Guitar Hero (1)

We're finally here! The game that started it all AND the second worst Guitar Hero game in existence (after Guitar Hero: Live). It's also the only classic era Guitar Hero game I never purchased, although I have played it. The soundtrack may contain some absolute belters (albeit in the form of WaveGroup covers) but the game's engine was horrifically bad compared to later games.
However, is the soundtrack great overall or is this game truly just a piece of shit that's only decent contribution to rhythm music games was that it inspired a string of much better titles to exist? Let's find out! Similar to previous Guitar Hero and Rock Band posts, I'll be looking at all the songs on the main setlist before awarding a Thumbs Up/Down to each track based on my personal opinion of the song/cover, whether or not it's a fun chart and whether it belongs in the game.

"Ace Of Spades" - Motorhead
Decent choice of song for a game about playing Rock/Metal songs on a plastic guitar shaped controller! It's got an iconic riff, a fun solo and it packs a punch every time you listen to it. Whilst every chart is awkward as hell to play in GH1, the actual chart itself is pretty good (albeit a little under and overcharted at times). However, ignoring the vocalist's inability to come close to Lemmy, the big difference between this cover and the original is the outro solo here. The original ends pretty well but this version bursts into a furious solo, even if you don't exactly play it in this chart. However, can't fault them for trying to make the song better; whether or not they succeeded is up to you! It's still getting a THUMBS UP from me, though.

"Bark At The Moon" - Ozzy Osbourne
The final song in the game with two challenging solos (even if the second one is undercharted) and a pretty tricky series of strumming riffs throughout. It's definitely a great choice for the game's final boss and as far as WaveGroup covers go, it's pretty good! I think I actually prefer the vocalist in the cover to Ozzy. THUMBS UP for having a fun chart when taken out of the game's terrible engine (getting sick of hearing me say that yet?).

"Cochise" - Audioslave
Man, that riff is awesome. I'm surprised this song hasn't been rereleased as GH/RB DLC. I mean, sure it has some annoying rapid strumming sections here and there but overall, it's a track with some decent variety and a great rockin' sound. When picking modern Rock songs for the game (since the setlist can't all be 70s/80s classics), Harmonix were right to choose tracks like this instead of generic whiny modern songs that would plague latter GH games. THUMBS UP.

"Cowboys From Hell" - Pantera
The hits keep coming! Signature song by a popular 90s Metal band? Check! Great riffs and a fun chart throughout? Check. Brilliant cover with spot-on vocals and pretty damn impressive guitar? Check!! The perfect song for this game, even if I'm not the biggest Pantera fan. THUMBS UP.

"Crossroads" - Cream
Of all the Cream songs to pick for Guitar Hero, this has to be one of the better ones. Good riff and fun solos in an upbeat Blues Rock track. It's also notable as one of the few Cream songs in GH due to Eric Boring Clapton being a dumbass. Fortunately, it's a good one and much better than "Sunshine Of Your Love" from GH3. THUMBS UP.

"Fat Lip" - Sum 41
Most of the songs so far have been pretty challenging on guitar so it's good to see that even the songs with easier difficulties are still bangers! More great riffs from one of Sum 41's better known songs; another that's absolutely perfect for the game. For the first game in the series, "Fat Lip" is a better choice than "In Too Deep", "Still Waiting", "The Hell Song" or any other classics by the band so guess what? Another THUMBS UP!

"Frankenstein" - The Edgar Winter Group
Jesus, this is shaping up to be one of the best setlists ever! It might not be a well known song but it's definitely a well known riff; the fact that it happens to have a really fun chart too is just icing on the cake. Now that the song's come out as Rock Band DLC, we know that most of the guitar in the chart is actually synth but hey, I'm OK with that if the chart is this fun and if you can imagine it being played on guitar. THUMBS UP.

"Godzilla" - Blue Oyster Cult
You'd think that "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" would be the obvious choice or even "Burning For You" but nope, Harmonix picked the song with the better guitar throughout! They even got WaveGroup to play the bass solo on guitar to add more to the chart and here's the kicker; it doesn't sound that bad! Fun to play, great to listen to and even if it's not the band's most well known song, it's still a fan favourite and totally appropriate for this game. THUMBS UP.

"Heart Full Of Black" - Burning Brides
When I first saw this band and song title, I thought this'd be some kind of MCR teenage bollocks but it turns out it's not! It's modern Alternative Rock, kinda like 00s Pearl Jam! Guitar chart's decent, nothing too hard but fun for the appropriate difficulty tier. You could argue that a more well known Rock song would be better but personally, I like discovering new music from these games, especially when the songs are as good as this one! THUMBS UP.

"Hey You" - The Exies
Another modern song and whilst it's not a great song for Guitar Hero: Smash Hits, it's a solid choice for GH1. Some fun variety in the chart and musical style with great riffs popping up here and there. It arguably should've been a bonus song but I can't think of a modern Rock song that'd be a better main setlist choice off the top of my head right now so THUMBS UP.

"Higher Ground" - Red Hot Chili Peppers
Another questionable choice from the band that gave us "Under The Bridge" and "Can't Stop" but since this game was released before Stadium Arcadium came out, I can understand Harmonix picking this track for a fun guitar song. This Stevie Wonder cover is still a popular track by the band and you better believe the chart is fun too. THUMBS UP.

"I Love Rock 'N Roll" - Joan Jett And The Blackhearts
Normally, I'd say this song is basic and dull on guitar...but it's also well known and a perfect track to start with when beginning the game's career mode. Plus, the cover quality's actually pretty awesome. Vocals are spot on and the guitar sounds heavier than the original so all in all, a good pick!  I feel like I'm saying the same thing over and over again but to be honest, I'm genuinely surprised at how much I'm liking this setlist. There's got to be a bad song coming sooner or later but until then THUMBS UP.

"I Wanna Be Sedated" - Ramones
Here we go, our first bad song choice! Ramones songs have no place in a game about fun guitar songs as most of their tracks are just chords and strumming, "I Wanna Be Sedated" being no exception. I can understand the desire to put some Punk in the game to represent a variety of Rock subgenres but I'd argue there are still better song choices. "Ever Fallen In Love" - Buzzcocks is a good example, as there are chords/strumming but also some fun HOPO riffs. Plus, there aren't pathetic "guitar solos" in that song so yeah, should've gone with something else. THUMBS DOWN.

"Infected" - Bad Religion
As far as generic Rock songs go, this one ticks a lot of boxes. Not a lot going on on guitar until a mini solo that looks kinda fun although it's not enough to make up for this bland not-Grunge song. Again, there are plenty of great Grunge or Hard Rock songs that would've been better than this track that I'll probably struggle to remember this time tomorrow. THUMBS DOWN.

"Iron Man" - Black Sabbath
Back to the good songs again! If you're going to get a Black Sabbath song for the first game of your Rock/Metal based rhythm music series, "Iron Man" is probably the best choice; that or "Paranoid". Iconic riffs throughout, fun solo and a damn fine cover version, complete with the "IIII, AAAM, IIIRON MAAAN" intro spoken through the fan. One of the highlights from GH1 in my opinion. THUMBS UP.

"Killer Queen" - Queen
I mean, I like Queen but...why? Of all the Queen songs with great guitar riffs and solos, why did they pick Killer Queen, a song that's driven by vocals and piano? There are countless other Queen songs they could've picked, even if they did nail the guitar for this one. However, since this should've been DLC at a later date instead of an on-disc track for TWO GH games (as well as DLC!), it gets a THUMBS DOWN.

"More Than A Feeling" - Boston
Regular readers of my blog will know that I'm a big fan of Boston's debut album and, by extension, this song. Of course it belongs in the game and of course it's getting a THUMBS UP so let's talk about the quality of the chart and cover. Well, the chart's acceptable for the game and the cover not only nails the guitar but also Brad Delp's vocals. So yeah, definitely a strong choice!

"No One Knows" - Queens Of The Stone Age
Another modern Rock song, this time one that's more well known. It's probably the best QOTSA song they could've picked for the game, since Era Vulgaris wouldn't have come out yet and it beats most of the band's other material as far as fun guitar charts go. Speaking of fun guitar charts, this one is great! Some challenging chord strumming patterns if you're not that good at the game but otherwise, it's a real treat. THUMBS UP.

"Sharp Dressed Man" - ZZ Top
Probably a bit of an obvious choice for ZZ Top ("Cheap Sunglasses" would've been amazing) but you know, it's one of their signature songs and it's got a solid riff so it makes sense to choose this track. Unfortunately, the rest of the chart is kinda dull; boring solos and repetitive riffs can't be saved by a logical track choice, even if they have to spice things up with an outro solo (and even that's a little tame). THUMBS DOWN.

"Smoke On The Water" - Deep Purple
Again, a sensible choice for a classic guitar riff and easy song to feature early on in the game but the chart's nothing special...at least until the solos, anyway. Plus, the cover's a bit crap too; that vocalist has got nothing on Mk II Ian Gillan. All in all, it's a mediocre track, a passable chart and a cruddy cover. Whilst I approve of the song choice and the charting part of the execution, the song cover itself needed to be better to earn a secure Thumbs Up. However, since 2 positives beat 1 negative, it still gets a THUMBS UP.

"Spanish Castle Magic" - The Jimi Hendrix Experience
I think I've talked about the story behind this song before but basically, the Hendrix estate (before they completely sold out) didn't want anyone other than Hendrix to be portrayed as singing a Hendrix song...so when WaveGroup recorded this cover version, they did it as an instrumental instead of using the original's vocals. I'm guessing that's why this song was picked instead of one of his better known tracks; people won't complain about it if they haven't heard it. Fortunately, the song still works without vocals so THUMBS UP for ingenuity in the face of money-grabbing arseholes.

"Stellar" - Incubus
Eww, no. Boring song, dull chart, crap choice for an Incubus track. THUMBS DOWN.

"Symphony Of Destruction" - Megadeth
I suppose if you're going to pick a Megadeth song for a game with a broken engine, it's better that you choose a relatively easy one in comparison to some of their better known shredders. Can you fucking imagine if "Holy Wars... The Punishment Due" or "Devils Island" was in GH1? At least players will have a chance of beating the game if a song like "Symphony Of Destruction", also a well known Megadeth track, is on the setlist. Plus, it's a fun chart and good cover too! THUMBS UP.

"Take It Off" - The Donnas
Another one of the game's lesser known modern Rock songs although at least this one's quite fun to play. A surprisingly challenging one, too! My policy with lesser known modern Rock songs in these games basically comes down to whether or not it's fun to play and good to listen to, since there's no point dwelling on a better replacement when it's already a decent track and clearly picked to balance out the setlist without costing too much in music licensing. Since this one's a good choice, it gets a THUMBS UP.

"Take Me Out" - Franz Ferdinand
Meh, I was never a big fan of this song. It's OK, I guess, but I never would've picked it to be a song in a Guitar Hero game. However, there are plenty of songs I wouldn't have picked that turned out to be fun tracks to play and this is one of them. It's got a solid strum based chart with some fun little riffs here and there, making it a good song choice for the game's earlier difficulty tiers. Ah what the hell, THUMBS UP.

"Texas Flood" - Stevie Ray Vaughan
OK, I'll try my best to explain my reasoning here but basically, I'm giving this one a THUMBS DOWN. Firstly, I don't care for the song. It's a dull Blues Rock track and it's not one that I care to listen to, even if there's an active chart. Secondly, it might be a fun chart but it has to be undercharted for Guitar Hero's terrible engine, making it a waste of a great chart. Granted other songs had to be undercharted too but it feels like this song had a bit more than some of the others...plus, as I said already, I don't really like the song. I probably would've liked it more if it appeared in a different GH game but not GH1.

"Thunder Kiss '65" - White Zombie
Damn, the guitar and vocalist sound pretty damn good. This is a fairly well known Metal track but nowhere near the calibre of some tracks in this game. It is, however, fun on guitar and one that a lot of players probably will have heard for the first time, so that's good. THUMBS UP.

"Unsung" - Helmet
A sort of popular track from the 90s for some reason. I can imagine this song in Guitar Hero 2 but for some reason, it feels like a shitty choice for GH1. Maybe because it's mostly chords and strumming, maybe because it's a fairly unimaginative song that sounds like it belongs in a video game during a boss battle but either way, it gets a THUMBS DOWN.

"You've Got Another Things Comin'" - Judas Priest
If you're going to include Judas Priest in a rhythm music game, it's got to count. They have some amazing songs and this ain't one of them! It might come from a brilliant album but even if you want an easy Judas Priest track for the game's earlier difficulty tiers, "Breaking The Law" is the way to go. Still, could be worse. It could be "Living After Midnight", which would've certainly given this song a Thumbs Down. Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, THUMBS DOWN.

"Ziggy Stardust" - David Bowie
The final song (alphabetically speaking) and it's good! Guitar chart is awesome and even if the vocals are...well, off, it contains plenty for the guitarist to get stuck into. They even added an extra guitar solo that caught a lot of people off guard when the master recording came to Rock Band. Much like the "All The Young Dudes" cover from Guitar Hero: Aerosmith, the WaveGroup solo actually fits perfectly with the song and arguably improves it in many ways. Definitely a THUMBS UP for picking and improving the best Bowie song for the game.


I genuinely didn't think the score would be this one sided but with 22 Thumbs Up to 8 Thumbs Down, this has to be one of the stronger setlists I've discussed (if you look at the overall percentage of Thumbs Up, that is). However, this setlist only has 30 songs so when you compare that to the 83-93 songs from later GH/RB games, it's no wonder there are so many hits here. Guitar Hero 1 has a great setlist and even though there were a few missteps here and there, it's good to know that there was at least one overwhelming positive about the first game.