My Rock Band 4 Setlist

Since Rock Band 4 is officially on it’s way, I figured now is the last chance for me to post my own song wishlist before Harmonix starts cold-bloodedly tearing down my dreams with the setlist reveals. So, behold!

Some notes:

• I limited myself to 100 songs for the sake of even numbers. GH Wo R managed to fit 93, and with the capabilities of new console generation there should not be a matter of disc space.
• Rather than just picking my favourite songs, I tried to pick up a list that would appeal to other people as well. More towards to what songs would be likely to actually be seen in the game.
• Several bands that have reputation for not letting their music to appear in rhythm games (Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Prince) have been consciously left out as wishing for them would be just a waste of song slots. However, every band that has appeared in the games (excluding the exclusive Beatles) are fair game.

• 13th Floor Elevators: “You’re Gonna Miss Me” (Classic Rock, 1966)
• 30 Seconds to Mars: “From Yesterday” (Emo, 2006)
• ABBA: “Dancing Queen” (Pop-Rock, 1976)
• Adele: “Rolling in the Deep” (R&B/Funk/Soul, 2011)
• Aerosmith: “Janie’s Got A Gun” (Rock, 1989)
• Alice in Chains: “Them Bones” (Grunge, 1992)
• Amaranthe: “Hunger” (Metal, 2011)
• Arcade Fire: “Wake Up” (Indie Rock, 2004)
• Asia: “Heat of the Moment” (Prog, 1982)
• Avril Lavigne: “Sk8er Boi” (Pop-Rock, 2002)
• Bad Religion: “Punk Rock Song” (Punk, 1996)
• The Beach Boys: “God Only Knows” (Pop-Rock, 1966)
• Belle and Sebastian: “Legal Man” (Indie Rock, 2000)
• Billy Joel: “Uptown Girl” (Classic Rock, 1983)
• Billy Talent: “Red Flag” (Punk, 2006)
• Black Sabbath: “Iron Man” (Metal, 1970)
• Bloc Party: “Helicopter” (Indie Rock, 2005)
• Blondie: “Maria” (New Wave, 1999)
• Blue Öyster Cult: “Burnin’ For You” (Classic Rock, 1981)
• Bonnie Tyler: “Holding Out For A Hero” (Pop-Rock, 1986)
• Brand New: “The Quiet Things That No One Ever Knows” (Emo, 2003)
• The Calling: “Wherever You Will Go” (Pop-Rock, 2001)
• The Crazy World of Arthur Brown: “Fire” (Classic Rock, 1968)
• The Cranberries: “Zombie” (Grunge, 1994)
• Cream: “White Room” (Classic Rock, 1968)
• The Cure: “Friday I’m In Love” (Alternative, 1992)
• Danzig: “Mother” (Metal, 1988)
• David Bowie: “Starman” (Glam, 1972) ^note Changed from "Life On Mars?" after the reveal of exclusion of the Keys from the RB 4.
• Deep Purple: “Hush” (Classic Rock, 1968)
• Dire Straits: “Money For Nothing” (Rock, 1985)
• Dream Theater: “Pull Me Under” (Prog, 1992)
• Eagle Eye Cherry: “Save Tonight” (Rock, 1997)
• The Eagles: “Hotel California” (Classic Rock, 1977)
• Echosmith: “Cool Kids” (Pop-Rock, 2013)
• Elvis Presley: “Burning Love” (Classic Rock, 1972)^note While there would be some more well-known songs from him, I am doubtful songs that old have master tracks available.
• Fool’s Garden: “Lemon Tree” (Pop-Rock, 1995)
• fun.: “Some Nights” (Indie Rock, 2012)
• Garbage: “Only Happy When It Rains” (Alternative, 1995)
• Guns N’ Roses: “Paradise City” (Rock, 1987)
• Helloween: “I Want Out” (Metal, 1988)
• INXS: “What You Need” (New Wave, 1985)
• Kelly Clarkson: “Since U Been Gone” (Pop-Rock, 2004)
• The Killers: “Somebody Told Me” (Alternative, 2004)
• Killing Joke: “Love Like Blood” (Punk, 1985)
• King Crimson: “21st Century Schizoid Man” (Prog, 1969)
• Kings of Leon: “Use Somebody” (Rock, 2009)
• The Kinks: “All Day and All of the Night” (Rock, 1964)
• KISS: “I Was Made For Lovin’ You” (Classic Rock, 1979)
• Kool & the Gang: “Celebration” (R&B/Funk/Soul, 1980)
• Labelle: “Lady Marmalade” (R&B/Funk/Soul, 1974)
• Linkin Park: “Bleed It Out” (Alternative, 2007) ^note Despite the habit of Harmonix to leave a band stuck with one designated genre for every appearance they make in the games, I decided to change the genre of this one one from "Nu Metal" to something more fitting.
• The Lovin’ Spoonful: “Do You Believe in Magic” (Pop-Rock, 1965)
• Manic Street Preachers: “If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next” (Alternative, 1998)
• Mastodon: “Oblivion” (Metal, 2009)
• Meat Loaf: “Bat Out of Hell” (Classic Rock, 1977)
• Megadeth: “Trust” (Metal, 1997)
• Metallica: “Master of Puppets” (Metal, 1986)
• Michael Jackson: “Beat It” (Pop-Rock, 1982)
• Midnight Oil: “Beds Are Burning” (Rock, 1987)
• Mike Oldfield: “Moonlight Shadow” (Pop-Rock, 1983)
• The Monkees: “I’m A Believer” (Pop-Rock, 1966)
• Muse: “Knights of Cydonia” (Prog, 2006)
• My Chemical Romance: “Dead!” (Emo, 2006)
• The National: “Bloodbuzz Ohio” (Indie Rock, 2010)
• Nine Inch Nails: “Wish” (Rock, 1992)
• Oingo Boingo: “Dead Man’s Party” (New Wave, 1985)
• Ozzy Osbourne: “Hellraiser” (Metal, 1991)
• Pantera: “Cowboys From Hell” (Metal, 1990)
• Paul Mc Cartney & The Wings: “Live and Let Die” (Classic Rock, 1973)
• Pearl Jam: “Life Wasted” (Grunge, 2006)
• Primus: “Wynona’s Big Brown Beaver” (Alternative, 1995)
• Queens of the Stone Age: “My God is the Sun” (Alternative, 2013)
• R.E.M.: “The One I Love” (Alternative, 1987)
• Rainbow: “I Surrender” (Rock, 1981)
• Ram Jam: “Black Betty” (Rock, 1977)
• Red Hot Chili Peppers: “Can’t Stop” (Alternative, 2002)
• The Rembrandts: “I’ll Be There For You” (Pop-Rock, 1995) ^note Friends-hate aside, this song was one of the more iconic tunes of the 90's and provides some surprisingly fun instrumental tracks.
• Rick Derringer: “Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo” (Rock, 1973)
• Robbie Williams: “Let Me Entertain You” (Pop-Rock, 1997)
• The Rolling Stones: “Paint It Black (Live)” (Classic Rock, 1966)^note Not sure which Live version exactly; this is due to the technical difficulties the original studio master track had in GH 3.
• Santana: “Into the Night” (Classic Rock, 2007)
• Scorpions: “Rock You Like A Hurricane” (Rock, 1984)
• Sex Pistols: “Anarchy In U.K.” (Punk, 1977)
• Shania Twain: “Man! I Feel Like A Woman” (Country, 1997)
• Sisters of Mercy: “This Corrosion” (New Wave, 1987)
• Skid Row: “18 and Life” (Glam, 1989)
• The Smashing Pumpkins: “Tonight, Tonight” (Alternative, 1995)
• Social Distortion: “Reach For The Sky” (Punk, 2004)
• St. Vincent: “Birth in Reverse” (Indie Rock, 2014)
• Status Quo: “Whatever You Want” (Rock, 1979)
• Steppenwolf: “Magic Carpet Ride” (Classic Rock, 1968)
• The Stone Roses: “She Bangs the Drums” (Alternative, 1989)
• System of A Down: “Question!” (Metal, 2005)
• Tegan and Sara: “Closer” (Pop/Dance/Electronic, 2013)
• Tool: “Ænima” (Prog, 1996)
• Toto: “Africa” (Rock, 1982)
• Twisted Sister: “We’re Not Gonna Take It” (Metal, 1984)
• Van Halen: “Panama” (Rock, 1984)^note Changed from "Jump" after the reveal of exclusion of the Keys from the RB 4.
• The Verve: “Bitter Sweet Symphony” (Alternative, 1997)
• ZZ Top: “Sharp Dressed Man” (Rock, 1983)

Breakdown by Decade:

• 1960s: 10
• 1970s: 13
• 1980s: 27
• 1990s: 19
• 2000s: 20
• 2010s: 8

Breakdown by Genre:

• Alternative: 12
• Classic Rock: 14
• Country: 1
• Emo: 3
• Glam: 2
• Grunge: 3
• Indie Rock: 6
• Metal: 11
• New Wave: 4
• Pop/Dance/Electronic: 1
• Pop-Rock: 14
• Prog: 5
• Punk: 5
• R&B/Funk/Soul: 3
• Rock: 14

edited 13th Mar '15 2:01:52 AM by Xeroop

i want holy diver in it

Some songs I want in Rock Band 4 are:

• Deep Purple - Pictures of Home ^note  I would also like April or Burn to be a part of the setlist.
• Rainbow - Stargazer
• Dio - Holy Diver
• Helloween - Halloween ^note  I like longer songs and want a song that is 13 minutes long.

Should be noted that Holy Diver is already in Rock Band as DLC.

Question (and I really don't want this to sound rude): what's the point of including songs like "Some Nights" or "Rolling in the Deep" without keyboards being playable?

On another note, I'd prefer a relative balance between decades.

edited 13th Mar '15 12:47:37 AM by Alucard

Both of those songs could be fun on Vocals, especially with harmonies.

edited 13th Mar '15 12:49:36 AM by Nettacki

Oh, I know. That autotune section in the bridge of "Some Nights" would easily be That One Attack for vocalists.

But it also has some Missed Moment of Awesome with how many songs here have keys in them that will never get tracked. I'm probably just bitter about that keytar I bought years ago being made useless.

Actually, my own RB4 setlist had 80 keyboard-friendly songs, so it's pretty much been shot to hell. "Some Nights" and "Rolling in the Deep" were on there (among others from this list) so I'd be inclined to be a little bitter about their inclusion in general.

edited 13th Mar '15 1:00:54 AM by Alucard

"Some Nights" has an varying marching drum beat, and if you listen closely, the choruses have this fun little guitar thing going on.

"Rolling in the Deep" was taken to be the "Eye of the Tiger" of RB 4; relatively easy song on anything except vocals, while being extremely recognizable, which makes it a good starter. I do admit that the lack of keys takes some value off the song's inclusion.

And by all means, question away. I don't mind explaining or discussion my choices further.

And I know how you feel. I feel slightly bitter how the keytar has become obsolete now, and at the same time I feel guilty for not feeling as bitter as I probably should, as I never really got into the instrument.

edited 13th Mar '15 1:08:14 AM by Xeroop

Well, if you insist...

There's too much 80's. That's my favorite decade, but I still think there should be a bit of limiting there.

I should also mention that "Cowboys from Hell" and "Rock You Like a Hurricane" have never been in a music game before without being a cover. I'm pretty sure the master tracks are gone. When I included "Rock You Like a Hurricane" in my setlist, I went with the recording from their live album World Wide Live (where Klaus Meine sounds note-for-note perfect).

On the subject of metal songs, "Trust" isn't that good a choice (which I say as a big Megadeth fan). "Symphony of Destruction" is a much bigger hit and "Headcrusher" would be far more difficult. "Back in the Day" would also be pretty difficult, and it was used in that episode of Duck Dodgers (which means regular people might know it).

I also count under/around 15 female singers, which is pretty small for 100 songs (if I'm not mistaken). My setlist, which I mentioned has some repeats to yours, goes up to 93 songs with 23 females. You could do better in that department.

"Symphony of Destruction" was already released as DLC, so it was right out the question. I pondered a long time about the Megadeth track and between "Kill the King", "Headcrusher" and "Trust" I ended up with latter because the 90's were a bit light.

I'm not sure about the availability or condition of the master tracks of "Cowboys From Hell" or "Rock You Like A Hurricane" (or "God Only Knows", "Black Betty", "All Day and All Of The Night" etc. for that matter), so that really wasn't my concern. If they'd have to go with live version, as long as they're decent and not, Sure, Why Not?.

Well if you want 90's metal, you could go with "Roots Bloody Roots" by Sepultura, "Davidian" by Machine Head, "War Ensemble" by Slayer, "I" by Black Sabbath, "Replica" by Fear Factory, "Slave to the Grind" by Skid Row, "D.N.R. (Do Not Resuscitate)" by Testament or maybe "Sweating Bullets" if we're to come back to Megadeth. I picked Anthrax's cover of "Got The Time" for how hard it would be on the bass (though "Only" would also be a good choice for them, since it's the best-known John Bush-fronted tune they have; James Hetfield called it a 'perfect song').

My point is that if Megadeth are going to be on there, it shouldn't be for a lower-tempo song like "Trust." There's an expectation for metal songs to be really difficult on these sets.

this exists

I immediately requested "Got The Time" (because I really want that crazy bass solo to be playable).

edited 13th Mar '15 2:34:08 AM by Alucard

I'm considering Slayer's "Dead Skin Mask", Helmet's "Unsung" and Helloween's "Power" for alternatives. The Sepultura one's surprisingly good option too, I had completely forgotten about its existence.

And I submitted a fair number off my list through that form to HMX the other day.

edited 13th Mar '15 6:59:04 AM by Xeroop

When it comes to Sepultura, I'd prefer "Refuse/Resist" or "Arise," but they really aren't as big of hits.

So when I mentioned before about there being too much 80's. The same goes got rock and classic rock (the two basically appeal to the same crowd, which makes overloading on them more noticable). I'd get rid of "Money For Nothing" because it's 8 minutes long and isn't difficult enough to justify that kind of length (unlike "Panic Attack" from the second game). The same goes for "This Corrosion" clocking in at 10 minutes (I picked that one for my setlist, but specified the single version).

On another note, Glam in Rock Band terms refers to 70's-style Britsh glam. Hair metal like Skid Row is usually categorized as either regular rock or metal if it's reasonably heavy.

I actually think both "This Corrosion" and "Money for Nothing" should be radio edits.

With the Skid Row one I went with glam because I feel iffy every time Rock Band puts Ratt or Whitesnake into Metal category. Technically, yeah, they could be there, but they also put many Prog Metal bands like Dream Theater and Between Buried and Me to Prog instead of Metal, so why not do the same with Glam Metal?

edited 14th Mar '15 8:30:45 AM by Xeroop

I think "Slave to the Grind" is just straight-up metal. If you need to have Skid Row in there at all, it'd perfect as one of the odd 90's metal songs (besides Pantera).

If not that one, "Monkey Business" from the same album is much more approachable but still heavy enough to be categorized as metal (especially since this game was willing to call "Foolin'" metal).

I'll point out that "Anarchy in the UK" would probably need to be rerecorded for the game. If I'm remembering the game extras correctly, the reason they rerecorded it for Guitar Hero III is that the original masters are unusable. Or lost.

Not here to post any specific requests but I hope the game's soundtrack is more along the lines of RB 2 than 3. 2 I think had a a good enough balance of genres that actually took full advantage of the instruments, whereas 3 felt like it had too many unfitting selections and a very detrimental fixation on genre variety.

What concerns me about the new game is that so many songs are downloadable that a lot of the songs that I can think of off the top of my head that I'd want to play are already technically in the game, but they'd cost extra, and I'd be less interested in the on-disc soundtrack.

So now that the game has been released (quite a while ago, in fact), overall six songs from this list made it to the game ("Friday I'm in Love", "Somebody Told Me", "My God is the Sun", "The One I Love", "Panama", and, to my big surprise "Birth in Reverse"), with about eight others making it as DLC over the past year.

Overall, not that bad, I would say. I certainly did like many of the songs they featured on the game, some of which I was considering for my own setlist, and have since released a string of DLC tracks I kind of overlooked when compiling this list. I guess this now serves more as a DLC wishlist.