DavidZoso Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 ACTIVISION WANTED LED ZEPPELIN FOR GUITAR HERO Brought To You By VH1’s Dave Basner Bobby Kotick, the CEO of Activision Blizzard, revealed to Forbes magazine that the company tried to get Led Zeppelin to agree to a Guitar Hero game without success. Kotick said it was the number one thing fans wanted but the band would have none of it. In fact, guitarist Jimmy Page once said he had no time for games that don’t teach players anything “significant” about music. The Guitar Hero franchise has since been disbanded. I am so proud of Jimmy for not lending their music to those games. I also want to say I admire Jimmy for all these years still using a full guitar cord instead of a wireless unit. Not that other players are bad for using them but I just think it speaks vintage rock and roll with a full cord-just my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WChrisMullen Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 I personally think that even if the game doesn't teach the player how to play guitar, it's worth it to be able to pretend to be Zeppelin on stage and play through their career. I found the Beatles rock band to be incredibly fun and it didn't feel like a sell-out or a watering down of the music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheStairwayRemainsTheSame Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 ^^ Totally agree with Chris The Beatles, Van Halen and Aerosmith are all great fun and I don't see them selling out or inspiring people to not play guitar for real, I also think it would inspire a lot of younger fans interested Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dazedcat Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 I agree too. It's harmless and it was fun for the kids. Page shouldn't have let his dislike for certain types of video games affect his decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LedZep342 Posted July 27, 2011 Share Posted July 27, 2011 Agreeable, what's so bad about it, the only negative affect is it doesn't teach the player how to play the song, but still... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MilfMuncher Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 Well for the Beatles I don’t think Paul would have sold his music to make the games but Sony controls most of that and I read somewhere that to make the games they needed jimmy to hand over the masters so they could create the game and that right there was a big No for Jimmy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joey1985 Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 Fuck rock band and guitar hero, it teaches kids the wrong ideas and cliches about music and rock n' roll. Give them a game that talks about chuck berry instead of some meathead cartoon character that is suppose to depict the "rock image". And I would never let anyone touch my master tapes especially for that bullshit. I hate rock band and guitar hero, it just goes to show how fake this world is, why pick up a real guitar and practice every fucking day like I did when you can take the easy way out and just pick up a fake one and pretend, that is the problem. And I agree with the wireless statement, I would never use one, not only am I not connected to my amp but I feel not connection to my amp and the power that is running through to tubes. Not only that your tone is lost. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jahfin Posted July 28, 2011 Share Posted July 28, 2011 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Masson Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 This was discussed on here at the time, check out THIS LINK. I posted several times in that thread and haven't changed my opinion at all since then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cgab1 Posted July 30, 2011 Share Posted July 30, 2011 Fuck rock band and guitar hero, it teaches kids the wrong ideas and cliches about music and rock n' roll. Give them a game that talks about chuck berry instead of some meathead cartoon character that is suppose to depict the "rock image". And I would never let anyone touch my master tapes especially for that bullshit. I hate rock band and guitar hero, it just goes to show how fake this world is, why pick up a real guitar and practice every fucking day like I did when you can take the easy way out and just pick up a fake one and pretend, that is the problem. And I agree with the wireless statement, I would never use one, not only am I not connected to my amp but I feel not connection to my amp and the power that is running through to tubes. Not only that your tone is lost. Great post - couldn't have said it better.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackDog71 Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 Well, I think most of us knew he wasn't going to cave in anytime soon. Now that the Guitar Hero franchise is no more, we don't have to wonder or worry about it. No matter what I think about Jimmy not wanting the game to be made, I respect him and his decision because it's his music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ledzepfilm Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 This could build an army of Zeppelin fans, look how much kids like the Beatles now after their version of Rock Band came out, Rock Band could keep the music alive and well along young people, and more future Led Heds will build! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jahfin Posted August 5, 2011 Share Posted August 5, 2011 This could build an army of Zeppelin fans, look how much kids like the Beatles now after their version of Rock Band came out, Rock Band could keep the music alive and well along young people, and more future Led Heds will build! I think the legacy of Zeppelin is doing just fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperDave Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 I think the whole Guitar Hero/Rock Band popularity was a big fad and seems to be dwindling quite some. Jimmy made the right decision. If it were me, I certainly wouldn't let them have my master tapes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betteremily Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 I think Guitar Hero and other games are quite insulting to real musicians who put years of hard work into their playing/writing. I have great respect for LZ and the few artists who also declined. I have also lost a lot of respect for other artists who helped perpetuate this facade that these games promote the growth of musicians. It's nice to know not everyone puts their pocketbook first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ledzepfilm Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 Although I do agree that's wrong to give away the masters, it's no insult to great musicians unless everyone wants music to go in this direction, electronic USB plug in guitars, it's just for kids to feel like a rockstar, not to teach them music... Indeed a rock lecture game, going through the history of Rock as Joey said it, it's just something for kids to have fun with. I personally don't like that kinda shit, but it's just a fun thing for kids to enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad LaBorde Posted August 6, 2011 Share Posted August 6, 2011 I don get how its an insult to real musicians. Its not like you can take your plastic guitar anywhere and make REAL music with it. Its just a game. Thatd be like professional drivers getting offended by Need for Speed. You cant take these virtual skills and do anything productive with them, its just all good fun. I can, however, say that I know a handful of people who started to play guitar because of GH/RB. I respect JP for not putting his music in these games, but it would do wonders in opening up a younger generation to there music, and there is no arguing that. Im only 21 and Zeppelin is my favorite band, but half of my friends and almost all of the people I work with dont know many songs outside of Stairway...Its ashame, but it is the case. The legacy of Zeppelin is doing just fine, but reaching a younger crowd could never be a bad thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Masson Posted August 7, 2011 Share Posted August 7, 2011 As I said, this was debated at the time, and I have already stated my own opinion. But briefly put, it's about how the legacy is being presented, and whether the band is comfortable with the medium. Apparently the musicians who wrote Since I've Been Loving You, Stairway to Heaven, No Quarter, The Song Remains the Same, The Rain Song, In My Time of Dying, In the Light, Achilles Last Stand, Tea For One - to name a few - feel that a game of this type trivializes the legacy; it iis bound to misrepresent what the band stood for, either because it would have to leave out all the really weighty statements, or, if they were included, they would be cheapened in the context. I mean...just think about it for a moment. So I think the decision is very understandable, and they are hardly desperate to get attention. Kids have been finding out about them, even despite the fact that they quit more than 30 years ago and have never toured again. That's not changing now. I think it's wonderful how proud they are of what they accomplished together, and that they still want that legacy presented in ways that are right for it. In short: it's not so much about video games. It's about the presentation of the music. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jahfin Posted August 7, 2011 Share Posted August 7, 2011 I have great respect for LZ and the few artists who also declined. I have also lost a lot of respect for other artists who helped perpetuate this facade that these games promote the growth of musicians. I don't think anyone that allowed their music to be licensed for use by Guitar Hero (or similar video games) is under the impression that "these games promote the growth of musicians". In fact, I seem to recall an article about Slash and how he couldn't even play his own guitar parts on Guitar Hero. As has been mentioned, it's a game that's meant for fun. It was never intended to teach someone how to play guitar. That said, I respect Page's decision not to have Zeppelin's music presented in that way even if I don't necessarily agree with that decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
betteremily Posted August 7, 2011 Share Posted August 7, 2011 I don get how its an insult to real musicians. Learning to play/write is labor intensive. It takes years of hard work and dedication to effectively express oneself/or reproduce others compositions.. It is the instant gratification of these games that make them so insulting, IMO. Example: You have a major term paper due for one of your University courses. You study, read, re-read, write, re-write, re-think for days if not weeks to show to your professor that you understand the curriculum . Your friend, or several of your fellow students pay someone else to write their paper for them. Their main concern is not to learn, grow, understand or walk away with something significant and valid from the course at hand, but only to acquire a passing grade. Its not like you can take your plastic guitar anywhere and make REAL music with it. Its just a game. Exactly. Like playing a real instrument, video games too are challenging. It takes time to be able to do what is asked of the player. So why would one put all this time and effort into playing a plastic tool, when the whole idea is to catch the buzz and FEEL like one is playing an actual instrument? This buzz is artificial flavoring! Therefore, why would one not just pick up an actual instrument from the start? With an actual instrument, there are many gains to walk away with. It's something that can be cherished for a lifetime; with video games, you just get a headache and waste plenty of life's precious time. Thatd be like professional drivers getting offended by Need for Speed. That is not at all the same. It takes licenses, not to mention good financial status to be able to drive professionally. That is a tad out of reach for the average person. Musical instruments are highly accessible to everyone, in any income bracket, at any age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Otto Masson Posted August 7, 2011 Share Posted August 7, 2011 I literally did exactly this when I was a kid! But that was just something one did - not a part of some package or other that you actually went out and bought, and supposedly presented LZ's (or somebody else's) music. Huge difference. Led Zeppelin were always very much an album oriented group, and when they were active they never released a compilation of hits. That was something you really noticed, and the conclusion one drew was that they wanted the music presented in the context of the albums they had released, and these expressed the band at different points. I used to really like this fact. And it hasn't changed really. I have the Mothership DeLuxe release, and never play it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ledzepfilm Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 So that's what they meant by album-oriented rock. I thought it was their own style of music, as some of their tracks are heavily studio based. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jahfin Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 I literally did exactly this when I was a kid! But that was just something one did - not a part of some package or other that you actually went out and bought, and supposedly presented LZ's (or somebody else's) music. Huge difference. True but I've aways thought of Guitar Hero and the like as air guitar with actual music. I've never seen one outside of being submitted to them in a big box store but I imagine if Guitar Hero had been around when I was kid it would have been something I would have been interested in. Led Zeppelin were always very much an album oriented group, and when they were active they never released a compilation of hits. That was something you really noticed, and the conclusion one drew was that they wanted the music presented in the context of the albums they had released, and these expressed the band at different points. I used to really like this fact. And it hasn't changed really. I have the Mothership DeLuxe release, and never play it. The only Zep comps I own on CD are the first two box sets of studio material. As far as officially released studio stuff that's all one really needs. So that's what they meant by album-oriented rock. I thought it was their own style of music, as some of their tracks are heavily studio based. I always say there's not a lot you young whippersnappers missed out on the 70s, which is true but I will say I truly hate that you missed out on the golden age of AOR (Album Oriented Rock). There's only a handful of stations out there that I'd consider progressive anymore but aside from those, the closest you can get to it nowadays is the Deep Tracks channel on XM. It's even better than the heyday of album rock stations in a sense because there's no concessions to song length or commercials. Still, back in the days of album rock it wasn't uncommon to hear entire albums or lengthy cuts late at night when there was little to no airtime devoted to commercials. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ledzepfilm Posted August 8, 2011 Share Posted August 8, 2011 That's true. Kashmir only appears on the radio every like 2 weeks or so. My main rock station rarely plays that song. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SuperDave Posted August 9, 2011 Share Posted August 9, 2011 That's true. Kashmir only appears on the radio every like 2 weeks or so. My main rock station rarely plays that song. Definitely not true here in the NYC area. It gets a lot of airplay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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