Rock Band

Yeah that would change that game from awesome to super-awesome

Woot first comment

Who wants to be the first to suggest a slow version of "Baby Got Back" performed on a banjo?

I'm curious, JoCo - of your songs, which do you consider the most fun to play? I don't mean fun because of audience participation or some other factor, but fun because of the guitarwork involved?

Does it matter that technically you are not a band?

None of them are fun, playing the guitar is hard! I personally enjoy the pickin ones, like Make You Cry, but I don't think these are quite appropriate for a game called Rock Star. And yes Len, yes it does...

"The Future Soon"! That song totally rawks.

It might not be so hard if you didn't write such complimacated songs, but the intricate chord structures sound great. Let's get those Rock Band players wrangling with "I Feel Fantastic"...

FYI, there's a version of Code Monkey for Freetar Hero (http://www.freetar.net/). They provide the data file. The song you have to download from jonathancoulton.com, so it's all legal-like.

To be honest, Code Monkey is not terribly interesting to play with a Guitar Hero-like game cos it's all strumming. I'd prefer something like your cover of "Don't Talk to Strangers"

...and why does this page say I posted my last comment at 5:19 PM. What the heck time zone are you in? I thought you were based in New York (EST)?

I guess 5:19PM sounds better because it means I wasn't goofing off during working hours reading your web site which is clearly not work-related... Cool. Thanks for covering for me, WordPress!

I have not played the game, but aren't ALL Guitar Hero songs "all strumming," more or less? That thing for the right hand to thwack is thwacked with a strumming motion, correct? And then the left hand just presses one of the buttons at the same time you thwack? Like I said, I haven't played the game.

I voted for "Code Monkey," "I feel Fantastic," and "Ikea." I'ma go listen to "Make You Cry" again to see if I should vote for it, too.

"Make You Cry" is full of win. Where dysfunction meets virtuosity.

Anyone else think that Rock and Roll Boy would be a good choice?!

Rock and Roll Boy is one of my least favorite Things, sadly. But I'm not a guitarist, so I can't judge the relative value of the strumminess.

By the way, I was talking to the band DeatHat last night, and wearing one of my Skullcrusher Mountain t-shirts. They commented that they were thinking of covering it. I wonder how long before we have roving bands of all Coulton-covering troubadours?

I'll also post your request to the LJ community.

>I have not played the game, but aren’t ALL Guitar Hero songs “all strumming,” more or less?

No, songs with more melodic guitar parts work much, much better.
Think Boston's "More Than A Feeling" or The Police's "Message In A Bottle".

Much as I like "Code Monkey", it's just not a good choice for a Guitar Hero-type rhythm game.

"The Future Soon" would be my first choice. I've played your song on my podcast twice now and the listeners love it!

Jonathan, would you be willing to write new tracks for a song (as Freezepop did for Guitar Hero) to make the gameplay more interesting? (I'm not associated with them, just curious.)

SHOP-VAC!!!!

I have to agree with JC about "Make You Cry". I love listening to the guitar on that one. Is there any way to get just the music score in .mp3 format?

I could listen to that all day.

I cast my vote for Skullcrusher Mountain, The Future Soon, or Shop Vac. I love me some Code Monkey, but I love singing those songs (alone, in my car) more.

ShopVac -would- be a superior choice for this manner of game. Electric guitars are a must, and fingerpickity bits are also a must.

Other songs that would work with a GuitarHero type of thing:
Brand New Sucker (this would work really well, actually)
Creepy Doll
Mr Fancy Pants
I'm A Mason Now (though they may the main lick sounds too much like Smoke)
Ikea

You've got 67 songs to choose from; no need to keep gravitating to just a few.

dance, soterious johnson, dance or chiron beta prime?

"re: Your brains" would be pretty decent. It's got those nice power chords at the chorus...but I agree that Code Monkey is NOT a Guitar Hero song.

Um, oops. Did not read the post thoroughly, then was confounded by the other comments. So it's another game that is made by the same people, but NOT guitar hero. I see.

I'm still voting for re: your brains. Some of the chatter on their home page seems to be zombie-centric, so I'd say go with your audience...

SHOP VAC!!!

I think Re: Your Brains would be the best combination of "popular" and "fun to play." Now, given, I'm mostly thinking of it on Guitar Hero, because I don't know anything about how Rock Band will work, but you gotta admit that it's got some pretty damn fun parts, instrumentally.

The Future Soon is an awesome song (possibly my favorite, in fact), but I REALLY don't see it as a viable candidate for Rock Band. There's just not enough "rock" in it.

Anyway, I'm suggesting Re: Your Brains and Code Monkey because I think those two are the most likely songs of JoCo's to get chosen, given the history of Guitar Hero (see: Trogdor). Now, since JoCo isn't the only musician I like, let me see if I can think of any other likely candidates to suggest...

Keep in mind that Rock Band has vocal and drum parts as well.

Re: your brains would be great ...

You should get them to add the entire album, "Where Tradition Meets Tomorrow"

I would pay to have Code Monkey in RB