Posts written by beatles
Rock Band: The Beatles. Definitely not sure how to feel about this.
Whilst I know Gregory wouldn’t want to be pigeon-holed, and would like to believe The Beatles are universal, I’m sure he’d be more qualified to make opinions on this new Rock Band release.
A couple of weeks ago I wrote an article about Prince turning down Guitar Hero because he thought you should learn the real instruments instead (and the paycheck was too small). I suppose this is a valid angle, Prince didn’t want his music to be ‘trivialised’ into five buttons on a plastic guitar. So when people heard The Beatles, sacred of sacreds, would be ‘trivialised’ in a similar fashion people got mad.
I didn’t. And not because I don’t like The Beatles but because it’s not cheating. This seems to be the logic of anyone who looks down their nose at Guitar Hero/Rock Band players. I’m sure when the first racing wheel and pedals came out there were no amateur Formula 1 drivers looking down their nose at it because they understood it was a simulated experience, for anyone who would like to casually have a go. it was all the fun of the WRC without the millions of pounds of training, cars and crew.
I’m sure too, that anyone who gave it try only respected the difficulty and skill involved more. So, why are their frowns still the right way up? If you buy this game, or any other, you’ll surely gain respect for the skill and creativity involved. You’ll hear every song at a more intricate level, even when you’re not playing. You’ll become a more educated fan. I’m not sure exactly why these Beatles fans are so against it, or why they make such angry forum posts, but it seems to me like the most efficient use of £40 possible to make the world a more Beatles friendly place.
Alistair
You can now leave your opinion via Facebook Link, so let us know what you think:
- Are The Beatles too good for Rock Band?
- Would you buy it?
- Is it ‘too easy’?
- Are you playing the console instead of the real thing?
Album of the Week
After their poorly performing second album It’s A Bit Complicated got them dropped by their record label, Art Brut have gone back to basics for Art Brut Vs. Satan.
To indicate just how back to basics they have gone, here’s a graph which illustrates the full extent of Eddie Argos’ lyrical focus. Girls. Music. Drinking. Sometimes all three combine, as on What a Rush’s Beatles/Stones analogy for drunken war of the sexes. That’s as complex as it gets though.
If this sounds like criticism, for the most part it is not. No one wants Art Brut to tackle politics (even if they did claim on Formed a Band to have written a song to make Israel and Palestine get along). Instead we get ode to immaturity DC Comics and Chocolate Milkshake and Eddie joyfully shouting that he’s “In love with the girl in my comic shop/She’s a girl who likes comics she must get that a lot.” First track and lead off single Alcoholics Unanimous features possibly the best use of “etcetera” in song, ever. Album centrepiece Demon’s Out sees Art Brut wage war against a record buying public who “shouldn’t be voting,” and on Slap Dash for No Cash Argos lambasts Bono wannabes, asking why anyone would want to sound like U2.
Elsewhere, however, they seem to be treading water. The Passenger’s chorus of “I love Public Transportation/Train or bus they’re both amazing” is excruciatingly bad, while The Replacements, a tribute to the band of the same name, sounds like filler.
When the band are more adventurous it pays off. Summer Job features actual proper singing, although obviously not from Eddie, and is one of the most infectious tracks they’ve written. However, it is the last track, Mysterious Bruises, which is the real stand out. The track sees the band abandoning their tried and tested 3-minute punk-pop formula, crafting an 8 minute long oddity with a bassline which is, dare I say, funky. Featuring the hilarious lyric “I fought the floor and the floor won,” the track is an unexpected (in a good way) end to an otherwise solid but overcautious album.
7/10
Out Now
Jed Howlett
