Rock Band Weekly: Radiohead, Weezer and The Pretenders

by Ludwig Kietzmann { Dec 18th 2007 at 6:15PM }

Or: Radiohead and let the Pretenders know they're none the Weezer.

Clearly, it's a worthless struggle to bring the bands providing this week's downloadable Rock Band content together in one place. Not even Harmonix dared to assemble a catch-all track pack, only offering the three new tunes individually on the Xbox Live Marketplace and -- beginning Thursday -- the PlayStation Network.

Individual songs

My Iron Lung -- Radiohead (160 MS Points / $2)
Buddy Holly -- Weezer (160 MS points / $2)
Brass in Pocket -- The Pretenders *Cover* (160 MS Points / $2)

You'll find videos of the songs after the break, along with our lingering curiosity as to what content next week will bring, if any.

Tags: DLC, Music, Pretenders, PSN, Radiohead, Rock-Band, Rock-Band-Weekly, RockBand, Weezer, XBLM

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Robotochan @ Dec 18th 2007 6:20PM

Can't wait to play the game (I'm in the UK :() and play Buddy Holly, great song :D

Dopple Boppler @ Dec 18th 2007 6:23PM

Oh God, I want this game just for Buddy Holly now.

Dopple Boppler @ Dec 18th 2007 6:23PM

Oh God, I want this game just for Buddy Holly now.

samfish @ Dec 18th 2007 6:29PM

Radiohead = Best Band Ever.

Or at least in the last 30 or so years.

Flyy (NDF) @ Dec 18th 2007 7:11PM

your avatar just keeps getting sexier

JerJerBinks @ Dec 18th 2007 7:13PM

For once I have to agree with you Samfish. The new album is tops.

hi2u @ Dec 18th 2007 9:31PM

Too bad this deal was probably made through EMI instead of the band, or I would actually hope to play something from In Rainbows on Rock Band soon.

moo083 @ Dec 18th 2007 6:38PM

What the hell is up with Guitar Hero? Rock Band has gotten new songs on a pretty much weekly basis. Guitar Hero is not new. How can they not compete? Its pretty sad IMHO. I wouldn't get Rock Band because I don't have enough opportunities to play with multiple people, but why do they get all the good songs (or, for that matter, any songs)?

I'm a little let down by Activision and Red Octane. Please guys, try a bit harder? Please get us some Radiohead. Get us more Weezer. I mean, My Name is Jonas is great, but Rock Band has Say It Ain't So and Buddy Holly. Just sad...

DCBlack @ Dec 18th 2007 7:33PM

I'm with you, Activision has put out a sad effort so far, and they really need to fix their add-on pricing and options to compete with RB. RB comes out with new songs constantly.

But really, as long as you can afford it, RB is not bad for solo play either. If you can deal with GH solo, RB is the same thing, except you can also choose to try drums and vocals. And on the chance you do have some friends come over, it's a great multiplayer experience. Or you can always get a mic stand and try vocals and guitar at the same time.

zlionsfan @ Dec 19th 2007 11:37AM

You don't even need a mic stand. You can use a headset instead (although you then have to work out where the controller for the headset will sit while you're playing drums/guitar).

Besides, if you do buy the whole set, people will suddenly become your friends.

WhY sO seRIouS @ Dec 18th 2007 6:39PM

http://www.fyrebug.com/displaygame.php?gameid=558

WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEZER!!!

Deez @ Dec 18th 2007 6:41PM

What they need is a bit of Oasis

tc @ Dec 18th 2007 7:00PM

more like blur ;)

GrossGreg @ Dec 18th 2007 7:05PM

I'll second the Blur comment.

brandon_r87 @ Dec 18th 2007 7:24PM

Yes, Blur please. I'd love to sing Country House so I can be motivated to actually learn all the lyrics. That song is so good. I'll definitely be getting the Radiohead track, but where is Paranoid Android? There isn't a more perfect Radiohead song for the game.

GrossGreg @ Dec 18th 2007 7:45PM

I'll second the Paranoid Android comment while I'm at it, too.

cc @ Dec 18th 2007 6:44PM

The Weezer video reminds me of the Windows 95 CD, I use to think that was the coolest thing when I was a kid!

tc @ Dec 18th 2007 7:00PM

they could have chosen a better Radiohead song (see 2+2=5, knives out, electioneering etc.) but I'm quite impressed that they're included at all!

GrossGreg @ Dec 18th 2007 7:04PM

Add some vintage Smashing Pumpkins to the lineup, and I'm in geek-rock heaven!

therpham @ Dec 18th 2007 7:08PM

Buddy Holly is sadly quite easy even on expert (both guitar and drums), but it's a song I've loved rocking out to since i found it on my Windows 95 disc, so I don't regret the purchase one bit.

Vexorg @ Dec 18th 2007 7:09PM

I just hope nobody expects me to do the vocals on that Pretenders song...

Hashbrown_Hunter @ Dec 18th 2007 7:17PM

RADIOHEAD FTW!

tc @ Dec 18th 2007 7:18PM

they're definitely up there. It felt good to pay for the new album online too ;)

tc @ Dec 18th 2007 7:21PM

was @ samfish regarding radiohead. cwazy reply system.

mattgreene @ Dec 18th 2007 7:28PM

anyone else try brass in pocket vocals, failing no matter how well I do, seems like tech problem.

zlionsfan @ Dec 20th 2007 12:21AM

I passed it the first time on Expert. It took a few measures to find the right pitch on a couple of phrases, but that was like the other songs at that level: matching both pitch and duration is important.

At the lower levels, I think duration is more important. You may have to hold notes longer than you'd think when you listen to the song.

gonk @ Dec 18th 2007 7:34PM

a cover of that pretender singer? bleh

also where's the beatles, zeppelin, and pink floyd? i'm waiting for those before i'll bite on rock band

Corey @ Dec 19th 2007 12:26AM

Harmonix has made it well known that they are trying to get songs from these bands with no avail.

mr mobius @ Dec 18th 2007 7:42PM

Great to have radiohead and weezer.

It'd be great if guitar hero would have Muse as a dc song (I have Wii and RB aint supporting the Wii - o, and don't have friends round enough to justify RB as a purchase).

ill trooper @ Dec 19th 2007 3:10AM

"Not enough friends around" is only one way to look at it - you can play the game by yourself by playing one of the 4 instruments, versus playing a guitar by yourself in GH. You don't have to have There's lots of ways to play - you can play the Guitar or Bass and it's like playing GH, you can play the drums which is a pretty unique experience in home video games, or you can sing, which is sort of like Karaoke with often-original recordings backing you up, unlike the majority of Karaoke. Sometimes I'll just sing while my girlfriend plays drums - certainly a different experience from 'Guitar Hero.'

If you like Guitar Hero, don't avoid the game because you can't imagine yourself ever having 3 other people around enough to make it 'worth it,' it's really fun even by yourself and the precedent of weekly DLC is making it a game that might be around for a long time.

mr mobius @ Dec 19th 2007 11:38PM

The drums did interest me, and if the guitar is as good as GH, then the song list seems far better for RB than GH.

I've never played GH tbh but it does seem interesting and I'll play it at some stage (or RB).

niindre @ Dec 18th 2007 8:04PM

While they're at it how about some Verve, My Bloody Valentine and Spiritualized...

Hell, there's a whole mess of old UK alt that needs some love. Like Echo & The Bunnymen...

umm....hello??? @ Dec 18th 2007 8:52PM

yeah, I'm gonna pass on these songs...getting the band together to take on rock legend status....58 song setlist!!!!!!!!!

jake18oly @ Dec 18th 2007 9:43PM

I have been waiting for Buddy Holly ever since this game came out. I can't wait to find out what the next set of downloadable content is. This game is a blast to play and downloadable songs means that I am going to be playing it for a long time to come.

Anthony @ Dec 18th 2007 9:55PM

To the comment about PRETENDERS Bleh....
Theyre first album is considered the top 50 rock
albums of all time. The guitarist, Honeyman Scott,
considered one of the best rock guitarists, before his
overdose death, which later influenced Johnny Marr of the Smiths, which influenced the guitarist from Suede. The Pretenders crappiest stuff - and there is many - blows weezer out of the water - in addition, Pretenders were added to the rock n roll hall of fame - something weezer aint gonna happen in there lifetime.....

Raikage (ROFLBERRY PWNCAKES Defence Force) @ Dec 19th 2007 2:02AM

Yeah I don't think so, I'd have to say =w= is one of the most influential bands of the 90's, next to Nirvana of course.

And I hope you know I'm not talking about their new stuff, I'm talking about Blue and Pinkerton.

David @ Dec 19th 2007 12:14PM

I think he just meant that he didn't want to hear a cover of Chrissie Hynde. I think it's just not the same!

I LOVE Brass in Pocket, because my dad played it like a hundred times when I was a kid. ^_^

Cesaria @ Dec 19th 2007 12:45AM

Radiohead is alright. Just...merely...alright...

Fish @ Dec 19th 2007 2:50AM

Speaking of your avatar... : )

I dunno, There are a lot of songs they could put up by radiohead... For their new stuff I'd really want to try Reckoner... Old stuff, maybe Blow Out... honestly I don't care, radiohead is radiohead to me.

CaptCaveman @ Dec 19th 2007 1:48AM

I need to get The Pretenders, I would like Radiohead but nobody here would sing the vocals. But I can't do Weezer. The reason... I worked support for a small computer company when Windows 95 first came out. The company wanted to show off the fact that their computers could play video. So this video would get played all the time. A L L T H E T I M E...
So I can't listen to the song or watch the video because I saw it at least 3 times a day, 5 days a week, for almost 2 years.

[.sm0ke.] @ Dec 19th 2007 1:50AM

Hopefully there'll be Offspring, Stone Temple Pilots, and Rush packs.

I'd also like to see packs that don't require all instruments, so songs like Moby Dick by Led Zeppelin are only visible on the setlist when the drums are the only instrument being used, or you can play YYZ when nobody's singing.

ill trooper @ Dec 19th 2007 2:23AM

What they need is BOTH. Surely Albarn and the Gallaghers can agree that making more money off of past recordings is something EVERYONE benefits from.

I cautiously hope that the Radiohead songs showing up on Rock Band are an indicator that 'Paranoid Android' will be one of the full album releases for DLC.