Raising the bar once again for interactive music games with the addition of groundbreaking new features that include keyboards, vocal harmonies and Rock Band Pro Mode, Harmonix Music Systems, Inc., the world’s premier music video game developer, and MTV Games, a part of Viacom’s MTV Networks  announced that Imagine, the timeless album from John Lennon, will be among the first albums released as Rock Band™ 3 downloadable content.

“The songs on John Lennon’s Imagine run the gamut from beautiful piano-driven ballads like ‘Jealous Guy’ to all-out guitar rockers like ‘Gimme Some Truth’,” said Paul DeGooyer, senior vice president of electronic games, music and programming for MTV Networks. “It’s an incredible musical statement, and a real workout on keyboard, guitar and vocals in Rock Band 3. We’re very excited to confirm it as one of the first downloads for our new game, and to help our fans celebrate John’s 70th birthday with its release.”

As previously announced, The Doors will kick off Rock Band 3 downloadable content Oct. 22, but Harmonix and MTV Games have quite a line-up to follow that debut. Adding to an already impressive catalog of more than 2,000 songs available on the Rock Band platform, music from John Lennon, The Doors, Bon Jovi and Billy Joel will also be among the first available for download through the Rock Band 3 Music Store after the game launches Oct. 26 in the United States and Oct. 29 in the rest of the world.

In addition, fans that purchase Rock Band 3 and play online during the first week the game is available (Oct. 26 – Nov. 1) can download a free three-pack of songs from The Doors that feature Pro Guitar and Pro Bass upgrades. The free pack, which is available only through the Rock Band 3 in-game Music Store, includes “Light My Fire,” “Riders on the Storm” and “Touch Me,” and incorporates five-button guitar and bass, Drums, Pro Drums and Keys, Pro Keys and harmonies, where applicable, as well as a free expansion that will add Pro Guitar and Pro Bass parts. A nine-pack of songs from The Doors will also be available for download that week. This includes some of the classic rockers’ most-loved songs, like “Hello, I Love You,” “L.A. Woman,” “Love Her Madly” and “Roadhouse Blues,” all featuring Drums, Pro Drums, five-button guitar and bass parts and, where applicable, harmonies and Keys/Pro Keys parts.

In the coming weeks, packs of some of the greatest hits from both Billy Joel and Bon Jovi will also be added to the Rock Band Music Store of downloadable content. Be sure to stay tuned to RockBand.com for more information.

To date, Rock Band fans have downloaded more than 75 million songs from the Rock Band Music Store, and the Rock Band Network Music Store. With more than 2,000* tracks available in the Rock Band platform, Harmonix and MTV Games stand next to none as the leading providers of downloadable content for rhythm video games. Rock Band pioneered offering content in a variety of ways, through on-disc game play, game export, downloadable content and the Rock Band Network. The Rock Band platform allows fans to interact with their favorite music in a unique and hands-on way, and also gives artists the ability to reach fans through a whole new channel.

Highly anticipated this holiday season, Rock Band 3 delivers the deepest Rock Band experience yet with an incredible 83-song setlist and the addition of keyboards, vocal harmonies and the all-new Pro Mode. The game will be available Oct. 26, in North America and Oct. 29 in the rest of world for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, Nintendo Wii™ and Nintendo DS™.

Developed by Harmonix, published by MTV Games and distributed by Electronic Arts Inc. (Nasdaq: ERTS), Rock Band 3 will be compatible with all Rock Band and The Beatles: Rock Band peripherals, as well as most Guitar Hero® and other authorized third-party music video game peripherals and microphones. Pro Mode requires Rock Band Pro-compatible instrument controllers.  Mad Catz is the official, licensed peripheral manufacturer and distributor for Rock Band 3 game controllers.  Rock Band Pro Guitar mode is compatible with the Rock Band 3 FenderMustang PRO-Guitar Controller and the Rock Band 3 Squier by Fender Stratocaster® Guitar Controller (manufactured and distributed by Fender). Find more information on how to pre-order Rock Band 3 today here.

Newly-Discovered Live Doors Set Releases Nov. 22 on Rhino Records/Bright Midnight Archives

Harmonix and MTV Games announced that the legendary music of The Doors will be the first available for download in Rock Band 3 when the game launches Oct. 26 in North America and Oct. 29 in the rest of the world for the Xbox 360 PlayStation 3 , Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS, and MTV Games and Harmonix are giving away three of The Doors’ songs for one week to any fan that purchases Rock Band 3 and plays online to celebrate the release of the game.

“I’m very excited that keyboards are finally a part of Rock Band. It’s about time you guys got hip to the necessity of keys in rock,” said Ray Manzarek, keyboardist for The Doors. “This is going to be great for all the gamers, because it’s a lot more difficult. Rock Band 3 will require some brainwork, so . . . ‘Break On Through!’ The free downloads, ‘Light My Fire,’ ‘Riders On the Storm’ and ‘Touch Me,’ are all great keyboard songs. And look out for The Doors’ lost masterpiece, Live in Vancouver , when it comes out Nov. 22!”

“At the outset of the Rock Band 3 project, we identified The Doors, and their powerful songs driven by intricately woven keyboard, guitar and drum parts, as ideal for our game,” said Paul DeGooyer, Senior Vice President of Music, Electronic Games and Programming for MTV Networks. “As they are also one of the greatest rock bands of all time, we are tremendously proud that they will be the first artist featured in the Rock Band 3 download store, and that we’re able to bring this special offer of their music to everyone who buys Rock Band 3 the week it releases.”

On Oct. 26, twelve of The Doors’ most-loved songs, including three tracks with the Pro Guitar and Pro Bass feature, will be added to the Rock Band 3 Music Store of downloadable content for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 system and Wii. It was previously announced that The Doors’ quintessential song, “Break On Through (To the Other Side)” is featured in the on-disc soundtrack of Rock Band 3 and is also the soundtrack for the game’s opening cinematic clip.

A three-pack of songs that feature Pro Guitar and Pro Bass upgrade downloads will be available for free to fans that purchase Rock Band 3 and play online during the first week the game is available (Oct. 26 – Nov. 1). The free pack, which is available only through the Rock Band 3 in-game Music Store, includes “Light My Fire,” “Riders on the Storm” and “Touch Me,” which incorporate five-button guitar and bass, Drums, Pro Drums and Keys, Pro Keys and harmonies, where applicable, as well as a free expansion that will add Pro Guitar and Pro Bass parts.

Additionally, a nine-pack of songs from The Doors will also be available for download that week. This includes some of the classic rockers’ most-loved songs, like “Hello, I Love You,” “L.A. Woman,” “Love Her Madly” and “Roadhouse Blues,” all featuring Drums, Pro Drums, five-button guitar and bass parts and, where applicable, harmonies and Keys/Pro Keys parts. A complete list of the songs that will be available follows:

* “Light My Fire” (Free from Oct. 26 – Nov. 1 in game, features Pro Guitar and Pro Bass)
* “Riders on the Storm” (Free from Oct. 26 – Nov. 1 in game, features Pro Guitar and Pro Bass)
* “Touch Me” (Free from Oct. 26 – Nov. 1 in game, features Pro Guitar and Pro Bass)
* “Hello, I Love You”
* “L.A. Woman”
* “Love Her Madly”
* “Love Me Two Times”
* “Peace Frog”
* “People Are Strange”
* “Roadhouse Blues”
* “Soul Kitchen”
* “The Crystal Ship”

Beginning Nov. 2, The Doors’ Rock Band downloads will be available for purchase only as individual songs or in a bundle of all 12 songs.

As noted above, on Nov. 22, The Doors – Live In Vancouver, a two-disc set of previously unreleased live recordings from June 6, 1970, at the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, British Columbia, will be released by Rhino and Bright Midnight Archives. The set features a guest performance by Albert King on four songs and includes “When The Music’s Over,” “Five To One,” an extended version of “Light My Fire” and much more from this historic performance. Suggested pricing is $19.98 (CD) and $13.99 (digital).

To date, Rock Band fans have downloaded more than 75 million songs from the Rock Band Music Store, and the Rock Band Network Music Store. With more than 2,000* tracks available in the Rock Band platform, Harmonix and MTV Games stands next to none as the leading provider of downloadable content for rhythm video games. Rock Band pioneered offering content in a variety of ways, through on-disc game play, game export, downloadable content and the Rock Band Network. The Rock Band platform allows fans to interact with their favorite music in a unique and hands-on way, and also gives artists the ability to reach fans through a whole new channel.

Rock Band 3 will be compatible with all Rock Band and The Beatles: Rock Band peripherals, as well as most Guitar Hero and other authorized third-party music video game peripherals and microphones. Pro Mode requires Rock Band Pro-compatible instrument controllers. Mad Catz is the official, licensed peripheral manufacturer and distributor for Rock Band 3 game controllers. Rock Band Pro Guitar mode is compatible with the Rock Band 3 Fender Mustang PRO-Guitar Controller and the Rock Band 3 Squier® by Fender Stratocaster Guitar Controller (manufactured and distributed by Fender).

The collection will be available November 10 at all retail outlets, including www.thedoors.com and www.rhino.com, for suggested list price of $89.98 for the physical boxed set. A digital version featuring select highlights from all four Felt Forum shows will also be available at all digital retail outlets for $9.99. An exclusive stream of “Break On Through (To The Other Side)” from the second show on January 17, 1970 will premiere at spinner.com beginning this Thursday, August 27.

Recorded January 17 and 18, 1970 – just a few weeks before the release of Morrison Hotel – these concerts find Jim Morrison, John Densmore, Robby Krieger, and Ray Manzarek locked in tight as they deliver smoking takes on soon-to-be-classics from their forthcoming album, including “Roadhouse Blues,” “Peace Frog,” “Ship Of Fools,” and “Maggie M’Gill.” The shows also feature a number of driving blues covers, such as Bo Diddley’s “Who Do You Love,” Howlin’ Wolf’s “Little Red Rooster,” and John Lee Hooker’s “Crawling King Snake.” “Those were the bluesy songs we always used to do,” Krieger says. “We probably hadn’t done them in years, but we resurrected them for these shows.”

The year prior to these shows, The Doors became one of the first rock bands to play New York City’s Madison Square Garden. When they returned in 1970, Densmore says they chose to play the Felt Forum, a smaller venue at the Garden. “It was more intimate, and you could feel the audience more,” he says. “There was more interaction, and the acoustics were much better, because it was designed for music.”

Manzarek hails these shows as a return to the group’s early days, when they used to play a small Los Angeles club called the London Fog. “I mean, talk about going back to basics. We used to do four sets a night at the London Fog, and we only had a small block of songs written up to that time. So we would do other people’s material. And in New York, it was like the same thing. We’ve got four shows to play here, two sets tonight, two sets tomorrow night. Let’s play whatever we want! Let’s just go!”

And go they did. Along with a mix of then-unheard new songs and old covers, the band also tapped into its 1967, self-titled debut, peppering the set lists with signature songs such as “Break On Through (To The Other Side),” “Soul Kitchen,” “The End,” and “Light My Fire,” The Doors’ first #1 hit.

For the final show of the Felt Forum stand, the band was joined onstage by two guests – The Lovin’ Spoonful’s John Sebastian (who played harmonica on the studio version of “Roadhouse Blues”) and drummer Dallas Taylor, who’d played on Crosby, Stills & Nash’s debut. Sebastian sat in for “Rock Me” and was joined by Taylor for “Going To N.Y. Blues” and “Maggie M’Gill.”

Fans will be blown away by the crisp sound found on LIVE IN NEW YORK. All four shows were mixed and mastered by the band’s longtime engineer, Bruce Botnick, who recorded a number of shows from The Doors’ 1970 tour on multi-track tape for the Absolutely Live album. While most of the music contained on LIVE IN NEW YORK is unreleased, a few songs (and portions of songs) surfaced in 1970 on Absolutely Live and in 1997 on The Doors Box Set.

Sadly, these shows represent The Doors’ final New York City performances with Morrison, who passed away July 3, 1971.

Rhino released 180-gram vinyl versions of all six Doors studio albums on September 15. Previously available only in 2007′s The Doors Vinyl Box, original stereo mixes of The Doors, Strange Days, Waiting For The Sun, The Soft Parade, Morrison Hotel, and L.A. Woman will now be available individually at all vinyl retail outlets for a suggested list price of $24.98 each.
Disc 1
January 17, 1970 (First Show)
1. Start Of Show
2. “Roadhouse Blues”
3. “Ship Of Fools”*
4. “Break On Through (To The Other Side)”
5. Tuning
6. “Peace Frog”
7. “Blue Sunday”
8. “Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)”
9. “Back Door Man”*
10. “Love Hides”*
11. “Five To One”*
12. Tuning/Breather
13. “Who Do You Love”
14. “Little Red Rooster”
15. “Money”
16. Tuning
17. “Light My Fire”*
18. More, More, More
19. “Soul Kitchen”*
20. End Of Show

Disc 2
January 17, 1970 (Second Show)
1. Start Show 2
2. Jim “How Ya Doing?”
3. “Roadhouse Blues”
4. “Break On Through (To The Other Side)”*
5. “Ship Of Fools”
6. “Crawling King Snake”
7. “Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)”
8. “Back Door Man”*
9. “Five To One”
10. Pretty Neat, Pretty Good
11. “Build Me A Woman”
12. Tuning/Breather
13. “Who Do You Love”*
14. Tuning/Breather
15. “Wild Child”*
16. Cheering/Tuning
17. “When The Music’s Over”

Disc 3
January 17, 1970 (Second Show) continued
1. Tuning/Breather
2. “Light My Fire”*
3. Hey, Mr. Light Man!
4. “Soul Kitchen”*
5. Jim’s Fish Joke
6. “The End”
7. End Of Show

Disc 4
January 18, 1970 (Third Show)
1. Start Show 3
2. “Roadhouse Blues”*
3. “Ship Of Fools”*
4. “Break On Through (To The Other Side)”*
5. Tuning/Breather
6. “Universal Mind”*
7. “Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)” – False Start*
8. “Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)”*
9. “Back Door Man”*
10. “Five To One”
11. Tuning/Breather
12. “Moonlight Drive”
13. “Who Do You Love”*
14. Calling Out For Songs
15. “Money”*
16. Tuning/Breather
17. “Light My Fire”
18. More, More More
19. “When The Music’s Over”*
20. Good Night – End Show

Disc 5
January 18, 1970 (Fourth Show)
1. Start Show 4
2. “Roadhouse Blues”*
3. “Peace Frog”*
4. “Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)”*
5. “Back Door Man”
6. “Five To One”
7. We Have A Special Treat
8. “Celebration Of The Lizard”
9. Alright Let’s Boogie
10. “Build Me A Woman”
11. “When The Music’s Over”*
12. More, More, More

Disc 6
January 18, 1970 (Fourth Show) continued
1. “Soul Kitchen”*
2. For Fear Of Getting Too Patriotic
3. Petition The Lord With Prayer
4. “Light My Fire”
5. Only When The Moon Comes Out
6. “Close To You”
7. The Encore Begins
8. “Rock Me”*
9. What To Do Next?
10. “Going To N.Y. Blues”*
11. Tuning/Breather
12. “Maggie M’Gill”*
13. Tuning/Breather
14. “Gloria”*/End Of Show

*Previously unreleased