The Beatles Rockband

Being a die-hard Beatles fan (my wife and I even play in a Beatles-tribute band for that matter! Heheh....geeks!) I was left speechless when I first came across the news that Harmonix Music Systems in collaboration with Apple Corps Ltd, has decided to release "The Beatles Rockband" in the tradition of Harmonix's successful line of previous "Rockband" franchise.
Below are excerpts from http://www.thebeatlesrockband.com/, the official webpage for the upcoming game due to be released on 09.09.09......what a number (tho' I'm not sure of the significance of it):
The world’s leading music game meets the greatest band in history! The Beatles™: Rock Band™ gives fans what they’ve been waiting for: a chance to experience the Beatles’ legendary story from the inside. You won’t just watch and listen as the Beatles make rock history, create landmark records and conquer the world—for the first time, you’ll be part of the band.

Join John, Paul, George and Ringo onstage at legendary shows, behind closed doors in the recording studio, and in dreamscapes that bring their psychedelic imagery to life. The acclaimed Rock Band elements of interactive play and full-band capacity are here, but with brand-new additions. This will be the first music game to offer harmonies, challenging you to recreate The Beatles’ vocal blend. There are custom-built models of the instruments the band itself played; audio straight from the masters; and graphics that take you on a magical tour through the key moments in Beatle history.

Produced with the full cooperation of The Beatles and Apple Corps, the game is packed with fab extras. Master the songs to hear rare audio and view unseen photos from the archives!
A number of songs have been released as playable in the game, reported as being sourced directly from the Abbey Road master tapes. Among others:

I Saw Her Standing There
I Want to Hold Your Hand
I Feel Fine
Day Tripper
Taxman
I Am The Walrus
Back In The U.S.S.R.
Octopus’s Garden
Here Comes The Sun
Get Back

And many more…

In addition to that, we get to twiddle (yes, I'm using the word 'twiddle' here rather than 'playing' since all we ever do is just twiddle on the knobs and buttons as opposed to playing the 'instruments') on exclusive replicas of the instruments that The Beatles played, including:

John Lennon’s Rickenbacker 325 guitar
Sir Paul McCartney’s trademark Höfner bass
George Harrison’s Gretsch Duo Jet guitar
Ringo Starr’s drums with classic black oyster pearl finish and Ludwig-branded Beatles kick drum head




That's not all, to further whet fans' anticipations, we get to re-live The Beatles from their earliest Liverpool/Cavern/Hamburg days to their triumphant Ed Sullivan Show appearance and beyond. Judging from video previews, some of the performances were even simulated to make them look like The Beatles' lost music videos (MTV-styled!). The pinnacle of the venue change would definitely be joining the band in the studio at Abbey Road and experiencing dreamscapes that put you inside the psychedelic era. The confirmed venue, among others:

Cavern Club
The Ed Sullivan Theater
Shea Stadium
Budokan
Abbey Road
Rooftop


And many more…


As for me and my wife, the question of whether we're to-the-core Beatles' fans are beyond the shadow of doubt. The real dilemma here is that we'd be forced to buy either one of the game console (X-Box 360, PS3 or a Wii) to fulfill our upcoming geeky cravings. At this point, I can safely say that the 360 is way ahead in the 'game-console-to-get' wish list, although I anticipate that it may get swayed as the 09.09.09 mark gets nearer and nearer. All we know is that it'll be insane not to experience this game when it gets released in 3-months time! Till then, it's decision time! *sigh*.....

Comments

Shaun said…
ah good to learn that we have more than one thing in common bro. Big Fab Four fan myself. :)
The Rebel said…
Cool Shaun! Nice to know another Beatle-fan!

The Beatles redefined my whole perception towards music. Heck they're my main inpiration to pick up musical instruments! Heheh....
Shaun said…
Same here bro, but the furthest I got with a musical instrument was taking part in a local radio contest where our band got knocked out in the first round. Damn funny. Who's your fave Beatle Btw? Mine's John, though as I get older, the more I think he was quite mad.
The Rebel said…
You favour Lennon over Macca eh?

I used to think that Macca was better, both melodically and lyrically, but as I read more on them (endless/countless biographies), I think Lennon had his strength which Macca could never have. All those psychedelic sound were due to Lennon's wild imagination and vision IMHO.

Like John said..."Paul, with all his grandfather songs!"....hehe.....nuff said.....but to answer ur question....I can't decide, The Beatles were superior as a unit, so I'm gonna answer all of 'em! Heheh...