Let me just start this by saying how incredibly thankful I am that Rocksmith exists and is constantly putting out new DLC for us. Any of you born before the Internet (shhh I’m old), know how hard it was to advance on guitar with Tablature books and no teacher encouraging you with “amazing performance”.
All compliments aside I wanted to ask the community what noticeable holes are in our official Rocksmith DLC playlists. The following is just my opinion and please tell me how wrong I am and what I missed in the comments (but more importantly, request songs!)
Obviously I’m leaving out the obvious Led Zepplin, Pink Flloyd, The Beatles, Metallica etc., so don’t even bother commenting about that.
60s and Earlier:
The Beach Boys
Sure we have surf rock, but it’s a travesty we don’t have the pioneers of surf rock to play through.
Dream 5-Pack:
Chuck Berry
Since we’re playing Rocksmith and the word “rock” is in it, shouldn’t we learn from its great-great grandfather?
Dream 5-Pack:
Johnny B. Goode
You Never Can Tell
Route 66
Grateful Dead
OK, OK, I know American Beauty technically came out in the 70s, but they formed and began hippie jamming in the mid 60s, so it counts. Regardless, we could use some jam bands in our sets, and who better than Jer Bear to teach us?
Dream 5-Pack:
Box Of Rain
Simon and Garfunkel
I would also love, love, love just a Paul Simon pack. Did you see his performance on the 40th Anniversary of SNL?
Dream 5-Pack:
The 70s
Fleetwood Mac
I’d especially love a few of their bluesy early, early tracks before Stevie Nicks joined up, but I mean c’mon, how do we not have Landslide yet?
Dream 5-Pack:
Go Your Own Way
Rhiannon
Black Sabbath
I mean. C’mon.
Dream 5-Pack:
Paranoid
Iron Man
Black Sabbath
Children of the Grave
Steve Miller Band
With a crazy amount of hit’s and a whole lot of fun guitar technique, it makes me sad we’re missing out on some of these grooves.
Dream 5-Pack:
Jet Airliner
The Bee Gees
I am absolutely terrible at funk guitar or whatever you wanna call this style of playing, but I’d love to have a challenge of playing some disco and singing crazy falsetto to prove it’s not dead (Actually, just checked on Wiki; still dead).
Dream 5-Pack:
More Than A Woman
The 80s
Edit: When I originally wrote this, I had The Cars here too. Hooray!
Huey Lewis and the News
Probably one of my favorite bands ever. I don’t know if it’s because I grew up with him, or if it’s because Back to the Future is easily the best movie of the 80s (fight me about it) but Huey is by far my #1 “wish it was on Rocksmith” band.
Dream 5-Pack:
(Bonus song) The Power of Love
Talking Heads
While I was not a fan of them while they were actually making music, I have grown to love them and have their entire discography on vinyl. Anyone who hasn’t seen “Stop Making Sense” watch it and tell me it’s not the best concert film of all time.
Dream 5-Pack:
This Must Be The Place (Naïve Melody)
Burning Down The House
Life During Wartime
Van Halen
This band might be on the “too expensive/hard/impossible” to license list, but screw that, they are 80s rock. Even the Sammy stuff I love and being able to tap through “Eruption” would be simply the best.
Dream 5-Pack:
Runnin’ With the Devil
Eruption
Journey
We have Foreigner, we have Boston, we even have Styx. It’s time to pay tribute to the incredible vocals and equally fun guitar work of Journey.
Dream 5-Pack:
The 90s
My decade for music is sadly primarily filled with one-hit wonders and 90s voice guy alt-rock (also the best damn hip-hop ever) but there’s still some good guitar work at play. Of all the decades represented, I feel the 90s are the most represented, but still these would all be welcome additions.
Goo Goo Dolls
Roll your eyes all you want, but listen to the guitar in these songs and tell me it’s not worthy of a DLC.
Dream 5-Pack:
Fallin’ Down
Live
Sure they pretty much have only one good album, but it’s nearly a perfect album with plenty of guitar to have fun with.
Dream 5-Pack:
Third Eye Blind
There might not be a more 90s band.
Dream 5-Pack:
Nine Inch Nails
Yes I know Trent Reznor is super busy scoring David Fincher movies, but in the 90s you couldn’t be stuck at a stop light without hearing those familiar warbles.
Dream 5-Pack:
Hurt
The 2000s and Beyond
Arcade Fire
A crazy popular band who have an epic, full sound that would be a blast top play through.
Dream 5-Pack:
Jimmy Eat World
Kinda like Weezer-lite, but still they have so many songs that would be welcomed additions to anyone’s playlist.
Dream 5-Pack:
Blister
Brand New
K, my last emo pick I promise. Seriosuly though, really awesome guitar and bass in these songs if you can get past all the sadness.
Dream 5-Pack:
Sic Transit Gloria… Glory Fades
The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows
Jude Law and a Semester Abroad
Slipknot
This is for all you metalheads out there. I don’t even like this band, but I can respect technique.
Dream 5-Pack:
So that’s it. Let me know how wrong I am in the comments and what your picks are. And as always request songs people!
I can’t argue with most of this but…
Van Halen, eruption is only a bit over a minute in length, it’s usually tied up with ”you really got me’. Hot for teacher is a better option if we are limited to a 5 pack. Van Halen is better served as a 12pack
Eruption with you really got me
Hot for teacher
Dreams
Panama
Spanish fly
Could this be magic
Ice cream man
Pretty woman
Mean streets
Jump
Runnin’ with the devil
Beat it
I keep hoping for a Van Halen pack like the Jimmy Hendrix pack. Give me it all. So much to learn from Eddie.
Man, there’s so much needed from Van Halen, I think any pack wouldn’t do them justice.
Include everything on your list plus
Unchained
Poundcake
DOA
Can’t Get This Stuff No More
5150
Everybody Wants Some
Drop Dead Legs
Baluchitherium would be amazing to learn
You and Your Blues
Cabo Wabo
how about some acoustic VH with Could This Be Magic
Bee Gees would be cool as long as Ellison also sang Maurice’s harmony parts when creating the Bass videos.
Love the movie Heavy Metal . . . and I would love to have a chance to play the songs
Heavy Metal – Sammy Hagar
Radar Rider &Heartbeat – Riggs
Veteran of Psychic Wars – BOC
Heavy Metal (Takin’ a Ride) – Don Felder
Crazy – Nazareth
and my absolute favorite . . . All of You – Don Felder
As for the bands that might be too expensive, would it be feasible to charge more per song?
I am not a fan of paying more, but if it means getting some of my all time fav’s, I’d do it.
Thumbs up for Heavy Metal. Would be a very cool pack!
Amen brother! Great pack!
Nice list; Live would be a great pack! My fav requested DLC would be “Rancid” ( “old friend, fall back down, roots radicals” and more). BTW
come on, really? I Wanna Riot, Ruby Soho, Time Bomb, Roots Radicals and Maxwell Murder!!!
+1 to both of you fine sirs.
I love your picks of Chuck Barry and Journey. Would love to see some Ozzy, Scorpions, Thin Lizzy, Stevie Ray Vaughn, ZZ Top, and some old blues classics like John Lee Hooker or Buddy Guy.
Would love Goo Goo Dolls. My big concern, however, is that their work is a wee bit infamous for their unusual tunings. “Iris” is BDDDDD, a tuning that I’m pretty certain would make any guitarist feel anxious about the condition of their guitar’s B-string.
I agree “no love for punk”. Please add in a 5 pack sprinkled with Sex Pistols, Iggy & the Stooges, Buzzcocks, MC5 & Patti Smith. I love the list BTW!
throw some pre-crossover D.R.I and C.o.C, Early SUI, Bad Brains, & Bad Religion (No Control) to bridge the gap between the old school and the bubble gum punk they have today
Apart from the obvious Pink Floyd etc…
I would love to see some Dinosaur Jr, actual punk (fun!) and now I come to think of it also Zappa, Buddy Holly, Robert Cray, Sonic Youth…
Maybe it’s a good thing they have gaps in the DLC, it leaves me with some money in my wallet.
Robert Cray would be awesome.
Some Eagles, Peter Frampton, Genesis, The Band, Gary Moore, Grand Funk, Zakk Wilde, CKY, The Guess Who would be nice
While I’m not a big fan of the Beatles, it does seem like a major hole. And yeah – the obvious list. Metallica, AC/DC, Pink Floyd (PLEASE!!!!), etc. Here are some others:
Yngwie Malmsteen – I mean, come on! If you want 80s shred – okay, Van Halen is a bigger hole, but next up would be Yngwie Malmsteen and then Steve Vai.
Dragonforce would be a modern shredding hole for songs that everybody wants to try but nobody can play. A 3-pack would be sufficient.
The Eagles – another obvious hole. Some brilliant guitar work there from the 70s (and early 80’s?). And hey – Hotel California!
And Dire Straits. I’m sure they’ve already been contacted, but man… we need some Mark Knopfler finger-picking goodness!
Otherwise, my list probably looks a lot like yours – plus we need *more* B.B. King, Albert King, Styx, Def Leppard, Stevie Ray Vaughn,
Love these picks. If you haven’t requested these, please do so.
I’ll always request Spacemen 3, Spiritualized, and 13th Floor Elevators for some psychedelic love, but here are my choices for bigger names.
Nada Surf, Built to Spill, Sonic Youth for the 90’s. Nada Surf is a simple, easy to learn alternative rock act similar to older Weezer tracks. Built to Spill is for the skilled guitarist. Sonic Youth may be a little too experimental and effects heavy to work in Rock Smith, but they changed the musical landscape.
Dum Dum Girls, Pains of Being Pure at Heart, and Mac Demarco for 00’s. The first 2 acts play simple pop/rock, similar to the beginner skill level of the Nada Surf suggestion above. Mac Demarco for the aspiring lead guitarist.
And lastly my dream The Smiths 5 pack
“Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want”
“Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now”
“There Is A Light That Never Goes Out”
“Big Mouth Strikes Again”
“Cemetery Gates”
Definitely down for some Mac Demarco. Sonic Youth (I need to request Teenage Riot) and Pains of Being Pure at Heart could be fun too. And the Smiths if RS can get them.
Justin, what are you doing?! Why are you siding with the requesters?
Wat?
It’s always amazing to come back to this website after not visiting for a while and see that harassing people about requesting songs is still your reason for living.
Jimmy Eat World was my main jam back in high school and I still have a lot of good feelings for them, but honestly the songs I’d be most excited for, like “Work,” “Kill,” and “23” are kind of long shots.
Also, Joan Jett, Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen are majorly unfortunate omissions from earlier decades.
Chuck Berry… got to have Johnny B. Goode! Right? Eventually?
You forgot Blind Melon, RHCP and Stone Temple Pilots for 90s. They already have songs in game so why not a pack. All these bands could please guitar and bass player. Also more funk ,blues, and punk would be nice. Bandfuse had distillers and bad religion. Why not rocksmith?
ZAPPA
Hell yessssssssss!
YES PLEASE
Missed Seven wonders for Fleetwood Mac. And no shout out for when the music died!? Richie Valens, Buddy Holly, and the Big Bopper pack?! So much music out there and so little time!!!!!!! Like you said when we were younger we had to find tabs the hard way! Now we have the access but “time is not on our side!” Hey another song you can add to the list! 😉
No punk? Only heavy rock screamy Rock metal? WTF!!!
Who would you like to see? For me punk is fun as hell to play, but not as intricate.
Strung out and Death by Stereo is pretty intricate. Black Flag is good for beginners, Bad Religion is a punk mainstay. NOFX could be fun, some crazy riffs in there.
A Wilhelm Scream would be perfect.
In my opinion there’s still not enough blues. Blues is what made the electric guitar famous and were lacking big time.
Yes to the list and add
50’s music
Bob Marley
Johnny Cash
Great post! Appreciate the love for Huey Lewis, too.
IMHO, the most glaring Rock omissions are Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. And I like the Chuck Berry idea.
Quite a few of the 90s/00s ideas are just chugging on some power chords for 3.5 minutes. As much as I like some of those artists, I can imagine their Rocksmith charts to be pretty boring. Rocksmith already has plenty of representation from radio pop music. If you like these songs, then put some headphones on and chug power chords from Ultimate-guitar.com to the radio.
If the goal of this game is to learn and study playing the guitar then there has to be more representation from the blues and jazz – this is a pretty glaring under-representation. The guitar is synonymous with American Blues music, yet there are only a few tracks from that style. Not a single jazz song (unless you count the Mozart arrangement). One idea for some DLC that wouldn’t require licensing would be to release some tracks that taught some standard Blues/Jazz licks/turnarounds. Those are the kind of things you need to learn and memorize to become truly proficient at the guitar.
I would love a whole pack about solo riffs, and ideas on how to improvise in session mode.
Absolutely agree about jazz and blues. Gary Clark Jr. is easily my favorite track in the entire game.
Josh I posted before I read your contribution. I couldn’t agree more about Jazz and Blues-based music (see above), of course some people have a strong antipathy towards Jazz.
I like your idea of a licks/turnarounds download, some Bachsmith-style arrangements of Jazz standards would be another option. Perhaps songs from Blues-based Jazz artists (Grant Green springs to my mind) would have the likeliest chance of being popular.
Not one funk artist in the list. I am disappoint.
Would definitely love some Parliament/Funkadelic. Some Isley Brothers would be awesome too. Sly & The Family Stone would be great. Heck, Prince would be a great addition. That man could PLAY.
I second this twice. Also HUGE lack of slap bass in the learning program.
More Marvin Gaye and some Stevie Wonder! Help request them!
Oh, Maggot Brain would be EPIC. I’ve been trying to learn that one for a while.
Great list – I would buy everything list here, pre-90’s – lol.
And despite these holes in the play list, there a tons of acts that only have 1 song in game that need their own 3-5 pack….Toto, Hall and Oats, Chicago, Twisted Sister, Motorhead, etc.
Maybe we will get them one day, but I’m getting tired of waiting 🙁
I love your suggestions. One song i would add for Jimmy Eat world is “Sweetness”. It may be easy, but it is a great song.
Agreed! They have a ton of great songs but I tried to not make the dream pack too “Bleed Merica” heavy.
I love the song “Get it Faster.” Cool dual guitar part, even if the rest of the song is kinda tame.