Three classic slices of hard rock await you in our latest DLC package, all vintage 1970-71. In fact, your humble writer sincerely believes that Deep Purple’s “Space Truckin’” is one of the finest tracks of heavy rock ever recorded: Bone-crunching riff? Check. Killer drum solo? Check. Piercing screams? Check and then some (gotta love those high-pitched “Yeah, yeah yeahs” at the end). Throw in a few silly outerspace puns (“We danced around with Borealice.”) and you’ve got a song that helped get many of us through adolescence.
Up next is a song we’re sure you’ve heard, though you may not know by name: “Funk #49” is the greatest hit by the James Gang, the band singer/guitarist Joe Walsh fronted before he joined the Eagles. Funky it is, with a drum part that takes some work to nail; plus killer ticked-off lyrics and a guitar riff you can’t forget. Does it sound like the Eagles, you’re wondering? Not a bit, though Walsh still does play the song with that band.
Wrapping up the '70s package is Jethro Tull’s slam at organized religion, “Hymn 43.” This was originally the one and only single from the Aqualung album, though it wound up less famous than other tracks on that disc. Tull guitarist Martin Barre steps out here with a nifty riff that sets up the song’s stop-start arrangement; and there’s a little taste of Ian Anderson’s trademark flute at the very end.
Proving that we love modern music as well, this week we also roll out “Take Back the City,” the latest in a string of epics by the Scotland-based Snow Patrol. If your tastes run more to soaring anthems with chiming guitars and earnest vocals, this one will get your blood pumping.
“I Want My, I Want My DLC!”
The songs in Rock Band are only the beginning. Each week we’ll be rolling out more downloadable songs, essential tracks (and sometimes whole albums) from every era of rock history. Check the Rock Band website to find out what’s new.
Tracks will usually sell for $1.99 each; with three-pack specials costing $5.49. (On the Xbox 360, that’s 160 Microsoft Points per track and 440 per three-pack). Occasional special or discounted tracks may cost a dollar more or less.
Downloadable content for the Xbox 360 is available through the XBOX LIVE marketplace. Downloads for the PLAYSTATION 3 version of Rock Band are available through the PLAYSTATION Network Store. In each case, the songs are downloaded onto your hard drive.
If you’re playing solo, you can start rocking right away. For head-to-head or multi-player online, all players will need to download the song.
