Rock Band: Top 20 Songs from Fictional TV Bands
Cason Murphy - November 28, 2009
Rock Band is a staple at everything from frat parties to weddings to bar mitzvahs, allowing legions of fans to step onto stage to sing, pluck, and drum along to the best songs from their favorite bands. Yet, the video game has left out a small, but worthy, chunk of the rock n' roll repertoire -- fictional TV bands and their harmonious hits.
So, with recent sneak peek episodes of band-based shows like Disney's XD's I'm in the Band and Nickelodeon's Big Time Rush (Sat. Nov. 28th at 8:30pm), we thought we'd check the charts and arrange the ultimate TV Rock Band playlist.
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EASY (6 Songs)
Band: The Honeybees (from Gilligan's Island) Song: "You Need Us" Even Gilligan would be in paradise playing along since it doesn't take a professor to figure out the chords of this simple surf guitar strummer. |
Band: Zit Remedy (from Degrassi High) Song: "Everybody Wants Something" As tough as this Canadian crew thought they were, the basic bass playing and undemanding drum line keeps the skill level from graduating past freshman year of high school. |
Band: The Silver Platters (from The Brady Bunch) Song: "Keep On" You can show up those Brady kids by actually playing your own instruments while singing along to this sunny song. Bonus Track: Finish the track with a score better than 95% and you can try to match Peter's voice-cracking vocal performance on Time to Change. |
Band: Mission Control (from Freaks & Geeks) Song: "Sunshine of Your Love" [as made popular by Cream] Mission Control gives you permission to rock out this classic on easy since the tempo that Nick sets is MUCH slower than the original. |
Band: Ruby & the Rockits (from Ruby & the Rockits) Song: "You Are Where I Live" Even the moms who just tune into the show for former Partridges David and Patrick Cassidy would have the skills to keep up with this twangy tween track. |
Band: The Redcoats (from The Dick van Dyke Show) Song: "My, How the Time Goes By" Not every part of the British Invasion put up that much of a fight - grab a capable chum and strum through this early Beatles-like ballad. |
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MEDIUM (5 Songs)
Band: Hot Sundae (from Saved by the Bell) Song: "Go For It!" You might break a little bit of a sweat with the bodacious 90's bass line, but all you really need to do is listen to the vocals and "put your mind to it" to finish this one-hit wonder. |
Band: Scrantonicity (from The Office) Song: "Roxanne" [as made popular by The Police] Gather up the most musical members of your office and you can probably knock this classic cover out - though I dare you to find someone who can sing AND play drums as well as Kevin. |
Band: Dr. Teeth & the Electric Mayhem (from The Muppet Show) Song: "Love Ya to Death" Providing you bring the pyrotechnics to this 70's psychedelic piece - and if you find a friend who is an Animal on the drums - you should be as good as the gold in the Doc's gums. |
Band: The Members of K&B Construction (from Home Improvement) Song: "The Ratchet Rhapsody" In this number, the percussion is the glue that keeps it all together - have your drummer drill away and you'll plow through this track in spades. |
Band: Jeffster (from Chuck) Song: "Mr. Roboto" [as made popular by Styx] You don't need the Intersect in your head to remember the repetitive sections of this super-extended remix - the key is finding a vocalist who can match Lester. |
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EXPERT (3 Songs)
Band: DriveSHAFT (from LOST) Song: "You All Everybody" If you have a good drummer to keep your pace up, you still may have to become an addict to learn the risky riffs on the lead and bass guitar parts without getting lost. |
Band: Hot Daddy & the Monkey Puppets (from Full House) Song: "Revolution Mind" As harmless as it might sound, don't let the band's name fool you - the heat that Uncle Jesse and his raucous rockers pack into their rowdy refrains isn't for kids. Bonus Track: Complete the song with a score of 95% or more to unlock the embarrassingly funny song "Forever" by Jesse and the Rippers. |
Band: The Blow Holes (from The Adventures of Pete & Pete) Song: "Summerbaby" You'll no doubt get this melody stuck in your head like Little Pete, but catching all of the notes in this ballad's brisk beat requires eye-hand coordination stronger than Artie himself. |
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HARD (3 Songs)
Band: The Foreskins (from How I Met Your Mother) Song: "Murder Train" Only the best of the best thrash metallers need climb aboard this blistering button-masher. The rest of you? Just stick to playing Robin Sparkles tunes, which is what you'll have to do if you can't finish this song. |
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Band: Crucifictorious (from Friday Night Lights) Song: "Enter the Horsemen" [as made popular by Donna Mea] Keep the faith all you want - it'll take more than a wing and a prayer to get through the serious shredding, vicious vocals, and demanding drumming that this speed metal song takes. |
Band: Chemical Toilet (from It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia) Song: "Nightman" I'm convinced the only way to complete 100% of this disastrously discordant ditty is to be as high on spray paint as Charlie was when he came up with it. |
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Even though I'm in the Band and Big Time Rush each showed a sneak-peek episode this weekend (and they'll air many times afterward), these series don't have their official premieres until January 2010 -- which gives you plenty of time to practice before adding their songs to your Rock Band: The TV Bands playlist.
Is our set list music to your ears? Or can you drum up some other good songs from TV bands? Leave us a comment!
Cason Murphy started in the entertainment business at the age of three when he "picked a rabbit out of his hat" during a tap recital - and hasn't had the good sense to get out yet. When he's not selling his soul to academia at UCLA's School of Theater, Film & Television, he is making good use of his DVR.