threevue

I, like Tyler, feel that the folks behind Rock Band may not truly understand what a “classic” album is. Judas Priest? No, sir. That being said, I’m here to give them a little free advice, in the form of lists of albums that should become fully-downloadable DLC albums.

The 90s are when things get heated. Everyone’s got an opinion. We’re still feeling the reverberations of this decade, and I can see this list changing over the years. I had a hard time fitting only six albums into one list, so I split them by popular releases and indie titles. This is the popular list. Let the comments flow:

90s! Unite!

Beck - Odelay (1996)
Beck’s second album is definitely my favorite, and it would be pretty fun to sing along to. There aren’t a ton of guitar-heavy tracks, but I think the Rock Band devs could get by just fine. There’s enough diversity in this album to keep even newcomers interested.
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Pearl Jam - Vitalogy (1995)
Vitalogy is a weird mix of hit songs (”Corduroy”, “Nothingman” and “Betterman”) and the bizarre, but I think it’s the most solid album for the game. I’d pay the entry fee just for “Spin the Black Circle”.
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Green Day - Dookie (1994)
I think this album is best served by listing the songs I don’t want to play out of the 14 on this record. So here goes - I don’t want to play “F.O.D.”, the last track, because it takes too long to get started. That’s it. Which leaves 13 songs worth playing, and a whole lot of fun to be had.
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Nirvana - Nevermind (1991)
I know we’ve heard that this album is supposedly coming, but I haven’t heard anything about it in a while. Either way, it’s an essential part of the 90s, and should receive fair representation. The only lame part of the album is the intro to “Territorial Pissings” - which I hope they don’t require the singer to sing, because it’s awful. I realize it’s awful on purpose, but can you imagine awful singers the world over mimicking an awful singing part? Ears would explode.
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Radiohead - OK Computer (1997)
Although The Bends may have more rock songs, this album is so diverse and majestic it edges its predecessor out easily. Can you imagine playing “Paranoid Android”? I’m imagining it now. And it’s good.
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Weezer - Weezer (Blue Album) (1994)
One of the best pop records of the 90s, this album is a perfect fit for Rock Band, as we’ve already seen with “Buddy Holly” and “Say It Ain’t So”. Those songs were great on the game, so howzabout the rest? Maybe there’s some sort of permission deal with Activision, since they had “My Name is Jonas” on GH3. I don’t know, and don’t care, I just want to play “No One Else” soon.
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Honorable Mention:

The Presidents of the United States of America - S/T (1996)
This album’s lyrics were funny and silly in 1996, but I find them suddenly chilling and embarrassing today. Still, lots of people from my generation have these songs memorized, and this would be a great centerpiece to a flannel-wearing, microbrew-drinking, internet-porn-discovering 90s party.