Rock Band Download Low-Down: Week 9
Each week we’ll run out onto our website stage like roadies and review the latest Rock Band Downloadable Content. Check back every week!
*NOTE: Each of the songs in this week’s selection costs 160 Microsoft Points ($2). They are only sold separately.
“All The Small Things” by Blink-182
WHAT ROCKS: Except for Scott the Intern – who has nothing but disdain for pop-punk punk-asses – everybody in the office likes this track. Knowing it sure made it easier to perform; there are no real surprises along the way, except for the drums picking up in difficulty near the end on Hard.
WHAT SUCKS: The guitar and bass parts are painfully straightforward. All downstrokes – it is pop punk, after all – makes for a relatively boring song to physically play.
FINAL VERDICT: This isn’t the first song we’d pick from Blink – “What’s My Age Again?” struck us as a better choice – so we’re hoping this is the first track of many. This one’s not bad, but not a stunner.
“Action” made famous by Sweet
WHAT ROCKS: The time change in the solo is a challenging surprise and redeems an otherwise straightforward song — the guitar part gets interestingly complex, which Corey really liked. The drums are not too difficult, nor are the vocals too tricky (though they are a bit high), and the song has a goofy theatrical vibe that you just don't find in too-serious, this-is-a-business-dammit modern rock.
WHAT SUCKS: The drums are akin to a horse's gallop...if the horse was missing a leg. Also, while some of us liked the mechanics of the song, most felt no emotional connection with the track itself – it just wasn’t a good enough tune to win people over.
FINAL VERDICT: The guys who did “Ballroom Blitz” had another hit? If you’re really missing Queen songs in Rock Band, this makes a glamtastic substitute…but if you don't like extra bombast in your rock and/or you weren’t alive when this song came out, you likely won't care.
“Last Train to Clarksville” as made famous by The Monkees
WHAT ROCKS: Would you believe…everything? You might not expect this old bubblegum chestnut to light up the room, but it does. Drums are super fun (check out those 16th notes), the Expert guitar part will mangle your fingers with a riff of difficult hammer-ons, and the bass part, even on Expert, requires almost no effort to hit 100%. If you’re looking for a song to get the Achievement, this just might be the one.
WHAT SUCKS: Seriously – this put a smile on everybody’s face, and at least one person said, “I wasn’t going to buy this, but now I am.”
FINAL VERDICT: The pre-fab four have been perfectly packaged for their Rock Band debut. The only other guitar shredder in the Monkees catalog is “Valleri” but we’re not expecting that one to show up!
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Winters.tale4
January 23, 2008 at 5:06pm
So i gotta ask, was clarksville really that good? HAHAHA i only ask this because i think i have a remaining balance of like 400 points. i got the first two of this week but was 50/50 on the monkees or do i just save if for the oasis pack this week? I'll have to wait till next week to get paid thus resulting in more points at my disposal, but what should i do RIGHT NOW?!
SCRubS77
January 21, 2008 at 7:15am
HELL YES!!! I like some really hardcore stuff, but Blink 182 has always been the lighter,not-heavy-at-all stuff that has always been on my iPod, and now I can play it! Finally!
Purp1eHayes
January 17, 2008 at 7:06pm
Glad to see the Monkees getting some love. I personally always hoped that one of their songs would show up in any of these games, but I never thought they would actually show up. Everyone seems to have such a negative association with them just because they didn't play the instruments on all of their records (okay, most of their records). It doesn't change the fact that the songs are classics and The Monkees deserve a lot of credit as being a classic band, even if it's the loosest sense of the word. Was pleasantly surprised by the Sweet track. I definately heard the Queen influence. Speaking of Queen, where the hell are they? Killer Queen (GH1) was hardly the apex of their work. And the guys have been on freakin American Idol, so I know it can't be "overly-protective of their music" thing.
sparky7474
January 17, 2008 at 10:37am
you know I never listen to Blink before I actually saw it on the DLC. Whats funny I usually listen to the real song on youtube, then if I really like the song or like it in general I usualy will cough up the cash to D/L it. I have to admit, Blink has a lt of good songs, I think I might go out and just buy their album. Any how I d/led two fo the three new one the blink song and the monkees, song. My wife loves that song! Hey one question though... how come no Def Leppard! WE WANT DEF WE WANT DEF! :)
ScottTheIntern
January 17, 2008 at 12:48am
Hey, be fair! I actually think there's quite a bit of good pop punk out there (Propagandhi, Dillinger Four, Jawbreaker), I've just never cared for Blink 182.
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