7 Things You Should Know About The Beatles Rock Band
Released September 9th, 2009, the Beatles Rock Band was touted as the most important video game created to date. Here are a few things you might not know about the game:
1. The game includes 45 songs, with additional tracks and albums available for download. It was a stipulation of the game’s creation that it include songs from throughout The Beatles’ entire career. As such, the game is a visual and audio representation of the Beatles’ history, though it is a whitewashed version.
2. The game was originally spearheaded by Dhani Harrison, George’s son. It was approved of and overseen by the two remaining Beatles, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, as well as Olivia Harrison and Yoko Ono, widows of George Harrison and John Lennon respectively.
3. The visual representations of the Beatles in the game, while cartoon-like, are realistic in their dress, mannerisms and movements. Designers studied photos, videos and even Beatles tribute bands, and watched the Beatles Anthology for weeks on end to properly represent the Fab Four. And since each song is performed in a well-known venue associated with the Beatles, these settings were also thoroughly researched. The Ed Sullivan Theatre was recreated, for example, from several photos. 60s fashion trends were studied to verify that audience members were properly dressed, as well.
4. New Rock Band instruments have been designed for the Beatles edition of the game. These new peripherals match what John, Paul, George and Ringo played. John’s Rickenbacker 325 guitar, George’s Gretsch, Paul’s Höfner bass and Ringo’s Ludwig drum set are all fairly accurate replicas, though some of these items are sold separately from the game.
5. The Beatles’ edition of Rock Band is different from previous Rock Band games because it has three-part harmony instead of one sole vocalist. However, it is only necessary to stay in pitch in relation to the lead singer, but bands will get bonus points for completing phrases in harmony. There was also an effort made to limit the alteration of original Beatles music in the new game. For example, in regular Rock Band, a band can tell how well they are doing based on the crowd’s reaction – for example, a poor performance will get them booed off the stage. This has been removed in The Beatles Rock Band. Also in the game, there is little room for freestyling or using the whammy bar to alter the song’s sound. This was done to conserve the original Beatle sound and integrity of the tunes.
6. Players can undertake optional challenges which unlock prizes in the game. These prizes include archived photos and music. One such example is the rare Beatles Christmas Album. The game also features other “never-been-released” footage.
7. The Beatles’ Rock Band features dreamscapes, which are visualizations that play during the song. Usually a song will begin with the band performing in studio, and then the background morphs into a psychedelic animation that somehow represents the song. This was partly influenced by the Cirque du Soleil stage show Love, which was performed to remixed Beatles music.
8. To help with promotion of the game, Paul McCartney projected gameplay footage at his concerts prior to the release of the game. This publicized the game to a different audience, and also signified McCartney’s approval of the game.
The Beatles’ Rock Band is meant to boost appreciation for the band in two ways. The game highlights the complexity of the Beatles’ music by showcasing accurate note charts and finger placement, and also is an “interactive Beatles experience” that meshes the band’s music and history together in an informative and highly entertaining video game.
9. It apparently took the game’s audio engineers months to ready the Beatles’ catalogue for the game. The way the Beatles’ music had originally been recorded did not allow for individual instruments to be isolated, which is essential to Rock Band gameplay.
10. Instead of Rock Band’s traditional “overdrive” setting, the Beatles’ Rock Band features “Beatlemania”.
