[eddy9524]

Hi forums, so an interesting thought came to me as the new songs for Rock Band 4 dropped the other week; Which On-Discs Artists have had the best or worst expanded libraries? Now in some way or another every artist presented to us through RB were included in the games because their music highlighted something magical about the gameplay. Wither the song was simply iconic, great for a particular instrument, or collectively brought the whole room together in a rock and roll fantasy, they had a good reason to be part of the MAIN setlist. Of course thanks to DLC we never had to stop at the main setlist, but oddly enough some artist DID stop at the main setlist and were never expanded upon outside of their initial release OR just had very little offering at all. At the same time quite the opposite happens too, and on disc on artists see packs and whole albums complimenting their inclusion.

So let me ask your opinion; Who got the gold and who got swept under the rug? And if so which are the your top pick related to an on disc artist? here are some of my picks. I’ll mostly talk about worst support but please feel free to talk about your favorite supported artists!

 

 

Rock Band 1 Worst Support:

1. Faith No More; about 2 pieces of DLC and came back for RB3, but still very shy set.

2. Hole; We got a pretty poppy number for a band that can really kick ass at time! “Violet” being a favorite that never did make it in.

3. Radiohead; We got an Iron Lung, but sad nothing else was seen from this band (officially)

4. Smashing Pumpkins; SURE they were in RB2, SURE “Zero” and “Siva” were sweet songs, but 4 songs altogether doesn’t do this band justice.

5. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, another one-of added that never captured what they had to offer.

6. The Strokes. “Undercover of Darkness” came to us and it’s sweet and all, just doesnt hit the spot.

7. Flyleaf; believe it or not they guys and some hard tunes and really need some love.

 

Rock Band 2 Worst Support:

1. Motorhead; 2 songs?? this is sad guys…come on.

2. The Replacements; A punk group that could have a lot of great DLC, but yet another one-of.

3. Sonic Youth, A song as DLC, a trend that honestly I started noticing as I typed this, shame Harmonix!

4. Panic! At the Disco; their first album as a charming dance-punk sounds I always come back to for its catchy-ness, and two pieces of DLC doesn’t satisfy that.

 

Rock Band 3 Worst Support:

1. At-the Drive-In; this is were it gets a little personal, I love this band and were a really big impact on emo and post-hardcore music in general, one song and done (let alone a song already in a music game) is a complete horror.

2. Marilyn Manson; 2 songs that are oddly labeled “Glam”, This Industrial Metal band could easily have a 6 pack of epic headbangers but sadly us MM fans are left behind.

3. Rammstein; finally! we got’em! can’t wait for at least a classic 3 pack!….(waiting…still waiting….sigh*)

4. The Sounds; yes a perfect indie band that made the keyboard pretty interesting, “Painted by Numbers” would have been sweet but, nope.

5.The Flaming Lips; I’m sure a lot people agree with me on this, amazing band, amazing inclusion on game, but never did we see more

6.Mana; a family favorite since I am of mexican decent, Juanes got a decent pack before hand, but Mana is way more Iconic in the history of spanish rock.

7. Fliter; man did industrial get the shaft this time around…

8. Ida Maria; honestly I looked her up thanks to RB3 and love her! but nothing came after that launch

9.The Smiths; “Charming Man” is one of my favorite pieces of DLC, Classic band that deserves a bigger library.

10. Them Crooked Vultures; EASILY a band for a full album release.

11.The Cure; THE PREFECT RB3 band that harmonix forgot about! til Rock Band 4 ” src=”/wp-content/uploads/invision_emoticons/default_SA_smile.gif” />

[espher]

I think a number of these bands kind of ticked the boxes of ‘required’ tracks even if, like many others, they could have had more. I also think Hole’s selection was great because it is so good as a vocals/harmonies part and my bias may be showing.

 

Here are my picks for the worst:

 

Rock Band 1

Garbage – We did get “Why Do You Love Me” early on, but I’m a little disappointed we didn’t get any more 90s Garbage.

KISS – We ended up getting six DLC tracks over the first four years of the game, but five were live tracks and I’d make the argument we didn’t get some really big tracks (esp. on the studio recording front). Thank God for GHtoRB3 to give me “I Was Made for Loving You”.

OK Go – We only got “Shooting the Moon” as RB3-era DLC nearly four years after their on-disc debut (yes, White Knuckles came via RBN), and they were criminally underrepresented both in their “internet famous” songs and their deeper cuts.

Radiohead – I’m not a super fan, but as mentioned, we only got one other track. Ignoring several other wildly popular tracks, I really wanted “Just” as a vocalist and never got it.

The Rolling Stones – I mean, come on. We did get a fantastic song (likely the best pick Harmonix could have made), but there was so much more on the table.

 

Rock Band 2

Bad Company – We did eventually get “Can’t Get Enough” but, again, several other tracks would have been great fits (“Bad Company”, “Feel Like Makin’ Love” among others).

Bob Dylan – I don’t even like Bob Dylan and I’m still somewhat amazed we only ended up with one song by him.

The Guess Who – This is a bit of an edge case as we did get “No Time” and “Hand Me Down World”, but I’m including the cheesy schlock of Bachman-Turner Overdrive/Burton Cummings in this ‘omission’ category and also my Canadian bias is showing.

Journey – Obviously licencing is a big deal, and we did get “Don’t Stop Believing” as DLC, but for a band as prolific and with as many party-friendly Arena Rock anthems as Journey got, two tracks is lacking.

Survivor – This is a case of a band that, like many other on-disc bands, probably should have gotten at least one or two singles (as a split-up three pack), but never did.

 

Rock Band 3

The Cure – Much like Radiohead, I’m not a big fan, but it is a little crazy we didn’t see any DLC at all from them. Fortunately, RB4 on-disc might mean we’ll see more yet.

Dire Straits – Sadly, we only got the one on-disc track from a band that had songs show up in competing games.

INXS – Really could have used “Devil Inside” and “New Sensation” to round out a three pack, nevermind some of the deep cuts. Would have filled a nice niche.

Metric – Could have used several tracks, especially as I feel that Combat Baby really is their weakest single. Also, Scott Pilgrim stuff (w/ Beck) would have been a good ‘pop culture current’ pick. I still think there’s room, mind you.

Tegan & Sara – This is another modern act from which more tracks could have been included, even if they went with a track like “Northshore” that is atypical of their sound but would be a fantastic Rock Band track.

 

Lego Rock Band

Bryan Adams – WARNING: CANADIAN BIAS SHOWING

Good Charlotte – Not that we have a shortage of pop-punk, or that I’m a big fan, but I was trying to find a fifth act for this disc where I feel there was a major omission, and the fact that we got “The Anthem” as DLC over “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” (off the same album) was a big headscratcher for me.

Iggy Pop – We got some Stooges tracks, but solo Iggy could have used some tracks to complement “The Passenger”, which was a very smart pick.

Jackson 5 – There was still a wealth of Jackson 5 stuff that would be a great fit for Rock Band, though we did tick two big boxes with “ABC” and “I Want You Back” — nevermind getting Michael Jackson tracks.

Sum 41 – WARNING: MORE CANADIAN BIAS SHOWING, though we did admittedly get two more DLC tracks from them in 2012.

 

Here are my picks for the best, with a special note that this only considers artists that were to ‘debut’ on a specific disc (otherwise The Who and Foo Fighters would be everywhere) and that I’m sticking to five artists per disc (there are lots of candidates on the RB1 disc):

 

Rock Band 1

Bon Jovi – Continued support on the RB2 disc and received an RB3 pack with RB3 versions. Tough to argue. They also picked the best song they could for a disc with WDoA, especially given all the pre-RB1 videos (the drunken-media-in-a-hotel-singalong always sticks out, as does the PAX singalong).

Foo Fighters – Duh, Dave Grohl Band is a thing for a reason. Also a nice safe choice for the RB1 disc.

Nirvana – Two discs and several DLC packs. Also, Dave Grohl Band. Weird choice for the disc selection, though.

Red Hot Chili Peppers – Two disc appearances, an assortment of DLC, an album, and a Blitz re-release is a lot of coverage especially considering the licencing brouhaha. Dani California was a great choice for the disc given how much of an earworm it was, as well.

The Who – Tough to argue with a giant DLC pack, singles, several disc releases, and the Superbowl track. This track selection for the first disc was fantastic, as well.

 

Rock Band 2

AC/DC – Though the only thing we got was a retail track pack with live songs, the fact that they got a retail track pack to themselves speaks volumes as to whether or not they ‘got the goods’.

Alice in Chains – The band got ten DLC tracks, though they had to wait a year to see the first set drop.

The Grateful Dead – Admittedly the support for them started pre-RB2, but they’ve got nearly twenty tracks in the game, which is pretty good for an act that has a dedicated following but is otherwise fairly niche.

Judas Priest – We got two Priest albums (including their best, imo) and some other assorted DLC tracks, and a single from their new album is on RB4. Tough to say they didn’t get good selections/support.

Pearl Jam – Two albums, some alternate singles, and the promise of a game that never came. Pretty good deal. In this case, I feel they made the right selection for an on-disc track, even if I prefer other Pearl Jam songs – this one just fits well when setlists roll up.

 

Rock Band 3

Bob Marley and the Wailers – The entire Legend album *AND* another 8-pack of songs. That ticks a lot of boxes for desired content.

The Doors – They were the big band for the RB3 launch with all the promos and tie-ins. Tough to say they weren’t big picks here, and we got a very good selection of songs. Not my favourite on-disc, but my favourite (“People Are Strange”) is too short for the disc (yes, yes, I know, “Hello There”) so I can’t complain.

John Lennon – Imagine album and “Happy X-Mas” – pretty good score.

Juanes – Got the DLC before the disc, but notable for being the only foreign language act to land this many tracks.

Ozzy Osbourne – Ozzy picked up another 14 DLC tracks, which is a pretty big score. Out of the tracks we did get, they also picked the best disc track.

 

Lego Rock Band

The All-American Rejects – In addition to the disc track, they had six DLC tracks staggered over seven years of DLC releases, so perhaps not a great deal in terms of content dump but they reliably showed up.

Elton John – I personally feel we got short-changed on Elton John but two discs and a DLC pack is far more than othre equally deserving artists got, and compared to LRB artists that’s a good haul.

The Jimi Hendrix Experience – Two full albums plus and an RB3 disc track. Can’t complain.

P!nk – It took a little while (2012 to be exact), but P!nk ended up with six more tracks, which is pretty good when compared to other new-to-disc artists on the LRB disc. The disc pick was also a fantastic choice.

Queen – Queen got three other packs, RB3 inclusion, and Blitz inclusion. They got a fair shake though they could still have more!

[titiln]

blur had song 2 in lego rock band. there’s no other way is dlc. for such a huge band that’s pretty weak

[samjjones]

I thought the Duran Duran “expansion” fizzled out prematurely. “Hungry Like the Wolf” was the obvious on-disc choice, but then we got “Rio”, and “Girls on Film”, and that was it. They were a pretty huge act in the 80’s, after all.

 

You’re also absolutely right about INXS. Has to be some kind of weird licensing thing with that…because they have a ton of “greatest hits” that would have played great in RB3’s format. Same with Audioslave.

 

And while there’s still some stuff that I personally would like to see from them…HMX pretty knocked out the essential discographies of Billy Joel, the Bee Gees, and Creedence Clearwater Revival.

[eddy9524]

I think a number of these bands kind of ticked the boxes of ‘required’ tracks even if, like many others, they could have had more. I also think Hole’s selection was great because it is so good as a vocals/harmonies part and my bias may be showing.

 

Here are my picks for the worst:

 

Rock Band 1

Garbage

KISS

OK Go

Radiohead

The Rolling Stones

 

Rock Band 2

Bad Company

Bob Dylan

The Guess Who

Journey

Survivor

 

Rock Band 3

The Cure

Dire Straits

INXS

Metric

Tegan & Sara

 

Lego Rock Band

Bryan Adams

Good Charlotte

Iggy Pop

Jackson 5

Sum 41

 

Here are my picks for the best, with a special note that this only considers artists that were to ‘debut’ on a specific disc (otherwise The Who and Foo Fighters would be everywhere) and that I’m sticking to five artists per disc (there are lots of candidates on the RB1 disc):

 

Rock Band 1

Bon Jovi

Foo Fighters – Duh

Nirvana

Red Hot Chili Peppers

The Who

 

Rock Band 2

AC/DC

Alice in Chains

The Grateful Dead

Judas Priest

Pearl Jam

 

Rock Band 3

Bob Marley and the Wailers

The Doors

John Lennon

Juanes

Ozzy Osbourne

 

Lego Rock Band

The All-American Rejects

Elton John

The Jimi Hendrix Experience

P!nk

Queen

 

Thanks for making such a well thought out list! ^^ I was also thinking about garbage and OK GO when I was looking over the games. “Not Your Kind of People” by garbage would have great harmonies that me and my buddy would nail.

Real big bummer they skipped a lot of Bob Dlyan, I hear him a lot in my house and argue he’s just as classic as the Beatles in his own way.

Lol I would have gone crazy to see “Heaven” by Bryan Adams, after all the power ballads we had on disc for RB3 its shocking we never got this. Singles for Sum 41 is never enough

 

I have to also say I was happy we did an AFI pack when but could have really used more of their punk-era tunes, and more off of Sing the Sorrows.

I also like the Albums we got for Pearl Jam, we just need “better Man” tho.

I feel like the Greatest Hit album and addition pack they did for Billy Joel…should have been the Treatment we got for Elton John I would have bought a Crocodile Rock (RB3 Version) so fast for the keys.

 

Thanks for sharing!

[eddy9524]

blur had song 2 in lego rock band. there’s no other way is dlc. for such a huge band that’s pretty weak

 

Totally agree, wish “End of the Century” or “To the End” would have been released. funny enough Dance Central got some Blur…but uh, not the music with fake instruments? oh harmonix..

[eddy9524]

 

And while there’s still some stuff that I personally would like to see from them…HMX pretty knocked out the essential discographies of Billy Joel, the Bee Gees, and Creedence Clearwater Revival.

 

CCR always pops up in my setlist, I would still want “commotion”.

[samjjones]

There is a custom for “Commotion”.

[samjjones]

Also need more The Cars.

[Divider]

We definitely got a lot from Megadeth and Pearl Jam, with 2 complete albums and a 3-pack from each, but Megadeth also had “Sleepwalker,” one of the most fun songs in the series IMO.

 

As for worst, one of the few bands I really wish we got more of was Metallica. Licensing and all that, and we did get a 3-pack early on, but there was SO MUCH good material they could use, and a lot of it wasn’t even in GH:M. Damage, Inc., Anesthesia, and Holier Than Thou, as well as some of their S&M live versions with keys charted would’ve been great to have.

[eddy9524]

Also need more The Cars.

 

True, a little off topic since they were never on-disc (unless you count Track Pack Vol. 2) but still very true

[eddy9524]

We definitely got a lot from Megadeth and Pearl Jam, with 2 complete albums and a 3-pack from each, but Megadeth also had “Sleepwalker,” one of the most fun songs in the series IMO.

 

As for worst, one of the few bands I really wish we got more of was Metallica. Licensing and all that, and we did get a 3-pack early on, but there was SO MUCH good material they could use, and a lot of it wasn’t even in GH:M. Damage, Inc., Anesthesia, and Holier Than Thou, as well as some of their S&M live versions with keys charted would’ve been great to have.

 

If Harmonix could license ONE MORE piece of Metallica content, my number 1 pick would be the “Master of Puppets” album. I’d be set. Maybe when Rock Band 4 racks in a lot of money

[Logan]

Primus. Although I like “Jerry Was A Race Car Driver” I’m surprised they haven’t at least had DLC before with songs like “John The Fisherman,” “Tommy The Cat,” or even “Wynona’s Big Brown Beaver.”

 

Also, Smashing Pumpkins. Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness should’ve gotten a full album DLC before some of the other album DLCs.

[Author]

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