Too many white guys

[mujeresliebres]

Nothing against most of the songs already on Rock Band. I like Black Sabbath and the Clash as much as the next person. But what's up with the white boy rock? There aren't enough persons of color or female vocalists.

Jimi Hendrix (it's a crime he's not on there)
Prince
Sly and the Family Stone
Santana
Living Colour
Fishbone
Richie Valens
Chuck Berry
Little Richard
James Brown
Lionel Richie
Bad Brains
Rick James
Curtis Mayfield
Suicidal Tendencies
and just cause I like him Chubby Checker
any number of old R&B and Funk groups
Tina and Ike Turner - Proud Mary!!!

Blondie
Riot Grrl - e.g. Bikini Kill, Bratmobile
Joan Jett
The Breeders
Pat Benatar
Fleetwood Mac
L7!!!!
Babes in Toyland
The Gits
The Pretenders
The Bangles
The Go-Gos (esp We got the Beat)
Janis Joplin
Eurythmics
Sonic Youth
early B-52s
10,000 Maniacs
No Doubt
Tina Turner (repeat just saying)
Aretha Franklin..maybe not rock enough

I could keep going. I have to say when my friends come over we're a mix of guys and gals. And us girls like singing girl parts sometimes :). Garbage, Hole, the Runaways, and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are great but its not enough. And its just a travesty about the lack of non-white bands. Anarchy Club has Keith Smith in it, but is there anyone else?

[bklynpnk]

I completely agree. I posted a list of 6 or so female vocalists I would like to see. It shocks me to no end that people can actually not like something becausae it's coming from a female. I would by almost any of what you listed. Most of the artists are classics....and there is a reason for that term. Not only did they pave the way but they influenced 99% of the bands people list on these forums; half of which won't matter at all to the history and influences of rock n roll. I definately believe in showing respect to the elders.

[Draven227]

I would love to sing some James Brown.
And some Resistant Culture
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=3482628
Its a NDN band.

[mujeresliebres]

I completely agree. I posted a list of 6 or so female vocalists I would like to see. It shocks me to no end that people can actually not like something becausae it's coming from a female. I would by almost any of what you listed. Most of the artists are classics....and there is a reason for that term. Not only did they pave the way but they influenced 99% of the bands people list on these forums; half of which won't matter at all to the history and influences of rock n roll. I definately believe in showing respect to the elders.

I saw your post too. I totally agree. I just thought I needed to put a shout out to Latino and Black artists as well. :) I'm not really aware of many Asian / Asian descended groups, specifically ones that sing in English. Someone should suggest some.

[mujeresliebres]

And some Resistant Culture
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=3482628
Its a NDN band.

Ah good point.

[bklynpnk]

I saw your post too. I totally agree. I just thought I needed to put a shout out to Latino and Black artists as well. :) I'm not really aware of many Asian / Asian descended groups, specifically ones that sing in English. Someone should suggest some.

Hi-Standard: japanese punk band

[Draven227]

If you want Asian and women. Throw some Jade Sweetbox in there

[Highlandlassie]

Because the bands you listed are in a huge minority compared with the vast majority of rock and roll that is performed by, guess who, white males.

I find it hard to sing a song with a female vocalist, sorry, it just dont work very well.

With the target demographic being white males 16-35,(or thereabouts), this is the kind of music aimed at those folks.

I fall outside that at age 46, but the point is, that those are the majority of the players that this game was designed for.

It has nothing to do with race, sex, or color, just who the game designers felt would have the most interest in a game about rock and roll.

[Xzyliac]

As a black rocker I have to say I chuckled upon reading this.

Shame Cult of Personality isn't in there among many others.

[GibsonLP33stl]

I second the Chuck Berry request - he has a lot of really up beat songs that would be fun. Nothing really complicated but would be fun to sing Johnny B. Goode or No Particular Place to go...i guess the drums would get kinda boring though...

[mujeresliebres]

Because the bands you listed are in a huge minority compared with the vast majority of rock and roll that is performed by, guess who, white males.

I find it hard to sing a song with a female vocalist, sorry, it just dont work very well.

With the target demographic being white males 16-35,(or thereabouts), this is the kind of music aimed at those folks.

I fall outside that at age 46, but the point is, that those are the majority of the players that this game was designed for.

What is it with this mentality? What does it matter "who the game is designed for?" Having a wider variety of songs only broadens the base. Meaning they will make more money. Plus if you and your friends don't want to sing the songs - don't download them.

You're right James Brown and Blondie are obscure non-influential artists.

[bklynpnk]

Because the bands you listed are in a huge minority compared with the vast majority of rock and roll that is performed by, guess who, white males.

I find it hard to sing a song with a female vocalist, sorry, it just dont work very well.

With the target demographic being white males 16-35,(or thereabouts), this is the kind of music aimed at those folks.

I fall outside that at age 46, but the point is, that those are the majority of the players that this game was designed for.

Singing female vocals require you to drop down an octave. It is really easy to do and most women need to do the same, only take it up an octave, to sing all but the 8 female songs in the game. I would rather HMX allow the 16-35 demographic to broaden its mind by adding more variety in its vocalists, rather than trying to narrow mine. They are the ones who decided to make a game with a singing option, now let's actually make it interesting.

[Dormammu]

James Brown, or other funk, would be interesting. The guitar parts would be comparitively easier than the harder songs (although rhythmically challenging), but the bass parts would be much more active and fun to play.

[mujeresliebres]

Hi-Standard: japanese punk band

Personally I want Guitar Wolf, but that will never happen. :)

[ColPeck3r]

Mostly agreed...Rick James...meh. But Jimi, Mayfield, Prince etc...absolutely. Regardless of color :D

[toad3000]

I saw your post too. I totally agree. I just thought I needed to put a shout out to Latino and Black artists as well. :) I'm not really aware of many Asian / Asian descended groups, specifically ones that sing in English. Someone should suggest some.

Hey, come on, Claudio from Coheed is Latino. And James Iha from Smashing Pumpkins is Asian. Aside from that...there IS a preponderance of white boy rock in this game. We can improve the diversity of the game AND get one of my fixes in the game by adding some Thrice. Teppei is Asian. :p

[mujeresliebres]

Hey, come on, Claudio from Coheed is Latino. And James Iha from Smashing Pumpkins is Asian. Aside from that...there IS a preponderance of white boy rock in this game. We can improve the diversity of the game AND get one of my fixes in the game by adding some Thrice. Teppei is Asian. :p

Give me a break here :). That brings my unofficial count up to 3 band members in the entire game.

[BhindBluEyes430]

Don't forget old blues that would make a great addition to the game like John Lee Hooker, Albert King, Buddy Guy, B.B. King

but i personaly never liked female lead rock bands for R&B they are great but not rock. Aretha franklin is an amazing soul singer but you could never put her next to the who or the sex pistols

[Grave461]

I wouldn't mind seeing some Bad Brains in RB.

[toad3000]

Give me a break here :). That brings my unofficial count up to 3 band members in the entire game.

I could've also picked on you for saying We Got The Beat was a Bangles song....but that would've been cruel. :D I'd say we could have Hazy Shade of Winter as made famous by the Bangles, or We Got the Beat by the Go-Gos. Actually, almost any Go-Gos song would be good, they have a nice, accessible early grrl-punk thing going on

[mujeresliebres]

I could've also picked on you for saying We Got The Beat was a Bangles song....but that would've been cruel. :D I'd say we could have Hazy Shade of Winter as made famous by the Bangles, or We Got the Beat by the Go-Gos. Actually, almost any Go-Gos song would be good, they have a nice, accessible early grrl-punk thing going on

Blame my roommate for that one, we spent 10 minutes brainstorming. Damn him! I'll fix it in the main post :).

[Highlandlassie]

What is it with this mentality? What does it matter "who the game is designed for?" Having a wider variety of songs only broadens the base. Meaning they will make more money. Plus if you and your friends don't want to sing the songs - don't download them.

You're right James Brown and Blondie are obscure non-influential artists.


Hey you are getting me wrong here, I don't have a problem with what you are suggesting, I was simply answering your question as to why there are not more bands like you had listed.

And as far as DLC, I just download it and hope that it is good, a lot of it I had no idea what it was, but I want to support the steady stream of new songs.

The way to do that is with money.

[Blue88]

The fact that electric Eel shock has not been mentioned in 3 pages worth of posts is really sad.:(

[Elnino]

This game needs Living Colour:

Cult Of Personality
Glamour Boys
Open Letter to a Landlord
Type
Love Rears It's Ugly Head

Just a few Living Colour songs I want in the game.

[pulseMOD]

The fact that electric Eel shock has not been mentioned in 3 pages worth of posts is really sad.:(

i think EES would be fun for the instruments but i think the singing would be a bit screwy.. maybe? i'm japanese and i'm all for bands with some asian influence, i'm just sure there could be something better vocally.. B'z would be awesome if they had more songs in english (i've only heard one but it was a slower song)

[Bryan Atomic]

What exactly does race have to do with the music in the game? Cant just like a song anymore, it has to be a song by a BLACK artist or FEMALE artist or whatever. Music isnt just music apparently, it has to have some racial or cultural stigma with it.

Ugh.

[mujeresliebres]

Hey you are getting me wrong here, I don't have a problem with what you are suggesting, I was simply answering your question as to why there are not more bands like you had listed.

And as far as DLC, I just download it and hope that it is good, a lot of it I had no idea what it was, but I want to support the steady stream of new songs.

The way to do that is with money.

The vast majority of Rock bands (and I include Funk, Punk, and various derivatives) are not white guys. Maybe a slim majority in general (and especially what gets mainstream airplay). But classic funk is going to be largely black. Punk rock in performed all over the world. Maybe with death metal you could successfully argue that yes the majority of the performers are white guys. But white guys overall are not the vast majority. Rock Band however hasn't included any funk or R&B, genres where black artists are heavily represented.

And maybe you find it difficult to sing the female led songs - then don't sing them. I don't sing War Pigs because I have to go back and forth between the octaves (Ozzie has a weird range). But in general shifting an octave isn't difficult, so you should be able to sing female songs.

Finally, Rock Band (Singstar, Guitar Hero etc) are such popular games because women play them. Some male gamers need to realize that women account for a huge number of players. And I think the industry is in general aware of this since "the band' they're using in their commercials has a woman and a black guy (shocking!) in it.

I'm not sure what you mean by "the way to do that is with money." Since this is all about getting new songs out there to buy.

[mujeresliebres]

What exactly does race have to do with the music in the game? Cant just like a song anymore, it has to be a song by a BLACK artist or FEMALE artist or whatever. Music isnt just music apparently, it has to have some racial or cultural stigma with it.

Ugh.

I'm actually saying that while I enjoy the music in the game, entire genres are being ignored as well as some amazing artists who are people of color and/or women. And that is tragic. I don't like James Brown or Jimi Hendrix because they're black. I love their music. And I don't like Joan Jett because she's a woman. I want Joan Jett included so that there will be more female vocal tracks AND because she's an amazing artist.

Oh and including some funk music would totally make the bass parts more interesting.

[Requiem]

The idea of "too many white guys... needs diversity" is too "Affirmative Action" for my tastes.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE most of the artists mentioned in here, I just hate the idea of adding something just for diversity. The best songs should get in, regardless of race/sex/whatever.

That being said, why there ISN'T any Heart, Chuck Berry, or Living Colour in this game... who knows... really should have been simply because those are incredible in and of themselves.

[GrayInvisible]

Jefferson Airplane, Heart, Blondie, and Siouxsie and the Banshees are the only female led rock bands I like. I can't tolerate a lot of bands on the female list. You even included some of the obnoxious "omg we r grls that r doin rock omg!!!" Aka Riot Grill or whatever it's called, along with some of the worst new wave bands (which would piss me off because I love new wave, and crappy new wave is just a punch in the face to me seeing as it is always underrepresented in hmx games).

We should include bands because they are good, not because they have female singing. Eurythmics and Pat Benatar are decent from what I've heard. I hate Riot Grill though.

The black list was good. I'd love some Living Colour, or Jimi Hendrix though. I don't think it matters what color the band happens to be though.

[EasyTarget82]

Ok I understand where you are coming from by wanting more racial and gender diversity. My problem with alot of the artists you named is that you are picking them just because of their color or sex. Now dont get me wrong I like alot of the artists you named and some of them would fit into the Rock genre but most dont. I wont say this is as ridiculous as the "I want rap in Rock Band" threads but you get my drift. I'm all for broadening the Rock genre to include some of the classic artists that could work in the game but dont quite fit into the stereotype of "white boy rock" that seem to overwhelm the game.

[IbanezBassist_v2]

Sevendust would be good.

[DesiredFX]

I know I'm gonna get shredded for this--and possibly called "racist"--but I really believe the content should be chosen entirely on how fun it is to play in the game.

Period.

I agree the game could use more diversity, but I don't want to see any song just crammed into the game for quota purposes.

[Bryan Atomic]

I'm actually saying that while I enjoy the music in the game, entire genres are being ignored as well as some amazing artists who are people of color and/or women. And that is tragic. I don't like James Brown or Jimi Hendrix because they're black. I love their music. And I don't like Joan Jett because she's a woman. I want Joan Jett included so that there will be more female vocal tracks AND because she's an amazing artist.

Oh and including some funk music would totally make the bass parts more interesting.

And to quote the all to often used expression, this is rock band, not funk band. Honestly I would like to see sevendust included in the set lists simply because they are good, not because the lead is black.

I agree with another poster, including bands just because of color or sex is far to PC for my tastes also. Just request bands because you think they are good, not because you know they are black or female.

I believe it was doctor king that himself said judge men not by the color of their skin, but the content of charecter. Stop seeing the color and start hearing the music.

[mujeresliebres]

And to quote the all to often used expression, this is rock band, not funk band. Honestly I would like to see sevendust included in the set lists simply because they are good, not because the lead is black.

I agree with another poster, including bands just because of color or sex is far to PC for my tastes also. Just request bands because you think they are good, not because you know they are black or female.

I believe it was doctor king that himself said judge men not by the color of their skin, but the content of charecter. Stop seeing the color and start hearing the music.

So metal, punk, and goth as well as new wave indie stuff but not funk? Regardless this was more of a critique of a lack of inclusion of artists possibly because the designers took too narrow a view as to who is actually going to play their game. Check out this thread here - its essentially about including another genre or different artists in order to appeal to more families.
http://community.rockband.com/vbforum/showthread.php?t=15932

Seriously how can we have no Motown?

Oh and Dr. King also said, "The white liberal must affirm that absolute justice for the Negro simply means, in the Aristotelian sense, that the Negro must have "his due." There is nothing abstract about this. It is concrete as having a good job, a good education, a decent house and a share of power. It is, however, important to understand that giving a man his due may often mean giving him special treatment. I am aware of the fact that this has been a troublesome concept for many liberals, since it conflicts with their traditional ideal of equal opportunity and equal treatment of people according to their individual merits. But this is a day which demands new thinking and the re-evaluation of old concepts. A society that has done something special against the Negro for hundreds of years must now do something special for him, in order to equip him to compete on a just and equal basis."

Not that including black musicians and female artists is really going to create social change. But that's all I'm gonna say about that.

[hodayathink]

So metal, punk, and goth as well as new wave indie stuff but not funk? Regardless this was more of a critique of a lack of inclusion of artists possibly because the designers took too narrow a view as to who is actually going to play their game. Check out this thread here - its essentially about including another genre or different artists in order to appeal to more families.
http://community.rockband.com/vbforum/showthread.php?t=15932

Seriously how can we have no MoTown?

Oh and Dr. King also said, "The white liberal must affirm that absolute justice for the Negro simply means, in the Aristotelian sense, that the Negro must have "his due." There is nothing abstract about this. It is concrete as having a good job, a good education, a decent house and a share of power. It is, however, important to understand that giving a man his due may often mean giving him special treatment. I am aware of the fact that this has been a troublesome concept for many liberals, since it conflicts with their traditional ideal of equal opportunity and equal treatment of people according to their individual merits. But this is a day which demands new thinking and the re-evaluation of old concepts. A society that has done something special against the Negro for hundreds of years must now do something special for him, in order to equip him to compete on a just and equal basis."

Not that including black musicians and female artists is really going to create social change. But that's all I'm gonna say about that.

I definitely hear what you're saying and I agree with you. But the problem is that people are going to read it and say to themselves 'he/she just wants minority musicians for the sake of having them, not because they're any good', which couldn't be farther from the truth. We want artist like Hendrix, James Brown, Prince, Blondie, etc. first and foremost because they're good. But we also want them because they would increase the diversity of music selection in the game, which would also be a great thing.

Even though, in a perfect world, I actually agree with the people that say that they should just continually patch the game and release new DLC instead of making a new version, I would love to see the next iteration be more open as far as musical genres are concerned. There are a lot of other genres of music besides rock that can be done with the instruments given.

[Draven227]

It doesn't matter to me really what songs make it into DLC. But what I don't want to see is more L.P. Fall out Boy and any other of those types of groups. There are several times when I log in to play I end up leaving and searching again due to the amount that these songs are played. I hate singing them.

[mujeresliebres]

I definitely hear what you're saying and I agree with you. But the problem is that people are going to read it and say to themselves 'he/she just wants minority musicians for the sake of having them, not because they're any good', which couldn't be farther from the truth. We want artist like Hendrix, James Brown, Prince, Blondie, etc. first and foremost because they're good. But we also want them because they would increase the diversity of music selection in the game, which would also be a great thing.


Exactly, my subject line was a bit tongue and cheek. I wasn't expecting the response of this is affirmative action. However, I do want more female vocalists because there are only 8 (according to bklynpnk) songs, and I really like sounding like the person who actually sings the song. And seriously the Outlaws and Molly Hatchet (not that they are bad) but no Motown?

[Hooligan]

Everyone has made some good points in this thread. whether you are for it or against it, I see what everyone is saying. Good reading material folks:)

I am one mixed with many races, not gonna bother naming what I am, but I am very multi-racial lol. I live in a very diverse area, and I listen to just about any type of music. So I obviously agree it would be cool to see more songs with some more diversity. But I also agree that it shouldnt be a reason to fit dirverse music into RB. If a song sounds good, and has a bass, guitar, drum and vocals that are fun to play....then make it for RB. Not because of who or what the band is, but because it will be fun to play on any instrument.

I must say though, I could benefit alot from a diverse play list, because loads of people come to my house and we normally load up Rock Band. Now even some of my friends that only listen to rap enjoy playing thse rocks songs, but there always a couple that don't wanna join in. Same goes for the girls that come over. They got a few songs tey could sing, but otherwise once in a while they will like to play guitar, but mostly nothing at all and just watch. I would appreciate a wider variety very much, but nothing wrong with what we got. Keep em coming Harmonix:cool:

[DesiredFX]

Exactly, my subject line was a bit tongue and cheek. I wasn't expecting the response of this is affirmative action. However, I do want more female vocalists because there are only 8 (according to bklynpnk) songs, and I really like sounding like the person who actually sings the song. And seriously the Outlaws and Molly Hatchet (not that they are bad) but no Motown?

You can argue that the Outlaws, Molly Hatchet, and Mountain all fit because they are a part of a rock sub-genre.

Motown isn't. At one end, Motown is pop, and at the other, it's R&B.

As it stands, RB spread itself pretty thin in a few areas that have been the primary attraction of the guitar-game genre--notably Metal--in order to make sure more rock genres were represented.

For example, why did it take until Rock Band's release to get an REM and a Radiohead song in a guitar-oriented game? There are certainly plenty of popular songs from both bands that would qualify under the Guitar Hero banner.

It took as long as it did to pull in some alternative bands simply because Rock band has thus far expanded maybe one or two rings out from the original bulls-eye of "rockin' guitar songs."

As a result, I've seen input from a TON of Metal fans saying the RB setlist sucks. Me, I think it's the best setlist I've seen in one of these games, precisely because it includes the likes of REM and Radiohead.

In marketing the game, Harmonix has to look for a balance that won't alienate the game's fan base, so making a drastic expansion into areas that are well outside of what the game already has would be too big a risk at present.

[Rotten Possum]

Singing female vocals require you to drop down an octave. It is really easy to do and most women need to do the same, only take it up an octave, to sing all but the 8 female songs in the game. I would rather HMX allow the 16-35 demographic to broaden its mind by adding more variety in its vocalists, rather than trying to narrow mine. They are the ones who decided to make a game with a singing option, now let's actually make it interesting.

Most 16-19 year olds (I'm including fraternity boys with equal maturity level in to that demographic) won't even try to broaden his or her horizons for free. Let alone $1.99 a song.

[bklynpnk]

Most 16-19 year olds (I'm including fraternity boys with equal maturity level in to that demographic) won't even try to broaden his or her horizons for free. Let alone $1.99 a song.

That is 4 ages out of a large demographic there. And either way, I think that is an inaccurate statement. I think that is when they are more likely to experience and accept new music. It is later in life that you become more set in your music choices and exclude things, only listening to what you used to. You see a lot more high schoolers willing to listen to and accept the older bands, while listening to new ones.

And seriously....the affirmative action BS is absurd. I want good artists that are fun to play....and they aren't all white and male. Any artist that is in this thread that you consider crappy and "just adding them to add a minority" is no different than someone suggesting a crappy white male artist, something that is constantly plastered all over these forums.

[Rotten Possum]

That is 4 ages out of a large demographic there. And either way, I think that is an inaccurate statement. I think that is when they are more likely to experience and accept new music. It is later in life that you become more set in your music choices and exclude things, only listening to what you used to. You see a lot more high schoolers willing to listen to and accept the older bands, while listening to new ones.


But that's the age group with mommy's credit card, before having to pay for things like college, food, beer, and so on.

When I was at my friends last night and his little brother had his friends over ranging from that age they wanted to play 'Sabotage' and 'In Bloom' over and over and over and nothing else. There were over 12 of them. My roommate two years ago, he was a bro, I played the Beatles in my room and said it was the ****tiest thing ever. Same with the Rolling Stones. Same with Radiohead. Same with The Clash. And that he would punch me if I ever played it again. That sounds very open minded to me. Maybe its our geography, because Atlanta is one of the most close minded places I've ever been.

If you may remember maybe two days ago a few threads saying no more old stuff... that sounds pretty close minded to me.

[bklynpnk]

But that's the age group with mommy's credit card, before having to pay for things like college, food, beer, and so on.

When I was at my friends last night and his little brother had his friends over ranging from that age they wanted to play 'Sabotage' and 'In Bloom' over and over and over and nothing else. There were over 12 of them. My roommate two years ago, he was a bro, I played the Beatles in my room and said it was the ****tiest thing ever. Same with the Rolling Stones. Same with Radiohead. Same with The Clash. And that he would punch me if I ever played it again. That sounds very open minded to me. Maybe its our geography, because Atlanta is one of the most close minded places I've ever been.

If you may remember maybe two days ago a few threads saying no more old stuff... that sounds pretty close minded to me.

Must be the location, because I can't keep my nephew and his friends out of my older CD collection; Stones, Zepplin, Airplane, even the 90s stuff like Nirvana, Soundgarden. They are 17-18. They listen to all that and newer bands that I cannot get into.

And there will always be posts like that. And if I remember the post correctly, every response was HAHA youre an idiot...not in those exact words of course..

[DesiredFX]

It is later in life that you become more set in your music choices and exclude things, only listening to what you used to. You see a lot more high schoolers willing to listen to and accept the older bands, while listening to new ones.

As an older listener, I disagree with this characterization: I'm very willing to give newer music a try, but I'm also a lot more discerning than I used to be...it won't take me as long to dismiss it as not being up to snuff as it would have when I was younger.

I was extremely open to listening to many, many new things in college, and within a few years of college, I realized that a ton of what I'd been listening to wasn't worth listening to and that I'd picked it up in the name of looking for something new.

I still listen to a number of bands that I started listening to in college, but most of it's been cast aside as inferior to the music that preceded it. And if today's bands want to get my attention, they'd better work on releasing something that isn't an over-produced rehash of what's gone before.

[Bishop]

I would like to see Muddy Waters, Prince, and Hendrix on this game. All are inovators have some great rock songs in there catalog.

[TrunkMonkey]

You have got to be kidding that is the most rediculous post I have ever seen.

[RavagerX]

I feel that many, many of the classics would sell well on dlc, regardless of race. Me personally, I don't even bother to look up the artists, etc except to find out if I like their other music.

I don't know which band has what singer, or whatever. I don't care. Why worry about that?

But it would be nice to have more songs that...give an example of what rock and roll first sounded like, songs that drift off from rock and roll, but not far...

And I agree with most ppl, there should be more female vocal songs. I have female friends that like to sing, and upon seeing the setlist, they aren't so enthusiastic about it.

[Bryan Atomic]

So metal, punk, and goth as well as new wave indie stuff but not funk? Regardless this was more of a critique of a lack of inclusion of artists possibly because the designers took too narrow a view as to who is actually going to play their game. Check out this thread here - its essentially about including another genre or different artists in order to appeal to more families.
http://community.rockband.com/vbforum/showthread.php?t=15932

Seriously how can we have no Motown?

Oh and Dr. King also said, "The white liberal must affirm that absolute justice for the Negro simply means, in the Aristotelian sense, that the Negro must have "his due." There is nothing abstract about this. It is concrete as having a good job, a good education, a decent house and a share of power. It is, however, important to understand that giving a man his due may often mean giving him special treatment. I am aware of the fact that this has been a troublesome concept for many liberals, since it conflicts with their traditional ideal of equal opportunity and equal treatment of people according to their individual merits. But this is a day which demands new thinking and the re-evaluation of old concepts. A society that has done something special against the Negro for hundreds of years must now do something special for him, in order to equip him to compete on a just and equal basis."

Not that including black musicians and female artists is really going to create social change. But that's all I'm gonna say about that.


Motown is a mix of R&B and pop, it has nothign to do with rock what so ever. metal, southern rock, alternative, and the likes all spawn from the Rock family and thrus fit. Your request makes no sense do to this, and this is why I say this is rock band, not funk band.

The above quote has zero to do with rock band, and video games. And also dumb taglines like "to many white guys" it apperent the request isnt about good music, but just affermative action style demands.

[mujeresliebres]

Motown is a mix of R&B and pop, it has nothign to do with rock what so ever. metal, southern rock, alternative, and the likes all spawn from the Rock family and thrus fit. Your request makes no sense do to this, and this is why I say this is rock band, not funk band.

The above quote has zero to do with rock band, and video games. And also dumb taglines like "to many white guys" it apperent the request isnt about good music, but just affermative action style demands.

1. You quoted MLK first. And badly I might add. I only said anything about him because you took a historically inaccurate view of his work by taking one line of his out of context. Clearly indicating that you have (a) never actual read any of his work (except perhaps part of "I have Dream") and (b) are ignorant of his politics in general.

2. You have made this about affirmative action not me. I want a game that is more diverse yes. But it hardly about giving Black or Female or Latino artists a leg up. By and large the bands I have mentioned are already incredibly successful for their respective genres. This is about making a game that actual appeals to a broader base of consumers so more people can have fun while playing it. Meaning that HMX will make more money because more people are willing to play.

Seriously do you never play with girls? Trust me they want to sing female vocal tracks. Sure its about matching pitch to succeed in the game, but if you really enjoy the game you want to "sound like" the performer who sings the song. I can "match pitch" in War Pigs but it isn't particularly fun because I sound nothing like Ozzie and I have to switch octaves several times to match his weird range. For that matter people like playing the songs they're familiar with, and I have friends that don't want to play because they don't know Metallica or Iron Maiden. But they would play if there was Santana, James Brown, or Tina Turner.

3. You've also taking an incredibly narrow view of what a "Rock Band" can be or was ever considered to be. Funk can trace its influence to classic rock. Motown was foundational for a ton of even today's music. If you're going to have The Pixies, then The Breeders are just as legitimate. If you're going to have Say It Ain't So, then no was has the audacity to say that R&B or Funk will get boring for the instruments at all levels. All the bands I have listed are great music. If you haven't heard of them, its your loss.

This is about being more diverse AND having great music. The two are not mutually exclusive conditions.

http://www.rockhall.com/inductees/inductee-list/ Sure looks to me like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has inducted Motown performers.

[McNasty18]

Motown is a mix of R&B and pop, it has nothign to do with rock what so ever. metal, southern rock, alternative, and the likes all spawn from the Rock family and thrus fit. Your request makes no sense do to this, and this is why I say this is rock band, not funk band.

The above quote has zero to do with rock band, and video games. And also dumb taglines like "to many white guys" it apperent the request isnt about good music, but just affermative action style demands.


wow...so according to this post Incubus' "Summer Romance" could not be on the game its 2 funky ok..... :confused:
i guess they are not a band...

[SenRaq]

With the target demographic being white males 16-35,(or thereabouts), this is the kind of music aimed at those folks.

It has nothing to do with race, sex, or color, just who the game designers felt would have the most interest in a game about rock and roll.

Sounds like a contradiction to me.

Who said the target demographic was white males ages 16-35. I think you are playing the wrong game. Not even Jeff from Tarzana would say something so ignorant.

Tell you what, why don't you create your white males 16-35 game, and leave RockBand for the Rockers.

Know your rights to RRROOOCCCKKK!!!

[BearFan51]

Well I think the Half Latin-homozexual-dog loving-color green hating-obsessive/compulsive-music hating-cook book collecting demographic is tragically under represented in this game, and I'm fighting mad about it!
BOYCOTT!:rolleyes:

Why does HMX show their HATE for these people by including music for DLC?

What's wrong with just requesting music? Why does it have to be associated with race? Some people just have to stir s**t up.

I really hope this turd of a thread gets locked

[Bryan Atomic]

wow...so according to this post Incubus' "Summer Romance" could not be on the game its 2 funky ok..... :confused:
i guess they are not a band...

No, it shouldnt be a DLC because incubus sucks.

[Bryan Atomic]

1. You quoted MLK first. And badly I might add. I only said anything about him because you took a historically inaccurate view of his work by taking one line of his out of context. Clearly indicating that you have (a) never actual read any of his work (except perhaps part of "I have Dream") and (b) are ignorant of his politics in general.

2. You have made this about affirmative action not me. I want a game that is more diverse yes. But it hardly about giving Black or Female or Latino artists a leg up. By and large the bands I have mentioned are already incredibly successful for their respective genres. This is about making a game that actual appeals to a broader base of consumers so more people can have fun while playing it. Meaning that HMX will make more money because more people are willing to play.

Seriously do you never play with girls? Trust me they want to sing female vocal tracks. Sure its about matching pitch to succeed in the game, but if you really enjoy the game you want to "sound like" the performer who sings the song. I can "match pitch" in War Pigs but it isn't particularly fun because I sound nothing like Ozzie and I have to switch octaves several times to match his weird range. For that matter people like playing the songs they're familiar with, and I have friends that don't want to play because they don't know Metallica or Iron Maiden. But they would play if there was Santana, James Brown, or Tina Turner.

3. You've also taking an incredibly narrow view of what a "Rock Band" can be or was ever considered to be. Funk can trace its influence to classic rock. Motown was foundational for a ton of even today's music. If you're going to have The Pixies, then The Breeders are just as legitimate. If you're going to have Say It Ain't So, then no was has the audacity to say that R&B or Funk will get boring for the instruments at all levels. All the bands I have listed are great music. If you haven't heard of them, its your loss.

This is about being more diverse AND having great music. The two are not mutually exclusive conditions.

http://www.rockhall.com/inductees/inductee-list/ Sure looks to me like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has inducted Motown performers.


1. Im pritty sure if you ask anyone who has a better view of what MLK desired for the country, my view of "judging men not by color but actions and charecter" would be more spot on then your "Giving minoritys a hand up threw putting them in rock band" opinion. So suck start a shot gun on this issue.

2. Fantastic, when funk band, mototown group, and R&B band come out they will be excellent additions to the set list. THIS IS ROCK BAND, why is it so hard for you to understand rock band=rock and sub cataglorys of rock? When Rap Star comes out im sure they will let metallica into the set list, right? Wrong, because IT DOESNT FIT.

My female friends that play this game, my friends GF, and my friends wife never have a problem with the songs. They sing every one, male and female, and have a blast doing so. If your female companions suck to the point they cant find pitch on an OZZY song or you do, then you suck. Ozzy is about as one tone as it gets. If you arnt having fun playing the game, then quit dude. Having rock band switch to R&B songs just because you think you can sing them is pritty selfish and stupid.

3. This is dumb, you again are trying to re-define what ROCK is just to suit your little needs. If you went to an italian resturant, would you expect them to serve chinese? Would you get angry and scream "well its like italian! It has noodles and sauce and meat! Why dont you serve chinese?!" at the waiter when he called you a ******? You probably would, as you fail to understand that asking for funk and motown in a game about rock and roll music and sub cataglories of said rock and roll is exactly the same thing.

[hmxsean]

And with that this thread has dutifully run its course and degenerated into something that shouldn't go further.