October 2, 2015 – The end of C3, and the beginning of something new! (End of Days 4 of 4)

Note: Videos may contain authoring issues that have been fixed, and are for preview purposes only. Video recording courtesy of Lowlander.

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C3 releases for October 2, 2015:

New! The End

• Bachman-Turner Overdrive – “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet” (Sygenysis, Nyxyxylyth, Nunchuck, and AddyMilldike)
• Focus – “Hocus Pocus (Live)” (ghostbyob, mazegeek999, Jimi369, Sideshow, and AddyMilldike)
• Steam – “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” (farottone, Ultimate_Mang0, Ruck Bogers 22, GanonMetroid, Colonel 32dll, and AddyMilldike)

A red X denotes Pro Guitar/Pro Bass charts, a blue M denotes full multitracks, a blue K denotes a “karaoke” multitrack (separated vocals), and a rusty 2x denotes that a 2x Bass Pedal version is also available. FtV denotes a song previously released by a C3 author outside of C3.

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“Since the invention of the kissRock Band, there have been five RB community projects that were rated the most passionate, the most pure. This one left them all behind. The end.”
“Grandpa C3, maybe you could come over and read it again to me tomorrow?”
“As you wish.”

Hello, everyone! It’s finally here — the very last C3 release. The end of all things. Armageddon. Ragnarok. The Rapt-…wait, no, we did that one at the beginning, for some reason. Uh…well, you get the idea. It’s the end! But, like any good ending, it’s also the start of something new. More on that in a second. First, let’s look at our carefully selected and prepared songs for this week.

We knew last week was going to be The Big One, and for our final week we wanted to do something symbolic. We couldn’t settle on one song, so we went with three: the original Rock Band pack size. Many of our longtime authors have been busy, and our newer authors have been stepping up lately, so: these songs are a crowdsourced effort, which fits C3 perfectly. The three songs we chose represent the fans, the authors, and the future:

• The Fans: Focus – “Hocus Pocus (Live ’73)”
  That’s right, it’s that live version of “Hocus Pocus”. At this point, this song is as much of a meme as “moar Muse”, and we’re happy to finally deliver it here in the finale. The studio version of this song is much slower; Focus famously had to play the song for a TV show with a very short time window, so rather than cut down the song, they just played it crazy fast. This one’s for you guys.
• The Authors: Steam – “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye”
  Also known as just “na na na na / hey hey hey / goodbye”. This is definitely the coolest release this week. For this song, 13 authors recorded themselves singing along. This recording can be heard in-game as the crowd singalong track, and the end of the actual song audio is just us. How cool is that?! It sounds really good, and you should go listen to it in the preview video if you haven’t yet. The mixing and preparation for this are thanks to MFX, who worked really hard to make it sound awesome. Authors in the singalong include:
  • AddyMilldike
  • clintilona
  • Dash Riprock
  • espher
  • farottone
  • GanonMetroid
  • ghostbyob
  • Kemiroch
  • MFX
  • Nyxyxylyth
  • pksage
  • Sygenysis
  • thomeval
  • TrojanNemo
• The Future: Bachman-Turner Overdrive – “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet”
  Okay, so, first, it’s BTO. Somehow, we went this whole time without BTO! How is that possible? (We actually had a three-pack planned at one point, but it never panned out.) This song really takes care of business! But mostly, it’s a perfect way to kick off the next phase of C3.

Wait, what? “The next phase of C3”? It’s true — our weekly releases were great, but you ain’t seen nothing yet.

We’re excited to announce that the C3 website (i.e. the new forum) now hosts a proper community customs database. Anyone can upload their own custom songs, browse others’ customs, leave feedback, easily follow songs for updates and fixes, and generally be more engaged with the community. The database includes all C3 releases, (non-downloadable) entries for all Harmonix and RBN songs, and is available starting RIGHT NOW.

Holy moly! This has been a long time coming, and there’s still a lot of work to be done, but the community database is C3’s new beginning. Now we’re truly a Collective, a place where everyone can share their customs with the world. It’s really exciting, really useful, and really…rushed, so please be patient with us as we iron out the bugs. (We’ve been planning this for a long time, but our existing plans fell through on Sunday, and I — pksage — stood this whole thing up from scratch over the last 5 days.) For more info, see this forum announcement.

So there you have it, everyone. C3 weekly “DLC” is over, but C3 as a whole is just getting started. We’ll be continually improving the new database, especially over the next few weeks, and we might join forces with other music games (FoF, the Rocksmith guys at CustomsForge, etc.) to expand even further. Rock Band 4 comes out in 4 days, and customs are no replacement for official DLC! Please support Harmonix by playing Rock Band 4. Customs are an excellent way to fill time between new DLC, though, and we hope our forums will be a hot spot for RB4 fans. This is a great time to check out our new Rock Band 4 Discussion forum!

Fixes uploaded in the last week to previous C3 releases (and from now on, you can find updates in the new database):

• alt-J – “Breezeblocks”: Keys and venue fixes
• Jeff Buckley – “Hallelujah”: Fixed an audio channel bug
• The Mars Volta – “Cassandra Gemini”: More venue fixes after last week and some lyrics fixes
• Of Monsters and Men – “Little Talks”: New venue
• Phoenix – “Entertainment”: Drums and keys fixes
• Sum 41 – “Makes No Difference”: New venue, small vocals fixes
• Tera Melos – “Sunburn”: Small vocals and drums fixes

Before we go, farottone and I wanted to say a few words. Unfortunately, as of this writing, I’m going to be up all night getting the database ready for release. I love you guys, and C3 has been a journey, but that journey’s not over! So, instead, I’m going to let farottone do all the talking for once.

farottone writes:

I’ve been going over what to say for days now and it all inevitably ended up being about the numbers, the changes we made to the world of customs, the releases… and it felt like a business document. And all of a sudden I realised this is not about that. This, C3 and the value in what we did, is about something else.

This is about the fans who made us feel like rock stars and lavished us with praises. This is about the guy who ended up playing Genesis with his dad. It’s about all those who had fun with their friends. Those who told us this is why they stuck around and are now buying Rock Band 4 and those who discovered a new band. It’s about the guy who lost his father but found Christmas again and about those who donated to charity because this is not about money.

This is about friendship. This is about making things right, and the man who will soon understand what this means. It’s about not giving up. It’s about the man who told us “I can’t do this for a while, my wife needs me, I can’t set aside much time for customs, I’m sorry”, did what a man is supposed to do and then came back and said “I’m ready now, let’s do this.” It’s about the girl who gave up on seeing her customs released through C3 and then on the last days of releases she hits the spotlights. It’s about all the people who helped us because they saw what we were doing and about the people we helped deal with life with our humble offerings.

This is about the passion, about setting a goal almost 3 years ago and working hard every single day to make it a reality. It’s about that guy who wept playing Supper’s Ready and those who took the time to make us feel special. It’s about music but it’s about life. It’s tracking down a piece of footage just to understand what the drummer plays as much as it is re-recording preview videos on short notice without ever saying a word about it. It’s about giving 100% until Friday hits and then starting all over again because no one can go home without a smile on their face.

Finally, this is about you. You are the reason why this has existed. It’s about the players who took the stage to play their songs but only to find an audience who kept coming back for more. And it’s about us, about every single author who said “I understand what we’re trying to build here, how can I help and when do I start?” It’s about those who were here from the start and those who just got in. It’s about those who said, in April 2013, “Is this all we’re planning? Just one more big day of customs?” Yes, dear friends, it really did start as a single release. And then it became about something else entirely.

It’s about the future, and it starts now.

And, as our final encore, we want to tell a brief story:

This is a story of dreams and ultimate success. It can be told as “We got together as a bunch of guys and created songs people liked, and then we stopped”, or it can be told this way. We like this way better.

Today I stand at the top of the mountain and after years I look back and I see everything. I see the beginnings, far away, with the dreams of making it. I see the passion of those times and I see how foolish I was to think this could be done. And I see the path I took, never straight, always hard. I see all the times where I chose to do the difficult things and all the times I stumbled and fell. My body is bruised, every step is a battle but I see how I’ve picked myself up every time.

And I see the people who cheered for me. I see them in the distance, so few, so beautiful. I see them coming together from every road, because they believe, more and more as things get near. I see myself believing it can be done, I recognize the moment it happened, because I see those who came just to witness.

My eyes move to things closer and I am humbled by the people who stood at my side as days, weeks, months passed. I see those times where I thought I was alone and doubted myself. I see the corners where I sat and wondered “Do I turn around?” And then I see the people right around those corners. They are too many to count, too many to let down. And I see that I never looked back once. I see yesterday as I see years ago, they are alive on my skin, in the wounds I suffered, in the days I spent with people giving me shelter. I see the landmarks, I recognize each of them by the sacrifices they required, by the awesome power of the people that visited them.

And I see those who climbed with me. I see those I had to leave behind: I do not weep for them, I carry them with me, they are in my bones. I see those who chose the path I could not follow: I do not miss them, I carry them with me, they are in my bones. I see those who started with me and those who knew of me and joined me, I see them tired, angry, spent and battered: I do not feel for them, I carried them with me, they are my bones.

I see myself, far away, alone. I see my friends, one by one, helping me, pushing me, carrying me. I now see how my path becomes steady and I know this is what I was meant to be. I see I was not foolish to think this could be done. I see I was, even alone, everything I needed to be. Yet I see I was, alone, nothing.

No more looking back. I hug my friends, I am what they made me. My journey had a beginning and my journey has an end, I am whole. I am the impossible, never alone, always strong, my purpose is clear. I lived a life within a life: I hated and I loved, I cheered and I suffered, I failed and I triumphed. I have done for others what others have done for me. I gave and received, I cried and smiled, I fought and I helped.

I look at the sky: it’s not the same I was born under. I feel I am part of it, I feel I have touched it with my fingers and changed it. I feel presumptous and I feel right. I look at everyone who stand with me. I feel I touched them with my fingers and they changed me. I am better because of them. I feel like the sky: not the same, touched by those who wanted more.

A breeze pulls me back from my thoughts: it’s tomorrow, it’s already here. I am scared: will my friends still be with me? Will I be what they need me to be? My legs are uneasy but a realization sets in: the climb has not weakened me, it has made me stronger. My body is healed, my wounds are gone. My people has been there for best and worst, they are telling me it’s time. I have drawn on them, now I need to lead. This path is not for me to follow, every inch I walked on rough terrain is now a trail that leads everywhere. I am not scared, I am alive and I now know my place. This is where I’m supposed to rest, everywhere else is where my friends belong, ripe with possibilities.

Today I stand at the top of the mountain that is all that was done and all who experienced it. Today I know friendship, loyalty, courage, sacrifice, love and success. I was nothing, now I am. I am C3.

See you, space cowboys. Not next Friday, but in some ethereal “next Friday”, in a different place and time. Be excellent to each other.

September 25, 2015 – The Great Flood (of songs)! 50+ tracks to keep playing after our releases end! (End of Days 3 of 4)

Note: Videos may contain authoring issues that have been fixed, and are for preview purposes only. Video recording courtesy of Lowlander.

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C3 releases for September 25, 2015:

New! Dream Theater – Awake (farottone, mazegeek999, Nunchuck, Parama, Metalhead911)

1. “6:00” M 2x
2. “Caught in a Web” M 2x
   
3. “Innocence Faded” M 2x
   
4. “A Mind Beside Itself: I. Erotomania” M 2x
5. “A Mind Beside Itself: II. Voices” M 2x
6. “A Mind Beside Itself: III. The Silent Man” M
7. “The Mirror” M 2x
   
8. “Lie” M 2x
   
9. “Lifting Shadows Off a Dream” M
10. “Scarred” M 2x
    
11. “Space-Dye Vest” M

Bonus “A Mind Beside Itself” M 2x

New! Final Fantasy C01 3-pack

• Bill Muir – “Otherworld” (FFX) (AddyMilldike)
• The Black Mages – “Those Who Fight Further” (FFVII) 2x (pksage)
• Masayoshi Soken – “Electricity – Alexander” (FFXIV) (pksage)

New! Grease C01 3-pack (Ultimate_MANG0, Dash Riprock, Ruck Bogers 22, GanonMetroid, and pksage ft. farottone)

• John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John – “Greased Lightnin'”
• John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John – “Summer Nights”
• John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John – “You’re the One That I Want”

New! Michael Jackson C02 (Thriller) 3-pack (farottone)

• Michael Jackson – “Baby Be Mine”
• Michael Jackson – “Human Nature”
• Michael Jackson – “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)” M
  

New! Singles

• 1960s
  • The Animals – “House of the Rising Sun” M (Nyxyxylyth, bsbloom, cr1ckt, and Maxton)
• 1970s
  • Big Star – “O My Soul” (ws54 and CrazyCanuck)
  • Lou Reed – “Walk on the Wild Side” (Ollie)
• 1990s
  • Alice in Chains – “Nutshell” X (Drihscol)
  • Bon Jovi – “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead” (DVDSmith)
  • Depeche Mode – “Enjoy the Silence” (Ollie)
  • Failure – “Saturday Saviour” X (Drihscol)
  • Fool’s Garden – “Lemon Tree” (Ollie)
  • George Andreas and Chris Sutherland – “DK Rap” (DVDSmith)
  • Jeff Buckley – “Hallelujah” (Ollie)
  • Megadeth – “Train of Consequences” M (clintilona)
  • Natalie Imbruglia – “Torn” (Ollie, Sygenysis ft. Nunchuck)
  • Neutral Milk Hotel – “The King of Carrot Flowers Pt. One”* (Ollie ft. MiltoniusPrime, missingn042128 and Sideshow)
  • Neutral Milk Hotel – “The King of Carrot Flowers Pts. Two & Three”* (Ollie ft. MiltoniusPrime, missingn042128 and Sideshow)
  • Radiohead – “Maquiladora” (Drihscol)
  • Robbie Williams – “Angels” M (DVDSmith)
  • Toadies – “Backslider” (Colonel 32dll)
  • Ween – “Push th’ Little Daisies” (Drihscol)
• 2000s
  • The Airborne Toxic Event – “Sometime Around Midnight” M (DVDSmith)
  • Jane’s Addiction – “Whores” M (Drihscol)
  • Sum 41 – “Makes No Difference” (Gigakoops and GreenPanda12 ft. pksage)
  • The Temper Trap – “Sweet Disposition” X M (GanonMetroid and unicyclone)
• 2010s
  • alt-J – “Breezeblocks” M (GanonMetroid)
  • Echosmith – “March Into the Sun” (ws54)
  • Glen Check – “60’s Cardin” (AddyMilldike)
  • Mac DeMarco – “The Way You’d Love Her” (Drihscol)
  • Nem – “Dream-Eating Monochrome Baku (ft. Kagamine Len)” K (AddyMilldike)
  • Of Monsters and Men – “Little Talks” (Gigakoops and GreenPanda12 ft. pksage)
  • Penrose – “Life of Mud” (Drihscol)
  • Phoenix – “Entertainment” M (GanonMetroid)
  • Rush – “Clockwork Angels” 2x (ejthedj and DoNotPassGo)
  • Steven Wilson – “Drive Home” K (Drihscol)
  • Thousand Leaves – “Reve of Mirrors” 2x (ghostbyob)

* All parts of “The King of Carrot Flowers” are also available as a single, uninterrupted track.

A red X denotes Pro Guitar/Pro Bass charts, a blue M denotes full multitracks, a blue K denotes a “karaoke” multitrack (separated vocals), and a rusty 2x denotes that a 2x Bass Pedal version is also available. FtV denotes a song previously released by a C3 author outside of C3.

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Something told him that something was coming to an end. Not the world, exactly. Just the summer. There would be other summers, but there would never be one like this. Ever again.
– Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, “Good Omens”

Did you know I’ve been writing these blog posts for 128 weeks? Almost two and a half years. That’s a lot of writing! Luckily, this week we have so much music that a blog post couldn’t do it justice, so I don’t have to try! Don’t worry; you’ll get plenty of blog posts this week, leading up to our very last weekly release on October 2. For now, please go find a male and female player of every Rock Band instrument and prepare for 40 days and nights of nonstop rocking. This week has everything our authors could scrounge together before we shut the doors! (And no, we didn’t plan on there being so many songs from the ’90s. Happy coincidence!)

Authors’ comments for this week’s songs:

• “Lifting Shadows Off a Dream” – farottone writes, “On guitar, this song was recorded with an amazing use of the delay technique, so while it may sound undercharted, the notes authored are actually what is played on guitar.”
• “Electricity – Alexander” – This is an interesting case! Both the title and the lyrics of this song are up in the air, since the FF14:Heavensward OST hasn’t been released yet (and the lyrics are…well, you’ll see). This song, ripped directly from the game data, plays while you fight three of the four bosses in FF14’s newest raid, Alexander. It’s a departure from most of the FF14 OST, and is often described as being “vaguely Persona-y”. Enjoy the iconic keys part, super-singable vocals, and simple but satisfying instrumentation! And no, before you ask, my raid group hasn’t cleared A3 Savage yet.
• “Those Who Fight Further” – It’s The Black Mages, it’s the FF7 boss theme, it’s got a 32-measure guitar solo, and it owns exactly as hard as you think it does.
• “Sometime Around Midnight” – DVDSmith writes, “One of my favourite songs of all time, this haunting track tells the tale of a man at a bar who sees his ex, realizes he still loves her, then has to watch as she leaves with another, breaking his heart all over again. Starting off slow and quiet, it builds to a great crescendo with a full string section as the tale unfolds. With difficult low vocals, this song is for anyone who’s ever been in love with someone they couldn’t have.”
• “O My Soul” – ws54 writes, “This song is crunchy 70’s power pop at its best with the late Alex Chilton belting out the vocals. Every instrument is fun, but Guitar and especially Drums are outstanding and should not be missed.”
• “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead” – DVDSmith writes, “Another one of Bon Jovi’s hits from their 1992 album Keep the Faith, this song has been a live staple of every Bon Jovi gig since. Featuring a funky (and surprisingly challenging) piano part and a great clap-along drum riff – along with some relentless vocals that don’t give you much room to breathe!”
• “March Into the Sun” – ws54 writes, “I don’t usually delve into Indie music much but this song is so catchy I had to do it. Reminds me of Rilo Kiley’s Portions for Foxes so if you like that one then I think you’ll like this one too.”
• “DK Rap” – DVDSmith writes, “Here it is, the stuff of legends, the song called both the best and worst rap song ever made – the one and only DK Rap. Serving as the intro to Donkey Kong 64, this Run DMC-inspired song introduces the five characters of DK64 and is performed by two members of Rareware, the developers of the game, and written by famed musical composer Grant Kirkhope. Each verse gets its own solo spread across guitar, keys and drums, so plenty of variety for RB players. Grab yourself a piece of (in)famous Nintendo history today…and take it to the fridge!”
• “60’s Cardin” – Addy writes, “When you think of Korean music, your minds may think about PSY or other K-pop. However, it turns out Korea has a pretty thriving indie scene. This band gets most of their influence from American 80’s New Wave bands and this is one of their big hits over there.”
• “Little Talks” – This is an oh, THAT song kind of song. Also known as “though the truth may vary this / ship will carry our / bodies safe to shore”.
• “Angels” – DVDSmith writes, “A modern pop classic, voted by the UK public at the 2005 BRIT Awards as the best British song of the past 25 years. With its soaring chorus and upbeat lyrics, it’s not hard to see why this song has dominated British karaoke bars and pub singalongs for nearly two decades. A must-have for your Rock Band collection.”

Fixes uploaded in the last week to previous C3 releases:

• The Mars Volta – “Cassandra Gemini”: New venue, significant animations fixes, minor chart fixes
• The Zombies – “Time of the Season”: Now fully multitracked, courtesy of Maxton

And, one final time: See you next Friday!

September 18, 2015 – Eighteen songs by eighteen authors! (End of Days 2 of 4)

Note: Videos may contain authoring issues that have been fixed, and are for preview purposes only. Video recording courtesy of Lowlander.

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C3 releases for September 18, 2015:

As a way to acknowledge their hard work, this list is sorted by how many songs each author contributed to C3.

New! C3 All-Stars 18-pack

• Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes – “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life” (farottone – 452 songs)
• Boston – “Don’t Look Back” (Nyxyxylyth, 65 songs, and spindoctor6969)
• The Mars Volta – “Cassandra Gemini” (BearzUnlimited – 60 songs)
• Tenacious D – “Kickapoo” (pksage – 51 songs)
• Judas Priest – “Victim of Changes” (ws54, 45 songs, and CrazyCanuck, 16 songs)
• Morrissey – “We Hate It When Our Friends Become Successful” (RyanHYK – 42 songs)
• Eric Church – “Springsteen” M (DoNotPassGo – 29 songs)
• David Bowie – “Golden Years” M (Ollie – 29 songs)
• Rishloo – “Freaks and Animals” M (AddyMilldike – 28 songs / ThatAuthoringGroup and Nightmare Lyra)
• Bon Jovi – “Never Say Goodbye” (DVDSmith – 28 songs)
• Blind Guardian – “And the Story Ends” 2x (clintilona – 17 songs)
• Neon Trees – “Love and Affection” (GreenPanda12 – 16 songs)
• Black Sabbath – “Children of the Sea” (Colonel 32dll – 10 songs)
• Tera Melos – “Sunburn” (GanonMetroid – 9 songs)
• Link Wray & His Ray Men – “Rumble” (Nunchuck, 9 songs, and Sygenysis, 4 songs)
• The Devils – “World Exclusive (MFX MIX)” M (MFX – 4 songs)
• The James Rocket – “Shiny Dark Bar (RB3 version)” M (Markleford – 1 song)
• Audio Adrenaline – “Move” (thomeval – 1 song)

A red X denotes Pro Guitar/Pro Bass charts, a blue M denotes full multitracks, a blue K denotes a “karaoke” multitrack (separated vocals), and a rusty 2x denotes that a 2x Bass Pedal version is also available. FtV denotes a song previously released by a C3 author outside of C3.

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Death sat down and explained. Famine listened.
“I see,” he said at last. “Thank you, but I think I shall sit this one out.”
SIT IT OUT? YOU’RE A HORSEMAN!
“Yes, of course. But what is my role here?”
I BEG YOUR PARDON?
“No famine appears to be involved, does it? A shortage of food per se? As such?”
WELL, NO. NOT AS SUCH, OBVIOUSLY, BUT-
“So I would, as it were, be turning up just to wave. No, thank you.”
YOU USED TO RIDE OUT EVERY TIME, said Death accusingly.
“We had proper apocalypses in those days,” said Famine. “You could sink your teeth into them.”
NEVERTHELESS, THIS IS THE END OF THE WORLD.
“There are other worlds,” Famine said. “You’re too sentimental, Death. I’ve always said so.”

Pick your favorite apocalypse, because the End of Days progresses apace! Luckily for you, “apocalypse” is a bit of a misnomer, because our customs aren’t going anywhere. All C3 customs will still be available after the end of our weekly releases, aside from any that are released for RB4. And you don’t have to choose a game! You get to play official songs in RB4 and customs in RB3! Truly, this is an age of wonders.

More than 70 authors have contributed to C3 over the years. Some have moved on, and some were busy, but we wrangled eighteen of them to submit songs for this week. Some of us decided to go with a “farewell” theme, as you can see by the song choices, and some of us just went with great songs. There’s HUGE variety this week, even more so than a normal singles week, so set aside two hours or so and play all eighteen of them! Come on, you can do it. It’s not like you have 60+ RB4 songs to marathon a few weeks from now, or anything.

For real, though, check out how many different styles are included in this week’s release:

• Classic metal
• ’90s metal
• Classic rock
• ’80s ballad
• Oldies rock ‘n’ roll
• Poppy modern rock
• New Wave
• Several flavors of indie
• Epic prog
• Regular prog
• Christian rock
• Country
• Butt-rock / hard rock
• David Bowie (???)

We have just two weeks left! Next week is sort of our “real” final release, in the sense that…well, you’ll see. Don’t worry, you’re still getting songs on October 2! But next week, September 25, is the main attraction. Our final release is going to be great, but it’s more of an encore. Please look forward to both weeks, and manage your expectations accordingly!

Authors’ comments for this week’s songs:

• “Move” – thomeval writes, “With the End of Days fast approaching, what better way to face it than a song of encouragement? A great song in general and a real treat for vocalists.”
• “Never Say Goodbye” – DVDSmith writes, “Hey guys, DVDSmith here, your resident Bon Jovi fan, here to supply you with one more track from my favourite band to bring the total in RB3 to 20. This custom uses the DualDisc version of the song and features an extended intro. I chose this one partly because C3 itself is saying goodbye, and because it’s the one Bon Jovi song that gets more requests than any other in our Song Request forum. I hope all you requesters like it – this one’s for you! :)”
• “Victim of Changes” – ws54 writes, “My tastes range from Oldies through Modern Rock and most all mainstream rock in between, but classic Judas Priest and especially this song represents the kind of music that I love the most. Make sure you warm up your vocal cords before singing it. Thanks to CrazyCanuck for handling the drums, not only on this one but on many of my songs from the past.”
• “Kickapoo” – Finally! This has been on my to-do list since day 1, but it was a little intimidating, and it took me two and a half years to finally do it. This song is hard enough to be interesting on Guitar, Bass, and Drums, but without being an actual challenge. For the optimal experience, grab two friends to be Meat Loaf and Dio.
• “World Exclusive” – MFX writes, “The Devils was a project centered around reviving old demo ideas by founding Duran Duran members Nick Rhodes and Stephen Duffy. This ‘world exclusive’ (hah!) multitrack mix for C3 uses sonic trickery to combine pseudostems and all-new material for your rocking enjoyment!”
• “Shiny Dark Bar (RB3 version)” – Markleford writes, “For the first time anywhere, this is the official ‘RB3 version’ of the RBN track, matching the previous C3 release by The James Rocket, ‘Paper Valentines’. It features new harmonies, pro drums, and the finalized multitrack mix from the debut album, ‘Launch’. (Buy it here if you like it!) Thanks again to C3 for helping indie bands get their music out to new listeners!”
• “Cassandra Gemini” – Bearz writes, “This big slice of prog rock has very fun and technical parts on every instrument. Drums are constantly varied with lots of fills and interesting rhythms. Guitar is basically almost a non-stop solo. Keys have some very challenging organ and sax solos. Bass is quite varied and even has the elusive bass solo. The vocal part is also quite involved and active for most of the song. I don’t think this will ever be FCed (at least on guitar, drums, or keys) but I’d love to see someone prove me wrong.”

See you next Friday!

September 11, 2015 – Tons of multitrack GH ports! (End of Days 1 of 4)

Note: Videos may contain authoring issues that have been fixed, and are for preview purposes only. Video recording courtesy of Lowlander.

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C3 releases for September 11, 2015:

New! I Can’t Believe It’s Not Guitar Hero C02 13-pack

• Aerosmith – “Livin’ on the Edge” M (Neversoft and Nunchuck ft. farottone)
  Converted from GH5 DLC
• Corinne Bailey Rae – “Put Your Records On” M (Neversoft and TrojanNemo ft. farottone)
  Converted from Band Hero
• The Cure – “Fascination Street” M (Neversoft and BearzUnlimited)
  Converted from GH:WoR
• Dire Straits – “Sultans of Swing” M (Neversoft and Nunchuck ft. farottone)
  Converted from GH5
• Duffy – “Warwick Avenue” M (Neversoft and farottone)
  Converted from Band Hero
• In Flames – “Take This Life” M** 2x (Neversoft and AddyMilldike)
  Converted from GH3
• Lenny Kravitz – “Rock and Roll Is Dead” M (Neversoft and farottone)
  Converted from GH:Van Halen
• Marvin Gaye – “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” M (Neversoft and farottone)
  Converted from Band Hero
• Nelly Furtado – “Turn Off the Light” M (Neversoft and farottone)
  Converted from Band Hero
• Queens of the Stone Age – “Mexicola” M (Neversoft and BearzUnlimited)
  Converted from GH5 DLC
• Sonic Youth – “Incinerate” M (Neversoft and BearzUnlimited)
  Converted from GH5; rhythm guitar version also available
• Them Crooked Vultures – “Scumbag Blues” M (Neversoft and pksage)
  Converted from GH:WoR
• Tony Solis – “Guilty Pleasures” M 2x (Neversoft and DVDSmith)
  Converted from GH5 DLC

** This song only has separate stems for Guitar and Bass.

A red X denotes Pro Guitar/Pro Bass charts, a blue M denotes full multitracks, a blue K denotes a “karaoke” multitrack (separated vocals), and a rusty 2x denotes that a 2x Bass Pedal version is also available. FtV denotes a song previously released by a C3 author outside of C3.

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It’s true. The End of Days is upon us. Gather up your jackets, move it to the exits — it’s closing time. But we have one last call for alcohol! Four last calls, in fact. Assuming you drink 120-proof Rock Band songs. And, honestly, who doesn’t?

This week, much like our anniversary celebrations, we’re highlighting one of C3’s cornerstone elements. The Guitar Hero series is a prime source of multitrack audio and note charts, and even after years of GHtoRB3 and C3 releases, there’s tons of songs yet to convert. Let’s clean them out! These 13 songs bring us that much closer to the full GH library, and many will have you wondering why we didn’t do them sooner. From Duffy to Sonic Youth, from R&B to hard rock, there’s something for everyone here. As usual, our GH ports include keys and harmonies where applicable and often include chart fixes and adjustments.

Authors’ comments for this week’s songs:

• “Fascination Street” – Bearz writes, “This single from The Cure’s acclaimed Disintegration has a cool disco beat and a unique, spacey guitar part, as well as a nice (albeit repetitive) bass line.”
• “Mexicola” – Bearz writes, “This hard rock tune from early QotSA has some great guitar and bass riffage, as  well as lots of fills and tom usage on drums.”
• “Incinerate” – Bearz writes, “This upbeat but mellow song from Sonic Youth’s more recent output has some tricky fills and rhythms on drums, and a varied and fun guitar part, complete with a Rhythm version so you can play both Thurston and Lee’s parts.”
• “Scumbag Blues” – Finally, more TCV! It’s a shame that RB3 only got “Dead End Friends” and “New Fang”, neither of which I would consider highlights of the album. In lieu of “Mind Eraser”, “Bandoliers”, or “Gunman”, here’s a pretty good replacement from GH6. Lengthy guitar solos, REALLY good and varied basslines, and some decent kick action on drums.
• “Guilty Pleasures” – DVDSmith writes, “This awesome track, originally released for GH5 as part of the ‘Neversoft Thanks the Fans’ pack, is a blisteringly fun instrumental piece by guitarist Tony Solis, and features the ridiculous drumming skills of Andy Gentile (of An Endless Sporadic fame). Players of Pro Drums will get a serious kick out of this, the chart takes you all over the kit and uses all three cymbals and both bass pedals to the full effect. The guitar and bass parts aren’t too shabby either, with a great riff in the first half and some TTFAF-style HOPO-heavy sections in the second half. If you’re an Expert player and want a great challenge on all the core 5-lane instruments, this is the song for you.”

Fixes uploaded in the last week to previously released C3 customs:

• Radiohead – “Paranoid Android”: New custom venue and small fixes to guitar, bass, and drums

See you next Friday!

September 4, 2015 – “OK Computer” full album and a Rolling Stones 6-pack!

Note: Videos may contain authoring issues that have been fixed, and are for preview purposes only. Video recording courtesy of Lowlander.

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C3 releases for September 4, 2015:

New! Radiohead – OK Computer (BearzUnlimited)

1. “Airbag”
3. “Subterranean Homesick Alien” (+sageamagoo)
   
4. “Exit Music (For a Film)” (+sageamagoo)
5. “Let Down” (+sageamagoo)
6. “Karma Police” (+sageamagoo)
7. “Fitter Happier”
8. “Electioneering”
9. “Climbing Up the Walls”
10. “No Surprises” (+sageamagoo)
11. “Lucky”
12. “The Tourist”

Track 2, “Paranoid Android”, is already available in the C3 database.

New! The Rolling Stones C01 6-pack (farottone and Kemiroch)

• The Rolling Stones – “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”
• The Rolling Stones – “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”
• The Rolling Stones – “Let’s Spend the Night Together”
• The Rolling Stones – “Ruby Tuesday”
• The Rolling Stones – “Time is On My Side”
• The Rolling Stones – “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”

A red X denotes Pro Guitar/Pro Bass charts, a blue M denotes full multitracks, a blue K denotes a “karaoke” multitrack (separated vocals), and a rusty 2x denotes that a 2x Bass Pedal version is also available. FtV denotes a song previously released by a C3 author outside of C3.

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I told you that our last weeks before End of Days were good ones, right? Our authors have been pulling out all the stops to deliver the big hits, and this week packs a serious punch. Other than “Paranoid Android” and two songs from In Rainbows, this is our first big injection of post-Bends Radiohead. If you’re gonna pick a famous album for Rock Band, you can’t do much better than OK Computer! And the Stones need no introduction, except our regret that more of these songs weren’t released sooner. It’s a proper British invasion week!

Authors’ comments for this week’s songs:

• OK Computer – Bearz writes, “OK Computer – one of the cornerstones of alternative rock music and a definitive album of the 90’s. This album saw Radiohead progressing further from the more grungy, guitar-based sound of their first two records and adopting a more experimental, somewhat progressive approach. All of these songs are fun to sing and many of them have great guitar parts and fun drum rhythms. I’m really excited to have this album in the game – it’s my second favorite of all time (I’ve already done my #1) and I’m sure many others will enjoy it as well. If you haven’t heard it, I strongly recommend you give it a listen. Also, make sure that you check out ‘Paranoid Android’, the 2nd song from this album which I already charted and released a year and a half ago – if you’ve already got it, it’s recently been updated with a new venue and some chart fixes.”
  • “Airbag”: The album opens up with this distorted rock track with a fun, upbeat drum part, a unique and sporadic bassline, and interesting, noisy guitars.
  • “Subterranean Homesick Alien”: This relaxed, psychedelic-sounding song  has a great, challenging keyboard part, a cool bassline, and great drums with lots of fills.
  • “Exit Music (For a Film)”: This slow, suspenseful song starts mellow but builds into a huge, dramatic climax with soaring vocals.
  • “Let Down”: This fan-favorite features some great vocal harmonies, and an interesting polyrhythm on guitar and keys.
  • “Karma Police”: The biggest ‘pop’ single of the album, this iconic Radiohead song is known for its central piano part and its unconventional ‘anti-chorus.’
  • “Fitter Happier”: This eerie interlude track features off-kilter piano playing and a computer voice. Probably didn’t expect to be playing this one in Rock Band, huh?
  • “Electioneering”: Kind of an ‘oddball’ on the album, this is a swinging hard rocker with raw guitar riffs and soloing, urgent vocals, a cool bassline, and fun triplet drum fills.
  • “Climbing Up the Walls”: This slow, creeping song has a very haunting atmosphere, a great vocal part and a huge, climactic ending.
  • “No Surprises”: This single sounds nice and mellow with it’s lullaby-like guitars and bells but actually has really sad lyrics. The instrumental parts are fun to play even though they’re not really challenging.
  • “Lucky”: This spaced-out alt-rocker has a fun and varied guitar part and some interesting bass licks.
  • “The Tourist”: The album is closed out by this slow, mellow song with a moving chorus, a great guitar lead, and a fun, sort-of-jazzy drum part.

Fixes uploaded in the last week to previously released C3 customs:

• Sonic Adventure 2 – “Escape from the City”: Now features full multitracks by Maxton
• Crush 40 – “Open Your Heart”: Now features full multitracks by Maxton
• Rush C02 (all 17 songs): Updated song ID
• Rush – “By-Tor and the Snow Dog”: Added missing guitar animation marker
• Rush – “Freewill”: Added missing count-in

See you next Friday!

August 28, 2015 – Muse and Creed!

Note: Videos may contain authoring issues that have been fixed, and are for preview purposes only. Video recording courtesy of Lowlander.

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C3 releases for August 28, 2015:

New! Muse C01 11-pack

• Muse – “Apocalypse Please” (GreenPanda12)
• Muse – “Butterflies and Hurricanes” M (BearzUnlimited, Nyxyxylyth, GanonMetroid, and Unicyclone)
• Muse – “Endlessly” (GreenPanda12)
• Muse – “Exo-Politics” M (Neversoft and GreenPanda12)
  Converted from Guitar Hero 3 DLC
• Muse – “Map of the Problematique” (AddyMilldike)
• Muse – “Sing for Absolution” (GreenPanda12)
• Muse – “Space Dementia” (GanonMetroid ft. AddyMilldike)
• Muse – “Stockholm Syndrome” (AddyMilldike)
• Muse – “Time is Running Out” (GreenPanda12)
• Muse – “Undisclosed Desires” K (Kueller, The_Rock_Band_King, and Psiven ft. GreenPanda12)
• Muse – “Uprising” M (Neversoft, GHtoRB3, and AddyMilldike)
  Converted from Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock

New! Creed C01 3-pack (ws54)

• Creed – “One”
• Creed – “One Last Breath”
• Creed – “What’s This Life For”

A red X denotes Pro Guitar/Pro Bass charts, a blue M denotes full multitracks, a blue K denotes a “karaoke” multitrack (separated vocals), and a rusty 2x denotes that a 2x Bass Pedal version is also available. FtV denotes a song previously released by a C3 author outside of C3.

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…Muse…

What’s that? Do you hear that faint call, whispered on the late August winds? Wait, there it is again!

…moar Muse…

It…it can’t be! This day was spoken of in myth and legend, but I never thought it would come to pass!

…MOAR MUSE…

We are not worthy! Oh, mighty gods, please spare our puny lives! We should have listened! We should have…auughhh!

MOAR MUSE!

And then there was no noise but the soft murmur of the winds. Oh, and “Hysteria”. Being played over and over.

That’s right, it’s here! GHtoRB3 brought you “Plug in Baby”, “Knights of Cydonia”, and “Assassin”, and later we trickled in “Starlight” and “New Born”, but that was hardly enough after five years of just “Hysteria”. Muse fans have spoken, and our authors have answered! In C3’s eleventh hour, you can enjoy these eleven tracks from four Muse albums and finally be sated. Finally. And, if Muse isn’t your style, we also have three tracks from early-2000s post-grunge rockers Creed!

Authors’ comments for this week’s songs:

• “Butterflies and Hurricanes” – Bearz writes, “This song’s main draw is a challenging keys part with a huge, classical piano solo. It’s also got a fun drums part and some great harmonies. In addition, this is the music video version of the song which has a guitar part that’s not present in the album version. If you’d prefer to have the ‘original’ song, there’s an alternate version without guitar available in the Other Customs section of the forums.”
• “One” – ws54 writes, “This was my introduction to Creed a long time ago. When I  started charting customs I knew I would be doing this song someday. It is challenging on all instruments.”
• “One Last Breath” – ws54 writes, “Nice variety on instruments for a Creed song. Especially fun on Guitar.  A low guitar is charted to Bass for the first minute of the song until the real bass comes in. Drummers can grab a snack during this time.”
• “What’s This Life For” – ws54 writes, “What a fun song to play in Rock Band no matter what instrument you play, but I am quite partial to Guitar.”

Fixes uploaded in the last week to previously released C3 customs:

• Steppenwolf – “Born to Be Wild”: Now features multitrack audio created by maxton

See you next Friday!

August 21, 2015 – An insane amount of Rush and more classic metal!

Note: Videos may contain authoring issues that have been fixed, and are for preview purposes only. Video recording courtesy of Lowlander.

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C3 releases for August 21, 2015:

New! Rush C02 17-pack (DoNotPassGo, ejthedj, farottone, Drihscol)

• Rush – “Finding My Way” (1974 – Rush)
• Rush – “By-Tor & the Snow Dog” (1975 – Fly by Night)
• Rush – “Lakeside Park” (1975 – Caress of Steel)
• Rush – “A Farewell to Kings” (1977 – A Farewell to Kings)
• Rush – “La Villa Strangiato (An Exercise in Self-Indulgence)” M (1978 – Hemispheres)
• Rush – “Freewill” X (1980 – Permanent Waves)
• Rush – “The Analog Kid” (1982 – Signals)
• Rush – “Distant Early Warning” 2x (1984 – Grace Under Pressure)
• Rush – “The Big Money” 2x (1985 – Power Windows)
• Rush – “Force Ten” (1987 – Hold Your Fire)
• Rush – “The Pass” (1989 – Presto)
• Rush – “Bravado” (1991 – Roll the Bones)
• Rush – “Stick It Out” (1993 – Counterparts)
• Rush – “Driven” (1996 – Test for Echo)
• Rush – “Earthshine” (2002 – Vapor Trails)
• Rush – “Far Cry” 2x (2007 – Snakes & Arrows)
• Rush – “BU2B” 2x (2012 – Clockwork Angels)
  

New! Classic Metal C01 5-pack

• Black Sabbath – “Heaven and Hell” (Nunchuck and Sygenysis ft. farottone)
• Black Sabbath – “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” (ws54)
• Iron Maiden – “Be Quick or Be Dead” (farottone and Puppetz)
• Megadeth – “Mechanix” 2x (AddyMilldike)
• UFO – “Too Hot to Handle” (ws54 and CrazyCanuck)

A red X denotes Pro Guitar/Pro Bass charts, a blue M denotes full multitracks, a blue K denotes a “karaoke” multitrack (separated vocals), and a rusty 2x denotes that a 2x Bass Pedal version is also available. FtV denotes a song previously released by a C3 author outside of C3.

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Despite the community’s best efforts to prove otherwise, certain bands and genres simply work better for Rock Band. The introduction of Keys really widened our scope, and that’s a good thing! But sometimes you just want to settle down with a blisteringly technical or difficult chart and smile as your crowd meter drops. Rush is one of the ultimate examples of a band tailor-made for this, and we already have all of Moving Pictures (thanks, Harmonix!), both sides of 2112 (a collaborative effort!), and no fewer than 15 other Rush singles. Today’s release brings our total number of Rush tracks to 45! Ayn Rand would be proud. And, not to be outdone, the metalheads show how fun and hard their songs can be with four classics of the genre. If you like these, check out our Metal Origins pack, too!

DoNotPassGo says:

The Rush mega-pack comes in celebration of both Rush’s current R40 Tour, and in celebration of their 40+ years together as a group. Included in this pack is a single off of 17 different studio albums, starting from their first group album (with original drummer John Rutsey) “Rush” [1974] all the way to their more recent “Clockwork Angels” [2012].

Rush tends to be hit or miss for a lot of people. I do not believe that I’ve ever honestly heard anyone say, “Rush? Eh, they’re alright.” It’s usually a love/hate relationship. Those vocals aren’t for everyone ha.

However, regardless of your feelings toward the band itself, Rush charts are almost always fun as hell to play. If you mainly play the drums, I would advise picking up most if not all of this pack. No questions asked. Do you usually get stuck playing bass with your friends? Pick this us, and you’ll be having as much, if not more fun, then them on guitar.

Like them or hate them, more Rush is here. I hope you enjoy!

Authors’ comments for this week’s songs:

• “La Villa Strangiato” – DNPG writes, “I’m very excited to release this song knowing that it comes with Multi-Tracks for the instruments. This projects comes as likely the most difficult drum song of the bunch, and know that this is without a huge abundance of ghost notes that we really can’t chart. I may release an Other Customs down the road with the full notes/chart… so be on the lookout for that! Big shout to Drihscol who used his audio knowledge to help adjust the stems into a better audio experience. This project also included custom practice sections depicting the lyrical story that accompanies this lyric-less song.”
• “Freewill” – DNPG writes, “Drihscol stepped up with this project. Not only did he help to release one of the more highly requested Rush songs floating around, but he was also was able to include Pro Guitar and Bass charts as well. Huge addition to this pack.”
• “Earthshine” – DNPG writes, “Any Rush fan knows the issues concerning the release of several of their more recent albums caused from compression, loudness, and somewhat poor mixing. Vapor Trails was likely the worse offender of them all. Thankfully, the Rush studio released a remixed version of this album in 2013 with new mixing… and the songs sound a lot better. Earthshine is one of my favorite live rush songs, and this version corrected many issues from the original release.”
• “Finding My Way” – DNPG writes, “Not many people (Rush fans included) know that much or really listen to the first self-titled album. With a more Blues-type feel, and original drummer John Rutsey on track… this album tends to slip through the cracks. However, Finding My Way ended up being a pretty exciting project to have for Rock Band. I advise anyone who may not know too well of this album to pick this up and try it… the song ends up being very catchy, and the instruments are all pretty much fun.”
• “The Pass” – DNPG writes, “While one of the less difficult songs in this pack, this beautiful song is likely one of my top Rush songs off all time. Peart’s lyrics work magically along with the softer instruments to create an experience that seems pretty special for a big pack such as this. We applied a Black and White venue filter over the entire song to help visually connect the player even deeper into the song, and the duplicate the effects seen in the music video. Big recommendation here.”
• “Mechanix” – Addy writes, “Fans of Metallica may recognise the riff being similar to The Four Horsemen. That’s because Dave Mustaine wrote that song! But Metallica decided to slow it down. ‘Mechanix’ is what ‘The Four Horsemen’ originally sounded like. Fast and difficult to play!”
• “Too Hot to Handle” – ws54 writes, “UFO was considered metal in the 70’s. Today I’d call them hard rock.  It just depends how you want to classify ‘Classic’ metal. This song is fun on all instruments.”

Fixes uploaded in the last week to previous C3 releases:

• Herman’s Hermits – “No Milk Today”: Removed stubby sustains from Keys/Pro Keys

See you next Friday!

August 14, 2015 – Songs from Vice City and the Pretenders!

Note: Videos may contain authoring issues that have been fixed, and are for preview purposes only. Video recording courtesy of Lowlander.

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C3 releases for August 14, 2015:

New! Grand Theft Auto: Vice City C01 5-pack

• Autograph – “Turn Up the Radio” X (DVDSmith ft. columbo777)
  From “V-Rock”
• Bryan Adams – “Run to You” (DVDSmith)
  From “Flash FM”
• Laura Branigan – “Self Control” (farottone)
  From “Flash FM”
• Michael Jackson – “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin'” (farottone)
  From “Fever 105”
• Queensrÿche – “Queen of the Reich” 2x (farottone)
  From “V-Rock” (Vice City Stories)

New! Singles

• The Pretenders – “From the Heart Down” (ws54)

A red X denotes Pro Guitar/Pro Bass charts, a blue M denotes full multitracks, a blue K denotes a “karaoke” multitrack (separated vocals), and a rusty 2x denotes that a 2x Bass Pedal version is also available. FtV denotes a song previously released by a C3 author outside of C3.

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Outside of music games, there are a few franchises known for their really good OSTs. We’ve already covered Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater, so what’s the other really big one? That’s right — it’s the larcenous, foul-mouthed, prostitute-killing, spawn-a-jetpack-and-a-tank-and-go-crazy-before-reloading-your-save radio stations of Grand Theft Auto. This week you can embrace your inner Tommy Vercetti and…well, to avoid any killing sprees with Rock Band guitars, let’s say  “embrace your favorite Vice City radio station” instead. And coincidentally, it gives us several amazing rock songs to fill the holes in our classic rock/classic pop catalog! Across the pond from Vice City, we’ve also got a single from UK rockers the Pretenders! Please do not accept any missions from Chrissie Hynde, that will not go well for you.

Authors’ comments for this week’s songs:

• “Turn Up the Radio” – DVDSmith writes, “This song was featured on hard rock/heavy metal station V-Rock, and is a staple of the glam metal genre that dominated the rock scene of the 1980s. Perfect for massive singalongs, and it features a furious tapping guitar solo that is sure to give your fingers a workout, so good luck!”
• “Run to You” – DVDSmith writes, “From pop station Flash FM, this is my favourite song from the entire Vice City soundtrack, and 13 years later is still overall one of my favourite songs from one of my favourite albums. Bryan Adams is criminally underrepresented in Rock Band, so I’m very happy to help double the number of songs he has in the game. Not particularly hard on any instrument, but incredibly fun to sing.”
• “From the Heart Down” – ws54 writes, “A highly intelligent love song that always seems to choke me up a little. Written by Billy Steinberg who also wrote dozens of big hits including No 1 songs for Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Bangles and others. As a Rock Band song it is not particularly difficult but it has a great guitar solo and of course the vocals are stellar — it is Chrissie Hynde after all.”

See you next Friday!

August 7, 2015 – Guns N’ Roses!

Note: Videos may contain authoring issues that have been fixed, and are for preview purposes only. Video recording courtesy of Lowlander.

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C3 releases for August 7, 2015:

New! Guns N’ Roses C04 (Use Your Illusion I) 5-pack (farottone)

• Guns N’ Roses – “Back Off Bitch”
• Guns N’ Roses – “Don’t Damn Me”
• Guns N’ Roses – “Double Talkin’ Jive”
• Guns N’ Roses – “Dust N’ Bones”
• Guns N’ Roses – “Perfect Crime”

A red X denotes Pro Guitar/Pro Bass charts, a blue M denotes full multitracks, a blue K denotes a “karaoke” multitrack (separated vocals), and a rusty 2x denotes that a 2x Bass Pedal version is also available. FtV denotes a song previously released by a C3 author outside of C3.

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It’s been a while since we had a nice, straightforward week of cussin’ and rockin’! Admit it, you’ve been spoiled by our big releases lately. This is a chance for you to play it like we used to — to settle down with five great songs and try to GS all of them! And, of course, if you’re a GnR fan, you need no such excuse. Download all of these songs from the legendary rock group’s famous album, and make sure to check out all of the GnR in our back catalog. After this week, Use Your Illusion I is at 10/16 songs, and we have 20 Guns N’ Roses tracks in total! Wow.

Authors’ comments for this week’s songs:

• “Double Talkin’ Jive” – farottone writes, “This is a very peculiar GnR song that at some point fades into a Spanish guitar solo with rhythm guitar in the back. Listening to the song it’s easier to understand why this was a challenge in terms of what to do with all instruments than to explain it, so I’d suggest you check out the song on your favourite music provider. For this reason I chose to go with a special approach: guitar plays guitar up to the acoustic part and then transitions into the acoustic rhythm guitar. Bass plays bass up to the acoustic part and then transitions into lead acoustic guitar. The reason why guitar goes to rhythm and bass to lead, again, is easier to understand listening to how the two parts of the songs merge but the main point is that the song transitions right in the middle of the electric guitar solo, which goes on while the acoustic guitar starts its solo.”

See you next Friday!

July 31, 2015 – Rock pianists, Herman’s Hermits, and really heavy metal!

Note: Videos may contain authoring issues that have been fixed, and are for preview purposes only. Video recording courtesy of Lowlander.

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C3 releases for July 31, 2015:

New! Herman’s Hermits C01 4-pack (ws54)

• Herman’s Hermits – “I’m Henry VIII, I Am” X (ft. columbo777)
• Herman’s Hermits – “I’m Into Something Good” X (ft. columbo777)
• Herman’s Hermits – “No Milk Today”
• Herman’s Hermits – “Wonderful World”

New! Piano Men C01 4-pack

• Billy Joel – “New York State of Mind” (DVDSmith and sageamagoo)
• Bruce Hornsby and The Range – “The Way It Is” (DVDSmith)
• Howard Jones – “No One Is to Blame” (Dash Riprock and GanonMetroid ft. farottone)
• Queen – “Jealousy” (farottone)

New! Singles

• Cattle Decapitation – “Lifestalker” 2x (Gigakoops)
• Deafheaven – “Dream House” 2x (Gigakoops)

A red X denotes Pro Guitar/Pro Bass charts, a blue M denotes full multitracks, a blue K denotes a “karaoke” multitrack (separated vocals), and a rusty 2x denotes that a 2x Bass Pedal version is also available. FtV denotes a song previously released by a C3 author outside of C3.

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Are you in the mood for British Invasion pop? How about iconic nine-note piano riffs and smooth saxophone solos? No? Well, what about bloodstained horror metal? If you don’t like any of those things, I’m afraid you’ll need to peruse the other 1,300 songs in our database. But if any of that sounds good to you, buckle in and download another week of Rock Band happiness!

Authors’ comments for this week’s songs:

• “I’m Henry VIII, I Am” – ws54 writes, “This could be the oldest song on Rock Band dating back to 1910. The recording, of course is a mid-60’s classic and a must-have for any Rock Band party.”
• “I’m Into Something Good” – ws54 writes, “Probably one of Herman’s Hermits most recognizable songs no matter what age you are.  This song is insanely fun on Bass without being too difficult. Harmonies and Keyboards are also featured prominently.”
• “No Milk Today” – ws54 writes, “This is my favorite Herman’s Hermits song. It was a B-side that became part of a double-sided US hit in 1967. For an oldie, it has a fairly complicated song structure. As usual in Herman’s Hermits songs, harmonies are front and center, and keys are satisfying.”
• “Wonderful World” – ws54 writes, “Many people prefer the Sam Cooke original of this song but I like this higher-charting cover that Herman’s Hermits did more. This is not a particularly difficult song to play but Vocalists should enjoy it and it is the best Drums song in this pack.”
• “New York State of Mind” – DVDSmith writes, “After Uptown Girl, this is probably the most famous Billy Joel song never released for Rock Band 3, and I just HAD to make sure it happened before the era of RB3 (and keys) comes to an end. With pro keys charted by the awesome Sageamagoo (go check out his excellent RBHP work), this song is a must for any RB keyboard players. This custom uses the version with the re-recorded saxophone solo.”
• “The Way It Is” – DVDSmith writes, “Featuring one of the most iconic piano riffs in rock history, famously sampled by Tupac in the late ’90s (and ripped-off by Pierce Hawthorne in 2009), I wanted to make sure this song made it into RB3 before RB keys bit the dust in October. Enjoy the challenging solos, piano players!”
• “Likestalker” – GK writes, “Drummers should prepare themselves before playing this one. This is perhaps one of the hardest drum charts in C3’s library of songs, with unrelenting blast beats and furiously fast double pedal work. Bass and guitar should also be really fun. Also, those ‘clean’ vocals are actually sung growls. Thought that’d be an interesting piece of trivia.”
• “Dream House” – GK writes, “Here’s a challenge for elite drummers everywhere. This one has it’s fair share of blast beats, but there’s also plenty of other tricky patterns in here as well, so it’s not all samey. Guitar should also be interesting, in a ‘Holy crap how did I get THAT HIGH of a score?!’ sort of way.”

See you next Friday!