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Led Zeppelin and video games


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Today it was announced that Rock Band 2 will be hitting the Xbox 360 this September and will feature "very high caliber bands." The developers said in an interview a few months ago that they have been talking to Led Zeppelin for over a year and having their music in the game is a possibility. They are also THE most requested band for the game.

I'd just like to know how you guys feel about this. Personally, I'm not sure. Rock Band is my favorite game, yet, knowing Led Zeppelin they would probably only license one song, creating the phenomenon of one-song fans. Those people that say they are fans of Led Zeppelin because they like Stairway, then you ask what other songs they know, and don't know any. Those folk annoy the shit out of me.

I would opt for what The Who, Grateful Dead and Boston did with RB and release several hit songs. If HMX just gives them a taste of the discography perhaps some young people who only listen to radio pop will buy a CD or two.

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hmm... i don't think i'd want a Led Zeppelin song in one of those games either... they probably use Stairway to Heaven, an unlockable bonus or something.

Lawl. They leave the unlockable songs for the crappy in-house bands. :P

No thanks, i dont want Led Zeppelin to end up like Deep Purple (Everyone knows the name of the ONLY song that they have on Guitar hero or Rock Band but they dont know who the song is by, EX:smoke on the water)

Indeed, that's why I'm on the fence. But there's always ignorance in the music world regardless of licensing. I was listening to the sax solo in Floyd's "Us and Them." My sis walked in and asked why I was listening to Kenny G. :/

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I and friends my age are already Zeppelin fans and having a few songs to jam to on Rock Band would be great. I also have a lot of younger friends and family who play the game. They really like playing a lot of the "old" songs and have downloaded different songs on MP3 by bands like The Who, Rolling Stones, and Black Sabbath after playing the songs included in the game. If it introduces another generation to Zeppelin's music, it seems like a good idea to me.

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As 43 yr old Zep fan I have 2 sons who were pretty interested in music I like, specifically Led Zeppelin. They have Rock Band and now driving in the car, they are able to identify songs on the radio. They genuinely like the music. Zeppelin needs to be on RB to introduce younger fans to their music and maybe even inspire some of these kids to take up guitar, drums, or sing. It would also be cool to "play" these tunes with the kids. I do play drums and it will be frustating to not effectively play a song a RB that I can play for real!

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I dont really play video games, but if they were to make a guitar hero/ rock band with zep in it the only way i think it could do them justice is to make it like the aerosmith guitar hero and make it with just their songs and have the band animated.

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If Kids actually went outside to play once in a while instead of spending all of their time playing video games maybe the average thirteen year old wouldn't be obese with asthma problems.

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If Kids actually went outside to play once in a while instead of spending all of their time playing video games maybe the average thirteen year old wouldn't be obese with asthma problems.

The drums in Rock Band are a bit of a work out, actually. :P

Oh, and good news for the pessimists, Led Zeppelin will never be in Rock Band and Guitar Hero!

But some bands have resisted the call of the new medium. Led Zeppelin's thundering riffs are among the most sought after by music game makers, but the group's guitarist, Jimmy Page, and his bandmates have repeatedly turned down offers from both Activision and MTV, says Peter Mensch, a partner at Q Prime Management, which manages Mr. Page, along with Metallica and other acts.

The sticking point: The band isn't comfortable with the prospect of granting outsiders access to its master tapes, a necessary step in creating the games. "It ain't about the money," Mr. Mensch says.

Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1214874742...=googlenews_wsj

And for the longest time I thought they were just full of themselves. :mellow:

I can understand their worry, those tapes are absolutely priceless. But it's not like Harmonix will sell them on eBay, they've handled master tapes from The Who, Deep Purple, Rush, and several others with great care and nothing happened. They'll warm up to it, I bet if I went back in time 15 years and asked Page about downloading their music from a computer service he'd tell me to fuck right off.

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Personally i think Led Zeppelin can survive without GuitarHero/Rockband . It would probably be fun for fans who love the band . But as far as getting new kids into Zeppelin ! If a 15 year old rock fan doesnt know a Zeppelin song thats pretty shallow . And they arent a real fan of rock anyway

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The band have been approached about this a few times over the past couple years and have always declined as they are extremely reluctant to allow outsiders the necessary access to their mastertapes. If their position doesn't change they have three options,

bring in a trusted engineer to work with the mastertapes and serve as an intermediary

with game developers, re-record certain tracks for the specific purpose of inclusion in a game, or don't do it at all.

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The band have been approached about this a few times over the past couple years and have always declined as they are extremely reluctant to allow outsiders the necessary access to their mastertapes. If their position doesn't change they have three options,

bring in a trusted engineer to work with the mastertapes and serve as an intermediary

with game developers, re-record certain tracks for the specific purpose of inclusion in a game, or don't do it at all.

Well, the first option is done with all master tapes. The audio team at Harmonix are professionals with the handling of those tapes.

Or they could license live recordings. A few songs from Live at Leeds will be released for Rock Band in July. Sure as hell beats a cover.

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If Kids actually went outside to play once in a while instead of spending all of their time playing video games maybe the average thirteen year old wouldn't be obese with asthma problems.

AMEN! You're so on point here Zooma! Does anybody remember - Fresh Air!!

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The band have been approached about this a few times over the past couple years and have always declined as they are extremely reluctant to allow outsiders the necessary access to their mastertapes. If their position doesn't change they have three options,

bring in a trusted engineer to work with the mastertapes and serve as an intermediary

with game developers, re-record certain tracks for the specific purpose of inclusion in a game, or don't do it at all.

I don't like the idea of "Led Zeppelin" re-recording their songs for a "Video Game".....

Can the Master Tapes be transferrred or copied for Rock Band or Guitar Hero to "use" ? ?

I get a little sick when I think of the Zeppelin songs that will be glorified in a corporate video game setting..... Like the Mothership.... and all the super songs that were left off of that.....

Do we really need to glorify "Immigrant Song" more...... You know that would be one the the execs would be clammoring for..... Just becuase of the School of Rock connection...... Big Deal...

Misty Mountain Hop, Four Sticks, and We're Gonna Groove would be cool....

Do they have a Theramin for Rock Band yet ??

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I don't like the idea of "Led Zeppelin" re-recording their songs for a "Video Game".....

Can the Master Tapes be transferrred or copied for Rock Band or Guitar Hero to "use" ? ?

I get a little sick when I think of the Zeppelin songs that will be glorified in a corporate video game setting..... Like the Mothership.... and all the super songs that were left off of that.....

Well to be fair Rock Band tends to release both the well-known and deep cut tracks for bands. Like Blondie, they had "Call Me" up first, but a few weeks later they had "Hanging on the Telephone."

And another example, The Who 12-pack with songs specifically picked out by Daltrey and Townshend for the game.

“Amazing Journey”

“Baba O'Riley”

“Behind Blue Eyes”

“Eminence Front”

“Going Mobile”

“Leaving Here”

“My Generation” (Live at Leeds)

“Real Good Looking Boy”

“Sea & Sand”

“Summertime Blues” (Live at Leeds)

“Who Are You”

“Young Man Blues” (Live at Leeds)

They left out some more popular songs for the deep cuts that truly rock.

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No thanks, i dont want Led Zeppelin to end up like Deep Purple (Everyone knows the name of the ONLY song that they have on Guitar hero or Rock Band but they dont know who the song is by, EX:smoke on the water)

That's also because most people my age (I'm 13) who play guitar always get taught that song first in lessons.

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