's a chance of playing a 22-minute song.

[Talisker]

Thick As a Brick would require a way to disable it in World Tour mode. Nobody's picking Mystery Setlist if there's a chance of playing a 22-minute song.
Yeah, that might be a problem :)

[Robert Sharp]

My wife would kill for some ELO.

I'm a HUGE Tull fan, but I'd hate Thick as a Brick. Give me To Cry You a Song though, and I'd be a happy man.

[Robert Sharp]

How about Millenium by Killing Joke? That would be fun, right?

[Prodigy]

How do you handle the talky bits, though?

There's plenty in Dani California, in the Faith no More track, or even in some of the DLC. It's not really a problem.

[Omniscia]

There's plenty in Dani California, in the Faith no More track, or even in some of the DLC. It's not really a problem.

But that's different. "I Remember Now" would totally suck as a Rock Band track, but it's integral to the album experience.

[Prodigy]

But that's different. "I Remember Now" would totally suck as a Rock Band track, but it's integral to the album experience.

Ok, then maybe I was talking out of my ass since I don't know the piece. I was referring to the only examples of talky songs I know in RB.

[Piemax2]

So what are the most obvious bands overlooked by Guitar Hero and Rock Band so far? Off the top of my head I come up with Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, U2, Pink Floyd, and--don't laugh--Green Day.

Those are all popular bands with RB-appropriate songs, and I'd guess the first 4 may be the biggest sellers that have been left off. Personally I'd love the Yes pack that Talisker mentioned. Two other personal favorites that seem doable are Husker Du and King Crimson, didn't Husker Du sell pretty well back in its day?

[Prodigy]

Oh, I also need more Reverend Horton Heat.

[Funkula]

Ok, then maybe I was talking out of my ass since I don't know the piece. I was referring to the only examples of talky songs I know in RB.

Operation: Mindcrime is a rock opera, and it has a few parts that advance the plot through dialogue. Not songs per se, just little spoken bits with a bit of foley.

Looking at my copy on iTunes, the only one that isn't an intro or exit section of a song track is I Remember Now, so I'd say just merge that one into Anarchy-X and you're good. Rolling those two tracks together is still under three minutes. The dialogue parts don't need to be represented as vocals, just play them and the band members can listen.

[Talisker]

How about Millenium by Killing Joke? That would be fun, right?
The Death and Resurrection Show (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_j4Eq3ziE4) would also be great.

And, to continue in the Yes vein:

Marillion -- He Knows You Know would be a good start
Gabriel-era Genesis
Camel
etc

Screw Rock Band, I want to play Prog Band (Special Edition to include toy plastic Mellotron).