Rock Band gives Wii owners live recordings from The Who; Plus new music from James Brown, Average White Band and Earth, Wind & Fire

Posted on March 17, 2009 by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii

Cambridge, Mass. – March 17, 2009 – Harmonix and MTV Games announced today the addition of 11 tracks to the Rock Band® Music Store catalogue of downloadable content for Wii™ home videogame console from Nintendo, including three live recordings from iconic classic rock band The Who. The lineup also features music from funk artists Average White Band, Earth, Wind & Fire and the legendary Godfather of Soul James Brown, in addition to songs from rock bands Against Me!, The New Pornographers and Papa Roach.
This content update to the Rock Band Wii Music Store delivers the famous live recordings of “My Generation,” “Summertime Blues” and “Young Man Blues” from The Who’s 1970 album Live at Leeds. The tracks come from the back catalogue of Rock Band music already released to owners of Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. Wii fans can expect a rollout of previously released downloadable Rock Band content until the entire back catalogue of more than 590 songs is available.
The Rock Band Music Store for Wii will also add some funk this week including James Brown’s “Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine – Pt 1.” first released in 1970 as part one of a two-part single, “Shining Star” featured on Earth, Wind & Fire’s 1975 album That’s the Way of the World and Average White Band’s title track “Pick Up the Pieces” from their 1974 album.
More punk comes to the Wii with “Thrash Unreal” from Against Me! featured on the band’s 2007 album New Wave. Indie rockers The New Pornographers also come to the Wii Rock Band Music Store with “All the Things That Go to Make Heaven and Earth” from the band’s 2007 album Challengers and “Use It” featured on Twin Cinema (2005). Alternative rockers Papa Roach round out this week’s lineup for Wii adding two tracks “Last Resort” from Infest (2000) and new single “Lifeline,” which is featured on their upcoming album Metamorphosis (March 24, 2009).
As previously announced, the aforementioned tracks from James Brown, Earth, Wind & Fire, Average White Band, Against Me!, The New Pornographers and Papa Roach will also be available to Rock Band owners of Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 system this week.
Release Date: Tuesday, March 17, 2009
** Dates for Rock Band game tracks are tentative and subject to change **
Tracks: Average White Band “Pick Up the Pieces”
Earth Wind & Fire “Shining Star”
James Brown “Get Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine – Pt 1”
Against Me! “Thrash Unreal”
The New Pornographers “All the Things That Go to Make Heaven and Earth”
The New Pornographers “Use It”
Papa Roach “Last Resort”
Papa Roach “Lifeline”
The Who “My Generation (LIVE)”
The Who “Summertime Blues (LIVE)”
The Who “Young Man Blues (LIVE)”
(All tracks are original master recordings)
Price: $2.00 (200 Wii Points) per track
Location: In-game Rock Band 2 Music Store (Wii Points must be purchased
through the Wii™ Shop Channel)
** Dates for Rock Band game tracks are tentative and subject to change **
Rock Band 2 is available now for Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3 and PlayStation®2 systems and the Wii system. The Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3 system and Wii versions support downloadable content.
Downloadable content for Wii is purchased via the in-game Rock Band Music Store using Wii Points purchased through the Wii Shop Channel and can be downloaded to the hard drive of the Wii or to an SD card for additional storage. The tracks stream directly from the SD card for seamless play.
To view a complete list of the more than 590 tracks available in the Rock Band music back catalog please visit www.rockband.com/music. With the addition of these tracks there are now 73 tracks in the Wii Rock Band Music Store.
Rock Band continues to satisfy music fans’ and gamers’ voracious appetite for rock with more than 36 million paid downloads since its launch on November 20, 2007. The Rock Band Music Store allows players to preview and purchase downloadable individual music tracks and packs from the vast selection of offerings available to date without ever leaving the game as they build their own custom Rock Band library.
Rock Band and Rock Band 2 are rated “T” for Teen (lyrics, suggestive themes) by the ESRB.
For more information on Rock Band 2 and Harmonix Music Systems please visit www.rockband.com and www.harmonixmusic.com