Rock Band: Nirvana's 'Nevermind,' real venues and a possible release date [Update]

by Jared Rea { Jul 28th 2007 at 3:25AM }

Should you find yourself with the September issue of GamePro magazine, you'll be treated to a three page feature on Harmonix's upcoming musical juggernaut, Rock Band. At E3, downloadable albums made a huge impact with legendary rockers The Who and Metallica. Joining this prestigious bunch is Nirvana with their infamous masterwork "Nevermind," which will be made available sometime after release. According to GamePro, we should also expect to see a new, full album to download every week.

With such incredible albums, you'll need a venue in which to rock. Ditching the fictional locales of their previous work, Rock Band features 41 venues, spread across the likes of Amsterdam, Berlin, Boston, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, New York, Paris, Seattle, San Francisco, Sydney and Tokyo, just to name a few.

So when exactly will you be teeing off neighbors with your plastic drum set? If you ask GamePro, November 6th, which would place it about a week after Guitar Hero III should you pay attention to GameStop. We've placed an inquiry with Harmonix and we'll let you know what we hear.

[Update - Weekend be damned! Harmonix has gotten back to us regarding the November 6th release date listed in GamePro. As of now, there is no official release date beyond "Holiday 2007." So until Harmonix drops the official deets themselves, its best to take everything lightly.]

[Thanks, cezar515!]

Tags: harmonix, rockband

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

monmin @ Jul 28th 2007 3:32AM

This game is turning into a must buy. Even if most of the time I would be playing by myself.

Can your band mates be online?

Hannibal @ Jul 28th 2007 3:53AM

That's an affirmative Monomin.

Jeff @ Jul 28th 2007 3:37AM

Are they also going to erase the baby's willie from the album cover?

muppetmeth @ Jul 29th 2007 4:27AM

Did you know that baby is actually human? And he is like, 15 years old or something? And that he doesn't like Nirvana?

Oh jesus what would I do without wikipedia? Probably have a life...

muppetmeth @ Jul 29th 2007 4:31AM

And for the record, Courtney killed Kurt.

Roddie @ Jul 29th 2007 1:33PM

Um, Wikipedia says he IS a fan of Nirvana, saying he thinks this album doesn't sound dated as in interested in meeting up with the remaining members of the band..

Purple Haze @ Jul 28th 2007 4:00AM

They better have some variety with rock band. With guitar hero they had about 75 percent metal and 25 percent other. I don't mind metal but there wasn't even any good Ozzy songs (CRAZY TRAIN!!!). So far the only album they've announced that I'm excited about is The Who.

Oh and also they better have something from The Beatles no matter how much it costs them. You want the best music game of all time you need the best band of all time.

bounchfx @ Jul 28th 2007 4:08AM

75% metal? wtf are you smoking? There was maybe 10 metal songs, TOPS.

Purple Haze @ Jul 28th 2007 4:26AM

Yeah your right I'm probably off by a bit but I can name at least eleven in GH 1 which has less songs than 2.

bark at the moon
iron man
cowboys from hell
fire it up
the breaking wheel
cheat on the church
thunder kiss 65
Symphony of destruction
You got another thing coming
the ace of spades
Unsung

I'm not entirely sure if you'd consider all of those metal but name what isn't and I'll replace it with something else, unless you say something stupid like symphony of destruction isn't.

Raikage @ Jul 28th 2007 6:08PM

I want to play Helter Skelter and While My Guitar Gently Weeps.

That is all.

zero @ Jul 30th 2007 8:23AM

That's probably because metal typically consists of more than 3 chords and has solos composed with more than 10 notes.

Monkeydog @ Jul 28th 2007 4:15AM

"Oh and also they better have something from The Beatles no matter how much it costs them. You want the best music game of all time you need the best band of all time."

I agree. I wish to be able to download Abbey Road. Playing the Medley and Something would be EPIC.

Argh, Rock Band is looking too good. But it's sounding like a 600 dollar investment, which I would not be able to afford. : (

sheppy @ Jul 28th 2007 12:22PM

I could be wrong but wouldn't the biggest thing holding that up would be Michael Jackson? Last time I checked, he owned The Beatles entire catalog.

konajinx @ Jul 28th 2007 1:52PM

Yeah you can hold your breath on The Beatles, but it's not entirely Jacko's doing. After all, he sells their songs to be used in commercials all the time. I believe "Good Day Sunshine" has been used most recently for Target or some such thing. It's still taking forever for The Beatles' stuff to get remastered and on outlets like iTunes. That kind of thing comes down to Apple and Neil Aspinall. Same reasons you'll never see the Beatles' catalogue for sale in BMG music club. So yeah, the whole licensing thing is weird what with some songs getting used in commercials, and other instances where they don't allow use at all.

sqwarlock @ Jul 28th 2007 5:42AM

41 VENUES!?!? Sounds awesome, massively awesome.

And even though I'm a huge Nirvana detractor, I can admit that Nevermind is going to be a huge selling point for many people.

Truepatriot @ Jul 28th 2007 6:42AM

fuck yes! i will completely rebuy that cd for rockband!

now gives us a price on the drums and a release date harmonix!

ItchyD @ Jul 28th 2007 7:07AM

I think you mean locales not locals.

harrison_schaerr @ Jul 28th 2007 7:37AM

ah yes, making money off a dead guy's music...

how crass.

Doug Kaplan @ Jul 28th 2007 9:01AM

Yea because that's never been done before.

Truepatriot @ Jul 28th 2007 10:23AM

soo all classical music should be stopped.All old paintings should be stopped.all Beatles songs, all hendrix songs must be stopped.

stfu.

harrison_schaerr @ Jul 28th 2007 9:27AM

something about the way he died makes cobain a bit of an exception, don't you think?

I mean, it's not like he lived a long, happy, prosperous life, looking back with fond memories on his time in the music industry... let's be real here.

jsn @ Jul 28th 2007 10:49AM

harrison_schaerr:

C'mon, Cobain made some good music and all, but he was a coward who took the easy way out by killing himself. Why would I not want to enjoy his music in a game simply because he wasn't man enough to actually deal with his problems like the rest of us? There are far more tragic figures in rock music who are more deserving of your sympathy than cobain.

Tony @ Jul 28th 2007 11:05AM

Hendrix (supposedly) died choking on his own vomit in his sleep. Yet we still play Jimi Hendrix/Experience songs in these games. Dimebag Darrel was murdered onstage playing with a band, yet we still play Pantera songs (granted he wasn't in the band any long) and the last game had an achievement named after him. There are more.

I mean, Nirvana is and was popular and the song is popular. No one ever in the history of the world should enjoy that song because of his situation? I mean, by this logic, I shouldn't even buy their albums because people other than Kurt Cobain will get the money.

Lord Chako @ Jul 28th 2007 2:21PM

jsn,

SHUT.
THE.
FUCK.
UP.

Who are you to judge him?

Even though he killed himself, the man still deserves respect...

aylera @ Jul 28th 2007 10:15AM

Rock Band has a street date listed as 11/20 according to Gamestop. It wouldn't even HAVE a street date unless given from the vendor.

To clarify, most games just have a shipping date, which may or may not be official. The game ships then, and arrives next day air in stores. Games with street dates (Halo, GTA, Madden) are dates issues by the publisher, in which the game cannot be sold before, but will certainly arrive in stores before. How does a company make up a random date for a game, and decide it will be street dated, unless given info from the publisher ?

I'd say it's pretty solid that GH3 = 10/28, and RB = 11/20

Sucks that GH3 is first :l

Abscissa @ Jul 28th 2007 12:19PM

What are you talking about? Game retailers are known for making up any release dates they don't know. They've been doing that for years.

aylera @ Jul 28th 2007 10:11PM

Way to read the post.

Tony @ Jul 28th 2007 11:01AM

The Aragon Ballroom and Metro would be cool on the Chicago side of things.

dantebk @ Jul 28th 2007 11:15AM

I wonder how they'll deal with songs with swear words. Will each downloadable album be rated by ESRB? It doesn't seem like something they could completely avoid if they want to offer as much content as they say...

Anyway -- I want to see Blondie's Parallel Lines and Violent Femmes self-titled debut WITH the bonus tracks "Ugly" and "Gimme the Car". (Femmes works well because they only had guitar, bass, drums, and vocals most of the time...)

tcc3 @ Jul 28th 2007 11:39AM

I'll bet each "album" is only $29.95.

{monotone} yay {/monotone}

Abscissa @ Jul 28th 2007 12:18PM

Grunge has always sucked. Metallica has been nothing but a bunch of greedy whiny sellout hacks ever since Megadeth broke off. The Who is just...meh.

I was excited about Rock Band, but I'm quickly losing interest.

NvM @ Jul 28th 2007 12:43PM

nirvana was never really grunge, ecspecially after their first album.

And i wish they'd put up a different album than Nevermind.

Skullivan @ Jul 29th 2007 2:05PM

NvM, Nirvana only had three albums, which other one are you suggesting, Bleach or In Utero? Or by "different album" do you mean an album from a different band entirely?

If they get The Smashing Pumpkins' Siamese Dream in Rock Band my head just might explode but Nevermind is pretty damn cool too.

harrison_schaerr @ Jul 28th 2007 3:43PM

if calling death or suicide the 'easy way out' makes you feel less terrified of dying, that's fine...

but seriously... do you realise how horrifying it would be to stuff a shotgun in your throat and blow your brain stem out?

there is nothing 'cowardly' about committing suicide.

it's an oxymoron, and it makes you look stupid.

there is nothing human beings fear more than death, it's a biological imperative.

Chyld989 @ Jul 28th 2007 4:31PM

1) Suicide is a cowardly way out. I'm not saying that putting a gun in my mouth or against my throat wouldn't be scary (unless I was completely blitzed, maybe), but the act itself is still cowardly.
2) Public speaking is actually the thing human beings fear more than anything else. Death is number 2.

Lord Chako @ Jul 28th 2007 5:21PM

We've all seen that episode of seinfeld. That doesn't mean it's true.

Roddie @ Jul 28th 2007 4:51PM

What on Earth are you talking about? There are plenty of people who, far from fearing it more than death, actually enjoy public speaking.

How can you make such stupid generalised comment and expect to be taken seriously?

deaftly @ Jul 28th 2007 5:06PM

FUCKING AWESOME.

GearsMaster @ Jul 28th 2007 6:59PM

Wait a min...why exactly should we respect someone who is such a coward that they killed themself?

Sorry thats not your decision to make. Especially for someone else.

Feel free to think what you want. But don't expect everyone to shed tears over some drugged up rocker. Hes NOT the only "victim" in the world.

latpack @ Jul 28th 2007 7:55PM

Don't forget that Kurt may not have killed himself to begin with. And even if he did, he must have had some very good reasons to do it. Too many of you people don't know what its like to be depressed beyond belief, or having to deal with a heroin addiction. stfu.

NvM @ Jul 28th 2007 8:34PM

Kurt killed himself because he was a troubled drug addict, not because he couldn't deal with pain.

Rare Hare @ Jul 29th 2007 3:22AM

Right.. and whose fault is that?

Don't get me wrong: I like Nirvana. But Kurt Cobain being portrayed as some tragic rock hero really gets old.

Negativecool @ Jul 28th 2007 11:58PM

I can't believe the absolute fuckwads in here bitching about something as completely irrelevant as Kurt committing suicide, moreover the dumbshit and insignificant comments about what they think about the act of suicide.
What does that have to do with the awesomeness of the Nevermind album? THAT is what this post is about, songs from the album making it into the game. Are any of you bitching about Kurt even old enough to know what it was like growing up as a teen and listening to Nirvana?---They were kick ass---and now they are in the game. This is good news! This addition adds to the value and credibility of Rock Band and shows its respect for the genre.

someuser @ Jul 31st 2007 8:27AM

This thread is full of false information. Eg Dimebag Darrell wasn't in Pantera very long? Is 22 years not long to you?

And what is the deal with the baby's willy being photoshopped out on the Nevermind cover above? how ridiculous!!

someuser @ Jul 31st 2007 8:52AM

I tried to resist going further into false information but I just have to.

Nirvana's not Grunge? Give me a break. The Nevermind album helped define early 90's seattle grunge.

Michael Jackson Owns the entire Beatles Catalog? More lies. For most of the Beatles songs, royalties are split 50/50 between songwriters and owners of publishing rights (in this case usually Lennon/Mcartney and Sony/ATV music). Since Sony/ATV music is 50% owned by Sony, 50% owned by MJ, he really owns around 25%.

However, As the owner of publishing rights gives you 100% control over who can do what with the music, it's fair to say that MJ has about 50% say in whether the beatles music will be in this game even though he will only get 50% of the royalties.

Complicated isn't it?