Chart-a-thon Final Day, Final Release! C3 NYE Bash!
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Heart “All I Wanna Do is Make Love to You”The early 1980’s were not as successful as the previous decade for Heart, and with their careers in decline they turned to outside writers for some of the biggest hits of their entire careers, including “All I Wanna Do”, “Never”, “These Dreams” and “Alone” in 1985. Despite singer Ann Wilson not liking the theme or lyrics to the song (the song was banned from radio in Ireland), she realized the song had potential to be a massive hit.The lead single from their tenth studio album, Brigade, was written by Mutt Lange, famous for producing some of the biggest albums of the 1980’s including AC/DC’s Back in Black, Def Leppard’s Hysteria, and Foriegner’s 4. Originally written for Don Henley, it was first released by Dobie Gray on his 1979 self-titled album. While this version went unnoticed, Heart’s recording of the song reached #2 on Billboard.
Heart “Never”The second single from Heart’s eigth studio album, (self-titled) Heart, marked the first time the band had earned back-to-back top-10 singles. “Never” is a song about empowerment, which often repeats the theme “We can’t go on .. just running away / Never run away”. A simple and effective hook that was a huge hit for the band.The 80’s were a very bittersweet era for Heart; the video centers on Nancy Wilson, despite not being the singer, she was deemed the more photogenic of the sisters at the time. This coupled with the outside influence in their songwriting brought frustration as well as succcess.
These songs are a part of Chart-a-thon. If you download a song, or if you enjoy my content, please consider making a donation at chartathon.com, all proceeds are donated directly to the American Cancer Society.
SONG COUNT: 120Next up, another custom from the very talented Yaniv297.
Keeping the content Canadian since 2017!
SomeOldGuys: https://db.c3universe.com/songs/all/__user/someoldguys
MrPrezident: https://db.c3universe.com/songs/all/__user/MrPrezidentSo this time, I’m releasing a song that’s really special to me.
“Alone Again (Naturally)” is a special song. It’s one of those touching songs that means so much to so many people around the world. It tells a rather sad tale of a lonely, suicidal man being left at the altar and then telling the listener about the death of his parents. The lyrics are absolutely simple, direct and heartbreaking, and musically, this is one of the most beautiful songs I know. It is – quite surprisingly maybe – not autobiographical, as in fact O’Sullivan’s mother was alive when he wrote this song, and he barely knew his real father, who also mistreated his mother. But despite that, this song have touched millions around the world, and it’s a privilege to bring it to Rock Band.
It was also a big commercial success – the single spent six weeks, non-consecutively, at No. 1 on the United States Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. Billboard ranked it as the No. 2 song for 1972. In Casey Kasem’s American Top 40 of the 1970s, it ranked as the fifth most-popular song of the entier decade. And it’s been known as a classic ever since. Even if you don’t recognize the title, give it a listen – you probably know it.
It’s also amazing to play in rock band – maybe surprisingly for such a sad song. It features amazing – absolutely amazing – classical guitar playing by Big Jim Sullivan, a little legend in his own right who played with Donovan, Cliff Richard, Tom Jones and many others. The arpeggios all through the song are beautiful and challenging, and the guitar solo is amazing. The chord progression is surprising and beautiful and you’ll love playing it on keys – with a bit of french horn and strings thrown in too. Bass and drums are basic but solid. Just watch the video preview here (thanks MrPrezident for the preview video!).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oS-K6KqGNyg
It was a pleasure to chart it!
SONG COUNT: 121
Next up, Buster66 will bring us a classic from a big 80’s band!
Great releases up to the point yet again! My RB friends will love all of these!
” src=”/wp-content/uploads/invision_emoticons/default_SA_biggrin.gif” />Great releases up to the point yet again! My RB friends will love all of these!
” src=”/wp-content/uploads/invision_emoticons/default_SA_biggrin.gif” />Many more great ones to come!
Here we go:
As far as I can tell, this is the first song here from Journey’s 1986 album Raised on Radio. It had a number of hits but this one is my favorite. It is classic Journey.
SONG COUNT: 122
These songs are a part of Chart-a-thon. If you download these songs, or if you enjoy my content, please consider making a donation at http://chartathon.com. All proceeds are donated directly to the American Cancer Society.
Next up: another classic from Atruejedi
Many more great ones to come!
Excited! You guys are awesome!
” src=”/wp-content/uploads/invision_emoticons/default_SA_biggrin.gif” />“Time, time, time for another peaceful war…”
We never know precisely when our time on this rock’ll be up, but we’re all barreling toward our own personal expiration much faster than we’d like. It’s dreadful, in the most literal sense. But witnessing someone march toward his or her inexorable end while wearing a brave face can provide us with the inspiration to make the most of our limited time. Life’ll kill ya, so enjoy every sandwich— wise words from a personal hero of mine whom I’m proud to showcase as a part of this year’s very fitting charity event.
Click here to go to the database entry.
This Rock Band 3 custom song, Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner by Warren Zevon, is my forty-sixth release and a very special release at that. This custom is a part of Chart-a-thon. If you download this song, please consider making a donation at chartathon.com. All proceeds are donated directly to the American Cancer Society. Warren died in 2003 of mesothelioma, a particularly nasty type of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. He was 56 years old.
Mr. Bad Example himself.
Warren has been one of my favorite songwriters for a very long time, but I don’t actually remember how I got so interested in his music. I guess it sort of organically happened in the past decade. He’s dark, witty, vulnerable, flawed, and perfect, sometimes all at the same time. I definitely plan on releasing my personal favorite song of his sometime in the future (spoilers), but this song will do just fine for now. I like to think Warren would be pleased… even if I can’t imagine him approving of his music appearing in a plastic guitar video game. I’m looking at you, Rock Band 3 disc!
[gameplay video]
Features:
Fully custom venue from scratch
Vocal chart from scratch
Dryvox lip sync for all three vocal parts
Vocal tonic note
Reductions for all instruments
Numeric ID for Wii leaderboards (Song ID 649200046)
Pro keys by buster66Drums by Lowlander2 and Whizzer
I love this song because of the storytelling, and I wanted to make it a custom because it would be a treat for vocalists… myself in particular! Fortunately, the bass part is actually a delight as well! I’m extremely proud of how both charts turned out.
Lowlander2 provided the drum chart with some extra love and care provided by Whizzer. It looks neat and interesting to me, but I’m a simpleton when four limbs move independently. Judge for yourself by watching the preview video!
Lowlander also provided a guitar chart… but that poor ol’ guitar chart is only 34 strums, most of which are sustains, so I did not include it as a part of the custom. For 80% of the song, you’d just stand there.
And, hey, that piano part? Goodness… buster66 put a ton of time and effort into this pro keys chart, and it shows! I doubt I’ll ever be able to play this part, but it makes me want to learn and practice. I truly hope I did buster justice when turning his pro part into five-gem for us plebeians to play. If the five-gem chart is unsatisfactory, that’s all on me, and I absolutely welcome assistance and improvements.
I actually wanted to release this custom for Halloween in 2018… but that didn’t work out, so I tried to wrap it up and release it for Halloween this year. Welp, it’s December now, but I’m actually glad it’s taken this long to completely finish the custom. It seems serendipitous that I’m releasing this gem to benefit a cause that helps people who suffer from the same sickness that killed Warren. My fingers are crossed that the little bits of money we’re able to chip in can make a difference and, perhaps, someday, we’ll never again have to lament the early loss of another brilliant artist or friend or family member we love.
If you’d like to contribute improvements or animations or if you have suggestions for how I can do better, please contact me. I’ve gotta be up for work in the morning, but I guess it’s time to celebrate this release with some video games. I’ll sleep when I’m dead.
Atruejedi
SONG COUNT: 123
See you in another 8 hours, when Kamotch will be serving up a 3-pack of I have no idea! Check back soon!
such a great tune. you’ve been talking about finishing this one as long as i’ve known you, so glad to see it come to fruition – and for just the right cause too. i don’t know that my usual RB compatriots will join me in this one, but i’ll surely bust it out from time to time. thanks!
Hello all! Due to a scheduling conflict, this next release is coming at you 15 minutes early! Welcome to my sole Chart-a-thon release! I give to you three songs that are vaguely connected in some way… They all could be loosely defined as pop punk I suppose? Though I wouldn’t define them all as such. Uhhh. Well all of the artists are friends with each other and have toured with one another! That works? Ya know what, it doesn’t really matter what connects the songs, just enjoy!
Antarctigo Vespucci is a collaboration between Chris Farren (formerly of Fake Problems, a band with a few RBN songs) and Jeff Rosenstock (of Bomb the Music Industry! and The Arrogant Sons of Bitches, as well as my favorite solo artist). They rule. My first exposure to this band came when Chris Farren opened for Jeff the very first time I saw him in concert. They each had their own separate sets, but for the final encore of the night, both Chris and Jeff took the stage and performed this very track! It’s since become their definitive song for me and I think it serves as a perfect introduction to the band. I’m honored to have been the one to chart their C3X debut!
I didn’t come to find out about Modern Baseball until after their breakup. It’s a shame, considering they’ve become one of my favorite bands. With how popular they seem to be, I’m honestly surprised it took this long for someone to chart one of their songs! This is the first track on their debut album, Sports. When I first discovered them, this album really blew me away. For some reason, it took me a while to branch out to their other records. They only released 3 full-length albums, but they’re all solid and I look forward to charting more tracks of theirs in the future. I’ve had this one in particular in my back pocket for a while. Possibly before I even listened to their other records! I think it’s a decent starting point for the band, but I wouldn’t say it’s a perfect representation of their sound as a whole. But as I mentioned, more to come!
The only track for this release that isn’t a C3X artist debut (shout out to Chainsaw Octopus!). This one feels like it was a long time coming. The OTHER big song from PUP‘s 2016 album The Dream is Over, this song’s music video famously starred Finn Wolfhard of “Stranger Things” fame. It’ll also make you cry! I originally teetered back and forth between this one and “Kids” from their most recent album since that song had been performed on Late Night TV shows and such, but the drums for that one were so hard to decipher that I kind of gave up on it for now. Might release it in the future though! But for now please enjoy this wonderful song about a dying dog!
SONG COUNT: 126
Up next: grubextrapolate and friends bring you something heavily influenced by hallucinogenic drug use! Sounds fun!
Nicely done!
Keeping the content Canadian since 2017!
SomeOldGuys: https://db.c3universe.com/songs/all/__user/someoldguys
MrPrezident: https://db.c3universe.com/songs/all/__user/MrPrezidentgrubextrapolate and friends present… Disintegration
2019 has been an important year for The Cure. With the celebration of their 40th year as a band in 2018, 2019 brought their well deserved induction into the Rock ‘N’ Roll Hall Of Fame. It also marks the 30th anniversary of one of their most revered albums, Disintegration. In the fall of 2018, Yaniv and I celebrated The Cure as part of the C3X World Tour and added three more tracks from this album, joining the existing two customs (from Septekka and DeathThreatUK) as well as Harmonix’s RB4 DLC and bringing the album to the half-way point. At that point I said that I would help see the album completed eventually, and when I was reminded of the 30th anniversary (a little too close to complete before the actual date), I pledged that it would happen “this year”. Yaniv and MrPrezident offered to join me on my quest, and here we are!
Recorded from late 1988 to early 1989, this record marks a return to the introspective and gloomy gothic rock style the band had established in the early 1980s. Increased pressure to follow up on the group’s pop successes with a more enduring work, coupled with a distaste for the group’s newfound popularity, caused singer/guitarist Robert Smith to lapse back into the use of hallucinogenic drugs, the effects of which had a strong influence on the production of the album. The album is characterized by a significant usage of synthesizers and keyboards, slow, “droning” guitar progressions and Smith’s introspective vocals.
This album was not only a commercially successful and critically celebrated record (appearing on too many “top albums” lists to count), it is also quite important to me, personally ranking it as my all time favourite album (there is one other in a close battle for this title, but more on that later…). I remember days (weeks?) in my university years just with this album on repeat. I was fortunate enough to cover several tracks in one of my previous bands and love it start to finish. So I’m overjoyed to have helped bring it to you today.
Authored by yaniv297 and grubextrapolate
About 20 seconds of some random bells. That’s what the Cure give you before sucking you into their world, to a sea of sweeping and beautiful synthesizers, melodic guitars, ethereal sounds and deep emotions. They do it with a song that’s anything but plain – and has to be, in my opinion, one of the greatest opening songs of all time. “Plainsong” takes its time to develop – it’s almost 3 minutes until Robert Smith start singing – and even then, his voice is soft, almost blending in with the music. “Sometimes you make me feel like I am living at the edge of the world… ‘it’s just the way I smile’, you said” – with those beautiful, almost sweet words, Smith signs off the song. A small, beautiful moment, the calm before the storm – that will arrive as early as the next song. “Plainsong” is a statement – it’s hard to think of another opening track that sets up an album so perfectly, both thematically and musically. But “Plainsong” is more than a great opener – it’s an amazing song on its own right, and for me one of the best things The Cure ever did.
Authored by grubextrapolate, drummerockband, and Atruejedi
The album’s third track, “Closedown”, contains layers of keyboard texture complemented with a slow, gloomy guitar line. The track was written by Smith as a means to list his physical and artistic shortcomings. While drums and bass for this one are on the repetitive side, the subtle nuance and variation throughout will keep you on your toes. It’s also a semi-rare Cure track that includes harmonies.
Authored by yaniv297
Sandwiched between the album two biggest hits, “Last Dance” is one of Disintegration’s hidden gems. The song kicks off with a bass line so bright and melodic, that I’ve mistakenly thought it was guitar for a decade (thanks Grub for correcting me…), and probably the trickiest drum beat on the record – a sophisticated 16th groove with snares, toms and electronic pads, seemingly randomly thrown in, except it’s perfectly calculated and repeats through the song. Sweeping guitars enter, before Smith begins his tale of meeting a lover from your past – somebody who used to be your entire world, and now you barely know each other. “Even if we drink I don’t think we will kiss”, sings Smith, perfectly describing how distant and irrelevant their past together now seems to be. Another classic song from The Cure, and definitely fun to play.
Authored by grubextrapolate and MrPrezident
Much of the album made use of a considerable amount of guitar effects, and “Prayers for Rain” sees Thompson and Smith “treating their work to heavy duty flanging, delay, backwards-run tapes and more to set the slow, moody crawl of the track.” This one is great fun on all instruments. If you’ve never seen one of their live versions with Robert stretching the last line for what seems like forever, click on that link. Someday I’d love to get the whole Trilogy show in RB, but that’s a big task for many future days…
Authored by yaniv297 and grubextrapolate
“The Same Deep Water as You” is, well, probably not one for the casual fans. The longest song on an album full of long songs, possibly the saddest song on an album full of despair, the darkest and lowest emotionally moment on this record. Robert Smith has included it within a very limited group of songs that “has a part of him in it”. After recording it, he was “completely overcame by emotions” and, to use his words, “I was amazed that I could still feel like this”. Despite its length, this song is dearly loved within the Cure fans community, who ranked it the 7th best song of the band’s history – beating out the big majority of their hits. This song means a lot to a lot of people. And for those who really love the Cure, and this album, I think this might just be one of the highlights of this project.
Authored by grubextrapolate
The second last track on the album, “Homesick” is a homage to piano and bass, with these two essentially playing a solo for most or all of the 7 minute runtime. To say this was a challenge to chart – especially when I’d never done a pro keys chart before this project – would be an understatement, but I hope I’ve managed a good representation of both. The sporadic guitar melody and minimal vocals makes it a good candidate for voxtar runs, and the seemingly simple drum beat has tripped me up plenty in playtesting.
So there you have it. If you’d like to play this masterpiece from top to bottom, here’s some links to pick up those you may be missing:
Tracklist
- Plainsong
- Pictures of You
- Closedown
- Lovesong (RB4 DLC)
- Last Dance
- Lullaby
- Fascination Street
- Prayers for Rain
- The Same Deep Water as You
- Disintegration
- Homesick
- Untitled
see you again soon!
These songs are a part of Chart-a-thon. If you download these songs, or if you enjoy my content, please consider making a donation at http://chartathon.com. All proceeds are donated directly to the American Cancer Society.
SONG COUNT: 132
Next up, nsw1-6 presents a man drowning his sorrows after taking a familial rain check.
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