Brian Epstein

(Paul Kaufman contemplates exciting new hacks for the Beatles simulation game.)

VH1 is in full promotional mode for the release of the The Beatles: Rock Band game. I’m an unabashed fan of the band, and I’m generationally marked as one who never tires of hearing these tunes and seeing the film footage. Seth Schiesel of the New York Times raves that “by reinterpreting an essential symbol of one generation in the medium and technology of another, The Beatles: Rock Band provides a transformative entertainment experience.”

I like that idea in concept, and teaching a new generation about this music via today’s electronic vernacular is a great idea. But somehow, hitting color-coded buttons in time to the music strikes me as a rather limited goal. As the technology grows, these are the buttons I’d like to be able to push:

(Original recipe/extra crispy Manual Scan rhythm section Paul Kaufman and Dave Fleminger come to honor the decade, not to rile on it.)

Even the most hardcore among us admire some aspect of ’60s music and culture. And for some, this era still remains the zenith of everything that was cool. There were rapid changes in taste and style from one year to the next during that tumultuous time, and by the end of the decade the seeds of excess were already planted. So, we ask the simple question:

When did the ’60s jump the shark?

Some moments worth considering:

The assassination of Martin Luther King.
Death of Brian Epstein.
Death of Brian Jones.
Altamont.
Letting Phil Spector “produce” the Let it Be album.
Magical Mystery Tour.
Sonny Bono says “Music took a left turn.”

Beatles: Rock Band … The missing buttons

Sucking in the ’60s