April Fool's: Harmonix announces Cowbell Hero

Chris Walken names self producer for upcoming Guitar Hero follow-up; track list to feature Huey Lewis performing GWAR, LL Cool J covers.

By Premiere D'Avril, GameSpot

Posted Apr 1, 2006 12:01 pm PT

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APRIL 1--After the breakthrough success of last year's Guitar Hero, developer Harmonix promptly went to work on a proper sequel for its rhythm-genre rocker.

"We had a ton of ideas right out of the gate," explained Harmonix producer Roger Stantonz. "Just the features we wound up cutting from the original game would have made for enough innovations for the sequel. It's really kind of a shame that we had to scrap it."

Shortly after Guitar Hero's meteoric rise to the middle of the sales charts, Stantonz was contacted by famed actor Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter, The Country Bears). Walken informed him that Harmonix's next project would not be a Guitar Hero sequel but would instead be a spin-off called Cowbell Hero.

"It was off-putting to say the least," Stantonz recalls. "I mean, you go through life watching this guy's movies, and he's a major star and you pray every night before you go to bed that you never meet him, and the next thing you know he's calling you up on your unlisted home number at 4 a.m. one Sunday morning and he's telling you how to do your job."

Stantonz said there was a bad connection, and the phone company dropped the call at first. Walken remembers it differently.

"He thought I was some kind of a crank caller and hung up on me," Walken said. "I did not appreciate that discourtesy, so I called back and let him know this in no uncertain terms. Long story short, Mr. Stantonz saw merit in my argument that there was no market for a sequel to Guitar Hero, and that his next game should, in fact, be Cowbell Hero. I do believe that, if anything, this world is in dire need of more cowbell."

True to his word, Stantonz showed up at work bright and early that Monday, ready to start work on the game. "When I came in, he was already hard at work on the game, which is odd, because I'm the one who unlocks the front door each morning. All the lights were off and he was just sitting there at my workstation, staring intently at the screen."

Walken had indeed been busy over the weekend, constructing a prototype Cowbell Hero controller using a simplified version of the Guitar Hero interface. The cowbell itself will have one button on the side of the bell, which players will have to strike in time with the music as the on-screen cues indicate. Walken's design document calls for a multiplayer mode, but Stantonz has yet to work out a feasible way to make Walken's "Duelin' Cowbells" vision a reality.

Like Guitar Hero, the game will include a track list of songs practically synonymous with the instrument. With the exception of the song "Heart and Soul" by Huey Lewis and the News, all songs will be performed by a soundalike cover artist. Due to budgetary constraints, Harmonix has decided that the cover artist will also be Huey Lewis. The full list of songs included in the game is as follows:

-Bachman-Turner Overdrive - "You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet"
-Black Crowes - "Gone"
-Blue Oyster Cult - "Don't Fear the Reaper"
-Climax Blues Band - "Couldn't Get it Right"
-Creedence Clearwater Revival - "Down on the Corner"
-David Bowie - "Diamond Dogs"
-Dan Fogelberg - "The Language of Love"
-Dream Theater - "Caught in a Web"
-Grand Funk Railroad - "We're an American Band"
-Grateful Dead - "Touch of Grey"
-GWAR - "Rock 'n' Roll Never Felt So Good"
-Hall and Oates - "Private Eyes"
-Huey Lewis & The News - "Heart and Soul"
-LL Cool J - "Rock the Bells"
-Mountain - "Mississippi Queen"
-Nazareth - "Hair of the Dog"
-Peaches & Herb - "Shake Your Groove Thing"
-The Refreshments - King of the Hill theme
-Santana - "Oye Como Va?"
-Skid Row - "Monkey Business"
-Strawberry Alarm Clock - "Incense and Peppermint"
-Stealers Wheel - "Stuck in the Middle With You"
-Twisted Sister - "We're Not Gonna Take It"
-War - "Low Rider"
-Yes - "Owner of a Lonely Heart"

97 Comments

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theavanger

cowbell hero

cowbell hero

COWBELL HERO!!!!!!!

Posted Feb 24, 2008 3:40 pm PT
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mariomaniac92

I realize it's april fools, but that would be suicide.

Posted Apr 29, 2006 2:41 pm PT
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chrisdojo

teh kowbe11!!!1

Posted Apr 3, 2006 9:22 am PT
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fluffebunnie

Does anyone else actually think this is a good idea?

I do. I am the kind of person that would buy this just because it is funny.

Playing Hair of the Dog cowbell at my nearest Best Buy demo station would be the coolest thing of all time.

Posted Apr 3, 2006 8:46 am PT
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pimp_jim

wow. i would actually buy that

Posted Apr 3, 2006 6:55 am PT
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matrixx29

Don't for get you can unlock songs too! Like:
Cinderella's Night Songs.

Posted Apr 3, 2006 5:10 am PT
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metdevthegamer

Good joke GS, but more cowbell next time.

Posted Apr 3, 2006 4:13 am PT
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kalkhaja

[This message was deleted at the request of a moderator or administrator]

Posted Apr 3, 2006 4:11 am PT
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Pfilosophy

ha hah ersb ll rate this ass!!! loLZ

Whatever. Needs more cowbell.

Posted Apr 2, 2006 2:15 pm PT
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UltimatumCHIEF

Stuped News.

Posted Apr 2, 2006 1:25 pm PT
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Anti-Lemon

Jeez, i cant be bothered to read the rest of these posts, as it seems there are a lot of stupid ppl out there. now, dont get me wrong, alot of ppl know why this latest news is funny, but some ppl..like"

Leon_S_Kojima
Bwahahahaha although at first the concept sounds extremly LAME. I got to thinking, after a while I started thinking maybe it'd be pretty cool. You know something along the lines of donkey-konga.

But then the realization.... Its April 1st. O_o Thank you GameSpot for momentarally crushing my dreams of a sequel to "Guitar Hero".

yeah, nice one, lets think of it as a donkey konga style game. ack. for this guy, who apparently doesnt know, its from saturday night live. christopher walken played bruce dickinson (who puts his pants on one leg at a time like everyone else, but then makes gold records) (also, lead singer of Iron Maiden, and producer of the Blue Oyster Cult and Quiet Riot.) ACK. FOOLS. oh, and the cowbell was from dont fear the reaper eh, go watch more tv.

Posted Apr 2, 2006 11:22 am PT
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drew08867

I think this was the best one I've seen so far mainly because of the idea of "Deulin' Cowbells"...

Posted Apr 2, 2006 11:21 am PT
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farmboy89

i think the ASS rating was a better joke than this

Posted Apr 2, 2006 10:00 am PT
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jiggster147

You know.....i actually got kinda excited

Posted Apr 2, 2006 9:42 am PT
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GreatMno

YES! Finally the big-wigs have listened to me. I've been saying for years that if you have a band, cowbell is something you have to have to be successful. It is right up there with the rock piano, the rock harmonica, and the rock banjo. You're not a musician till you've played the cowbell.

Posted Apr 2, 2006 9:29 am PT
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MFazio23

Haha, It's funny to listen to the songs on there that you didn't realize had a cowbell. I'm listening to "Caught in a Web" and thinking about how cool Dream Theater would be in Guitar Hero.

Posted Apr 2, 2006 9:13 am PT
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sonic86

......Or how about Trumpet Tempest. Use the right notes win a game of the original Tempest!!!!!!

Posted Apr 1, 2006 11:30 pm PT
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Posted Apr 1, 2006 11:29 pm PT
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Tonkpilsnut

Yes!! And should I wait for Tamborine Man the game, too? What about the Symbol Hero, or Triangle Thrasher? Geez....

Posted Apr 1, 2006 10:17 pm PT
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whitey3221

I hate April Fools Day!

Posted Apr 1, 2006 8:57 pm PT
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Angel_Belial

Whoo-hoo, they have Diamond Dogs in the game! Definitely going to pick this one up. Better send a Burning Question to Alex to ask what its release date is.