What with all the giveaway madness, I’ve been asked what I think of the Billy Joel pack that hit Rock Band last week. Here’s the short version:

Unless you passionately hate Billy Joel, or have somehow avoided hearing any of these songs over the course of your clearly deprived life, it’s hard not to find something to like in here.

Read on for more detailed impressions. Continue reading →

Hey, looks like the original slate of European tracks due for release today in the Rock Band store has grown by two:

We still get that John and Yoko Xmas classic too, of course.

And don’t forget, you PS3 owners will be getting five Rock Band Network tracks today, too. And you Wii folks? Looks like this is a catch-up week, with tracks that were supposed to have launched earlier in the month.

One of these things is not like the other. Next week’s Rock Band offering features seven tunes from well-known contemporary European artists…and a legendary Christmas tune courtesy of John Lennon and Yoko Ono.

Anaïs	Peut-Etre une Angine	N/A	N/A
BAP	Verdamp Lang Her	N/A	N/A
BB Brunes	Dis-Moi	N/A	N/A
Caesars	Jerk It Out
John & Yoko, The Plastic Ono Band	Happy Xmas (War is Over)
Linea 77	Fantasma
Litfiba	Proibito	N/A	N/A
Wir sind Helden	Nur ein Wort

These are all singles, so they’ll go for $2 apiece, or the system equivalent. And only two tracks offer Pro guitar/bass upgrades this week: “Dis-Moi” and “Jerk it Out.” Am I the only one who finds this the first week of fairly disappointing Rock Band 3 DLC? To be clear, that’s only because I’m completely unfamiliar with any of these European acts. Tell me, you folks across the pond, are you excited at least?

You can make yourself familiar with these tracks from strange lands in the playlist after the break. Continue reading →

Piano controller, meet the Piano Man. Seems like a good fit. Here’s what’s hitting today on all systems, and on PS3. Wii owners, you’re out of luck this week, alas: No new Rock Band Network tracks for you!

Well folks, as promised, next week’s Rock Band 3 DLC brings 12 tunes from the legendary Billy Joel. If you’ll remember, we knew all but two of those at the last round. Here’s the whole list:

Billy Joel	Big Shot
Billy Joel	Captain Jack
Billy Joel	It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me
Billy Joel	Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song)
Billy Joel	Only The Good Die Young
Billy Joel	Piano Man
Billy Joel	Pressure
Billy Joel	Say Goodbye to Hollywood
Billy Joel	The Entertainer
Billy Joel	The Stranger
Billy Joel	We Didn’t Start the Fire
Billy Joel	You May Be Right

That’s right, we do get “You May Be Right” after all! Hot damn. And “We Didn’t Start the Fire,” which is kind of a no-brainer in retrospect.

The tunes go up Tuesday, for the usual $2 a pop. You can pick up all 12 tracks for $19.99 on PS3, 1600 Microsoft Points on 360, or 2000 Wii Points. Only three songs have Pro guitar/bass upgrades offered, but considering how piano-heavy Billy Joel’s music is, I don’t consider that too much of a loss. The three are “Big Shot,” “Movin’ Out,” and (yes!) “Only the Good Die Young.”

Help yourself to an updated playlist, after the break. Continue reading →

Happy Tuesday, everyone! Here’s what you can look forward to today from the Rock Band music store…

…on the PS3,

…on the Wii,

…and on all systems.

Grooveshark was acting iffy last week, and while it’s better it’s still not fully functional. But I don’t want to leave you without a playlist, so you can access one for this week’s DLC here. You’re welcome.

One of the bands people have been clamoring the loudest about getting the RB3 treatment is Queen. Next week, Harmonix complies in a big way with two huge packs of Queen hits.

The first, the “Queen Extravaganza Pack,” is mostly comprised of tunes new to the Rock Band library:

Queen	Hammer to Fall
Queen	Keep Yourself Alive
Queen	Now I’m Here
Queen	Play the Game
Queen	Tenement Funster
Queen	We Are the Champions (RB3 version)
Queen	We Will Rock You (RB3 version)

While the second, the “Queen RB3 Enhanced Pack,” is a selection of songs already available, with Rock Band 3 upgrades.

Queen	I Want It All (RB3 version)
Queen	I Want To Break Free (RB3 version)
Queen	Killer Queen (RB3 version)
Queen	One Vision (RB3 version)
Queen	Somebody To Love (RB3 version)
Queen & David Bowie	Under Pressure (RB3 version)

Here’s how the pricing breaks down: The Extravaganza will run you $10.99 on PS3, 1100 Wii Points, or 880 Microsoft Points. The RB3 Enhanced Pack will go for $9.99 on PS3, 1000 Wii, or 800 MS. And get this: Every song except for “We Are the Champions” and “We Will Rock You” offers a Pro guitar/bass upgrade for a buck.

Grooveshark appears to be nonfunctional at the moment, so no playlist today. But it’s not like you don’t already know all these songs. Right?