As we covered in Episode 90, Rock Band may be over, but the massive music libraries we’ve built over the last six years are here to stay. I thought I’d share a list of my favorite songs to play–which was actually turned out to be quite difficult since my original PS3 died late last year and I still haven’t gotten around to redownloading all my songs onto the new one. But anyway, these are some of my personal picks for whenever I feel like picking up that plastic guitar.
“Pressure Cooker” – Magnus “SoulEye” Pålsson
OK, this is kind of a silly start and it might not even be one of my favorites to play (for reasons that become obvious once you watch the video), but I love that the Rock Band Network made it possible for a bunch of VVVVVV songs into the game.
“Here Comes Your Man” – Pixies
It’s funny seeing this song broken down into Rock Band tracks because you realize how simple and repetetive it is. But dude, it’s the Pixies! Even the solo lies on the easy side of things, but it’s still really satisfying to play. (Fun fact: If you’re playing the entire Doolittle album, you’re exactly 1/3 through after this one.)
“There’s No Other Way” – Blur
A classic Blur song from their first album! Sadly, it’s one of their only songs available for Rock Band, but it’s a good one. The opening guitar riff is extremely technical but overall it’s a lot of fun, with some great hammer-on/pull-off action. Don’t miss the signature Blur lead-in to the solo.
“Australia” – The Shins
The beginning is deceptively simple but once the song starts going, it’s tons of fun. The finger work has enough variety that it never really feels repetetive… except for the ending, but at that point, your fret hand may be in need of a break anyway.
“Sea and Sand” – The Who
There’s only one song from Quadrophenia on Rock Band, but Harmonix made the right choice. The main sections require some pretty dextrous fretwork (admittedly, not my favorite part of this song), but then you’re rewarded by getting to jam out some classic Who chords. And then there’s the closing solo! It’s probably my favorite solo in the whole game. Someday, I’ll be able to 100% it. Someday.
Do you have a go-to song or playlist, or are there any songs you always wanted to play but they never made it into the game? (Two words: Tomoyasu Hotei.) Let us know in the comments!