Nirvana headlines next week’s Rock Band DLC

Harmonix and MTV Games will release a three pack of tracks from Nirvana, a four pack of tracks from Foo Fighters and a single from Joan Jett & The Blackhearts to the Rock Band Music Store and the LEGO Rock Band Music Store for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii. Tracks from Bullet for My Valentine and System of a Down will be available for download next week for Rock Band Unplugged on PSP.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Nirvan’s Bleach album, Sub Pop will release a special edition of the album, featuring a complete and previously unreleased live concert recorded in 1990 in Portland, Oregon. The anniversary edition of Bleach will be released the same day and date as Nirvana Bleach Pack, which includes About a Girl, Blew and School.

Foo Fighters will release Greatest Hits Nov. 3, the same day the third DLC pack from the band will be available in the Rock Band Music Store. Greatest Hits will feature 14 of the band’s most-loved songs, as well as two new songs, Wheels and Word Forward, both of which are featured in Foo Fighters Pack 03, along with Best of You and The Pretender.

Joan Jett & The Blackhearts’ Fake Friends from the 1984 album, Glorious Results of a Misspent Youth, will also be added to the Rock Band Music Store and LEGO Rock Band Music Store Nov. 3. Full track listing after the break.

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Nirvana, Love weigh in on Cobain in Guitar Hero 5

Two of Nirvana’s three surviving band members are not very happy with the way Activision’s Guitar Hero 5 portrays Kurt Cobain. How displeased? Well, apparently enough to issue a joint statement sharing their disapproval.

Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl, former bassist and drummer for Nirvana, respectively, have issued a statement about how the game portrays Cobain in a way that they feel is inappropriate. While both have no legal say in the matter, they said that they were dismayed and disappointed with Kurt’s avatar being used related to non-Nirvana songs and doing things uncharacteristic of his persona.

The duo have asked Activision to lock the avatar so that it can be used for only Nirvana songs. Of course, that probably won’t happen unless fans complain about it enough, because the idea of an unlockable character is that you use him or her any way you see fit. Instead, perhaps Activision should alter the animation so that it doesn’t allow him to do anything unbecoming of a grunge icon.

Meanwhile, Cobain’s widow, Courtney Love, is using twitter to lambaste Activision, promising a lawsuit over the way her husband is being portrayed in the game. Obviously she didn’t show due dilligence in protecting that image when she or entities that represented her signed licensing agreements for the game.

“For the record this Guitar Hero shit is breach of contract on a Bullys part and there will be a proper addressing of this and retraction,” Love tweeted. “WE are going to sue the shit out of Activision we being the Trust the Estate the LLC the various LLCs Cobain Enterprises.”

For its part Activision has only said the following: “Guitar Hero secured the necessary licensing rights from the Cobain estate in a written agreement signed by Courtney Love to use Kurt Cobain’s likeness as a fully playable character in Guitar Hero 5.”

While Activision probably hasn’t done anything that could harm them in a court of law, it could have done a better job of respecting Cobain’s image and legacy. Having Kurt Cobain act in that manner would be like putting Jim Morrison in Guitar Hero 5 and having him moonwalk.

Source: MTV Multiplayer, Joystiq

Kurt Cobain, Matt Bellamy playable in Guitar Hero 5

Fight! MTV Games has The Beatles, but Guitar Hero 5 will have the popular Nirvana frontman as a playable character. Activision announced that Kurt Cobain will be a playable character in the game and that two songs will be included: “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and a live version of “Lithium” that was never released. Cobain joins plenty of other playable characters including one of my favorites - Johnny Cash - who comes with his classic hit “Ring of Fire.” Oh, and don’t forget guitar legend Carlos Santana..

And in other Guitar Hero 5 news, Matt Bellamy will take the virtual stage as an in-game playable character as well. In addition to his likeness, the frontman of UK alternative band Muse is bringing one of the band’s most popular singles, “Plug in Baby,” to the game’s 85 song on-disc set list.

Scheduled to hit store shelves on September 1, Guitar Hero 5 will be released for the Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 2.

The Rundown: Feb. 17, 2009

Today we look at the Q Awards, Emergent’s fresh cash, Aspyr’s Treasure World and new Nirvana tracks for Rock Band 2 Wii tracks and a new Harvest Moon. Check it out after the break.

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Rock Band Finds Nirvana This Week

Virtual rockers looking for a little enlightenment will be pleased to learn that they’ll be able to reach a higher state of Nirvana this week. Over the weekend, Harmonix and MTV Games announced the addition of seven master recordings from legendary grunge band, Nirvana to the Rock Band Music Store this week. The new tracks include “Breed,” “Lounge Act,” “On a Plain,” “Polly,” “Something in the Way,” “Stay Away,” and “Territorial Pissings.” Together with “In Bloom” from the original Rock Band soundtrack and “Drain You” featured in Rock Band 2, this makes a total of nine Nirvana songs available in Rock Band the music catalog.

The new tracks will be available starting this Tuesday for the Xbox 360 and this Thursday for the PlayStation 3. The cost is $1.99 per track (160 Microsoft Points) or $10.99 (880 Microsoft Points) for the Nirvana Track Pack.