Guitar Hero 2

Continuing the unofficial series of blog posts I'm writing about the soundtracks for all the different Guitar Hero and Rock Band games, this entry is all about the setlist for the 2006 music game, Guitar Hero 2. Along with GH3 and GHM, this is widely considered to have one of the best setlists in the Guitar Hero franchise...but are we looking at the game through rose tinted lenses or does the soundtrack still hold up to this date? I intend to find out in the same way that I did with the following setlists:
Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks The 80s
Guitar Hero 3: Legends Of Rock
Guitar Hero: World Tour
Rock Band 2
The Beatles: Rock Band
Lego Rock Band
Guitar Hero: Van Halen
Rock Band 3
Guitar Hero: Warriors Of Rock
Rock Band 4

I'll be going through the entire game's main soundtrack (including the bonus Xbox 360 tracks but NOT the game's bonus songs that you can purchase) and deciding whether each song deserves a Thumbs Up or Thumbs Down based around three key factors. 1) Whether I actually like the song (since this game mostly consists of WaveGroup covers, I'll be judging those). 2) Whether the song is fun to play on guitar. 3) Whether the song deserves to be included in the game based on its popularity or relevance to the Guitar Hero term.
At the end, I'll tally up all the Thumbs Up/Down to determine if the game's soundtrack is a yay or nay. So now we've gone through that obligatory explanation, let's revisit this setlist!

"Bad Reputation" - Thin Lizzy
I don't even need to revisit the WaveGroup cover of this to tell you it's a THUMBS DOWN. Thin Lizzy have recorded so many great songs with amazing guitar melodies such as "Whiskey In The Jar", "Cowboy Song", "Waiting For An Alibi", "Cold Sweat" and more. Why in the hell did Harmonix think "Bad Reputation", a lesser known, easily forgettable song of theirs that's mostly strumming and waiting, deserved a spot in the game's soundtrack? My bet is it was probably a personal choice from one of the game's creative directors, even if the solo is alright.

"Beast And The Harlot" - Avenged Sevenfold
Ahh, the beginning of the A7X rhythm music craze. Granted it probably would've happened sooner or later but this song was the one that started it all off...and with pretty good reason. It's a decent song that makes for a great challenge, definitely worth being in the game and (as far as I know) a popular track by A7X too. Regardless of how I felt about it being in RB3, this song is fun as a WaveGroup cover in early GH games and deserves a THUMBS UP as a result.

"Billion Dollar Babies" - Alice Cooper
The first Xbox 360 exclusive track (and, therefore, one of many that I've never actually played). As far as WaveGroup covers go, it's hit and miss. The guitar sounds terrible but the vocals aren't too bad. I'm not a huge fan of the song so it's mostly down to whether it's a fun chart and a decent Alice Cooper choice. It's got a decent solo and some fun riffs, perfect for a mid-tier track, and the song's one of Cooper's biggest hits. It'd make sense to choose fun over popularity when it's not the original and part of an expanded setlist. Yeah, I'm OK with this choice. THUMBS UP.

"Can't You Hear Me Knockin'" - The Rolling Stones
Well, at least they picked a shorter version to cover. Never thought I'd say that but here we are. The guitar riff in the cover starts off pretty well although the rest of the track quickly turns to shit, even doing the impossible and finding a vocalist to cover a Rolling Stones song who sounds worse than Mick Jagger. God, I fucking hate this song. The "CAN YOU HEAR ME KNOCKIN'" riff is awful and even though it has the makings of a track I should love, there's nothing I like about this cover from the intro riff to the crappy outro solo. What's worse is there are plenty of great Rolling Stones songs that likely haven't been made into GH/RB DLC because of unavailable master tapes, meaning WaveGroup covers were the easiest way to get songs like "It's All Over Now" and "Jumpin' Jack Flash". THUMBS DOWN.

"Carry Me Home" - The Living End
Man, I forgot how awesome this song is. Not only is it excellent for guitarists looking for a challenge but it's a pretty fucking great cover too, arguably superior to the original at least as far as vocals are concerned. It's also a fairly well known track by The Living End (though I'm not sure if that's because of this game or general radio play) but I still think it belongs in this game more than some of their other great tracks like "West End Riot" and "Into The Red". THUMBS UP.

"Carry On Wayward Son" - Kansas
I'm sure I've talked about this cover in the past but I still feel that the original is easily the best version. The vocals in the intro followed by the muted guitar riff sound wrong but at least they're not terrible to play. I think it's fair to say that a lot of people discovered this song due to this game, since it suddenly started appearing everywhere after 2006, but it's a shame the cover's kinda meh. At least it's a solid choice and a fun chart, which earns it a THUMBS UP.

"Cherry Pie" - Warrant
Hats off to WaveGroup for recording a pretty fucking spot-on version of this song. Well known Hair Metal anthem, sweet guitar chart and a top quality cover. All in all, the perfect song for GH2. THUMBS UP.

"Crazy On You" - Heart
I remember hating playing this on GH2 but that was mostly because I wasn't a very good player and this has a semi-challenging guitar chart. Revisiting it, I kinda dig it. Fun guitar throughout and a serviceable cover (although the spot-on guitar tones deserve a major shout out!), but is it the best Heart song to cover? Yes. Absolutely. Without a shadow of a doubt, this was the right choice. THUIMBS UP.

"Dead!" - My Chemical Romance
Ugh, these guys. Fair play to these twinks, this isn't a bad song for GH. Fun guitar chart (which is fucking rare for these wankers), a catchy sound that isn't just your overly affected strumfest lamenting how hard it is to be Alternative in high school and from what I know about MCR, it's one of their more popular songs. Oh, and it's one of four master recordings in the game...and an Xbox 360 exclusive track. If I didn't know this was MCR, I'd probably like the track a lot so I've got no choice but to give it a THUMBS UP. I know, weird huh.

"Free Bird" - Lynyrd Skynyrd
Do I really need to spend more than a single line explaining this one? Nope! THUMBS UP.

"Freya" - The Sword
This is one of the main reasons why I believe the Guitar Hero 2 soundtrack is regarded as one of the best. Yes, you've got WaveGroup covers of bands that wouldn't appear in GH/RB as master recordings for some time (if at all) and a myriad of fun guitar songs but you've also got lesser known modern Hard Rock/Metal songs that fans of classic bands like Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin are likely to enjoy. It's the perfect balance to create the ultimate Rock music rhythm game. The fun chart and great cover quality are added features at this point, as is the bitchin' outro. THUMBS UP.

"Girlfriend" - Matthew Sweet
I've played this song on GH2 and listened to it as a way of reminding myself about the song...and yet, I still can't tell you anything about it. It's so fucking non-descript and average, even if it does have a fun solo. There are plenty of other one-off Rock songs that could've been better used in this game but instead, we get Placeholder - Fuckin Who?! taking up a slot. It's not a terrible song but it doesn't deserve a win for any of the key factors I'm judging these on. THUMBS DOWN I'm afraid.

"Hangar 18" - Megadeth
Oh shit, this song gave me so much trouble when I first played this game. It's a shame the cover is possibly one of WaveGroup's weakest in that it sounds barely anything like the original but it still sounds good enough. There's also the added benefit of it being one of Megadeth's better known songs deliberately picked to be an insane challenge for guitarists at the end of the game. Whilst there are other Megadeth songs that I think I prefer to listen to, this is definitely the best choice for the game (way better than "Symphony Of Destruction" in GH1). THUMBS UP.

"Heart-Shaped Box" - Nirvana
Hmmm...on the one hand, it's one of Nirvana's bigger tracks ignoring the obvious one that they chose not to go with for some reason. On the other much bigger hand, it's not the most fun guitar track and Nirvana aren't really a band that comes to mind when I think of the term Guitar Hero. They might work in later games or DLC but not GH1-3 on-disc tracks. It's a THUMBS DOWN from me.

"Hush" - Deep Purple
It's a shame this wasn't on the PS2 version but it's still a damn good track. It's a solid little chart for those who want a fun but relatively easy song on guitar but thankfully, it's a great cover with a neat little guitar solo written in and a sensible choice for a Deep Purple song. Sure, there are plenty of more challenging Hard Rock songs they could've gone with but there's nothing wrong with this Psychedelic choice from the band's early career. Hopefully one day we'll get it as Rock Band DLC since they seem to be revisiting all the GH setlists now. THUMBS UP.

"Institutionalized" - Suicidal Tendencies
Fuck this song. Horrible to listen to, crap to play, rubbish choice for 80s Metal (although this game has some great choices overall) and completely lacking in anything remotely enjoyable. There are plenty of challenging guitar songs that should've taken its place so it's a hard THUMBS DOWN for this utter shithawk of a tune.

"Jessica" - The Allman Brothers Band
Ah yes, the second best Southern Rock epic in the game. Easily one of the most fun songs to play and it's not a terrible WaveGroup cover. The guitar tone is great and the omission of the piano solo to make it more fun in GH doesn't sound bad either. The Allman Brothers Band have plenty of fun songs to choose from but this has to be the best choice, as all the others wouldn't be anywhere near as fun or popular except maybe "Ramblin' Man"...but I'm glad we got the original two years later instead. THUMBS UP.

"John The Fisherman" - Primus
Ewww, Primus. I know they're kinda shitty normally but goddamn, they sound even worse as a WaveGroup cover. I mean, the vocalist is doofy and the guitar tone is just awful. WaveGroup really fucked up when...wait...oh, it's a master recording? Yeesh, what a waste. I wouldn't mind if this was a bonus song and one of the bonus tracks like "Soy Bomb" or "Raw Dog" was a main setlist choice instead...but Jesus, this is bad. It's not even fun to play, it's just a solid lump of bad. THUMBS DOWN.

"Killing In The Name" - Rage Against The Machine
You might be thinking that I'm generally shitting on the more modern songs but this is one that I actually like quite a bit. Whilst the GH:SH chart is still my favourite (let's not talk about the Rock Band one), the GH2 guitar chart isn't that bad and WaveGroup successfully manage to recreate a Tom Morello guitar solo without completely fucking everything up. They also did a good job rewriting the lyrics to be a bit more family friendly so overall, a good effort. It's also one of the better RATM choices, as Guitar Hero 3 and Rock Band 2 would prove. THUMBS UP.

"Laid To Rest" - Lamb Of God
It's not the best song to listen to but it's a solid choice for some modern Metal that isn't just a recreation of 70s/80s stuff. Plus, that guitar chart is just fucking great. Actually, so is WaveGroup's cover. I actually had to double check to make sure it wasn't the original as the guitar tones are damn near identical. It's only when the verse vocals come in that you realise it's not Lamb Of God but musically, the cover's good. I'm assuming this is one of Lamb Of God's better known tracks as we've had barely any other tracks of theirs in music games so far. So yeah, sweet pick. THUMBS UP.

"Last Child" - Aerosmith
I'm torn on this one. It's a good little tune but I doubt any Aerosmith fan (casual or hardcore) would choose this straight away if you asked them for the best Aerosmith song; at least not if they were listening to this cover. Maybe this choice was more to do with Aerosmith being notoriously expensive to license so they wanted a nice, cheap B-side to cover instead. Either way, it's a good song with a semi-fun but easily forgettable chart. When weighing up the positives (only just passable WaveGroup cover, fun chart) against the negatives (not amazingly fun to play, so many better Aerosmith songs to pick from), I've got to go with my gut and say THUMBS DOWN if only because a song like "Walk This Way", "Back In The Saddle" or "Sweet Emotion" would've been awesome. However, this isn't a bad B-side choice.

"Life Wasted" - Pearl Jam
Another Xbox 360 exclusive that I'm a bit jealous of. I'm a bit surprised they went with modern Pearl Jam when you'd assume any of their 90s hits would've been the obvious choices. Still, it's a fun song off an underrated album and a good WaveGroup cover. I wouldn't replace this with any other song of theirs, mostly because I wouldn't be able to play it anyway. THUMBS UP.

"Madhouse" - Anthrax
I wish we got more Anthrax stuff off the Spreading The Disease album that wasn't a WaveGroup cover or shitty live recording. Ah well, at least GH2 knew what was up. Bitchin' tune from the band's best album, what's not to like? Fun guitar, totally relevant for the game and a solid cover. THUMBS UP without a moment's hesitation.

"Message In A Bottle" - The Police
The Police are a funny beast in the world of Rock Band/Guitar Hero. They're a relatively popular Rock band with a very limited collection of fun songs. "Message In A Bottle" is OK to listen to and sort of fun to play but it's not a track I would ever seek out; it's just one that I enjoy when I'm experiencing it. It's also a very sensible choice for the game, what with it having some decent but easy guitar sections for early on in the career and it being one of the band's biggest hits. Yeah, THUMBS UP I guess. I don't hate it or even dislike it, I'm just wildly indifferent but have no beef against it.

"Misirlou" - Dick Dale
Hoo boy, THIS song. I'm not sure if they were better off choosing this version or going with the Del-tones one used in Pulp Fiction. Either way, it's a fun song with LOTS of rapid strumming. If that's your jam, you better get on this song. If you hate rapid strumming, you'll probably get very little out of this other than a fail screen but luckily, it's not an arse of a song to strum hopelessly along to. Great tune, good choice for one of the game's main challenging tracks. THUMBS UP.

"Monkey Wrench" - Foo Fighters
I'll be honest, I don't even remember playing this in GH2. I remember it in Smash Hits and I loosely remember seeing it in the setlist but I can't remember playing it at all! However, the chart is pretty standard. A lot of chords, a lot of strumming but it's all in service of a great Foos track from an album with a lot of crappy hits that could've been picked instead. The cover's not bad either, I dare say the vocalist does a better job than Dave Grohl during the shouty bit. Despite being a totally forgettable song and chart in the collection of music that is Guitar Hero 2, I'm giving this a THUMBS UP.

"Mother" - Danzig
Not a huge fan of Danzig or this song but I guess it's quite popular? The vocalist did his best but he was never going to sound like Mr Danzig so any attempt at covering this song would always just sound like a parody. So yeah, not a huge fan of the song choice or cover quality...but is it fun to play? Meh, it's OK. Pretty standard affair up until the last solo which is great. I praised the soundtrack earlier for their choice of Rock and Metal from recent years with a similar sound to classic artists as  away of introducing fans to new material...but this song was released in the 80s, the same decade as Judas Priest, Metallica and Scorpions material. Granted most of those bands made it to Guitar Hero Encore: Rocks The 80s but I still feel like this is a meh song at best, even if it's not terrible to play. Fuck, I'm conflicted. I'm gonna say THUMBS DOWN purely because I wouldn't miss this song if it was replaced with something else, even if I'm not a huge fan of the song replacing it.

"Possum Kingdom" - Toadies
Another Xbox 360 exclusive and master recording combo...and it's mediocre! Positives first: it's got a sweet riff that's kinda fun to play (by the looks of it). It's also a somewhat popular song, I guess? However, it's your typical 90s Alternative, Pop Punk shit only this isn't Weezer or The Offspring or some other similar band with songs that'd be amazing to play in GH. As far exclusive bonus tracks go, this is pretty dull and should've been something more fun to listen to/play (even if it was meant to be an early career mode track to warm your fingers up). THUMBS DOWN though I might buy it as Rock Band DLC in the future.

"Psychobilly Freakout" - Reverend Horton Heat
Ahhhhh, this song's grown on me. I may not have enjoyed my experience of it in GH2 but since I've improved over time, I can appreciate this song for what it is. It's the wacky GH song full of fun yet incredibly challenging guitar (for the time) that one of the developers happened to know and decided to include that you find in most GH games. GHWOR had the Snot song, GH5 had the Jeff Beck jazz one, even GH:WT had "Satch Boogie". I'm OK with this not being a well known song by a well known band if it serves a purpose in the game's soundtrack, and it does! It serves a similar purpose to "Misirlou" but in a more fun way. It's also a pretty fucking great cover so THUMBS UP. Fuck the haters.

"Rock And Roll, Hoochie Koo" - Rick Derringer
Oh neat, some more Classic Rock. Oh wait, it was an Xbox 360 exclusive. Shit. At least Rock Band 4 got the master recording (for which I am eternally grateful) but the GH2 cover and chart are still good. Sure, the outro solo might seem a little forced but the actual solo is brilliant and the whole song is full of amazing guitar sections. Definitely a true Guitar Hero song, even if it is a lesser known Classic Rock track outside of America. Well, it got a Thumbs Up in RB4 so it's definitely getting one here too! THUMBS UP.

"Rock This Town" - Stray Cats
This is definitely one of the most fun songs in the game, along with "Jessica" and one coming up a bit later. Everything about this song is fucking brilliant. Most fun songs have some kind of downtime section where it's just chords, strumming or nothing at all but this track has a fun and varied chart from start to finish. Rock Band released a version as DLC that couldn't hold a candle to this chart, although at least that was still fun. The GH2 version, however, will always be a testament to the perfect GH chart, even if the song isn't exactly GH material. THUMBS UP.

"Salvation" - Rancid
Generic 90s Punk, as bland as you can imagine. Boring chart, terrible song, plenty of better Punk tunes out there to include if you want an easy song to kick the game off and I wouldn't even consider it a significant song in general if you're after great Rock tracks for the game. Thankfully it's an Xbox 360 exclusive so I never had to play it but this should've been something else. THUMBS DOWN.

"Seach And Destroy" - Iggy Pop And The Stooges
From dull Punk to amazing Punk AND quite possibly my favourite song in the game. Note: it's not the most fun song in the game (that's probably "Rock This Town") but it's still my favourite. I always enjoyed playing it, even if I wasn't good enough to completely nail that amazing outro solo. Granted the chart's a little undercharted and the cover sounds iffy at times but overall, it's a great effort by WaveGroup and adequately challenging enough for where it is in the game's career mode. It's a shame we've yet to experience this in Rock Band but there's still hope for the future, especially since I heard a rumour that it was optioned for Guitar Hero: Smash Hits. As for whether it's the best Iggy song to go with, it's definitely the best Iggy and the Stooges song to pick...you know what, it's the best Iggy song in general. Semi-well known but obscure enough to introduce casual listeners to a cracking tune. THUMBS UP.

"Shout At The Devil" - Motley Crue
OK, so it might be a lame cover but as far as entry level songs go, this is one of the best. A well known Hair Metal track that successfully crosses into full on Heavy Metal territory and contains plenty of fun little HOPO sections to separate it from bland sustain of chordfests. It might not be the perfect song (fuck that trill solo) but as it was the first song I played in Guitar Hero 2, I can testify that it perfectly sets the tone for the great game ahead of you. THUMBS UP.

"Stop" - Jane's Addiction
You know my feelings towards Jane's Addiction and this is one of the songs that started the general animosity I harbour. Frustrating chart, cruddy song and not even the best choice by this band. "Idiots Rule", "Been Caught Stealing" or "Just Because" would've been much better for the game and arguably as well known (if not more so) than this song. However, one positive thing about the track is that it is indeed the original master recording. Sadly it's the master recording of a naff song so THUMBS DOWN.

"Strutter" - KISS
I wouldn't call this a tremendously popular KISS song in comparison to some of their others but on the scale of significant KISS singles, it's definitely on the list. It's also one of the most fun KISS songs on guitar so there are no complaints from me there. I was going to give this a Thumbs Down but then I revisited the chart; damn, those twin solos are something. THUMBS UP even though it's not a KISS song I'm particularly fond of.

"Surrender" - Cheap Trick
If you're going to pick a Cheap Trick song for Guitar Hero, you're definitely better off picking one of their actual Rock songs instead of their Pop shit. It's a solid track with some basic guitar throughout, perfect for early placement in the game's career mode. Whilst I personally would've preferred songs like "Stiff Competition" or "California Man", I'm not dumb enough to state that those would've been superior choices. "Surrender" is a well known Rock track that doesn't feel out of  place in GH and probably gave people a lot of fun when they played it, even if it's no "Rock This Town". THUMBS UP for not being terrible.

"Sweet Child O' Mine" - Guns N' Roses
OK, I'll say it right now. THUMBS UP. Good song? Check (even if I'm slowly falling out of love with GNR due to a certain prick on vocals). Fun chart? Check (it's fucking Slash, what did you expect?). Sensible GH choice? It's one of Rock's most iconic guitar riffs and songs, of fucking course. Good cover? Debatable; the vocalist sounds like a rougher version of Axl, which is fucking saying something, but at least the guitar tones sound perfect. All in all, good track!

"Tattooed Love Boys" - The Pretenders
One of many songs that I actually forgot was in the game. Uhh, yeah, this song sucks. It's a weird blend of New Wave and Hard Rock and I don't like it. Even if the chart is kinda fun if you're good enough to tackle the strumming rhythm, it's a poor choice for the game in my opinion. Not really a song that comes to mind when I think of Guitar Hero and if you were going to choose a Pretenders song, why not "Middle Of The Road" or "Precious"? THUMBS DOWN.

"Them Bones" - Alice In Chains
Bleh, Alice In Chains. Up there with Bush in my league of terrible Grunge bands. This song might have a sweet guitar solo but I still dislike listening to the rest of the song just to get to a brief HOPO stream sandwiched between a load of strumming. Alice In Chains have some decent tracks but nothing I feel is a must have for GH. The closest song is probably "Man In The Box", which I probably would've enjoyed more than this one...although this is a lot shorter. Either way, THUMBS DOWN. I would've been more likely to award the win if it was a Rock or Metal cover of "Dem Bones/Dry Bones".

"Tonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight" - Spinal Tap
Fair play Harmonix, you put a Spinal Tap song on the main setlist. Not just a random Spinal Tap song off a new album as part of a contractual obligation in order to get album DLC later down the line (totally not referencing another game there) but a well known and awesome Spinal Tap song that featured prominently in the film too! It's a shame the song has to feature so many fiddly trills and a rapid strumming outro but at least the main riff is great. The cover quality's pretty good too, especially on the main riff and lead vocals in the verse. You could argue that a Rock song by an actual band and not a parody of 80s Rock groups should've had the spot this track took up but to those people, I say there's nothing wrong with the song as its own entity. If you didn't know it was Spinal Tap, this would sound just as awesome as anything by Twisted Sister or Aerosmith. THUMBS UP.

"Trippin' On A Hole In A Paper Heart" - Stone Temple Pilots
OK, first of all, stupid song title. Second, this is one of the few popular STP songs with highly active guitar so I guess it makes sense to include in the game. "Vasoline" and "Crackerman" would've been good too but there's nothing wrong with this choice, apart from the aforementioned song title. As for the chart, it's not bad. A little too much strumming for my taste but it's nowhere near as awkward as "Tattooed Love Boys" or "Misirlou" so I suppose that's something. Plus, it's a 90s song that isn't bland, one of the main (and few) issues with the GH2 setlist. For that reason and all the other ones I wrote, THUMBS UP.

"The Trooper" - Iron Maiden
The last Xbox 360 exclusive track. I've played the original in GH:SH but never the WaveGroup cover, although the charts look relatively similar. Since I hated playing this song in GH:SH, I can only assume it's just as annoying in GH2. However, it is one of Iron Maiden's most popular songs so I can understand why it was picked. However, combine the annoying chart with the fairly meh solo and poor quality cover and it pains me to end up with a THUMBS DOWN for this song. As for which Iron Maiden song I would've preferred...tough to say, as any WaveGroup cover would sound crappy, but maybe one of the shorter, less annoying songs to play just to make the painful experience less harsh than this one.

"War Pigs" - Black Sabbath
Is this the same version that was released as Rock Band DLC? I love that version and the GH2 cover sounds pretty damn similar so it's possible. Since GH1 got "Iron Man", it was either this song or "Paranoid" for GH2 and I'm glad they went with this song. It's got many, many awesome guitar sections and will likely introduce casual listeners to a song that they're less likely to know compared to Black Sabbath's other two signature songs. I'm glad they didn't edit the song down to a more tolerable length too, as this track is best enjoyed with both solos in all their glory. THUMBS UP.

"Who Was In My Room Last Night?" - The Butthole Surfers
Another fun chart that I'd very much like to revisit as future RB DLC. Whilst I'm not sure this would qualify if we're after well known Rock songs, it definitely sounds like the kind of song that'd belong in Guitar Hero. Plus, it is an incredible guitar chart and decent cover so it doesn't feel out of place from the perspective of having fun. THUMBS UP before we start talking about the band's questionable choice of name.

"Woman" - Wolfmother
Similar to "Freya", this song feels like it was chosen because it sounds like 70s Hard Rock and happens to be the band's best known single with a fun guitar melody at that point in time. But enough about the song overall, let's talk about the guitar solo. Normally, the song breaks into an organ solo (which you can hear underneath the solo in this song, if you listen closely) but WaveGroup decided to add a guitar solo so that you've got something to play instead of the main riff. The solo's OK, suitable difficulty for this point in the game's career mode and not awful to listen to, especially when compared to the organ solo. If the guitar sounded a little bit closer to the original Wolfmother guitar, I'd be tempted to say this WaveGroup cover trumps the original as the vocalist sounds less whiny than Andrew Stockdale. So, to recap, good song choice, good chart, good cover; that makes this a pretty definite THUMBS UP in my books.

"You Really Got Me" - Van Halen
Really? Out of all the Van Halen songs available, you choose their meh cover of a song by The Kinks, a band that could've been included instead? Granted this is one of Van Halen's popular songs from their debut that helped catapult them into mainstream Rock along with "Eruption" and "Runnin' For The Devil" but there's no way this should've been picked over classics of theirs like "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" and "Panama" if you're after mid-tier difficulty. However, despite my criticisms, there are some shining positives. For starters, it's an exceptional cover; vocals and guitar are fucking identical. Then there's the chart; whilst it might be a bit of a pain for the inexperienced player, it offers some great little HOPO sections in such a short package. Unfortunately, I still feel like this was the wrong choice for the game's Van Halen representative so it's a THUMBS DOWN I'm afraid, though not as offensive as some of the other Thumbs Down this game has offered.

"YYZ" - Rush
Believe it or not, this was my first experience with Rush and now it seems like they're fucking everywhere. Anyway, it's the last main disc song in the game and it's a belter. It's not a terrible cover (it's damn right spot on in the intro, but then the main riff starts) and it's certainly fun to play on guitar and bass. However, is it the best Rush choice for the game? In short, yes. There might be other Rush songs that are more iconic like "Tom Sawyer" and "Limelight" but you're forgetting that those would almost certainly be WaveGroup covers and if the Rock Band covers taught us anything, it's that WaveGroup cannot get Geddy's voice right. They were smart to choose a Rush song that didn't have Geddy singing, therefore saving themselves the embarrassment of attempting to copy his unique pipes. With that in mind, this song and HMX's decision to choose it get a big ol' THUMBS UP.


Well, there you have it. 33 Thumbs Up against 15 Thumbs Down. A pretty good win for the Guitar Hero 2 setlist, right there. As for why this soundtrack is so great compared to other GH games, my theory is that HMX knew that the game's engine between GH1 and GH2 had been vastly improved and wanted a soundtrack that reflected that. The first game had a lot of iconic Rock songs with a couple of modern hits peppered throughout but this game really wanted to knock the socks off players with fun riffs, epic solos and plenty of HOPOs that you didn't have to strum in order to play to enjoy.
Whilst other GH games wanted a soundtrack to reflect fun guitar charts, this game had the benefit of being the second Guitar Hero title in existence, meaning most great and obtainable Rock songs were still new to the franchise (hence GHWOR reusing two tracks from previous GH games, which really didn't help things). Anyway, even if it isn't my favourite GH to play, it certainly is one of the finest soundtracks of music game history.