So I was watching a kid at Best Buy play guitar Hero, and While he was playing I noticed that none of the songs on Guitar Hero were the original. The songs I did here on the game were "Rock you like a hurricane" By The Scorpions, which sounded similar to the original but I could tell it was not the original. I then heard "sweet Child O' mine and not only was it not the original but it was a completely different singer.
Why don't they just use the original versions of these songs??? Is there some sort of rule or law saying they can't use original versions?

I don't know what you were watching but my version of GH has all the original artists singing the original songs. You must have been watching the K-TEL version of GH.

Thats weird because The ones I heard at Best Buy were not the original versions. I am 100% sure. Ive heard these songs a million times.

The worst I can say about GH is the songs were recorded in mono rather than stereo so if you turn the volume up to 11 it sounds like crap. Apparently there is a stereo version out but you have to send in the disc to the mfr and they'll send you a new one with the stereo version. Haven't done that part yet.

My cousin has it and I don't believe all of the songs are the original, some may be, but I believe most of them are not.
The Romantics sued Guitar Hero saying that whoever did a cover version of their song was too close to the original.
This is an old article, but still interestinghttp://www.out-law.com/page-8685

I haven't heard all the songs on the disc, but I'd say every single one I've heard is performed by the original artist or band.

Hey Bookemdono, Im not saying that they are not all performed by the original artists. BUT, what I am saying is that they are not the original versions found on the artists cd's. For example "rock you like a hurricane" is not the same version that they play on the radio, or on their cd.

hmmm...I'd have to go back and listen more closely.

They sound like the original versions to me, though.

Well, if they are MONO, then the mix is going to be different right there. A lot of these game sounds get piped out of an ordinary TV speaker.

I'll bet they processed the stuff to focus on game elements too, meaning some musical elements being suppressed, or maybe changed to fit the game mechanic.

Some are orginal songs, some such as Living Colour song Cult of personality is a new version of the old song.

They actually went itno studio to re-record it.

Living Colour song Cult of personality --- Hell yes!

I'm going to go play this game, just for that song. That song and artist just RULE!

(which we had more of that music style)

The next guitar hero is set to have Aerosmith and Def Leppard in on it.

Little know fact about the last Game, Bret Michaels was used for the body physics of the lead singer.

Living Colour kicked ass. Is it true that the lead singer of Living Colour is actor Danny Glover's son????

And by the way, The more I watch "rock of Love" the more I can't stand Bret Michaels. I've never met the guy but he seems like such a dirt bag.

No, he is not the son of Danny Glover(who lives he in Portland by the way).

He did appear in Platoon though as Pvt. Francis

Darnit, I hate rumors.

Justin_timberfake, Bookemdonno~

Oh man--this just screams "Madacy Records", I think......Might it be possible that whomever produces "Guitar Hero" programmes could be under contract with Madacy as a source of--well, "audio recordings"?

At least in my experience with Madacy recordings, about 95% of their stuff is merely "new Stereo recordings by the original artists", in other words hardly any of their stuff is original. (Well, at least they are stereo.) And of course, the few recordings they *do* carry that actually are original tend to sound like crap...........