I have it.  Crazy, but there’s something about that group—there’s no cultural touchstone, let alone any band, that’s anything like the Beatles for my generation¹.  I’ve been jonesing for my extended family to get Guitar Hero or Rock Band for a while now, and when it was announced that the Beatles were going to have a game, well, that cinched it for sure.

I’m a grown man in my 30s with two children, and I’m excited because I scored a second plastic guitar on eBay, so we will have a full compliment of instruments to play with.  It’s such a blast to play, particularly because those songs are so ingrained, even if you haven’t heard them for years, that the rhythms and cadences come quite naturally.  The art, game design, and just the whole package of The Beatles: Rock Band are just genius.

Finally, some observations I’ve made as I watch black-and-white clips of the Beatles on YouTube:

1. Paul plays his bass left handed.  I can’t believe I’ve never noticed before, particularly because I saw him in concert a couple of years ago.

2. As much as Paul is “the cute one,” Ringo is, well, not.  And he has this kind of odd, stilted style, but it’s captivating to watch.

3. I never really knew what George brought to the Beatles equation—Paul had his looks and voice, John had the voice and songwriting chops, and Ringo was, um, Ringo—until now.  Looking with a more critical eye at the performances, I can see George was a hell of a guitarist.  In my youth, of course being aware of the Beatles and seeing the odd clip, I never drew much distinction between the lead, rhythm and bass parts.  Now, an adult lover of music and amateur vocalist myself, I can get as much out of George’s playing as John and Paul’s harmonies.

Tags: gaming

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