ROCK BAND® GIVES Wii⢠OWNERS LIVE RECORDINGS FROM THE WHO; PLUS NEW MUSIC FROM JAMES BROWN, AVERAGE WHITE BAND AND EARTH, WIND & FIRE
Cambridge, Mass. â March 17, 2009 - Harmonix and MTV Games announced today the addition of 11 tracks to the Rock Band® Music Store catalogue of downloadable content for Wii⢠home videogame console from Nintendo, including three live recordings from iconic classic rock band The Who. The lineup also features music from funk artists Average White Band, Earth, Wind & Fire and the legendary Godfather of Soul James Brown, in addition to songs from rock bands Against Me!, The New Pornographers and Papa Roach.
This content update to the Rock Band Wii Music Store delivers the famous live recordings of âMy Generation,â âSummertime Bluesâ and âYoung Man Bluesâ from The Whoâs 1970 album Live at Leeds. The tracks come from the back catalogue of Rock Band music already released to owners of Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system. Wii fans can expect a rollout of previously released downloadable Rock Band content until the entire back catalogue of more than 590 songs is available.
The Rock Band Music Store for Wii will also add some funk this week including James Brownâs âGet Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine - Pt 1.â first released in 1970 as part one of a two-part single, âShining Starâ featured on Earth, Wind & Fireâs 1975 album Thatâs the Way of the World and Average White Bandâs title track âPick Up the Piecesâ from their 1974 album.
More punk comes to the Wii with âThrash Unrealâ from Against Me! featured on the bandâs 2007 album New Wave. Indie rockers The New Pornographers also come to the Wii Rock Band Music Store with âAll the Things That Go to Make Heaven and Earthâ from the bandâs 2007 album Challengers and âUse Itâ featured on Twin Cinema (2005). Alternative rockers Papa Roach round out this weekâs lineup for Wii adding two tracks âLast Resortâ from Infest (2000) and new single âLifeline,â which is featured on their upcoming album Metamorphosis (March 24, 2009).
As previously announced, the aforementioned tracks from James Brown, Earth, Wind & Fire, Average White Band, Against Me!, The New Pornographers and Papa Roach will also be available to Rock Band owners of Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 system this week.
Release Date: Tuesday, March 17, 2009
** Dates for Rock Band game tracks are tentative and subject to change **
Tracks: Average White Band âPick Up the Piecesâ
Earth Wind & Fire âShining Starâ
James Brown âGet Up (I Feel Like Being a) Sex Machine - Pt 1â
Against Me! âThrash Unrealâ
The New Pornographers âAll the Things That Go to Make Heaven and Earthâ
The New Pornographers âUse Itâ
Papa Roach âLast Resortâ
Papa Roach âLifelineâ
The Who âMy Generation (LIVE)â
The Who âSummertime Blues (LIVE)â
The Who âYoung Man Blues (LIVE)â
(All tracks are original master recordings)
Price: $2.00 (200 Wii Points) per track
Location: In-game Rock Band 2 Music Store (Wii Points must be purchased
through the Wii⢠Shop Channel)
** Dates for Rock Band game tracks are tentative and subject to change **
Rock Band 2 is available now for Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3 and PlayStation®2 systems and the Wii system. The Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3 system and Wii versions support downloadable content.
Downloadable content for Wii is purchased via the in-game Rock Band Music Store using Wii Points purchased through the Wii Shop Channel and can be downloaded to the hard drive of the Wii or to an SD card for additional storage. The tracks stream directly from the SD card for seamless play.
To view a complete list of the more than 590 tracks available in the Rock Band music back catalog please visit www.rockband.com/music. With the addition of these tracks there are now 73 tracks in the Wii Rock Band Music Store.
Rock Band continues to satisfy music fansâ and gamers' voracious appetite for rock with more than 36 million paid downloads since its launch on November 20, 2007. The Rock Band Music Store allows players to preview and purchase downloadable individual music tracks and packs from the vast selection of offerings available to date without ever leaving the game as they build their own custom Rock Band library.
Rock Band and Rock Band 2 are rated "T" for Teen (lyrics, suggestive themes) by the ESRB.
For more information on Rock Band 2 and Harmonix Music Systems please visit www.rockband.com and www.harmonixmusic.com