08 September 2009
Newsdesk
JOHN LENNON would have been very "amused" if he'd seen himself immortalised on a computer game.
Sir Paul McCartney said if Lennon and his other former Beatles bandmate George Harrison, were still alive today, they would have "seen the point" of The Beatles: Rock Band, released on September 9 for Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3.
Speaking to Observer Music Magazine, McCartney said: "For us, lets remember that the central thing is our music is getting played. That's the bottom line. I'm sure John and George would have thought, 'Hey, what a clever idea'."
But he admitted that his first impression of Rock Band was quite negative.
He said when he first saw it, he described it as "a couple of grown-ups standing looking very foolish with these little plastic guitars playing to a screen".
But he added that he has since been impressed with the work of the Harmonix team, which has been respectful and stayed true to the band's legacy and image.
Sir Paul said this approach was important "not just because you should respect The Beatles, but mainly because there are a lot of people out there who are going to notice if you don't".
Lennon's wife Yoko Ono agreed that her husband would have been "excited" by the game's concept and "very happy with how the music and the visuals of The Beatles were represented".
She said: "It will inspire and encourage the young generation to be intimately involved in music making.
"You can't ask for more. It will be another musical revolution created by The Beatles to make our planet a planet of music."
