Hello there!
I’d like to introduce to TheRiffRepeater something called legacy DLC reviews. You may be wondering what a legacy DLC review is. Well, it’s essentially me reviewing old Rocksmith DLC every other week. This week we’re going to look at Rock Hits 1.
Song: Bodysnatchers – XBL / Steam
Artist: Radiohead
Arrangements: Single, Combo, Bass (Fingered)
Tuning: Drop D, E Standard Bass
The single note arrangement on this song is pretty fun. It’s pretty active throughout, save for a brief bit in the middle where it’s mostly just sustained notes and slides. That bit serves as a nice little break where you can rest before the incredibly tricky outro. The main riff is played mostly on the A string, and will have you going between the 9th and 14th frets. The single note arrangement is pretty simple to play, but it’s incredibly difficult to master
I actually found the combo arrangement on this song to be a bit annoying. When fully leveled, the main riff is quite similar to the single note arrangement, except for the fact that it turns most of the notes on the A and D strings in to chords by adding in the E string (yes, I know it’s played in Drop D). I don’t know why, but it makes the riff annoying to play. The rest of the song was largely similar to the single note version.
The bass arrangement is probably the best one of the three. It’s not hard, but it’s still quite fun. The main riff is mostly situated on the A string and features a back and forth between the 5th and 3rd frets. You’ll then move over to around the 12th fret for the chorus. That section features a lot of movement on the D string. Your fretting hand will move a fair amount on the bass arrangement, and it’s really fun to do.
Song: Free Bird – XBL / Steam
Artist: Lynyrd Skynyrd
Arrangements: Combo, Chord, Bass (Fingered)
Tuning: E Standard
First off, I want to say that the tone for the combo arrangement is AWFUL during the acoustic sections. It’s not so bad when the song gets electric, but for the first 5 minutes or so, it’s really bad. The actual playing isn’t too bad. The combo arrangement is very chordy during the acoustic sections, so your enjoyment will largely depend on how much you enjoy chords. The solo, which takes up the last 5 minutes of the song, is very difficult. Mostly taking place on the high frets, it’s an incredibly fast paced song that will challenge the limits of your skill. I strongly recommend it if you’re a skilled player.
The chord arrangement was actually kind of boring. The acoustic part at the beginning wasn’t too bad to play, but when the combo arrangement is playing the solo, you’re just playing slowly played G, Bb & C chords repeated for 5 minutes. There’s no real challenge to it and it can get really boring, really fast.
Bass was pretty enjoyable. During the acoustic part of the song the bass isn’t too active, but this is all made up for during the fast part at the end. There, the bass is still somewhat simple, but it’s incredibly active. You’ll go all over your strings and your fretboard, but you’ll still be able to play it well. All in all, it’s a pretty decent part.
Song: Tighten Up – XBL / Steam
Artist: The Black Keys
Arrangements: Combo 1, Combo 2, Bass
Tuning: E Standard
Combo 1 is pretty much all chords. I personally didn’t enjoy playing it all that much, but if you’re looking for a song filled with simple chords that don’t come at you too fast, then you’d probably enjoy this one.
Combo 2 is by far the more fun arrangement. The main riff is mostly on the 2nd fret of the E and A strings, with open strums thrown in to the mix as well. The chorus part is mostly played on the B string around the 7th fret. The only time things really change up is the bridge, where it becomes almost entirely chords. The arrangement was surprisingly fun to play, and I recommend it.
The bass wasn’t anything special. It’s pretty fun to play during the chorus and bridge sections, but the bulk of the song is rather spaced out and boring. If you’re looking for an easy song to master then pick this up, but otherwise you can skip this bass part.
Pick of the pack: Bodysnatchers
Oh for fuck sake, Maroon 5, come on!
Sorry need to vent my anger-ish
some songs i meant to say
about the beginning of free bird, they need to release a stomp box that lets you cycle through the tones that you have mapped to your controller. they pick a single tone for an entire song and songs seem flawed because of it.
I agree 100% with this sentiment. I've thought of picking up a DDR pad, just so I could change tones easily.
I disagree (if I read it correctly) with your Bodysnatchers Open D string inclusion view. I think it sounds fantastic and gives the whole song powerful boom outside of the chordy middle bit.
However, it's a fantastic song that all should own if just for the single note.
I'd liked so much this review. Great job. Thanks.