With the release of the Green Day: Rock Band demo on the Xbox 360 marketplace last week, Harmonix managed to raise a few questions. Not questions like "why does Billie Joe have blue hair" either - questions like, will Rock Band 3 be getting a keyboard/piano/synth part. If the teaser logo you're presented with at the end of the Green Day: Rock Band demo is anything to go by, then it looks like we'll be tickling the ivories upon the game's release - but this in itself raised a few questions.
As Guitar Hero 5, and to a much lesser extent, Lego Rock Band have shown, it's not always that easy to pick songs that work with a rhythm action game. So rather than just criticise, we decided we'd have a go ourselves, as we scoured the musical universe, attempting to find songs that would be a good fit with Rock Band 3 - especially if they managed to show off the game's presumed new keyboard function.
So, here are our choices.
Ian:
While Coldplay have been featured on other rhythm action games before, Rock Band 3 could really do a song like this justice. It has all the necessary components, and a stonking sounding piano part to boot - even if the guitar and bass parts are a bit bog standard. And while Clocks is pretty much the second easiest song in the world to play (after chopsticks), it still sounds good - plus, everyone always seems strangely impressed when they learn you can play it - despite the fact it's so easy. Yay for Eb arpeggios, then.
While Rock Band 2 had the rubbish-but-at-least-it-works-on-a-guitar-game One Step Closer, Guitar Hero 4 decided to go for What I've Done - which, while it was still a pretty good song, didn't really work on a game with no keyboard/synth part, as the guitar and bass kind of didn't exist for the intro and verses. Which made it a good choice for a game with "Guitar" in the title.
Still, Crawlin, also by Linkin Park, would seem to be a great fit for Rock Band 3 - a good, catchy song, with a synth part throughout, even if the verses are a little light on the guitar.
Tenacious D - Wonderboy
OK, so this is at least partially an excuse to get a Tenacious D song on my list, but still - listen to it. Even if you've already heard it, listen to it again. It would work so well. With the keyboard taking on the synth and string parts, it'd ensure that everyone has a part for the whole thing - and, it'd get Tenacious D on Rock Band 3. Which is a good thing. And how about that guitar solo?
"Come fly with me, FLY!"
Rammstein - Feuer Frei
Rhythm action games have criminally overlooked Rammstein, all up until the last Guitar Hero game, which chose to feature the awful-for-a-game-which-doesn't-feature-synths Du Hast. Once again featuring a verse and solo that were mostly synth based, the game left the guitar playing nothing for the verse, and then playing a synth on a guitar.
And while Du Hast would work pretty well with a Rock Band 3 with piano support, we think this would probably work better. A strong (and probably quite challenging) synth, good parts for the rest of the band, and a song that hasn't been done before.
Muse - Butterflies and Hurricanes
This here is the motherlode. Your "standard" Muse song throughout, it's a song that puts all of the parts to great use (even if they may be slightly hard to hear in this YouTube recording), and also a song that you'd imagine would be the hardest song in the game for the piano part, thanks to what happens at three minutes in. A piano solo. It would be incredible. If this doesn't happen, it'll be a travesty.
Honourable mentions: Du Hast - Rammstein, Uprising - Muse
Chris:
Fightstar - Floods
The Post-Hardcore genre seems to be often overlooked with rhythm action games, so I think it's time to buck that trend, and with Busted already up on the Rock Band store what better band to include than Charlie Simpson's often-ridiculed new(ish) band Fightstar? It's got everything you need, nice sounding piano, proper riffage, and Omar's awesome drums.
And a nice environmental message, too.
The Killers - On Top
The Killers are a staple of rhythm action games now, but the choices for songs have always baffled me somewhat. Why was Mr Brightside only released as DLC, for example? It would've worked much better than When You Were Young, which was what we actually got on the disc. With the addition of a synth in Rock Band 3, On Top seems like it'd work brilliantly, with its catchy synth and simple-but-not-just-chords guitar, and as it's off the Killers' first studio album, Brandon Flowers actually sings instead of wibbling all over the place.
Horse The Band - Murder
Harmonix have a habit of including relatively unheard of bands in their games, so this one might not be all that far-fetched. Billed as "Nintendocore", HORSE the band are a hardcore band with a difference. Yes, your ears aren't deceiving you, that's a chiptune synthesizer.
Do want.
Scissor Sisters - Take Your Mama
Whilst the song might have quite a questionable message, Take Your Mama would be one of those rare songs that I might actually be able to do on the vocals (having aced I Don't Feel Like Dancing on SingStar the once), and also helps expand Rock Band's horizons somewhat. The piano (whilst being rather quiet in this mix) would also make for an interesting part for any budding pianist.
Guns 'n' Roses - November Rain
Does this really need an explanation? It's the ultimate rock epic, featuring an Axl Rose that looks remarkably like Elton John, a man diving through a wedding cake and at least 3 separate guitar solos. And with Harmonix's relationship with Axl Rose/Guns n' Roses, it'd be nonsensical for this to not be on there.
Harmonix, make it so!
Sarah
Over the past two Rock Band games, I've noticed that certain artists seem to appear a lot more often than others - artists such as the Smashing Pumpkins, Rush and the Who - all of which have been featured in pretty much every Rock Band game since the beginning of time, along with having loads of downloadable songs on the Rock Band store. Seeing as it'd be surprising if Rock Band 3 didn't feature a song by any one of these bands, I tried to pick songs that had something the keyboard could play, while avoiding ones that had already appeared in the previous games (we're looking at you, Tom Sawyer and Won't Get Fooled Again). It's not as easy as it sounds.
Smashing Pumpkins - Tonight, tonight
When I was first listening to this one, it didn't seem like a very good choice, thanks to the complete lack of a piano part - until, of course, I realised that the keyboard could play the strings instead. The guitar, drums and bass all have relatively interesting parts, even if the bass and guitar are a bit on the simple side.
Rush - Subdivisions
Known by Geddy Lee's distinctive (that means weird, right? -Ian), high pitched voice, Rush, according to Rock Band's own loading screens, are "one of the biggest-selling rock bands ever, with a total of 23 gold, and 14 platinum records" over their 32 year career. As they've been featured in every Rock Band game so far (and many of Harmonix's previous games too), their presence in Rock Band 3 is almost a given.
Famous for their complex, prog-rock songs, Rush have always appeared towards the end of the previous Rock Band games, thanks to their difficulty across all parts. This one should be no exception. With a relatively complex keyboard/synth part, and a guitar solo, there's plenty to keep the instruments occupied - and while there's not much in the way of vocal harmonies, there is, at least, a person (probably not Geddy Lee...) saying 'Subdivisions' in a deep voice in the chorus.
The Who - You Better You Bet
It did prove quite difficult to find a song by the Who that wasn't already on the game, or available as DLC, but with one of Pete Townshend's signature synth parts and a piano, You Better You Bet would make a good addition, having relatively complex parts for all instruments. It's even got three-part vocal harmonies in places.
Steely Dan - Reelin' In The YearsSteely Dan were known for their crazy keyboard and guitar parts - therefore, this probably fits quite well, having both guitar and keyboard solos, as well as interesting parts for the drums and bass, including vocal harmonies in the chorus. Seeing as Steely Dan songs tend to be a bit mental, especially on guitar - and now keyboard - this would have to be towards the end of the game.
Counting Crows - Hard Candy
One of the more well known Counting Crows songs, often likened to songs by the Byrds, this song has plenty going on in all the instrument parts, with vocal harmonies in places. Often using more than one guitar in their songs, it means that there is bound to be something for the guitar to play. The piano has a relatively prominent part, particularly in the verses, and the drums and bass parts continue throughout most of the song.
Also, seeing as I like Counting Crows, I wanted an excuse to put them in, and this song seemed to fit well.
Honourable mentions: Derek and the Dominos - Layla, Bruce Springsteen - Badlands
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So, there you have it. Fifteen songs we'd like to see on the Rock Band 3 setlist. Whether it'll happen or not remains to be seen, but it'll be interesting to see how many we got right. Especially the ones for the obligatory bands.
