I am eagerly counting down the hours til tomorrow, to pick this up… I’ve been waiting for many months.

Getting through today is going to be torture… wish it was tomorrow already.

YEAAAA!! cant wait to rock out to the Beatles songs! after all these crappy setlists for guitar heros and rock bands..only a few great tracks on each one..the only other one that was any good was AC/DC and now the Beatles!!

DannyBoy

Interesting article but I am pretty sure Ringo didn’t play drums on Birthday either – Paul did. But I would agree, Ringo is vastly under-rated.

Cheers

If I had to guess, “Helter Skelter” is going to be the Beatles: Rock Band equivalent of “Green Grass and High Tides.”

But… tomorrow never knows

Of course they aren’t going to have Paul playing drums on Back In The USSR. They need him up front singing for that one. Besides, I bet that when they played it touring, Ringo took over on drums.

I wish i could get it tomorrow. Only thing hitting the stores 9/9/009 (here in Brazil) will be the “game only” version. No deluxe edition before 9/20/09.

Ringo Starr is the poor man’s Peter Criss!!!

Everyone will fully understand why The Beatles and their music have staying power. The music will now pass to yet another generation.

Alright kids – just picked up both the box set AND the game. Gotta help Paul pay for the alimony, you know?

DO WHATEVER YOU HAVE TO. IT RULES.

Jodey D: Ringo did, in fact, play drums on “Birthday.” Look it up. You may be thinking of “Dear Prudence.”

Strummer,
They weren’t touring at that point.

Sorry Strummerjones by the time they recorded Back in the USSR they had stopped touring. They never played it live.

d

here’s a novel approach……get a REAL guitar and LEARN HOW TO PLAY IT!!!!!! several Beatles songs actually contain ONLY THREE CHORDS!four sometimes.

That is correct. The final Beatles album to be promoted live, was Rubber Soul.

(They were still touring when Revolver was released, but they never performed a single track of it onstage.)

All the great stuff from Revolver, Sgt. Pepper, Magical Mystery Tour, White Album, Let It Be, and Abbey Road was never played live… Which is why its such a treat to see Paul McCartney nowadays. He finally gets to play all those great later period songs he never got the chance, back in the late 60s.

I bet the beatles rock band will be the biggest hit in rock band! (probably will even be out of stock the first couple days)

“Strummer,
They weren’t touring at that point.”

I’m aware, but how can you be in two places at once? If they were playing it live, which Rock Band is supposed to be replicating, Ringo’d play drums.

StrummerJones: The “Birthday” sequence takes place in the studio.

Anonymous: don’t forget that some songs from “Let it Be” were performed live on the famous London rooftop concert, also “All You Need is Love”, “Hey Jude” and “Revolution” were performed live on TV with a live audience.

Sorry “Hey Jude” and “Revolution” were not on live TV, but there was a live audience for the filming.

I don’t really count television appearences, or the ‘rooftop concert’, where hardly anyone at all could see them.

I thought Paul McCartney played drums on Birthday?

Scott Wilson,

I think ya got your White Album tunes mixed up. Paul doesn’t play drums on Birthday. He plays them on Dear Prudence and Back in the USSR.

i did not know rolling stone rates games and if you say you give the game 3 stars and half out of 5 i would think this magazine is retarded

You are all wrong, it was Ballad of John & Yoko that Paul played drums on because Ringo was off on holiday, as was George.

matt,

you are wrong, sort of. Yes, Paul Played the drums on ‘The Ballad Of John and Yoko’.

But he ALSO played drums on the White Album sessions for Back In The USSR and Dear Prudence (It was during a short week where Ringo got fed up and quit the band.) Read Mark Lewisohn’s excellent book ‘The Beatles Recording Sessions, which documents every recording session they ever did. Fascinating read!

And yes, Ringo was the drummer on Birthday.

Yeah he plays drums on Ballad of John and Yoko. But he also plays them on USSR, Dear Prudence and Wild Honey Pie

Cannot help but feel just slightly confounded here. I’ve posted several other times when it comes to rock video games, and my feeling is no different here. Over the weekend I read several reviews where young kids were buying this game and readily admitting they didn’t necessarily care about the music. All they are looking for is another challenge w/a video game controller.

So how much of this is really about the music? People are suggesting that it’s something special cause it’s the Beatles, but I’m not so sure that isn’t a little out of place here. From what I’ve read the young kids are treating this as just another video game, albeit one w/a lot of hype. Someone older might suggest they focus on the music, but they might pass right over it in a flurry of button pushing. Guess I’m trying to figure out just how this will allegedly improve their legacy.

The music is just fine, as everyone older knows, but right now this sounds like score one for the video game industry only.

Paul actually drummed all through the Beatles’ career… He plays the skins on Ticket to Ride, for example.

I hear what you’re saying Cheesecrop. But I think a lot of older players will rediscover and fall in love all over again with some songs and may gain new found respect for others. I do agree that a lot of kids aren’t going to care about the music, but even if there’s one or two younger ones out there that buy it for that reason, then discover The Beatles and become a fan, I think it’ll be all worth it.

the beatles are the best of all times men, and now we got it in a veideo game playin’ al the great song whit jhon lennon paul ringo y george its goin to be a great hit that fuckin’ game … i hope i get it soon .. saludos desde mexico putoss!!! ke viva mexico y los beatles!!! SONORA

Ringo sucks. Nice enough guy, though.

Paul also plays all the instruments on “Why Don’t We Do It In The Road” where he didn’t really collaborate at all with the other band mates

Hey “Drummer” – Listen to Ringo on “She Said She Said”. If you still think he sucks then you’re quite the badass. Many drummers, myself included, consider the jazz-influenced inventiveness of that performance a pop classic.

seriously rollingstone, you need to make a video game section to get with the times.

About forty years ago we were playing the contemporary version of Rock Band to the Beatles music using straw brooms for guitars and all sorts of sticks and pails for drums. We sounded awesome.

I bought the game early this morning, and have been dabbling with it on and off throughout the day…

So far, I’m happy.

Before today, I’ve never tried any of the Rock Band games… though I do have Guitar Hero III. The problem with most of these music based games, is until now, they’ve almost entirely focused on hard rock and heavy metal… So the Beatles game is definitely refreshing.

I tried the microphone and drums, but I bet I’ll mostly stick to guitar though. I’ve been sticking to the bass.

Fun times.

No, “Paul drummed a lot”, Paul is not playing “the skins” on “Ticket to Ride” — he sat behind the drums to show Ringo the part is all, but that’s Mr. Starkey on the track.

anyone who doubts ringo as a drummer needs to listen to strawberry fields forever or a day in the life a bit closer. this is the man who has never played the same fill twice.

Yeah this game is amazing. Shut up guillermo go back to Mexico

Great game…totally worth the hype. Very tough to play bass on Hard on alot of songs…Paul is genius! Need to buy drums.

“I don’t believe in Beatles.” – John Lennon

“The dream is over, Yesterday.” – John Lennon

You’re ALL WRONG! Tommy Lee played drums for The Beatles from ‘63-72. Ringo was a figurehead. Listen to Shout at the Devil, than Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds. Should erase ALL DOUBT!

In response to Cheesehead or any one doubting that The Beatles: Rock Band will get any new fans, I already have turned two friends on to “Sgt. Pepper”. They had never really listened to the Beatles before, and now are jamming to them. The music speaks for itself. They wrote amazing songs. Period. If someone doesn’t dig it, screw ‘em. They’re missing out.

Also, I had a house of about 10 people all singing along to “Yellow Submarine,” and I am hard-pressed to think of a time where I had more fun with a video game OR listening to music with friends. This game captures the Beatles’ legacy perfectly. The magic lives on!

Help! The Beatles have become plastic fantastic digital zombies. The old bass player, drummer and widows,in their lusty pursuit of money and celebrity worship, continue to re-heat the zany old fab daze, in a tiresome quest for pop immortality.

John Lennon was right to break up the band when he did. He understood the artistic integrity and spirit was gone and if the band continued it would inevitably be forced to become part of the seemingly infinite heap of nostalgic revival products. As you can see, he was right. Let’s face it, this “new improved”, hysterical fab roll-out is mainly about money and nostalgia.

Have fun kids, it is still good music, just remember, you are only grooving to a re-packaged and shamelessly warmed-over Beatle mania revival. The Real Beatles passed away years ago and their work exists on the records, not in the cartoons. “The dream is over. I was the dream weaver, but now I’m John.” – John Lennon

After playing with various family members for two weeks, I completely disagree with the statement about the harmonies being “frippery”. We always have at least 2 people that like to sing, and the harmonies are harder than I expected. After 30 years of listening to The Beatles, I have a newfound respect for their musical and vocal abilities!

You’re such a ray of sunshine, aren’t you Thomas Ingerick? I have the records and the game, and I enjoy them both. I doubt you’ve ever even played this game, so why do you think you can badmouth it? I’m a huge Lennon fan too, but he was only a human being, not god. And who are you to suggest he wouldn’t have approved of this game himself were he still alive today?

Anonymous, Thanks for your view point. I appreciate your reaction to my comments and I’m glad you still enjoy beatlemania and continue to consume their seemingly endless variety of products.

It is true, I haven’t “played the game” yet and perhaps never will. For me it is still challenging and enjoyable to play old Beatle songs with a regular guitar and pick, flaws and all. If you haven’t tried that method yet, I highly recommend it, as a way to gain an even deeper appreciation for the songs.

The “new Beatle gizmo” seems to me, at least, to be some kind of digital, flashy, kareoke, “air guitar-like” machine. Great if you like being a bit of a poser and fantasy enthusiast.

From what I’ve read, that’s why John Lennon decided to break up the band, he was tired of the posing and fantasy aspect of the whole “Beatle thing”. He left it to re-join real life, pain, flaws and all. He was also hoping to help end war, so the world would live as one in peace. As we know now, that idea seems to have flopped. Maybe the new Beatle product will even be included in the USO packages this holday season, so the armies can go further into denial and party on,shooting and jumping around the deserts singing “Twist and Shout”.

Furthermore, I gave up on John Lennon being a God when he sang, “God is a concept, by which we measure our pain”, the same song in which he sang, “I don’t believe in Beatles”.

Yes, I certainly cannot say for certain he would have disapproved of this latest product from the Beatle factory. My guess is, if he were alive today, we would actually be getting new songs, not this warmed over nostalgia and hopefully, he would be asking each us, to get out of the living room and into the streets, singing, arm in arm and with brave voices, “Give Peace a Chance” or “All You Need Is Love”.

Alas, we will never know, will we?

enjoy the fact that the message of the Beatles music is being made available to more people/a new generation/jocks that rejected it because of homophobia on their part(the long hair separated/kept the jocks from being able to openly enjoy the Beatles!!!YES that was the 60s!!!THINK FREE<BE FREE!!!!

It is very good that the ’60s love and world peace message is finding its way into the hearts and minds of a new generation via the Beatles recordings. The Beatles were lucky to have grown in those dreamy times and we are lucky they were skilled and hard working enough to capture the essence of love’s vibe on their timeless records.

Now let’s all come together and end these wars! Let’s make John Lennon proud. THINK FREE, BE FREE!!!