Who Says a 'Rock Band' Can't Play Funk: The Obligatory Wishlist

Posted by Nate Patrin at 1:00 PM Jul 01, 2008

Well, that didn't take long: in a surprise move that'd make the Raconteurs envious, Harmonix announced Rock Band 2 yesterday and stated that it was actually coming out in less than three months. Now when a new Rock Band (or Guitar Hero) game is announced, the first thing people typically do is go nuts hoping and speculating over which bands are actually going to be in this iteration. Are we finally going to be able to play "Comfortably Numb"? "Stairway to Heaven"? Maybe even the Beatles? (And if we get the Beatles, can we get some solo George Harrison, too? I really want to five-star "The Art of Dying".)

But there's one thing that's been at the forefront of my mind since the first Guitar Hero came out what seems like ages ago. I love all kinds of music – this is where you'd expect someone to say "except rap and country", but my Nas and Willie Nelson records say otherwise – and few things have tempered the awesomeness of rocking out on "Billion Dollar Babies" or "Reptilia" more than the feeling that there's still a pretty big chunk of pop history that’s been overlooked by this game series. There's practically nothing that predates the British Invasion, a notable shortage of blues and – this being a personal pet peeve – almost no funk whatsoever. Sure, in Rock Band you can create an in-game avatar with a Bar-Kays afro and full Bootsy-caliber spaceman attire, but he'll look a bit out of place with nothing to play but Stone Temple Pilots.

So here's five funk jams that I'd like to see Rock Band 2 throw in for those of us who feel that rocking out doesn't quite stop at rock. Keep in mind I've tried to account for songs that'd be fun for everyone involved – singer, guitarists, bassist and drummer – which does eliminate a lot of great but largely repetitive stuff like "Theme From Shaft" and most of the James Brown catalog; I suppose one good reason we haven't gotten a lot of funk in this generation of rhythm games is because many of the great funk and R&B songs focus almost entirely on vocals and groove and don't typically have the flashy, finger-bending guitar solos that Guitar Hero and Rock Band fans crave. But these five songs should easily fit the bill: they're a challenge to any vocalist, a rigorous test for drummers, filled with enough virtuoso flair to make guitarists happy… and they finally give the guy stuck with the bass something cool to do.

Funkadelic, "Cosmic Slop"

Whether it's Eddie Hazel or Mike Hampton pulling guitar duty, this P-Funk classic features one of the greatest riffs in the Mothership's sphere of influence – and in their live shows, it'd explode into some seriously vicious solos. Plus that drumbeat's undeniable; fast-forward to the 1:25 mark to get the full impact of its intro. And I would gladly pay 400 MS Points for that hat as DLC.

Curtis Mayfield, "Freddie’s Dead"

Here's the classic Superfly track without Mayfield's vocals overdubbed, so you can get a better sense of how tightly it's arranged and how nimble that bass is – though it doesn't showcase what might be the most challenging part of this song, Curtis' smooth but aching falsetto. And maybe Nintendo can pull some strings and find a way for Wii owners use their old Donkey Konga drums to supply some additional percussion.

Ohio Players, "Fopp"

A jam that rocks so hard that Sub Pop-era Soundgarden covered it more or less straight-faced. This game should give extra-special extended multiplier points to anyone who can pull off a good simulation of Leroy Bonner's growling lead vocal ("Fopped so hard that I lost my shoe/I fopped so tough they had to make some room"). And don't worry, this is still E for Everyone – the Fopp's a dance, y'know. Seriously. Right?

The Isley Brothers, "That Lady"

You might know it from the Anchorman soundtrack or as a sample source from Paul's Boutique -- or maybe your folks owned the original Isleys album. (Or you own the Isleys album, to which I say good going.) In case you can't tell, that piercing space-laser noise is, in fact, a guitar – played by Ernie Isley, a friend of pre-fame Jimi Hendrix. (And, as you can tell starting around the 2:20 mark, a devotee of post-fame Hendrix.) Too bad the singer runs out of things to do halfway through the song, but there's always Guitar Hero 4.

Tina Turner, “Whole Lotta Love”

This is actually sort of a no-win situation: if Harmonix can convince Led Zeppelin to get on board, this cover would probably be considered a little redundant. If they can't get any Zep, fans might bristle at this version, which doesn't have the explosive guitar solo found in Page's original performance. But any excuse to post Tina Turner's holy-shit version – which basically smirks coyly to Robert Plant and says "top that" – is a good one.