Nick Mason: We'd consider Pink Floyd Rock Band or Guitar Hero
by David Hinkle 
{ Sep 16th 2009 at 12:45PM } 
While he isn't a big supporter of the genre (he thinks it deters kids from learning real instruments, just like other celebs do), he did add, "Everyone's looking at new ways of selling the music because the business of selling records has almost disappeared." Especially those vinyl ones, which (gasp!) weren't even interactive.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
vidGuy @ Sep 16th 2009 12:48PM
It wouldn't work. While the Pink Floyd catalog is full of masterpieces, they are 6 to 10 minute masterpieces. Beatles: Rock Band works because of (1) great, reasonable-length songs and (2) huge fan following. PF has neither.
Kizzle @ Sep 16th 2009 12:52PM
While I don't disagree that their songs aren't as cut out for this type of game as The Beatles or especially Metallica, it would still "work." And it would sell a ton.
CTC XBL-supapaypamawio PSN-ctclaw @ Sep 16th 2009 12:53PM
While it might not work for Rock Band, I'm sure Activision could manage to throw it in a box of Guitar Hero cereal as a free prize.
Michael Winte @ Sep 16th 2009 12:54PM
If you don't think Pink Floyd has a huge following you're an idiot.
Tucker @ Sep 16th 2009 12:54PM
I'd totally play Echoes for 20 minutes straight. And both parts of Shine On You Crazy Diamond put together would be epic! :)
Markez @ Sep 16th 2009 12:58PM
I'd be more amenable to a Pink Floyd iteration over a Beatles one. I've never really liked the Beatles overall. This *would* work for the same reason garbage music like Metallica or Aerosmith work with GH. I mean, do I have to repeat that? They made a Metallica version, and Aerosmith version of GH.
vidGuy @ Sep 16th 2009 12:59PM
I could have worded that better. Floyd has a following, but it's nowhere near as big or as marketable as the mass audience for the Beatles. This could be the downfall for a lot of band-specific games. Example: Iron Maiden has a massive world-wide fanbase, but a Maiden Guitar Hero targeted to the U.S. would flop.
Zoot Suit Jedi @ Sep 16th 2009 1:00PM
Pink Floyd doesn't have a huge fan following?!?
You sir, are an ass.
PR0F3TA (PSN - PROPHETA) @ Sep 16th 2009 1:03PM
i agree with VidGuy and i love Pink Floyd alot more then i did The Beatles. I think the story itself of The Beatles was great enough to be told through their musical evolution.
nedless to say i love Beatles: RB
The Baron @ Sep 16th 2009 1:04PM
I sorta see what you're saying. I don't know if most of PF's audience would be in the game-buying market, but then they said that about The Beatles too.
vidGuy @ Sep 16th 2009 1:08PM
This is what I mean:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_best-selling_music_artists
Anything with the Beatles name seems to sell seventeen bazillion copies. I haven't seen a new Floyd compilation album sell millions of copies every other year. I just think the Beatles fan-base is more apt to buy a music game than Floyd's fans.
copa @ Sep 16th 2009 1:20PM
Pink Floyd does not provide the party-friendly atmosphere that will make the Beatles game such a sales success, but it would do very, very well.
In any event, it ain't going to happen for two simple reasons:
1. Roger
2. Waters
Petebot330 @ Sep 16th 2009 1:29PM
@copa: You're right, I've never heard of Pink Floyd being played at parties...
baby sea tuna @ Sep 16th 2009 1:31PM
I would jam a q-tip in my ear until my brain was liquified if I ever went to a party where they were playing Pink Floyd.
baby sea tuna @ Sep 16th 2009 1:32PM
I would jam a q-tip in my ear until my brain was liquified if I ever went to a party where they were playing Pink Floyd.
CTC XBL-supapaypamawio PSN-ctclaw @ Sep 16th 2009 1:34PM
Looks like you've taken care of both ears now.
baby sea tuna @ Sep 16th 2009 1:34PM
Ugh, the only thing worse than Pink Floyd is Joystiq's comment system.
Yeah, I said it.
Markusdragon @ Sep 16th 2009 1:54PM
"I haven't seen a new Floyd compilation album sell millions of copies every other year."
It doesn't need to. Dark Side of the Moon still sells, both in it's CD and Vinyl incarnations, and is still the 4th best-selling album of all time.
An interactive version of Dark Side of the Moon would sell loads. Baggsy the cash register peripheral!
time @ Sep 16th 2009 2:25PM
pink floyd has an enormous following of young people who play video games.
let's face it, most people who smoke weed listen to pink floyd.
time @ Sep 16th 2009 2:26PM
Adding to that, it would be totally fucking awesome to rock out to Animals.
Nuke @ Sep 16th 2009 2:27PM
I would definitely buy a Pink Floyd Rock Band, play it start to finish, even if it was steel bladder achievement style. The problem with this is that I know I would be the only one of all my friends around here to do it.
Despite my dream of a music game for my favorite band of all time, I have to agree with the idea that this wouldn't work. :-(
The Baron @ Sep 16th 2009 2:32PM
Maybe a 4/20 version of Rock Band would be a safer bet?
A good mix of Marley, Pink Floyd, Steely Dan and Rush?
oolz @ Sep 16th 2009 3:01PM
PInk Floyd is great, they have some great songs and great albums, but they simply don't have the catalog of hits to carry their own game. Piper is great, but just wouldn't carry over well to a game. After that you have Meddle, dark side, wish you were here and the wall. Great songs and solid albums, but not a lot of stuff that would be fun.
They need to do an 12-18 song pack for Rock Band and leave it at that.
Zoot Suit Jedi @ Sep 16th 2009 3:30PM
@copa & peterbot330
You guys aren't going to the right parties then.
Furthermore, I haven't been to a party where they have played the beatles; I guess it just depends on the circles you roll with.
Eh @ Sep 16th 2009 5:01PM
Darkside of the Moon has sold more albums than any Beatles album worldwide. In America The Wall has sold more than any Beatles album. What the hell are you talking about? Pink Floyd is extremely popular, theyre one of the biggest rock bands in history.
vidGuy @ Sep 16th 2009 10:45PM
Even if Darkside sold 6 billion copies, how many of those buyers are going to buy a Floyd music game? That should be the question - and I think it hurts the marketability of a Floyd game. You are free to disagree with me, but I think from a business standpoint a Floyd Rock Band is much riskier than with the Beatles.
Lunastra78 (PSN: lunastra78) @ Sep 16th 2009 12:55PM
The Barrett stuff would work great for this kinda game I think. At least for me.
busydoingnothing @ Sep 16th 2009 1:12PM
Agreed. "Piper" is the only album that would really work well in this game, and what a great album it is. Astronomy Domine, Lucifer Sam, and Interstellar Overdrive? Yes, plz.
I really can't see the epic Pink Floyd songs played out in a game like this. I know there's a ton of Floyd fans out there, but are there enough gamers among them to make this game a success? I don't think so.
Lunastra78 (PSN: lunastra78) @ Sep 16th 2009 2:11PM
Yeah a lot of post-Barrett Floyd is too ambient and downtempo to translate well into this kind of games.
I can imagine a ProgRock (Rock) Band would be a better option. I can imagine bands like Camel, Genesis(70s era), Yes, Druid, Marillion etc etc would be really fun to play. :)
Shagittarius @ Sep 16th 2009 3:29PM
Do you like Phil Collins? I've been a big Genesis fan ever since the release of their 1980 album, Duke. Before that, I really didn't understand any of their work. Too artsy, too intellectual. It was on Duke where Phil Collins' presence became more apparent. I think Invisible Touch was the group's undisputed masterpiece. It's an epic meditation on intangibility. At the same time, it deepens and enriches the meaning of the preceding three albums. Christy, take off your robe. Listen to the brilliant ensemble playing of Banks, Collins and Rutherford. You can practically hear every nuance of every instrument. Sabrina, remove your dress. In terms of lyrical craftsmanship, the sheer songwriting, this album hits a new peak of professionalism. Sabrina, why don't you, uh, dance a little. Take the lyrics to Land of Confusion. In this song, Phil Collins addresses the problems of abusive political authority. In Too Deep is the most moving pop song of the 1980s, about monogamy and commitment. The song is extremely uplifting. Their lyrics are as positive and affirmative as anything I've heard in rock. Christy, get down on your knees so Sabrina can see your asshole. Phil Collins' solo career seems to be more commercial and therefore more satisfying, in a narrower way. Especially songs like In the Air Tonight and Against All Odds. Sabrina, don't just stare at it, eat it. But I also think Phil Collins works best within the confines of the group, than as a solo artist, and I stress the word artist. This is Sussudio, a great, great song, a personal favorite.
Sorry every time someone brings up genesis i have to...
Zampano @ Sep 16th 2009 4:31PM
@Shagittarius-
The fact that you have that memorized is, like the film it comes from, awesome and hilarious.
*salutes*
Do you have the Huey Lewis one down, too?
Lunastra78 (PSN: lunastra78) @ Sep 16th 2009 5:41PM
Haha + 1 Shaggi!
time @ Sep 16th 2009 10:32PM
Shag: Duke is where the music got bad.
I have a huge man crush on Peter Gabriel.
time @ Sep 16th 2009 10:33PM
oh shit my sarcasm detector broke ahhahahaha
...i think
Markez @ Sep 16th 2009 12:55PM
Then Rock Band continues to fall further into the laughable place GH is (according to overly critical gamers), with too many iterations, milking, etc. While I don't believe for a second music games deter anyone from wanting to actually learning an instrument, I would imagine this would work/sell just as well as RB Beatles.
PR0F3TA (PSN - PROPHETA) @ Sep 16th 2009 1:06PM
wow... you're a dumb f**k for taking the phrase "I think we'd consider it." into "OMG RAWK BAND: PIIINKK FLOYD CONFIRMED!!11!1"
Markez @ Sep 16th 2009 1:10PM
Relax jerky, it was part of a conditional statement. If RB Pink Floyd, then further into the rathole. Fair statement? Where in my comment did I descend into dbagville of the caliber youre suggesting with !s and 1s and saying PF was confirmed? Cheezus crust.
Alex @ Sep 16th 2009 1:53PM
I couldn't disagree more Markez. If anything, the way Rock Band: The Beatles treated the source material, increased the quality and upped the ante so to speak in terms of band specific game. Instead of a crappy Aerosmith game that is basically Guitar Hero reskinned with horrible looking aerosmith characters and a compilation of their songs. The Beatles game actually made it feel like a genuine beatles type product. I for one would be totally behind music games that are band specific if they take the beatles approach.
Pink Floyd may not have as many quick catchy radio hits as Pink Floyd. But just think of what they could do with their music and the dreamscapes like they did with the beatles. I can only imagine the awesome types of stuff they could do with songs like Another Brick in the Wall or Money. If they really wanted to tip the scales of awesomeness they could even take Wizard of Oz characters and do some awesome crap with Dark Side of the Moon because a lot of teh wizard of oz stuff is in public domain now.
Suffice to say, I would fully support any band game out there that is made and treated with the same care that they did the beatles. The only thing I would want to see more of, is more behind the scenes type stuff, a lot more videos, even throwing on documentarys etc.
I don't think anyone out there can honestly make a comparison to the band games guitar hero has published so far, and The Rock Band Beatles game. Granted Harmonix did do AC/DC but lets be honest, that was the only way they could get AC/DC to go along with dlc for Rock Band 2. I doubt anyone held on to that disc once they imported it over to RB2. But the Beatles game on the other hand that was an awesome product.
Put it this way after seeing how the Beatles game came out, if I were in a popular band, I would never want anything less then the Beatles treatment to a music game involving my music.
Markez @ Sep 16th 2009 2:21PM
That's a good perspective. While I haven't played RB Beatles it certainly seems to have a higher level of care and polish than did the GH Metallica/Aerosmith games, and I can tell that simply from the commercial. While I think it's a little silly to suggest that it feels like a 'genuine Beatles product' I understand exactly what you mean, and given the same treatment I bet a potential RB Pink Floyd could be something special as well. I doff my cap to you, sir.
The Baron @ Sep 16th 2009 12:56PM
I'd rather just have a nice big 10-12 song pack of all the great stuff. And if it has to be a full game, please not a Guitar Hero. I can't stand playing on that engine.
Tiptup300 @ Sep 16th 2009 2:16PM
Guitar Hero 5's really improved everything. Trust me they are back up to where Rock Band 2 is in terms of playability.
Ben @ Sep 16th 2009 2:43PM
Yeah, but the Beatles:RB took Rock Band 2's gameplay engine and made it even better, and that's according to the hardcore folks over at ScoreHero, not me (I can't really tell the difference between Beatles:RB and RB2, but I can tell the difference between RB2 and GH:WT). So even if GH5's engine is as good as RB2, it's still not as good as the Beatles:RB engine.
On top of that, compare the quality of extra material and presentation of the Beatles:RB to GH:Metallica or GH:Aerosmith. It's like comparing bronze to gold.
I wouldn't not play a GH:Pink Floyd, but RB:Pink Floyd would be so much better.
Tiptup300 @ Sep 16th 2009 3:00PM
I haven't played Beatles yet, but I'm def. more pro Rock Band then guitar hero.
Hafkie @ Sep 16th 2009 3:36PM
As a scorehero member, the engine's between The Beatles: Rock Band and RB2 are pretty similar. It's really not much better, but it's not really worse. Just slightly different. HOPO chords work now, though. (They work in GH5, so that's not an advantage over GH5)
Also, vocalists will tell you that the game often gives you a 99% on songs even if you full combo them. Actually, the highest scoring FCs in TB:RB will be 99%s and not 100% due to this glitch.Then again, GH5 also has a "picky" glitch. If you strum before or after the song, you can't get a 6 Star FC.
Both games have their fair share of differences and similarities. They are equal now though. I only think GH5's engine is better than TBRB's simply because the graphics on the highways in TB:RB are REALLY bright, and if you are playing a song with a bright dreamscape and star power activated, you can't see anything.
The Baron @ Sep 16th 2009 3:43PM
One thing that pissed me off no end in Rock Band Beatles is that with beatlemania on the green notes (on guitar/bass) can be very difficult to see. This is something that RB1 and 2 both handled excellently, so it was suprising to me that it made it into the final release.
I'm enjoying the specific and super difficult trophies/achievements though - I FCed Octopus's Garden today but strummed ONE of the hammer-ons so missed out on that trophy :(
Savage @ Sep 16th 2009 12:58PM
If Harmonix got their hands on the catalog they would create something amazing like they did with the Beatles Rock Band. There is a lot of art and stuff that goes with Pink Floyd albums, and I believe Harmonix could make it work. Imagine playing "The Wall" while building it like they did at their old shows. There of course is a lot of interpretation that can be made from the lyrics as well.
If it fell into Activisions hands we'd have another GH5 or whatever with avatars of the band members. If they continue to focus on band specific games, they are really going to need to up the bar.
stinger503 @ Sep 16th 2009 3:35PM
I would love this, Money, Time, Comfortably Numb, ABITWpt2, Young Lust, What Shall We Do Now?, Have A Cigar, Run Like Hell, Shine on You crazy Diamond, Any Colour You Like, Wish You Were Here, and everything else.
grapeape @ Sep 16th 2009 12:59PM
Umm Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon has sold far more copies than Sgt Pepper which is the highest selling Beatles album. The Beatles while loved by zillions only have 1 album in the top 50 all time. Pink Floyd has 2 (DSOTM and The Wall). I think that would show a rather "huge following". While Pink Floyd has many long songs, the majority are of average length. Have A Cigar, Comfortably Numb, Time, US and Them, etc all fit the under 5 minute bill, most of the "masterpieces" such as echoes, astronomy domine, etc are not the more "popular" ones but even those could open up an entire new game mode "endurance". I really think you underestimate the market for this.
The Baron @ Sep 16th 2009 1:02PM
I would rather have the 10 minute live version of Comfortably Numb off Pulse, though.
Alex @ Sep 16th 2009 2:30PM
just FYI
Best Selling Albums of All Time Top 11
1. Michael Jackson - Thriller
2. AC/DC - Back in Black
3. Meat Loaf - Bat out of Hell
4. Pink Floyd - The Dark Side of the Moon
5. Eagles - Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975)
6. Various Artists - Dirty Dancing
7. Whitney Houston / Various Artists - The Bodyguard
8. Andrew Lloyd Webber - The Phantom of the Opera
9. Backstreet Boys - Millennium
10. Bee Gees / Various Artists - Saturday Night Fever
11. Fleetwood Mac - Rumours