Insert Beatles Pun Here and Exclusivity

Rock Band/Harmonix now has exclusive rights to Beatles music. As to whether it will be an expansion like GH: Aerosmith or the AC/DC Track Pack is yet to be seen.

I find this interesting because audio director Eric Brosius said this in an interview:
“We prefer not to sign exclusive deals with artists because while it seems like the competitive ‘business’ thing to do, in the long run it’s really not good for anyone. We think we should be working to get more music out to more people,” he stated plainly.

The problem with exclusive bands is that it's no longer about what you want in a game (i.e. Difficulty/videogameyness from Guitar Hero, Musicianship from Harmonix), but which bands you want. Some people just want to be exposed to new stuff. And if we start to go by bands and record companies, then that screws us out of a ton of variety we'd be missing out on.

Granted from the artist's perspective, you'll probably make more from an exclusivity deal than you would the royalties from both games, but the number one reason the artists are throwing themselves at Activision and Harmonix is exposure. With the exclusivity, the artists are limited to the customers of one game. Now, some people own both games, but the children of "PARENTS WHO DON'T GET IT" and cheap bastards and more or less everyone outside the truly hardcore will choose one game and stick with it. They might switch alleigences depending on that years showing, but it's ostracizing half of your potential new market.

Now to lighten things up where the Guitar Hero: Decades soundtrack:
Alien Ant Farm - "Smooth Criminal"
The All-American Rejects - "Dirty Little Secret"
Blind Melon - "No Rain"
Blondie - "One Way Or Another"
Bon Jovi - "You Give Love A Bad Name"
Boston - "Rock and Roll Band"
The Darkness - "I Believe In A Thing Called Love"
Edgar Winter Group - "Free Ride"
Fall Out Boy - "The Take Over, The Breaks Over"
Foo Fighters - "The Pretender"
Free - "All Right Now"
Jimmy Eat World - "The Middle"
Joe Satriani - "Satch Boogie"
Journey - "Any Way You Want It"
Lenny Kravitz - "Are You Gonna Go My Way"
Linkin Park - "One Step Closer"
Los Lobos - "La Bamba"
Lynyrd Skynyrd - "Sweet Home Alabama (live)"
Paramore - "Crushcrushcrush"
Queen - "We Are The Champions"
R.E.M. - "The One I Love"
Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Can't Stop"
Sammy Hagar - "I Can't Drive 55"
Seether - "Remedy"
Smashing Pumpkins - "Tarantula"
Stone Temple Pilots - "Down"
Veruca Salt - "Volcano Girls"
Weezer - "Buddy Holly"

I might get this one... or just get the first one for cheap. I already have a few of these on Rock Band 2.

Can't Stand The Paranoia

As promised:

SABOTAGE
One of the few hip-hop songs that make sense in one of these games. Luckily it's one of the easier songs that Harmonix (gasp!) overcharted. Most of the difficulty comes from the bass. They included the record-scratching parts, which can be accomplished my scratching the pick across the top two strings. More specifics as they develop.
It's incredibly simple: G# power chord (466---), mixed with a harmonic on the A string of the 5th fret.

To make a harmonic, light press your finger above the nut on the fifth fret.
As for the solo, these two positions:
E----10^----12^-----
B----13^----15^-----

I THINK I'M PARANOID
Arpeggio: Holding a position on the guitar (chord) and plucking strings in a certain order. Best results for this one: bar the index finger over the B, G, D strings on the 10th fret. bar the ring finger over the 12th fret. Pick as such:
E----------------------------------------------------
B---------12---10-----------------------------10----
G--12-------12-------10---------12-------10------
D------------------------10-h12--------12-----------

That's the main riff, the rest is simple enough.
Except for the Outro:
e|-----------|---------------|----------3-------------------------|
B|-----------|---------------|--------------------------3^3-3-2--|
G|--x---x-x-|-x-------------|-0-3-0-5^-----0-3-0--------------|
D|--5---5-3-|-3-8-----------|------------------------------------|
A|--5---5-3-|-3-8-x8-------|------------------------------------|
E|--3---3-1---1-6-----------|------------------------------------|

Working on the harder songs next, but tomorrow's update = :awesome!

SETLIST UPDATED

Fake Plastic Rock

Fake Plastic Rock is a blog, like 1fort, I hope this to be: insightful ramblings based on one of my favorite games.

Some interesting posts I'd like to highlight:
Fake Guitars vs. Their Real World Equivalents- Noted, because I wonder why these guitars were chosen. The Gibson SG was used for the first two GHs, but every site I checked lists the Les Paul and Fenders as the most popular. Wouldn't one of those have sufficed? With the quintessential nature of the songlist, I wonder why they didn't go with the quintessential guitar? My guess is that the concept was still too fresh for Gibson to take a huge risk licensing the most popular, so the chose the second-tier Gibson.

Kevin Perireria vs. Coheed and Cambria- Seen it a million times, but figured it's worth a repost.

Air Guitar Championships- It's stuff like this that makes it a step above a newsreel. How does he find this crap? He actually went to the crap! He even gives some rules and tips. I'd love to see a sort of Gonzo Journalistic take on such an event, but that's another story for another blog for another day.

Doesn't update very often (once a week maybe), but is chock full of good stuff.

OH HAY GUYZ- Sabotage and I Think I'm Paranoid updates tomorrow.

it's over!

Not ALL over, but Tier 1 is done with (the "new" Tier 1)!

Tip time!

BLITZKREIG BOP
Three chords. Three POWER chords. That's it. Hopefully you all can get that. One of the easiest songs in the world, but also the most fun to play.
A5 (577---)
D5 (-577---)
E5 (-799--)

IN BLOOM
Another Power chord driven song, but it's not that easy. Not that hard, but the only part that gave me trouble was this riff after the verse:
--1---1-1--x-0-2---2-2--x-x-----------x--------2----------0---
--3--3-3--x-0-2---2-2--x-x---8----8--x-------4-4------2-2-
--3--3-3--x-0-3---3-3--x-x---8----8--x-8--4--4-4--2---2-2-
--3--3-3--x-0-4---4-4--x-x---8----8--x-8--4----3--2-----2-
--1---1-1-------4---4-4--------6----6------6--2-------0------
-----------------2---2-2----------------------------------

This requires a bit of barre chordage. First, bridge your index finger on the bottom 5 strings of the first fret, then put your middle, ring and pinky fingers on the D,G, and B sstring respectively. Then you can either use a major barre chord shape (index bridges second fret, ring +pinky on D and G of 4th, middle on third of B) or power chord the next one.
Repeat the first shape on the third chord, only with the 6th and 8th frets, then slide it down to the fourth and second. For some reason, my fingers find themselves in the perfect postion for this: Pluck the A, D. and G strings (keeping the same shape), then the bottom three, then the D, G and B strings. Switch to an A chord and repeat the process.

ON TO TIER 2!

SETLIST UPDATED

Now, for my opinions on my DLC choices:
"Dirty Little Secret"- This is one of those songs I picked because I hear it on the radio all the time, and it's a lot faster paced than the other DLC choice for this band, "Move Along"

"Troublemaker"- That is one catchy hook, I tell you what. It's been stuck in my head all day, and sounds not that hard.I might not use this and "Buddy Holly", because under the new arrangement, Weezer is now in Tier 2.

"Buddy Holly"- Why? Blue album Weezer. I'm not one of those people to get into "OH THEY WERE BETTER WAY BACK WHEN" (apparently Blue Album and Pinkerton are the only albums Goons are allowed to like), but it's interesting to hear the difference between two eras, like Johnson and Scott era AC/DC (which was Garbage Day'd on Something Awful. Yes, the Walmart hurts me too). Plus, it's in this awesome game.

"All The Small Things"- Yeah, I like Blink 182. "The Rock Show" was among the first songs I learned.

"Cheeseburger in Paradise"- My brother downloaded this, "Crushcrushcrush" and "More Than A Feeling" for DLC. On top of that, I wanted something REALLY out there as an option.

"I Fought The Law"- Ah, The Clash. Expect a Clash related thing soon.

"Under The Bridge"- Smooth as peanut butter with a lot of soul.

TL;DR: Tier 2 y'all

Ch-ch-changes

So anyways, I found this little site right here, and it gives all the difficulties for the new Rock Band Songs, as well as the updated tiers from RB for all the songs you can import. I guess they figured 9 was a little excessive, but anyways I'm going to change up the setlist to accommodate the new 7 tier system. Tiers will be longer, but I get to try out more songs. The DLC choices (I don't know, I have to double check) will still be the same.

Tomorrow is another double song update.

SETLIST UPDATED

New Hotnesses

Me and my brother got Rock Band 2 Sunday!

Sadly, I spent all day working on a lab report, but from what I played it's still the same. The only problem is that it suffers from the same fate as Guitar Hero: 1st edition, great, filled with popular songs you heard on the radio yesterday, as well as quintessential songs everyone learns why they start (to play guitar/form a band). 2nd edition goes a bit... "indie". Less popular acts, and more obscure songs by popular artists. Plus, RB2's songlist a bit more poppy and more metal than it's previus incarnations. Granted AC/DC's on it, and I got it on a system where I can make a Virtual Bastard, and play online, and download DLC, and should proabbly stop bitching. '

Anyway, on to the songs!

GIRL U WANT
There are quite a few bits that are left out of these things it seems. Still a blast to play.

For example, after the hook "Just a girl/ just a girl/ The girl u want!" there's an awesome little lick that goes like this:

E)-----------------------------------
B)-----------3--------3--5-----------
G)--4--2--3-----2--3-----------------
D)--------------------------2--------
A)-----------------------------------
E)-----------------------------------

Solo's a bitch, with it's bends and upside down power chords:

E----------------------------------------------------------------------------
B-----------6^--6^---------------8^---8^------------------8^--6^--------
G-----------8^--8^--------------10^--10^-----------------8^--8^--------
D--10^---7--------------12^---9 ---------------10^---7-------------------

E---------------8^---8^----------------------------------------------------
B---------------10^--10^-------------8^---8^-----------------6^--6^----
G----12^---9-------------------------10^--10^----------------8^--8^----
D---------------------------12^----9 ----------------10^---7--------------

E--------------------------
B-----5^-5-5-5^-5-5-5^---
G-----7^-7-7-7^-7-7-7^----
D-----------------------------

It's fun, but hard to keep track of fast. It helps to look at the fret you're going to bend next.

MISSISSIPPI QUEEN
Good southern rock song, especially to work on pentonic scales. Only caveat is that you need rhythm guitar to play properly in a real band. According to a source I didn't TOTALLY rip off, both versions try to cram in rhythm as well, Rock Band less so. The hard part is memorizing all the different licks. Another song that should have been much harder.

Pentonic scales are good because unlike GH and RB where you have to move your hands up and down the neck, you move your finger up and down the strings for a fine solo. It's mostly used for improvisation in more traditional blues. Here's the first pentonic scale I learned:

E-------5---8-----------------------------------------------------------
B----------------5-----8---------------------------------------------
G---------------------------5----7-------------------------------------
D-------------------------------------5----7-----------------------------
A-----------------------------------------------5---6---7--------------
E-------------------------------------------------------------5-----8--

SETLIST UPDATED

Just Stupid

Working on Girl U Want. I'll save all the info for when I finish it, but the solo is killing me.

Anyway, I don't want to leave anyone high and dry, so I'll post a few stories I found on Destructoid:

Rock Band 2 Reality Show
Really? REALLY? Does planet Earth need ANOTHER reality show? I guess I can't say too much without being hypocritical though, since I actually auditioned for the mockuentary VH1 did last year for RB1 for the role of the guitarist. Whether or not I dodged a bullet, I don't know.

The actual text:
"On October 15, VH1 Classic will premiere a new reality show called Rock Band 2: The Stars. It will feature Alice Cooper and Sebastian Bach as they play hosts to 12 wannabe rockers as they live in a mansion and compete in different Rock Band 2 competitions.

Every week the contestant with the worst performance will be eliminated. Once there are three players left -- one on drums, one on guitar, and one on bass -- the final group will perform until one is crowned the ultimate Rock Band 2 player! I also think the winner gets to perform with the traveling Rock Band Live tour, but who cares when you will be known as THE ULTIMATE ROCK BAND 2 PLAYER!"

RB2: The Stars seems like a really dumb idea. I guess it's cool that they get to go on tour with the Plain White T's (FUCK THOSE GUYS AND HEY THERE DELILAH!!!) and Panic At The Disco!, but still, I'd rather see the Mythbusters compete against a real band after intensive GH/RB training to see if they can match up, or some pro-GH/RB players try the real thing.

Rock Band Stage Kit
$100 for a strobe light and a fog machine only available on the 360. It looks awesome on paper, but in practice, it sucks. While it's awesome that it syncs up with the music, it's excessive and impractical. If you're THAT into the game that you need one of these things, just get a cheap-o guitar/drum set on e-bay.

It seems more like a thing for people who host HUGE Rock Band parties. And on that note, I want to get invited to one of those parties. I'm a blogger now! Someone voted on my poll! I'm like a celebrity in that I have problems. Like seriously, I have a Materials Science Midterm.

From Destructoid:
"Remember the Rock Band stage kit which was first revealed back in January? Well, it looks like it's finally going to start showing up in people's homes. The kit produced by Performance Design Products, consisting of a fog machine and multi-color strobe light (which flashes to the music), will retail for $99. The accessory is only available for the 360 but will be compatible with both versions of Rock Band."

HOW I MINE FOR PHISH?

Ha ha! Musical puns. No this has nothing to do with Phish, unless if by Phish you mean UPDATES!

1. Turns out, people have been having problems with the sound file. I'll use a different file host. It should be all better by tomorrow. NO LONGER RELEVANT

2. 6 days until Black Ice.

3. RB2 for the PS3 comes out this Sunday. Gon' get it. If anyone has the original for the PS3, can you hook a honky up?

4. Hey, it works now!

That Bitch Roxanne Is Back

"Roxanne" by The Police


Here it is, at long last, my first recording! I was going to add vocals, but that would have butchered it more.
Here's why the quality sucks (a.k.a. My Equipment)
1. Washburn Lyon Guitar
2. Lightsnake USB Recording Device
3. Audacity
If for some reason you can't hear it, or don't have the plug-in, it's over here.

These aren't meant to be professional grade or anything, just a tangible measure of my progress. I'll try out different recording styles as time goes on, but right now, this will do.

Hopefully I can finish out Tier 1 by the end of the week. Girl U Want is the song whose ASS I'M GOING TO KICK!!!

Roxanne's Got The Maps

If I managed to beat "Girl U Want", then the title of the post would be "Roxanne's The Girl U Want"

These are going to be the first songs I record.

OK, let's break it down for y'all:
MAPS
This is quite a bit harder than the charts. If it were realistic, it'd be another tier up.

It starts out with a bit of tremolo picking on the 10th fret of the high E-string. This is NOT in the Rock Band note chart. I found the best way to do this is (other than practice, dummy) is rest the bottom of your hand on the bridge and try to rock your hand back and forth as you strum. I'm probably doing it wrong, but if anyone out there reading this knows better, then feel free. It accomplished the same effect, but I might pick up some bad habits (I think you're supposed to anchor your forearm on the back of the guitar). Either way, it's important to have an anchor.

Another way in which Rock Band got it wrong (or changed it for the sake of fun/challenge) is that the notes that kick in when the singer starts up are only strummed ONCE (Four times). It RB it's a quick double strum. This isn't too hard.

The first part where I had trouble going of the tabs is the chorus. The best one on Ultimate Guitar had power chords over the solo, but this little riff seemed more prominent:

E-19-19-19-19-19-19-17-17-15-15-15-15-15-15-15-15--------15--
B------------------------------------------------------------15-17------

Like "Here It Goes Again", the solo is also under dispute. The tab I showed had single notes, which sounded fine, but it didn't sound as full as the original. One version I saw had power chords, but it falls apart after the first bit.

It did have the breakdown afterwards correct. One guitar plays those two notes back and forth, the other hits those notes.

It ends with the picking.

ROXANNE
This song is created for practicing the different types of chords and switching between them. You've got bar chords and open chords in the intro, power chords for the chorus, it's perfect for practice. Again, this is a song that is on a higher tier than it should be IF were talking about playing the real guitar.

Nothing I can really tab out or explain to you here, just a good song to work on chords, and it's fun to play. Ever since I started this experiment and learned more about open chords (see this post), part of me enjoys the sound of them more (Before this, I mostly tried to learn punk and a few other songs that mostly used power chords)

Here's the tab I used.

SETLIST UPDATED

Getting High Off High Voltage

Found this video by the same guy who does the Angry Video Game Nerd. Appropriate given today's earlier post.

Plug Me In!

I am working on the Tier 1 DLC songs right now (Roxanne=done), but I want to make sure I have Girl U Want down before I cock my eyepatched head back and laugh.

But right now, I want to talk about the new AC/DC Song Pack coming out in November.

THE GOOD:
I'm a HUGE fan of AC/DC. I got the entire tab book, the Live At Donnington DVD, and plan on picking up Black Ice when it comes out in two weeks. Concert tickets ($130!) a bit much for my blood, but hey, what can you do? Ever since "Let There Be Rock" (a song I hadn't heard from them) was announced to be in Rock Band 2, I knew me and my brother would have to get that (...for the PS2. Now we got the PS3. It's one louder better).
On top of devising a scheme HONESTLY AND LEGITIMATELY OBTAINING Rock Band 1 for the PS3 to import the songs, you can import the AC/DC tracks as well.
Also, achievements, so I can show other people how good I am at pretending to be AC/DC

THE BAD:
You can only import once. This is obviously an anti-piracy method, but hey, Rock Band 1 doesn't, right? While it's not AS BAD as Spore's situation (I uninstall and reinstall games all the time, and Spore allows 3 installs), and I don't plan on getting a PS3 myself, it's still an inconvienience.

THE UGLY:
18 songs... for $40. DLC is usually $2/song. I'm assuming the extra money is for packaging, but the 1st Rock Band Track Pack was $30 for 20 songs.
AND it's not like Guitar Hero: Aerosmith where you can play as the band itself, it's just cover bands, and I don't think there are any exclusive venues. So essentially $40 for a bare bones package. I can ALMOST see why you can't play as AC/DC themselves: Malcolm Young (the rhythm guitarist and brother of lead guitarist Angus Young) gets left out. Going back to GH:A, while it did only focus on Joe Perry (not counting co-op play), that was kind of the whole point. Nobody was expecting the singing and the drumming.
Finally, it won't be DLC for at least a long time from now. Granted it's about the "album experinece", but it would be cheaper on DLC, as seen from Red Hot Chili Pepper's Blood Sugar Sex Magik

AM I GETTING IT?:
MMMmmm... Still up in the air for this one. I'll wait until closer to the release date to make a decision, but so far it looks like I'm gonna be putting that burden on other people (i.e. Christmas).

Explaining My DLC Selections- Tiers 1 and 2

I have to amend my initial post (which wasn't really the inital post at all! HA HA!) after this, but after traveling and working for school projects, and friends this weekend, I don't have anything HUGE for you. (All three of you).

For all tiers I go by this old edition of the DLC Wikipedia page
I don't know what I'll do when everything is converted to the 7-tier system that Rock Band 2 uses, but I'll cross that bridge when we get there. I'm the Rhythm Bastard; I cross bridges so you don't have to.

Where was I? Oh yeah.

TIER 1
ROXANNE- The Police
It seemed like a good song to practice switching chord shapes with, looking at the tab. I switch around which song I'm working on a lot, but this one is the current one right now as of this moment yes. THIS ONE. I WILL DEFEAT YOU ANDY SUMMERS!!!

I think it's about a hooker that Sting doesn't want to be a hooker anymore. He wants his lovin for free.

GIRL U WANT- Devo
Hey, Devo! There's a band you haven't heard in a while! Thank God the 80's are coming back! And by Thank, I mean Fuck You, and by God I mean Seth MacFarlane Now That, and by ! I mean And Therefore Ruining Family Guy.
This song has been used in recent promos for The Sarah Silverman Program, and is kinda catchy.

I've sen every episode of it, and I'm still not sure whether or not I like The Sarah Silverman Program

TIER 2
SHE SELLS SANCTUARY- The Cult
A nice, sort of airy tune in contrast to all the harder rock in the main tier. Also, a rule of thumb I TRY to go by will be to pick a song that have the same Guitar and Band difficulties. For the Reader's Choice (impressions in a later post) I just pick songs that sound cool that aren't by a band in the main tier.

Plus the lead singer in this video looks like a pirate.

Where I Am So Far

Yeah, I started this project a few days before the blog.

Anyways, right now I have "Here It Goes Again" and "Should I Stay Or Should I Go" down pat. Here are my impressions:

HERE IT GOES AGAIN
Easy, power chord driven song. It's really fun to play, but the only part that really gave me trouble was the solo. Not because it was hard, but NOBODY has a clear idea on how to play it. It starts with D# power chord, but then I couldn't really figure out what to do next. This seems to be the best idea, combined with a tab I found and looking at the video from Rock Band:

E--------------------------------------------
B--8---8-x11---8x6-7x4----------8--8x8---6x4-
G--8---8-------7----6--------------8--8-------7----

E-----------------------------------------------
B--8--8x10---8x6-6x4--8-8x4---6666------
G--8--8-------7----7------8-8------7777------

E-----------
B--8888----
G--8888----

If anyone knows a simpler way, let me know.

SHOULD I STAY OR SHOULD I GO
If, like me, you've been used to doing Power Chords, this one is a real wake-up call. The entire song is open chords.

The progression is
D G(with four fingers) D
D G D
G5 F5 G5 <----Some tabs showed open chord, but this is the easiest, and sounds most like the original song
D G D
A
D G D

The chorus is just that, only FASTER. After the A chord strumming, it resumes to normal speed.

Also, the four fingered G chord feels much more natural when switching between it and the D because you can keep ring finger on the third fret of the B string.

That's it for now, Maps I have, a bit, right now going over Mississippi Queen.

SETLIST UPDATED

WELCOME!

Hello all, and welcome to the Rhythm Bastard Experiment!

Why did I start this site?
Ever since I first tried it at the DigitalLife Expo in 2005, I've loved the Guitar Hero (and Harmonix in general) games. It has encouraged me to take up the actual guitar, not only so I can play my favorite hits, but because I enjoy writing my own songs as well. Eventually Rock Band came out, and expanded on everything. I'm not as gung-ho about it as I used to be since taking up the real thing, but it's always a hit when friends come over.

I started this site to chronicle my experience learning the songs from the Rock Band game in order learn new songs, and improve my overall playing/writing skills.

Why Rock Band? Why not Guitar Hero?
Yeah, I'd like to go the GH route too, which is why for the first 18 hours this blog was operational, it was called the "Rock Band Experiment". Rhythm Bastard has the RB initals, so I wouldn't have to change the address.

As per why Rock Band, there were three infulencing factors:
1. Rock Band 2 is coming out, and I'd like to give Rock Band 1 a proper send off. (Finally got a PS3 (or rather, mooching off my little brothers))
2. Even though I've only been playing for a year and a half, I at least know enough that some of GHIII's note charts are off.
3. The idea behind GHI's setlist was "OK, a couple newer songs (Stellar, Fat Lip), a couple older songs (Texas Flood, Godzilla), and the rest songs EVERYBODY tries to play on guitar when they first start out". GHII chose more obscure songs by popular bands, and the less said about GH80's the better. With Rock Band, these are songs everybody knows, by bands most people are familiar with.
4. Rock Band dialed in the difficulty curve better than Harmonix's previous games. So songs like "Blitzkreig Bop" are on a lower tier than "Say It Ain't So", because less skill and dexerity are required.

Ironic: I own stock in Activision.

Are there any rules?
Yes, all good experiments have boundaries. The parameters are:
1. I must play all the songs on the current tier before moving onto the next one. The tiers are defined by this site.
2. In order to declare a song "beat", I have to be able to play along with it to the recorded version in its entirety.
3. I can use any method to determine notes (i.e. Tabs, chords, PowerTab, etc.)
4. In addition to the five songs per tier (the main 45), I add one DLC chosen by me, and I add one DLC song chosen by the readers. The list is here. The only exception is Tier 1.
5. .mp3s of (just) me playing the song (and butchering the vocals) will be provided.
6. But most importantly, I WELCOME ALL OUTSIDE HELP. You know something I don't? Share it. This blog is an entirely personal thing, to chart progress and express frustrations and triumphs, but also to help out future Bastards who undertake this task.

Enjoy the site!

THE SETLIST

Note: Some song tabs require Power Tab software
Numbers in Parenthesis represent difficulty transcribed to RB store.
+V means the backing tracks have vocal sections.

GUITAR HERO 1 SETLIST
1. Opening Licks
"I Love Rock N' Roll" by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
"I Wanna Be Sedated" by The Ramones
"Thunder Kiss '65" by White Zombie
"Smoke On The Water" by Deep Purple
"Infected" by Bad Religion
2. Axe Grinders
"Iron Man" by Black Sabbath
"More Than A Feeling" by Boston
"You've Got Another Thing Comin'" by Judas Preist

3. Thrash and Burn
4. Return Of The Shred
5. Fret Burners
6. Face Melters

ROCK BAND
Tier 1 (0)
"Blitzkreig Bop" by The Ramones
(full tab) (backing track +V)
"Here It Goes Again" by OK GO
(full tab) (backing tracks +V)
"In Bloom" by Nirvana
(full tab) (backing track)
"Maps" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs
(full tab)
"Mississippi Queen" by Mountain
(full tab) (backing track +V)
"Should I Stay Or Should I Go?" by The Clash
(full tab)
DLC- "Girl U Want" by Devo (full tab)
DLC- "Roxanne" by The Police (full tab)
BONUS DLC- "21 Guns" by Green Day

Tier 2 (1)
"I Think I'm Paranoid" by Garbage
(full tab)
"Orange Crush" by R.E.M.
(full tab)
"Say It Ain't So" by Weezer
(full tab) (backing track)
"The Hand That Feeds" by Nine Inch Nails
(full tab) (backing track +V)
"Wave Of Mulitilation" by The Pixies
(full tab)
"Sabotage" by The Beastie Boys (full tab)
DLC- "She Sells Sanctuary" by The Cult (full tab)
DLC- "I Fought The Law" by The Clash (full tab)
BONUS DLC- "Know Your Enemy" by Green Day

Tier 3 (2)
"When You Were Young" by The Killers
(full tab) (backing track +V)
"Celebrity Skin" by Hole
(full tab) (backing track +v)
"Creep" by Radiohead
"Detroit Rock City" by KISS
(full tab) (backing track)
"Electric Version" by The New Pornographers
(full tab)
"Go With The Flow" by Queens Of The Stone Age
(full tab) (backing track)
"Learn To Fly" by Foo Fighters
(full tab) (backing track)
DLC- "Limelight" by Rush
DLC- "Crushcrushcrush" by Paramore
BONUS DLC- "California Uber Alles" by The Dead Kennedys

Tier 4 (3)
"Are You Gonna Be My Girl?" by Jet
(full tab) (backing track)
"Black Hole Sun" by Soundgarden
(full tab)
"Dani California" by Red Hot Chili Peppers
(full tab)
"Don't Fear The Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult
(full tab)
"Main Offender" by The Hives
(full tab)
"Reptilia" by The Strokes
(full tab)
"Suffragette City" by David Bowie
"Gimme Shelter" by The Rolling Stones
(full tab) (backing track)
DLC- "Ten Speed (God's Blood and Burial)" by Coheed and Cambria
DLC- "Toxicity" by System Of A Down
BONUS DLC- "East Jesus Nowhere" by Green Day

Tier 5 (4)
"Ballroom Blitz" by Sweet
(full tab)
"Dead On Arrival" by Fall Out Boy
(full tab)
"Epic" by Faith No More
"Next To You" by The Police
"Vasoline" by The Stone Temple Pilots
(full tab)
"Won't Get Fooled Again" by The Who
(full tab) (backing track)
"Paranoid" by Black Sabbath
"Wanted Dead Or Alive" by Bon Jovi
DLC- "Breed" by Nirvana
DLC- "Thunderstruck" by AC/DC

Tier 6 (5)
"Cherub Rock" by Smashing Pumpkins
"Enter Sandman" by Metallica
"Flirtin' With Disaster" by Molly Hatchet
"Foreplay/Long Time" by Boston
"Highway Star" by Deep Purple
"Tom Sawyer" by Rush
"Train Kept A Rollin'" by Aerosmith
"Welcome Home" by Coheed and Cambria
"Joker and the Thief" by Wolfmother

Tier 7 (RED)
"Run To The Hills" by Iron Maiden
"Green Grass and High Tides" by The Outlaws

Bonus
"Clash City Rockers" by The Clash
"Desolation Row" by My Chemical Romance
"I'm Shipping Up To Boston" by Dropkick Murphys
"Jogging Theme" from Mike Tyson's Punch Out!
"Holiday" by Green Day
"A -Punk" by Vampire Weekend
"Knowledge" by Operation Ivy
"Time Warp" by The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Original Music
"Force Of Nature"
"Radio Days, Pt. 1"