Guitar Hero / Rock Band / Video Games

[Mernie]

It's interesting you say that because both Guitar Hero III and Rock Band have "Mississippi Queen"!

But if they were singing it and the words were appearing at the top of the screen, then this was Rock Band.

Guitar Hero III, the most recent Guitar Hero game, doesn't have vocals.

Guitar Hero: World Tour will have vocals and will be released on October 26, 2008.

Now the question is, was it Rock Band 1 or 2? Not that it matters really. I haven't played Rock Band 2, but I am aware that you can make all of the Rock Band 1 songs available!

Rock Band 2 was released on September 14, 2008, so it's possible they were playing that.

How trivial of me to try and figure out which one...sheesh. I'm bored.

I just called my son to ask, and he said that he has Rock Band for Playstation 3. I asked him if it's version 1 or 2 and he didn't seem to know what I was talking about. Since you say that 2 was released in September 2008, I think they must have 1, because the party where I saw them playing the game was in July 2008.

[guitarmy]

if it took a video game to discover new bands, then Led Zeppelin would have died out years ago...

people just seem convinced that the only way Zep can stay "relevant" and continue to be listened to, is by being included in video games, and releasing new albums. seriously, how do you suppose they ever survived between Coda and BBC Sessions? 15 years with only 3 concerts, no albums, no inclusions in movies, or video games, how'd they last? and for all the "watered down crap" that everyone is convinced is the only thing being played anywhere, take a look at the radio dial, there's tons of good classic rock stations plastered all over the place, if a video game is the only way to find it, then must be your tuner's broke.

the band can include songs if they want, that's their choice, I just think it's kind of cheesy myself

If Led Zeppelin didn't release anything after CODA, then Led Zeppelin would definitely not be as well known as they are today. That's not provable really, but it makes sense. A general trend that can be proved is that interest is time and time again revived by "new" releases. It's an albeit unfortunate obsession that I think capitalism projects.

Now of course Led Zeppelin can't be releasing something "new" all the time for the rest of eternity. But it (or whoever gets control of the material) can re-release and re-apply it's music in the tastes of the emerging generations. Now that's a dynamic type of immortality.

...

The fact is that these video games do bring youth into classic/current rock a lot easier than they would listen to a classic rock station for the first time. And those stations are definitely dying out.

This is just from Wikipedia and the sources are listed below as links:

Both licensed and indie bands whose works have been included in the Guitar Hero games have gained further popularity from this inclusion.[69] Both record companies[70] and retailers[71] have seen sales of songs and groups increase 200% to 300% after their inclusion in the series. Every Guitar Hero III song tracked by Nielsen SoundScan (62 of 70) saw an increase in digital download sales the week ending December 30, 2007, when many who got the game as a gift were playing it.[72] A survey conducted by Brown University's Kiri Miller found that 76% of the players of Guitar Hero bought the music they heard in the game.[73]

[69]

[70]

[71]

[72]

[73]

This is proof that these games definitely generate interest in someone. It's not about how much money that it makes or how many downloads the bands get, because those things transcend from interest. Is Rock Band the sole interest generator in rock?--hell no! But is it a substantial one in today's emerging formats? I'd say so. Especially since a lot of youth are familiar with video games.

...

The reason why things like BBC Sessions, HTWWW, and the DVD were so successful is because the people who were alive when Led Zeppelin played still remembers them. They were alive to tell their children, cousins, younger brothers and sisters, and friends about the band. They were first hand sources to the magic of Led Zeppelin.

At some point, there will be no surviving members of Led Zeppelin and further after that there will be no surviving concert goers or original album buyers.

So who will remember them then? The second and third hand sources? Sure they will, but with less and less fervor with every generation if nothing else gets released or if Led Zeppelin is not included on emerging formats in music.

Oh wait, hey look, they're on Blu-ray). We didn't have Blu-ray from CODA to BBC Sessions so why bother including Led Zeppelin on it. I don't see anyone pissed about that. Why? Because you are familiar with music on video and know it to be a good vehicle for rock music. Well, I'm familiar with video games and know it to be a good vehicle for Rock and Roll.

And it's already begun to trickle down into second and third hand sources. According to my fan age poll on people who visit this site, approximately 50% of the people here are 36 and under. That means that the oldest person (36) would have had to have seen Led Zeppelin perform in 1980 when they were 8 years old! This probably means that the number is a lot higher, because how many 8-year-olds did you see at a concert in 1980?

(Plant often expresses his love for little girls when introducing "Sick Again"...but "not too little, not too little" he says!)

...

The music industry is constantly changing, and so has it's distribution methods and availability. To assume that it will be "the same way it's always been" is just a call for extinction. That philosophy is alive and well in many religions, and I'm not sure it's doing so well for them.

This is about investing in Led Zeppelin heritage, if you can call it that. If you don't believe the reality that cultural phenomena doesn't die out when left untouched, then you're just falsely assuring yourself that "everything will be ok", Led Zeppelin knowability-wise anyways.

[Mernie]

The reason why things like BBC Sessions, HTWWW, and the DVD were so successful is because the people who were alive when Led Zeppelin played still remembers them. They were alive to tell their children, cousins, younger brothers and sisters, and friends about the band. They were first hand sources to the magic of Led Zeppelin.

At some point, there will be no surviving members of Led Zeppelin and further after that there will be no surviving concert goers or original album buyers.

So who will remember them then? The second and third hand sources? Sure they will, but with less and less fervor with every generation if nothing else gets released or if Led Zeppelin is not included on emerging formats in music.

Beautifully stated. Exactly what I wanted to articulate but couldn't quite figure out how to say.

[Toften]

Would you support Led Zeppelin including some of their songs in a video game like Guitar Hero or Rock band?

No, because imo I think it's better to play a real instrument, instead of playing a comptuergame-instrument.

Do you consider yourself a part of video gaming culture?

No, I'm no gamer.

Do you enjoy playing either Rock Band or Guitar hero?

No, tried it twice. Don't like it. Got enough with my own guitar .

Which would you choose if you could only have one or the other?

I would choose a Led Zeppelin reunion tour... of course!

How old are you?

14

Sorry for my bad english..

[Anarchy2Howard]

Any smart Rock fan that still goes to school would know what Guitar Hero and Rock Band does to good bands. They include their most popular song in GH and millions of 13 year old kids play that one song they heard on Guitar Hero and immediately consider themselves a fan. Led Zeppelin doesn't need an extra 10 million 13 year old fans who have only heard Whole Lotta Love on GH.

This is a typical conversation between a "true" fan and a "GH" fan.

True: Hey do you like Led Zeppelin? They're my favourite band.

GH: Yeah! They're awesome!!

True: Yeah, inorite? What albums do you like by them the most? I really like I because it showcases their energetic and Bluesy sound they had in their early days.

GH: idk, I like whatever album Whole Lotta Love is on I guess.. it's so fun to play on Guitar Hero! I even downloaded it onto my iPod.

True:

[Zephyrus]

Any smart Rock fan that still goes to school would know what Guitar Hero and Rock Band does to good bands. They include their most popular song in GH and millions of 13 year old kids play that one song they heard on Guitar Hero and immediately consider themselves a fan. Led Zeppelin doesn't need an extra 10 million 13 year old fans who have only heard Whole Lotta Love on GH.

This is a typical conversation between a "true" fan and a "GH" fan.

True: Hey do you like Led Zeppelin? They're my favourite band.

GH: Yeah! They're awesome!!

True: Yeah, inorite? What albums do you like by them the most? I really like I because it showcases their energetic and Bluesy sound they had in their early days.

GH: idk, I like whatever album Whole Lotta Love is on I guess.. it's so fun to play on Guitar Hero! I even downloaded it onto my iPod.

True:

so true. I especially love it when people have as many artists as songs on their iPod... aren't they ever interested in listening to more than just the "greatest hits"?

[Mernie]

Any smart Rock fan that still goes to school would know what Guitar Hero and Rock Band does to good bands. They include their most popular song in GH and millions of 13 year old kids play that one song they heard on Guitar Hero and immediately consider themselves a fan. Led Zeppelin doesn't need an extra 10 million 13 year old fans who have only heard Whole Lotta Love on GH.

This is a typical conversation between a "true" fan and a "GH" fan.

True: Hey do you like Led Zeppelin? They're my favourite band.

GH: Yeah! They're awesome!!

True: Yeah, inorite? What albums do you like by them the most? I really like I because it showcases their energetic and Bluesy sound they had in their early days.

GH: idk, I like whatever album Whole Lotta Love is on I guess.. it's so fun to play on Guitar Hero! I even downloaded it onto my iPod.

True:

But what if one of those 13 year olds became a true fan all because of that initial exposure on GH? Might not that one song stir their curiosity and encourage them to listen to additional songs and learn more about the music?

I was born way before video games, but my point is, everyone has to start somewhere. I went from being a 12 year old who had only heard Black Dog, to a 16 year old who had all their LPs, bought tickets to their concerts, fast forward 30 years to a still-rabid adult fan who has all their CDs, DVDs, etc. I've tried to pass my love for the music on to my kids. My daughter loves Zep's music, has the HTWWW poster in her bedroom, a collection of Zep tshirts. She always says that she was born in the wrong decade. Today after my granddaughter's soccer game, she was in my car listening to Rock and Roll and Babe I'm Gonna Leave You on my iPod.

I'm not trying to defend GH. Personally, I don't even like video games. But a single exposure to the music, from whatever source it comes, could be the spark that it takes to open a whole new dimension in the musical life of a person. Not every kid has parents or grandparents who love the music and will pass that on. So if you take 20 kids who know nothing of Zep except for Whole Lotta Love, but just one of them is inspired to hear ALL the music because of a video game, wouldn't it be worth it?

[guitarmy]

Any smart Rock fan that still goes to school would know what Guitar Hero and Rock Band does to good bands. They include their most popular song in GH and millions of 13 year old kids play that one song they heard on Guitar Hero and immediately consider themselves a fan. Led Zeppelin doesn't need an extra 10 million 13 year old fans who have only heard Whole Lotta Love on GH.

This is a typical conversation between a "true" fan and a "GH" fan.

True: Hey do you like Led Zeppelin? They're my favourite band.

GH: Yeah! They're awesome!!

True: Yeah, inorite? What albums do you like by them the most? I really like I because it showcases their energetic and Bluesy sound they had in their early days.

GH: idk, I like whatever album Whole Lotta Love is on I guess.. it's so fun to play on Guitar Hero! I even downloaded it onto my iPod.

True:

Come on "true" fan! If they liked Whole Lotta love, then surely they will like Heartbreaker, Communication Breakdown, Good Times Bad Times, Immigrant Song, Bring It On Home, The Lemon Song, Black Dog, Rock and Roll, The Ocean, The Rover, Trampled Underfoot or We're Gonna Groove.

--all of which have similar feeling and power to Whole Lotta Love in some places. Whole Lotta Love's inclusion into GH would be a gateway to the rest of Zeppelin.

Here's a conversation with a GH player and a fan in today's Zeppelin-less version:

Fan: Hey do you like Led Zeppelin? They're my favourite band.

GH: Who are they?

Fan: Only one of the greatest rock acts of all time.

GH: Yeah but they're not in GH so they can't be that great.

Fan: Well there are actually some good reasons for that. You should check out their albums.

GH: Whatever.

This gives me an idea. I occasionally frequent some GH and Rock Band tournaments. I'll have to pop this question on them and see what they know about Led Zeppelin.

[guitarmy]

Any smart Rock fan that still goes to school would know what Guitar Hero and Rock Band does to good bands. They include their most popular song in GH and millions of 13 year old kids play that one song they heard on Guitar Hero and immediately consider themselves a fan. Led Zeppelin doesn't need an extra 10 million 13 year old fans who have only heard Whole Lotta Love on GH.

so true. I especially love it when people have as many artists as songs on their iPod... aren't they ever interested in listening to more than just the "greatest hits"?

I see both of your points.

Anarchy,

The thing is, I wouldn't want to exclude any level of fanhood. Everyone has to start somewhere, right? If you discourage a Led Zeppelin newbie, they may never continue with "the path to enlightenment". If they want to listen to something else, then let them figure that out for themselves. I immediately became a fan after I heard Black Dog. Was I the "expert" that I am today?--No. But was there a little tiny seed that with the proper care and exposure would grow into full fledged fan worthy of your conversations?--YES.

The bottom line is that if you're a big fan and all they know is what's from GH, then you're gonna set them straight and tell them something to check out. Otherwise, you can't be a true fan. That type of fan would just be proof that relying on fans to spread the exposure of Led Zeppelin won't always work.

Zephyrus,

As for the "Greatest Hits" phenomena , this is a another type of music sampling method. This method has nothing to do with GH though, as it was around before GH.

If they bought any of the Led Zeppelin compilations--live or studio--it'd at least be a foot in the door.

If kids need one more link in the chain (GH/RB > Greatest Hits > Albums) to get into Led Zeppelin, then that's fine by me and all the more better.

[Don't You Love THEM Madly?]

I would be in the middle...they haven't been sell outs yet. It doesn't matter if Aerosmith and Metallica have their own versions. Led Zep doesn't need to release games to keep the attention of the crowds. And they definitly don't need to be on guitar hero to be better than all the other bands either.

[Starbreaker]

I agree I don't think it is entirely necessary that Led Zeppelin be in Guitar Hero or Rock Band, but it would be cool if they were. However I do have this to say: I would support a song or songs by Zeppelin being included in GH or RB only if the master recordings are used. Whenever Guitar Hero or Rock Band use covers they always butcher them, and a cover of a Zeppelin song would be a mockery as to the might of Led Zeppelin.

[Louby]

I go play Guitar Hero and I really enjoy it when I do. I play real guitar too, but I'm pretty sucky at it! (So Guitar Hero makes me feel like the rock star I always wanted to be lol!) I would love to be able to play LZ songs on GH, but I'd hate to watch non-Zep fans screw them up... I do like the fact that I've discovered new music from GH, and also been reminded of golden stuff from my pre-teen and teen years too! No harm in it, unless you actually start thinking you really ARE Jimmy Page when you play...!

My responses to the Qs:

Do you enjoy playing either Rock Band or Guitar hero?

-Yes, Guitar Hero.

Which would you choose if you could only have one or the other?

-Full-blown Led Zeppelin reunion with a tour - OMG yes!!! But only if I got a ticket, as it would break my heart to have this happen and not be able to see them!

How old are you?

26-30

[Electrophile]

Feel free to give any reasoning as to why you voted the way you did.

In addition, I wanted to add more questions, but you can only do 2 polls per poll thread.

Comment on these if you want:

Do you enjoy playing either Rock Band or Guitar hero?

-Yes

-No--I've tried it and I don't like it.

-No--I haven't tried it but I don't like the concept.

Which would you choose if you could only have one or the other?

-Full-blown Led Zeppelin reunion with a tour

-Led Zeppelin's inclusion in Guitar Hero and Rock Band

How old are you?

15 and under

16-20

21-25

26-30

31-35

36-40

41-45

46-50

51-55

56-60

61-65

66+

My answers to the two poll questions were "either way is fine" and "no it's not for me". My answers to your questions here are:

1. I don't play video games of any kind.

2. We'd all like #1, but it ain't gonna happen.

3. 26-30

[Virginia]

My son got GH a couple of years ago; played it for about a month and it's been idle since. It didn't seem to help him get interested in classic rock.

I don't play video games, so it makes no difference to me if Zeppelin contributes songs to them or not.

[Jucrew1]

I'm 24, i love guitar hero and i hate the fact that Zeppelin won't allow it. i think it only hurts them in the long run, where they seem to think it waters down their music. i understand them not wanting to give up their masters, but all of their other excuses are bullshit IMO. Or maybe i'm just bitter cuz i wanna play their songs so bad. But of course i would MUCH rather the reunion than GH: Led Zeppelin.

[JiMiHeNdRiX1967]

NO I dont support it because all the kids are going to be saying their the biggest Led Zeppelin fans in the world since they beat Black Dog on easy mode, They should just go out and by the album

Or they could show all the kids their music by going on a tour

[Jimmy Page= King]

I don't think it should simply because if they want to listen to Led Zeppelin they can go and listen to them in their own time. I know people who like heavy metal songs because they're on games like rock band when they mainly listen to pop, rap and hip hop. Otherwise they would despise the songs.

People like that don't deserve to listen to led Zeppelin.

[BlackDog71]

To me, it doesn't matter either way. I love the band and a video game isn't going to change that one way or the other. With that being said, it would be interesing to see the song selection and how they make Zeppelin look in the game. I guess it would be a new outlet to get people listening to their wonderful music. Although listening to their albums or (at least) a greatest hits is the best way to go in my opinion.

And, like everyone else, I would much rather have the reunion tour than the game. That's an obvious choice.

[Steven King]

Okay, so I've read through the posts here. Most of which seem to be associated with getting kids introduced to Led Zeppelin. Also a lot of posts about how this will "help" Led Zeppelin's popularity. What I haven't seen (atleast in this post) is the Led Zeppelin fans that enjoy playing Rock Band with friends/family as an activity and not just a "game to beat". BTW, Guitar Hero would not do them justice, since playing all instruments/vocals would be a much better experience. Those of us who wish they could play guitar/drums/etc but aren't talented enough, get a lot of enjoyment in playing these games. Who doesn't love to sing along to their favorite songs, or tap out a beat on the steering wheel while your driving? Those who are asking for Zeppelin in RB are the ones who love both their music and playing the game. It's as simple as that. Being able to "play" your favorite songs from your favorite artists, because you're not talented enough to play the real thing. Gaining fans, whether young or old, is always a good thing anyway if you want your music to live forever. I've found some really good music while playing video games that I would have never been exposed to otherwise. All in all, I would love nothing better than to see Led Zeppelin in RB.

[Scott78]

I still find it hard to believe that kids who have played this game , that like Sabbath , Deep Purple , etc have never heard of LZ .

And wouldn't give them a listen on youtube etc . If they are that bad that they need a game to tell them who Zeppelin is they are not much of a rock fan .

[zepps_apprentice]

Do you enjoy playing either Rock Band or Guitar hero?

No, the concept is good but the whole thing is screwed up. It ruins the band in my opinion.

Which would you choose if you could only have one or the other?

-Full-blown Led Zeppelin reunion with a tour

How old are you?

I am 15

I rarely play video games. Only with friends do I ever. They're boring and repetitive.....now playing an instrument is completely different.

[Jahfin]

Do you enjoy playing either Rock Band or Guitar hero?

No, the concept is good but the whole thing is screwed up. It ruins the band in my opinion.

Not sure how a game can "ruin" a band when, if anything, it helps increases sales of their music. It's grown increasingly difficult for music (new and old) to reach an audience in recent years so artists have to reach out to their fans by any means necessary, even if that means licensing their music for use in Rock Band/Guitar Hero. If people using the game can't figure out the difference between playing the game and actually playing a guitar perhaps they shouldn't consider becoming a musician anyway.

[Little Robert Anthony II]

I definitely think LZ should do a Guitar Hero/Rock Band type game. It would be the best ever. I understand they're reluctant to do so. One of the stated reasons is allowing access to their master recordings. Perhaps a happy medium would be doing a game only consisting of live recordings. You could call it Led Zeppelin Live and it would be a way to play as Led Zeppelin without compromising the original album master recordings.

[Jahfin]

I definitely think LZ should do a Guitar Hero/Rock Band type game. It would be the best ever. I understand they're reluctant to do so. One of the stated reasons is allowing access to their master recordings. Perhaps a happy medium would be doing a game only consisting of live recordings. You could call it Led Zeppelin Live and it would be a way to play as Led Zeppelin without compromising the original album master recordings.

They would still be masters, it's just that they would be masters of their live recordings, not their studio ones.

[JLee93]

Led Zeppelin just seems too sacred to be put in a video game.