The Beatles: Rock Band Bundle to Include Replica Instruments?

What is better than pretending to play Beatles’ music on Rock Band than having pretend-instruments modeled on the actual iconic musical equipment used by the seminal rock band?

Early retirement? Personal solvency? Eternal youth? Cue the incorrect answer buzzer , ‘cause the answer is: nothing. At least in the pretend, reality-suspended world of Rock Band where labor, debt and age matter only in so far as familiarity with music and ability to unlock additional tracks through hard, fake work, that is.



The custom-branded instruments themselves will be included in a special edition bundle, which will include a Hofner bass, as played by Paul McCartney, and Ludwig drums, as played by Ringo Starr. The decision to not (at this time, anyway) replicate instruments used by deceased band members John Lennon and George Harrison is a wise and tasteful one, to say the least.

Though many have expressed excitement over the possibility of bringing the music of the Beatles off of its Pegasus-like high horse to the realm of video games, others have been much more hesitant, baffled at how one of the most important additions to the 20th Century musical canon has managed to make its way into a Karaoke-by-way-of-Simon Says video game before being available in digital format.

But, with renewed negotiations over digital licensing of the Beatles’ catalog, both parties may be getting what they want, plus or minus a few replica guitars.

The Beatles: Rock Band is scheduled for release 9 September 2009.

For more tech and entertainment news:

Nielsen’s “The State of the Video Gamer” Report Surprises, States Obvious

It’s Official: Beatles Coming to Rock Band

Beatles Songs Coming to Rock Band, My Guitar Hero Gently Weeps