Patient Rock Band players' long wait for songs by The Beatles ends Wednesday when the special version of the game hits store shelves. But some Fab Four fans are going to have to wait a little longer to play the tunes they love.
In solidarity with both camps, we've drafted lists celebrating the sonic strengths and weaknesses of The Beatles: Rock Band. We've named the top five tunes we simply can't wait to perform as well as the top five we seriously wish made the cut for the game (or its post-release downloads, to be rolled out starting in October).
See also:
The Beatles Make the Leap to Rock Band
Hands-On: Beatles Rock Band’s Reward System, Drum Trainer
What's the hold-up on the holdouts?
"We want to have all The Beatles' music," Harmonix spokesman John Drake told Total Video Games in July, "and try to deliver it to you as best we can in these digestible chunks."
Don't worry, John, we can take bigger chunks. Chuck them all at us. You'll still make millions.
Got your own favorites? Let us know which tracks you're looking forward to rocking, and which you're sorry aren't around to be rocked, in the reddit widget or comments section below. Come together, over us.
"Helter Skelter" from The White Album
The loudest rock song The Beatles ever made, this finger-blister has been revised by Aerosmith, Siouxsie and Autolux (and has been utterly misunderstood by the ultimate frustrated amateur, Charles Manson). Originally designed by Paul McCartney to outdo the dirty rock of The Who, it has become legend to rock pros and pretenders worldwide. If you're a Beatles nut for everything after Rubber Soul, chances are this is the first tune you'll play when you unwrap the package.
"I Want You (She's So Heavy)" from Abbey Road
While jagged imprecision rules "Helter Skelter," hypnotic precision hammers this rock epic down the gravity well. An eight-minute blast of sexual yearning and head-bobbing chord progressions shot through with sinister groove, the power of "I Want You" is simply narcotic. "Helter Skelter" has volume, but this unusual entry weighs heavy like a black hole. It's all in the title.
"Birthday" from The White Album
Crackling riffs, Ringo's roughest drumming, and unrestrained vocals help this monstrous stomp stand out from the Beatles' densely populated pack of winners. Singers won't have to stress on the lyrics, of which there are few, but their throats will probably be sore when it's over. It would have been a mind-wipe to watch the Fab Four perform this burner in the flesh — performing it with your pals is probably the next best thing.
"While My Guitar Gently Weeps" from The White Album
Eric Clapton laid down smoking guitar for George Harrison's timeless track, including a solo that has given guitarists real and make-believe fits of ecstasy, whether on steel strings or in empty air. (Have any of you caught Prince's rendition? Find the clip; it will melt your face.) “While My Guitar Gently Weeps" is one of the finest rock songs of all time, that rare convergence of sound and sentiment. Soak it up.
"Dig a Pony" from Let It Be
It's one of The Beatles' most maligned tunes. Even Lennon called it a piece of garbage, and he wrote it. But rediscovering the genius of tracks like "Dig a Pony" is what virtual immersions like Rock Band are for. From its angular guitar and nonsensical lyrics to its urgent vocals and insistent drums, this Let It Be throwaway is primed for a repurposing at the hands of those way too young to snicker about where it sits within Beatles canon.
"Happiness Is a Warm Gun" from The White Album
One of the Fab Four's most cynical, hilarious tunes, this blazing meter-shifter rocks the body and brain. Lennon once called this song the history of rock 'n' roll in microcosm, which is enough to warrant its admittance to Rock Band. Its unhinged doo-wop finale and cerebral lyrics would test wannabe vocalists to the max, and guitarists would have a field day with the sludgy riffs and ethereal arpeggios. Bang bang, shoot shoot!
"Strawberry Fields Forever" from Magical Mystery Tour
How could Harmonix not include this immortal track, one of the most beautiful Beatles tunes ever committed to wax? A simple acoustic lullabye hiding beneath polished psychedelia, "Strawberry Fields Forever" can be played in so many glorious ways. Especially by novices molesting plastic. Maybe songs from Magical Mystery Tour are being squirreled away for a future payday. Which sucks.
"I'm Only Sleeping" from Revolver
Like "Tomorrow Never Knows," which made the cut in the form of a medley with "Within You Without You," this ambitious head-trip from 1966 was one of the first psychedelic tunes from The Beatles, or anyone for that matter. One wonders how The Beatles would have ever played it live. A studio jewel, it features two guitar solos from George Harrison played in reverse, which could keep adepts busy and tax the wrists of noobs. Speaking of the always underrated Harrison...
"Savoy Truffle" from The White Album
Harrison's ode to Eric Clapton 's chocolate addiction is chock-full of delicious rock. "Savoy Truffle" orbits around a ferocious guitar jam, with some tasty leads sprinkled in for good measure, and has been covered by artists as different as Ella Fitzgerald and They Might Be Giants. What, amateurs can't give it a go? Turn it up loud the next time you spin The White Album. You'll see what we mean.
"Rain" from Hey Jude
From its gorgeous pop bounce to its dense sonics and backward vocals, this 1966 B-side for "Paperback Writer" is a mesmerizing listen. It could be just as hypnotic in fake performance, rewarding all members of the band at hand. Better yet, it's comparatively esoteric, meaning that even old Beatles fans might find a deep cut worth another several years of devotion (and Rock Band downloads).
Image courtesy Harmonix
While you can submit as many songs as you want, you can only submit one every 30 minutes. No HTML allowed.
See Also:
- Remastered Beatles Tracks: BitTorrent Today, iTunes Tomorrow?
- Behind the Scenes of The Beatles: Rock Band
- Beatles' Yellow Submarine May Surface as 3-D Remake
- Geeking Out With the Beatles: The Magic of Music and Melody on a Young Mind
- It’s Number 9-9-9 for Beatles: Rock Band, Digital Remasters
- Should The Beatles' 'Revolution' Bootleg Have Stayed in the Vault?
