Top 10 bands that need more songs in the series: Rock Band edition

As stated in the article about bands that need more songs in Guitar Hero, there aren't many huge-name bands that haven't at least graced the Rock Band/Guitar Hero  Rock Band has already released over 1,000 songs to date spanning hundreds of artists' careers.

We already highlighted bands that should be further featured in the Guitar Hero series, so this time we'll be taking a look at bands that have already made their first appearance in the Rock Band series, but really deserve to have more tracks in the game. While it may be difficult to only narrow it down to ten bands, considering how many bands are actually in Rock Band, this is the top ten that I feel would really appeal to the masses by having more songs in the game.

10. The White Stripes
What We Have:
"Icky Thump" (DLC)
"Girl, You Have No Faith in Medicine" (DLC)
"Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" (DLC)

The White Stripes were seen by some as the definitive band of the past decade. Their sound was seen as outrageous and even bizarre when they burst onto the scene, but now their sound has become the mainstream sound, much like Nirvana's sound became the soudn of the 90's. The songs we have are great, but they have so many great songs that feature amazing guitar riffs/solos and spectacular vocals. Jack White may have criticized Gutiar Hero and Rock Band in the past, but between all his side projects, he certainly has shown he doesn't mind having his work in them.

9. Stone Temple Pilots
What We Have:
"Vasoline" (Rock Band)
"Interstate Love Song" (DLC)
"Sex Type Thing" (DLC)

Even though they were written off early on in their careers as Nirvana/Pearl Jam copycats, STP proved to be on of the most eclectic mainstream bands of the 90's. The beginning of their career really did buy into that stereotypical grunge sound, but their last 3 albums really were diverse and possessed unmatched musicianship. The three songs we've gotten on Rock Band thus far are from their first two albums, but songs like Guitar Hero 2 favorite, "Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart" really personify the need for more songs from STP's later catalog. In addition to all that, STP has a new album coming out in the next few months, which they will surely want to promote.

8. Keith Urban
What We Have:
"I Told You So" (Rock Band Country Track Pack)

Sure, we've all heard the complaints coming from "purists" saying "This is called "ROCK Band", not "Country Band", but without diversity in the Rock Band catalog, the game would lose it's luster quickly. Keith Urban really is perfectly suited for Rock Band, as he has great vocals and amazing musicians backing him, but, at the same time, his guitar playing might be the most prolific in the entire mainstream country genre. Listening to his songs really can bring most people around to accepting country music in Rock Band. Perhaps the best-suited song that he participated in would be his epic collaboration with Brad Paisley, "Start a Band", which basically breaks down into a guitar duel halfway through the song.

7. Free
What We Have:
"All Right Now" (DLC)

Free was one of the premier bands of the rock and roll genre. The band featured virtuosos at every single spot, including one of the best and most under-appreciated bass guitarists of all-time, Andy Fraser. There's also no denying that Paul Rodgers, who later went on to start Bad Company and join Queen, is one of the greatest and most talented vocalists in rock and roll history. The musicianship in albums such as Tons of Sobs is spectacular and would be a blast to see plastic instrumentalists try to keep up, yet it would be hilarious to watch all of the amateur vocalists attempt to sing like Paul Rodgers when he starts getting really soulful.

6. Dream Theater
What We Have:
"Panic Attack" (Rock Band 2)
"Constant Motion" (DLC)

Dream Theater has always been one of the most requested bands in music video games. So far, the two songs in Rock Band have been two of the most difficult tracks across most instruments. "Constant Motion" has what is probably the toughest guitar solo out of the over 1,000 tracks in the series, while "Panic Attack" was one of the most difficult drum tracks on Rock Band 2. There are rumors, however, that the band is looking into getting their full discography onto the upcoming Rock Band Network, which would answer the prayers of many Rock Band players.

5. Muse
What We Have:
"Hysteria" (Europe Rock Band/DLC)

Muse is one of the biggest bands around, and while they have had a pretty solid presence in the Guitar Hero series, Rock Band has only received one track thus far. There have been rumors that more Muse is coming down the DLC pipeline ever since Harmonix put a poll that included "Muse" as an option as "Bands we want more DLC from". If I recall correctly, Muse actually won that poll, which even futher solidifies their spot on this list. Even if Harmonix just included some of the songs that were Guitar Hero III on both disc and DLC, it would be a solid addition.

4. Deep Purple
What We Have:
"Highway Star" (Rock Band)
"Space Truckin'" (DLC)

Deep Purple is one of the bands that is strongly tied to the Rock Band series, mainly due to the fact that "Highway Star" was used for all the original Rock Band commercials, as well as the opening cinematic of Rock Band. The band put out some of the greatest albums of all-time, including a personal favorite, Machine Head. Machine Head would go perfectly on Rock Band as a full-album download, as it not only has great instrumentation, but it also includes big hits like "Smoke on the Water".

3. Guns N' Roses
What We Have:
"Shackler's Revenge" (Rock Band 2)
Chinese Democracy (Full Album DLC)

As far as bands on this list goes, Guns N' Roses has a lot of songs in Rock Band. They already have one entire album, but none of that content is from the original lineup, which is what players really want. Songs like "Sweet Child O'Mine", "Welcome ot the Jungle", "You Could Be Mine", "It's So Easy", and, of course, "Paradise City" would be a dream come true for Rock Band players. This is especially true since the first glimpse players ever had of Rock Band was of Harmonix playing an unfinished version of Rock Band to "Welcome to the Jungle".

2. Black Sabbath
What We Have:
"Paranoid" (Rock Band/Non-Exportable)
"N.I.B." (DLC)
"Sweet Leaf" (DLC)
"War Pigs" (DLC)

There are several possible reasons as to why we haven't gotten more Sabbath in Rock Band. The main reason that has been accepted by the fans is that all Black Sabbath master tracks are rumored to be unusable or in very poor condition. This news came on the heels of Harmonix and Neversoft pretty much committing to only using master tracks in their games. The other main reason, that might be an even bigger hinderance in the companies' campaigns to get Sabbath songs in the games is the fact that Ozzy Osbourne and Tony Iommi are currently in a legal battle over who owns the rights of the Black Sabbath catalog. When lawyers are involved, other companies will tend to stay away. We were also supposed to get "Supernaut" back in March of 2007, according to Game Informer magazine. That being said, I'm sure I'm not alone in saying that I'd rather get a huge pack of well-made Black Sabbath covers than no Black Sabbath at all.

1. The Rolling Stones
What We Have:
"Gimme Shelter" (Rock Band)

Let me get this straight; a band that is constantly compared to The Beatles, has sold more than 200 million albums worldwide, and has influenced the course of rock and roll as much as The Stones only has one song in Rock Band? That's pure insanity! The band has had numerous master tracks in the Guitar Hero series, so it's obvious that masters are readily available should Harmonix request them. Rolling Stone magazine ranked them as the number 4 band of all-time, Billboard named them the 10th greatest artist of all-time and the band is a well-established member of the Roc k and Roll Hall of Fame. There's not much that The Stones haven't accomplished over the course of their long and illustrious careers, so its time that we get more of their huge hits in the largest library of tracks in music video game history.