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back to article Beatles to bless Rock Band

Apple Corps, the Beatles' licensing company, is expected to announce a deal that brings the catalogue to the popular play-along game Rock Band today. Press received notification of a new "Global Music Project" partnership with Apple Corps from MTV yesterday. Viacom subsidiary MTV in turn owns the developer of Rock Band, Harmonix …

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  1. Paul McCourt
    Coat

    Not as popular they should be

    I was listening to 'Iam the Walrus' (Beatles version) at work many moons ago and a colleague (at the time) only 5 years my junior (I'm 30) asked if I was an Oasis fan seeing as I was listening to them. I told him that it wasn't an original Oasis track. He mouched through his bag and pulled out a Oasis CD single and on the B side was 'Im the Walrus'.

    "See," he said. "It is by Oasis ya tool!!" I told him to look at the author and sure enough it was Lennon/McCarthy.

    "Ohh," he goes, "I see." I muttered that Oasis we a little to Beatle like and God bless him he replied with "Beatles, who are they?"

    He never heard of them, or Lennon or McCarthy and this chap actually played guitar!!!

    He should have got his coat!

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  2. Anonymous Coward
    Paris Hilton

    Take this, brother, may it serve you well

    I for one would love to see them port Revolution #9 to one of these machines. But on a more serious note - the watusi - so many of the Beatles' songs, particularly in the later years, were keyboard-led, or written for Instruments Other Than The Guitar(tm). Flying in particular was a Mellotron instrumental with Ringo's drum interventions. How will the arcade machine cope with that?

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  3. Andy Miller

    How popular?

    "how appealing will the Beatles catalogue be"?

    We've played a variety of music to our kids, and I have tried to avoid colouring their judgement. Our 6-year old Son has decided that The Beatles are his favourite band, and always goes for them when asked to choose some music. (Our 3-year old Daughter seems to prefer Tangerine Dream for some reason). The Beatles will stand on their own merit I think.

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  4. William Towle
    Coat

    Re: Not as popular they should be

    <quote>"See," he said. "It is by Oasis ya tool!!" I told him to look at the author and sure enough it was Lennon/McCarthy.</quote>

    /me laughs uncontrollably, vomits into sock

    // ...therefore mine is the anorak

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  5. Anonymous Coward
    Happy

    @paul...

    I've never heard of Lennon or McCarthy either

    I've heard of Lennon and McCartney though, ro do you mean Lenin & McCarthy that other great double act.

    The beatles wrote some great songs.... and a whole lot of shite as well.....

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  6. TeeCee Gold badge
    Go

    Re: Take this.....

    Presumably, since the "guitar" bit of the package doesn't make any noise and merely sends a signal to the console, it can end up sounding like whatever the heck you want it to. Mellotron is not beyond the realms of possibility.

    Guitar synths have been around for a goodly time now, enabling axe men to cover on keyboards, bass, percussion, strings, whatever, in addition to their better-known function of being able to go from "Stratocaster, rear humbucker only" via "12 string acoustic" to "second-hand Les Paul with dodgy strings and loose fretwork" at the touch of a pre-programmed button. The principle's the same.

    I believe they were originally invented to save Alex Lifeson's neck from the strain of carrying three guitars simultaneously.

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  7. Geoff May

    @Andy Miller

    Your 3 year old has a exceptionally refined taste.

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  8. Simon Brown
    Flame

    whatever you do don't tell Ringo

    He's busy

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hskvHOwAOKE

    instead contact this guy

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c96jSDK8bpY

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  9. Steve
    Heart

    No, daddy, put on a *spinny* one

    and so it was this very morning my two girls (2 & 4) got served I Am the Walrus @ 45rpm. Also, the 4yo can sing along with All Together Now.

    Good music is good music. Even better if it's analogue and cranked up!

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  10. Anonymous Coward
    Coat

    Re: Take this.....

    "I believe they were originally invented to save Alex Lifeson's neck from the strain of carrying three guitars simultaneously."

    Not sure about inventing guitar synths, but Alex Lifeson did invent a guitar rack/stand to allow him to switch, relatively easily, between electric and acoustic guitars during live shows - he originally sold it under 'The Omega Concern' moniker; both Lifeson and Geddy Lee made extensive use of pedal triggers in their live shows at the time (late 70s, early 80s)

    That said, Rush were one of the first bands to make extensive use of synth triggers in their live shows (originally Moog Taurus/Taurus II bass pedals, then MIDI triggers and sequencers) and Neil Peart's current 'electronic kit' is basically a bunch of MIDI triggers hooked up to samplers and sequencers, so making a Rock Band-style controller sound like a guitar, Mellotron or frog-chorus isn't particularly difficult.

    So I'm a Rush fan - coat's on, I'm already halfway out

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