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I Miss Guitar Hero, Part 1

Writer's picture: jordannswrightjordannswright




I've had the idea for this series in my head for a long, long time, and I'm so excited that it's finally here. Guitar Hero III was really my introduction into console video gaming, and continued me down my path of discovering different types of music that weren't typically played around my house because they just weren't my parents' preferred taste. It also, as a vocalist, helped get me started on listening to other parts of the songs instead of just vocals, picking out parts of these iconic guitar lines that were just as cool, intricate, and interesting as the vocal melody.


The original Guitar Hero was released November 8th, 2005 for PlayStation 2 consoles. Developed by Harmonix and published by RedOctane, it was a rhythm and music based game that, instead of using a traditional controller, handed you scaled down model of a Gibson SG guitar and let you just go at it. Anyone who's played any game in this series has the button order Green Red Yellow Blue Orange (DAMN those blue and orange buttons though, seriously) burned into their core memories, has broken at least one whammy bar, and given themselves or someone else a black eye or busted nose from throwing the guitar back to achieve a Star Power combo. The first game did very well, scoring a 91 from MetaCritic and a 9.2 out of 10 from IGN, and spurred on a whole collection of games that were always so much fun.


Aside from the controller of course, the most iconic thing about Guitar Hero will always be its soundtrack. Most of the songs on the original game are covers, but they do a pretty good job capturing the essence of the original and don't take you out of the game because of how different they sound. Because you play as the lead guitarist, obviously each of these songs has to have at least one really sick guitar solo, so let's see what we had going on back in 2005.


Guitar Hero featured six "levels" on its story mode, with setlists of five songs each set in a different venue. Since I'm admittedly not a guitarist, I won't be ranking the songs based on how fun or iconic they are to play, and since I've never played the first game I can't rank based on how fun or iconic they are to play. Therefore, let's just check out the soundtrack that started it all and, as always, enjoy the music.


Level 1: Opening Licks

I Love Rock 'N Roll by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts

Original Album: I Love Rock 'N Roll (1981)

Genre: Hard rock

Songwriters: A. Merrill, J. Hooker

Do I Like It: Hell yeah, who doesn't like this song?


I Wanna Be Sedated by Ramones

Original Album: Road to Ruin (1978)

Genre: Punk rock

Songwriters: D. Ramone, J. Ramone, J. Ramone

Do I Like It: Yeah, it's a fun listen for sure.


Infected by Bad Religion

Original Album: Stranger Than Fiction (1994)

Genre: Punk rock

Songwriters: B. Gurewitz

Do I Like It: Sure, it's very '90s and it sounds like it but not in a bad way.


Smoke On the Water by Deep Purple

Original Album: Machine Head (1971)

Genre: Hard rock

Songwriters: J. Lord, I. Paice, I. Gillan, R. Blackmore, R. Glover

Do I Like It: Well yeah, that opening riff is so iconic it's hard not to like.


Thunder Kiss '65 by White Zombie

Original Album: La Sexorcisto: Devil Music Volume One (1992)

Genre: Groove metal

Songwriters: S. Reynolds, J. Yuenger, I. de Prume, R. Zombie

Do I Like It: Ehhhh, this one was a little hard for me but I get why other people probably like it.


Level 2: Axe-Grinders

Iron Man by Black Sabbath

Original Album: Paranoid (1970)

Genre: Heavy metal

Songwriters: W. Ward, T. Iommi, T. Butler, J. Osbourne

Do I Like It: There's people that don't like Iron Man?! (Unrelated but Team Tony 4ever)


More Than a Feeling by Boston

Original Album: Boston (1976)

Genre: Heavy rock

Songwriters: T. Scholz

Do I Like It: An actual classic, and it's fun to sing seriously and ironically.


Sharp Dressed Man by ZZ Top

Original Album: Eliminator (1983)

Genre: Blues rock

Songwriters: W. Gibbons, J. Hill, F. Beard

Do I Like It: Honestly this is a classic rock fave of mine and has been for YEARS.


Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand

Original Album: Franz Ferdinand (2004)

Genre: Post-punk revival

Songwriters: A. Kapranos, N. McCarthy

Do I Like It: This is a song I forget that I like or even know until that iconic tempo change after verse 1, but it's an absolute banger.


You've Got Another Thing Comin' by Judas Priest

Original Album: Screaming for Vengeance (1982)

Genre: Heavy metal

Songwriters: R. Halford, K. Downing, G. Tipton

Do I Like It: This was the weak link in this setlist for me - it was fine, just didn't hit the way the other four did.


Level 3: Thrash and Burn

Heart Full of Black by Burning Brides

Original Album: Leave No Ashes (2004)

Genre: Hard rock

Songwriters: D. Coats

Do I Like It: Yeah, not a song I was initially familiar with but it was a proper banger.


Hey You by The Exies

Original Album: Head for the Door (2004)

Genre: Alternative rock

Songwriters: D. Walsh, D. Wolfe, L. Herrera, S. Stevens

Do I Like It: Same as above - not one I knew before but a pretty good banger.


Killer Queen by Queen

Original Album: Sheer Heart Attack (1974)

Genre: Art pop

Songwriters: F. Mercury

Do I Like It: This isn't my top Queen song, but I can't think of any bad Queen songs so yeah of course I like it.


Stellar by Incubus

Original Album: Make Yourself (1999)

Genre: Nu metal

Songwriters: B. Boyd, C. Kilmore, A. Katunich, J. Pasillas, M. Einziger

Do I Like It: Eh - compared to the previous three, this one was a little boring in comparison.


Symphony of Destruction by Megadeth

Original Album: Countdown to Extinction (1992)

Genre: Heavy metal

Songwriters: D. Mustaine

Do I Like It: Yeah this one didn't quite do it for me, but I get why other people like it.


Level 4: Return of the Shred

Cochise by Audioslave

Original Album: Audioslave (2002)

Genre: Hard rock

Songwriters: B. Wilk, C. Cornell, T. Commerford, T. Morello

Do I Like It: Parts of it, yes - it's always good to hear Chris Cornell sing. Not wild about the intro or the bridge though.


Fat Lip by Sum 41

Original Album: All Killer No Filler (2001)

Genre: Pop punk

Songwriters: D. Whibley, S. Jacz, D. Baksh, G. Nori

Do I Like It: Eh, it's okay - it sounds like they're trying to be a combo of The Beastie Boys and blink-182.


Take It Off by The Donnas

Original Album: Spend the Night (2002)

Genre: Hard rock

Songwriters: B. Anderson, T. Castellano, A. Robertson, M. Ford

Do I Like It: Yeah, this one was a lot of fun. Not sure I'd call it hard rock, but I enjoyed it.


Unsung by Helmet

Original Album: Meantime (1992)

Genre: Alternative metal

Songwriters: P. Hamilton

Do I Like It: Compared to the others in this set, this one somehow manages to feel muted. Not exactly sure what it is about it that makes me feel that way.


Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie

Original Album: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars (1972)

Genre: Glam rock

Songwriters: D. Bowie

Do I Like It: Now we're talking - good ol' Ziggy is a true classic.


Level 5: Fret-Burners

Ace of Spades by Motörhead

Original Album: Ace of Spades (1980)

Genre: Heavy metal

Songwriters: E. Clark, I. Kilmister, P. Taylor

Do I Like It: It was very busy, but it was an enjoyable enough metal song to listen to.


Crossroads by Cream

Original Album: Wheels of Fire (1968)

Genre: Hard rock

Songwriters: R. Johnson

Do I Like It: I have a hard time calling Eric Clapton hard rock, but the guitar solo in this is very good.


Higher Ground by Red Hot Chili Peppers

Original Album: Mother's Milk (1989)

Genre: Funk metal

Songwriters: S. Wonder

Do I Like It: I briefly thought I had the wrong song on because it does NOT sound like RHCP even a little bit. Not my favorite from them.


No One Knows by Queens of the Stone Age

Original Album: Songs for the Deaf (2002)

Genre: Stoner rock

Songwriters: J. Homme, M. Lanegan

Do I Like It: I did, actually - something about the guitar riff throughout the verses was just bouncy and fun and I really liked the bass line at the beginning.


Spanish Castle Magic by The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Original Album: Axis: Bold as Love (1967)

Genre: Rock

Songwriters: J. Hendrix

Do I Like It: It's exactly what I'd expect from a Jimi Hendrix song - cool groovy energy, colorful tones, and a great guitar solo from the man himself.

Level 6: Face Melters

Bark at the Moon by Ozzy Osbourne

Original Album: Bark at the Moon (1983)

Genre: Heavy metal

Songwriters: J. Osbourne, J. Lee, R. Daisley

Do I Like It: Good guitar solo, good classic Ozzy laugh, but it bugs the hell out of me that it sounds like he pronounces "moon" as "moan."


Cowboys from Hell by Pantera

Original Album: Cowboys from Hell (1990)

Genre: Groove metal

Songwriters: P. Anselmo, R. Brown, D. Abbott, V. Abbott

Do I Like It: Really like the guitar and the groove of the song, but the vocals don't do it for me.


Frankenstein by The Edgar Winter Group

Original Album: They Only Come Out at Night (1972)

Genre: Instrumental rock

Songwriters: E. Winter

Do I Like It: This one was cool - from the funky groove of the guitar, bass, and drums to the saxophone solo in the middle of the song.


Godzilla by Blue Öyster Cult

Original Album: Spectres (1977)

Genre: Heavy metal

Songwriters: D. Roeser

Do I Like It: Yeah, this one was fun - it was catchy and funky and really fun to listen to.


Texas Flood by Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble

Original Album: Texas Flood (1983)

Genre: Texas blues

Songwriters: J. Scott, L. Davis

Do I Like It: There's something so satisfying about listening to Stevie Ray Vaughan - he's just so damn good that it's always enjoyable to listen to his stuff.


Whhether you've loved these songs since they were new, were first introduced to them from this game, or you're just now hearing them for the first time, I hope you found some great new stuff to check out today. Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!

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