How do you follow up an excellent game like The Beatles: Rock Band? With The Monkees: Rock Band of course! In addition to bringing the musical stylings of Davey Jones, Mickey Dolenz, Mike Nesmith, and Peter Tork, the game has a few new twists that differentiate it from other music games. For example, maraca and tambourine accessories will be used in the game to accurately convey Jones’ contributions to the band.
In today’s press release, Harmonix CEO Alex Popodopoulous said:
You know, I never really liked The Beatles, but everyone at MTV wanted a game based on them. This is the game I wanted to make. Unlike that game with John, Paul, George, and Ringo, I’m interested in the music this time around. Working on a Monkees game is such an honor and such a personal project.
In terms of movies, it’s like when Matt Damon makes a Bourne movie to make the money. That’s The Beatles: Rock Band. Then he makes the fruity-guy-that-plays-golf-and-talks-to-horses movie that he loves. That’s The Monkees: Rock Band.
Here they come…walking down the street!
Update April 2: Yes, this was an April Fools’ Day post.
Now I'm a believer!
I'm in, i'm buying this game day one!
@ tokz
That song was written by Neil Diamond.
@ bsukenyan
Don't forget Menudo. It goes Elvis, The Beatles, Menudo, then MJ.
@ topic
I'm still waiting for Tiny Tim: Rock Band.
I loved the TV show.
@ tokz
You don't remember "Menudo In Charge"?
@N8R
Yes Elvis might pull in more monetarily than anyone else, but I think it is a constant argument between Elvis and MJ on the grounds of money made in a year and the star power that that person still holds over the masses, despite being dead. MJ battled child molestation charges twice in his lifetime, and still stayed on top as the king of pop. Elvis never went through anything that would shake his fanbase (not that I know of at least). MJ might not make as much, but I think he has more star power than Elvis does, despite being imitated and mimicked by impersonators worldwide.
@N8R
I guess I can understand a lot of that about Elvis, and yeah I agree Elvis is huge in Japan. But I still think the star power that MJ had, especially in the 80's(!), has made him so well known all around the world that he is definitely one of the most popular musicians worldwide. I think it can go back and forth between Elvis and MJ for various reasons that are completely subjective and debatable, my vote is definitely for MJ though.
@bsukenyan You know, I had no idea users could use HTML in the comments until you posted that. Ha!
I like the Monkees, but I just don’t see this one catching on as well as the Beatles. It will mimic the real bands as it happened during the 60’s. The Monkees were successful in their own rights, sold well for a short period of time, and had some hit songs. Outside of oldies music I would argue that not too many people know who the Monkees are. The Beatles, however, have unprecedented worldwide fame that I believe can really only be compared to Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson.
@n8r
I know it was but it was made famous by The Monkees. If they were to make a RB: Monkees this would be one of the songs on there. Also, Menudo is good to have when you’re hungover!
@N8R
I hadn’t heard of them before, but I just did a quick Topeka search and found out a little about them. I think that MJ was the biggest out of those listed, but my point on the Monkees doesn’t really change. You can’t compare the Monkees to the Beatles without thinking that what happened to the actual bands in the 60’s is what will happen to the games in the (teens, early years, new millenium, whatever now should be called).
@Rpad
Menudo had a tv show!
@ bsukenyan
If the Beatles were more popular than Jesus (as Lennon has been quoted saying), then Menudo was more popular than Kali Ma.
In all seriousness, Elvis (the EPE) pulls in between 5 and 50 million dollars per year still and Elvis has been dead since ’77. Neither the Beatles, MJ, or even Menudo will ever be able to compete with that.
On a global scale… Elvis is still king.
@n8r
“Menudo in Charge” ha!
was that on or after Jake and Elvis?
@bsukenyan
Where is Jimi Hendrix in all of this. I know his tracks are coming to RB but that guy deserved his own game. His new album debuted at 4 and is still within the top 12! he’s been dead for 40 years and officially only made like 4 studio albums.
correction to comment 11.
I meant was it on before or after, Jake and Elvis.
@ bsukenyan
Elvis had a #1 single in the late ’90’s… after he had been dead for 20 years. In Japan, Elvis is probably more revered there than he is here. He has become an international symbol for American culture. Elvis had many battles to fight as well during his lifetime. Maybe not one that carries the stigma of fondling kids (which oddly, isn’t looked as down upon in some countries), but he did have to deal with playing black music on white radio in the 50’s. He had to deal with restarting his career after getting drafted.
It’s arguable that without Elvis’ influence on the white masses about black music (for lack of a better term) the civil rights movement (and The Jackson 5) never would have stood a chance.
@ tokz
I was gonna say “Menudo and the Bear” but I thought R Pad would be the only person who knew the show I was referring to.
@n8r
Menudo and the Bear was a classic show! Bear always seemed to get into some wild adventures when Ricky Martin was around him.
@ tokz
It was really hard to type Menudo and the Bear because I was laughing so hard.
@ bsukenyan
Dude, the reason Elvis still makes money… is because of star power. He would have died off otherwise. Th level of fanaticism that goes along with Elvis still is incredible.
I think you just know more about MJ. Ask Sandrock or Cami how much the economy of Memphis still relies on Elvis and then find me one town that decided to that with MJ. And yes, Liverpool makes money off the Beatles still, but it’s not the same nor is it comparable.
Trust me, dude… Elvis is still king.
@N8R I thought Jerry Lawler was the king…
@ Ray
He is… of a different Memphis entertainment medium.
@N8R Jerry wore an actual crown. So I think his kingship is more legitimate.
@ Ray
But Elvis wore a suit made out of 24 karat gold.
http://www.peach-partyworld.co.uk/graphics/407_ELVIS%20GOLD%20SUIT(1).jpg
A crown would have messed up his hair.
@ Ray
They should have fought it out, it probably would have been a good fight. Sure, Jerry was bigger, but Elvis was a martial artist and carried like 7 guns on him at any given time. He also felt little pain due to all the dope he was on.
One of my favorite Elvis facts (besides being deputized to the DEA by Nixon because he hated hippies) was that every time he saw Robert Goulet on tv… he would shoot the tv.
@Ray
yeah I think I tried that sometime before just to have the symbols there around specific words, and then it actually appeared in format. I messed up though in the post you just saw because I meant to have the bold font stop before the end of the post. Trial and error though.
@N8R
I’m not denying that Elvis had star power at all, I completely agree that he does. I just think that (some of this is highly influenced by opinions of people I know that are much older than I and can remember both of these people in their prime) MJ has more general appeal than Elvis. MJ attracted a lot of fans who didn’t necessarily listen to his style of music before he really came around. I think he has a broader spectrum of fans, whereas Elvis does (obviously) have a lot of fans, but his music doesn’t seem as versatile to me, and I think that that is something that he needed to have in order to get a broader spectrum of fans.
I would agree though that I do know a lot about MJ than I do Elvis, and I do not doubt that Elvis still accounts for a lot of the economic success of the areas you mentioned. I don’t really know of much of a boost to the economy that MJ has on GI (Gary, IN). But I think there is a huge difference in the marketability of their styles of music. Elvis’s style is not prevalent in any of the areas I have lived, but each of those places has MJ all over on the radio stations, and even pretty redneck people that I have run into can listen to MJ and recognize that he was a talented person. And for some of those people (as sad as it is to me) it is a HUGE thing for them to say that about someone who isn’t white.
@ bsukenyan
First, Elvis was born in Tupelo MI. A more comparable city for MJ would be Santa Monica.
Second, there would be no MJ or Beatles if it weren’t for Elvis. Elvis broke that mold for both of them. 30 years from now is when we’ll be able to discuss this better. MJ only had a career spark recently because he died recently. Before that, his records didn’t sell at all and he was being laughed at. One day (I predict 3 years from today) the hype machine will wear off and his records will be in the bargain bin again. Elvis still has a greatest hits album coming out just about yearly and this has been the case for 33 years. Why do these records keep coming out? Because they sell. Why do they sell? Because he’s still a bigger celebrity than any other musician ever. His style is prevalent everywhere because it’s a predecessor.
As for the marketability difference… Elvis scared the crap out of the US government in his early years. He was bringing white people and black people together. So what did they do? They drafted him during peace time, got him addicted to medication, and when he came out he was ALOT more racist than he previously was. Remember, black people invented rock ‘n roll too. It was just stolen from them. When enough white people are rapping instead, they will invent something new and awesome because this is how history repeats itself.
Another thing for the future… record sales are on the downhill. It’s going to be about merchandise… Elvis, is still king when it comes to merchandise. Always was.
Elvis is the King.
I wouldn’t mind some Chuck Berry rockband.
@N8R
Some of that is definitely new information for me, it’s very interesting though I think, although I did know the part about rock n’ roll being invented by black people and then taken by white people. Like I said I’m sure I know more about MJ than I do about Elvis. But you make an excellent point with the record sales going downhill and Elvis being far ahead in merchandise. I doubt that MJ will ever sell much merchandise at all, ever. I do think that it would have been interesting to see how things would have happened if he would have died in say another 2 or 3 years, just to be able to measure the impact of his new tour and album and everything else that was coming out.
Speaking of deaths though, I’m guessing you would know more about this than I do, but what was the response when Elvis died? I really know a lot about what happened when MJ died partially because it just happened and partially because I know some people that were close to it all. But I don’t really know if there was a comparison there at all, just curious if there was.
@ bsukenyan
Well, first thing that comes to mind is that there were (dare I say millions, but probably more like hundreds of thousand of) people who refused to believe Elvis was actually dead 20 to 25 years after he died. The whole “Elvis is alive” thing was crazy for quite some time.
Immediately after his death… it was comparable to the response of MJ’s passing. People were mourning for years and years. His grave is still visited by millions every year.
About the merchandise… it may be an unfair comparison. The Elvis Merchandise Machine was insane from the start of his career. His manager (Col. Tom Parker) was a genius when it came to that stuff. Elvis started out touring state fairs. The women went crazy, and he had alot of haters toward the new rock ‘n’ roll movement as well. Col. Tom wouldn’t let that slip though. On one side of the fair, he would sell “I Love Elvis” buttons. On the other side of the same fair, he would sell “I Hate Elvis” buttons. And make the money from both sides of the debate… genius.
The rest of the Elvis merch is comparable to how much stuff you’ve seen with The Simpsons on it… plus some. There’s been Elvis fragrances, cookbooks, ceiling fans… I would be here all day listing off all the Elvis merch.