The Guitar Hero Legends of Rock Music List Everyone Remembers Differently

You remember the callouses. If you grew up in the mid-2000s, you probably have a specific memory of sitting on a carpeted floor, staring at a CRT television, and trying to hit the opening notes of "Slow Ride" without looking like a total amateur. It was 2007. Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock had just dropped, and suddenly, everyone was a rock god.

Honestly, looking back at the guitar hero legends of rock music list now, it's wild how much variety they packed into that plastic guitar experience. It wasn't just about the heavy hitters like Metallica or Slayer; it was about discovering that one weird indie track or finally mastering a southern rock anthem you'd only heard on classic rock radio.

The game didn't just have songs. It had "tiers." And those tiers were the literal gatekeepers of your social status in the middle school cafeteria.

Why the Guitar Hero Legends of Rock Music List Still Hits Hard

There were 73 songs on that disc. That sounds like a lot, but when you’re stuck on Tier 8 for three months, it feels like an infinite loop of frustration and heavy metal. The setlist was split into 39 main career tracks, 25 unlockable bonus songs, three boss battles, and six co-op exclusives.

The structure was simple but brutal. You started small. "Slow Ride" by Foghat was the universal training wheels song. If you couldn't pass that, you basically didn't have hands. But then the game started throwing curveballs. By the time you reached the "European Invasion" or "Live in Japan" tiers, you weren't just tapping; you were fighting for your life against the chart's note density.

The Main Career Tracks (The Ones You Had to Beat)

The career mode was a journey through rock history, even if some of the songs were covers. Yeah, let's talk about that for a second. Not every song was a master recording. While "Welcome to the Jungle" was the real deal (and incredibly hard to play because of Slash's specific phrasing), tracks like "Mississippi Queen" and "Barracuda" were covers. They were good covers, but you could always tell something was slightly off with the vocals.

1. Tier 1: Starting Out Small

   • "Slow Ride" – Foghat
   • "Talk Dirty to Me" – Poison
   • "Hit Me with Your Best Shot" – Pat Benatar
   • "Story of My Life" – Social Distortion
   • "Rock and Roll All Nite" – KISS (Encore)

2. Tier 2: Your First Real Gig

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   • "Mississippi Queen" – Mountain
   • "School's Out" – Alice Cooper
   • "Sunshine of Your Love" – Cream
   • "Barracuda" – Heart
   • Boss Battle: Tom Morello
   • "Bulls on Parade" – Rage Against the Machine (Encore)

3. Tier 3: Making the Video

   • "When You Were Young" – The Killers
   • "Miss Murder" – AFI
   • "The Seeker" – The Who
   • "Lay Down" – Priestess
   • "Paint It, Black" – The Rolling Stones (Encore)

4. Tier 4: European Invasion

   • "Paranoid" – Black Sabbath
   • "Anarchy in the U.K." – Sex Pistols
   • "Kool Thing" – Sonic Youth
   • "My Name Is Jonas" – Weezer
   • "Even Flow" – Pearl Jam (Encore)

5. Tier 5: Bighouse Blues

   • "Holiday in Cambodia" – Dead Kennedys
   • "Rock You Like a Hurricane" – Scorpions
   • "Same Old Song and Dance" – Aerosmith
   • "La Grange" – ZZ Top
   • Boss Battle: Slash
   • "Welcome to the Jungle" – Guns N' Roses (Encore)

6. Tier 6: The Hottest Band on Earth

   • "Black Magic Woman" – Santana
   • "Cherub Rock" – The Smashing Pumpkins
   • "Black Sunshine" – White Zombie
   • "The Metal" – Tenacious D
   • "Pride and Joy" – Stevie Ray Vaughan (Encore)

7. Tier 7: Live in Japan

   • "Before I Forget" – Slipknot
   • "Stricken" – Disturbed
   • "3's & 7's" – Queens of the Stone Age
   • "Knights of Cydonia" – Muse
   • "Cult of Personality" – Living Colour (Encore)

8. Tier 8: Battle for Your Soul

   • "Raining Blood" – Slayer
   • "Cliffs of Dover" – Eric Johnson
   • "The Number of the Beast" – Iron Maiden
   • "One" – Metallica
   • Boss Battle: Lou (The Devil Went Down to Georgia)

The Bonus Songs You Probably Forgot

The "Store" in GH3 was where the real gems lived. You had to earn in-game cash by playing gigs to buy these, and honestly, some of the best songs in the game were hidden here.

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Think about "Through the Fire and Flames" by DragonForce. That wasn't a career song. You only unlocked it after beating the game. It was a secret final boss that broke more plastic controllers than every other song combined. Then you had "F.C.P.R.E.M.I.X." by The Fall of Troy, which was basically a finger-tapping nightmare, or "Impulse" by An Endless Sporadic.

These bonus tracks gave the game longevity. They were often more technical and less "radio-friendly" than the main setlist. "Take This Life" by In Flames or "Avalancha" by Héroes del Silencio introduced a lot of American kids to international metal and rock in a way that feels kinda nostalgic now.

The Boss Battles: A Love-Hate Relationship

Nobody actually liked the boss battles, did they?

The concept was cool—dueling Tom Morello or Slash—but the gameplay mechanics were a mess. Instead of Star Power, you got "Battle Power" to mess with your opponent. You could break their strings or overload their amp. It felt less like a rhythm game and more like a weird Mario Kart spin-off.

The final battle against Lou (the Devil) was particularly egregious. He played a metal version of "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" by Steve Ouimette. It was fast. It was punishing. And if you didn't save up your power-ups to hit him at exactly the right moment, he would basically perfect the song and kick you back to the menu.

The "One" Problem and the Mosh 1 Nightmare

If you ask any GH3 veteran about the hardest moments, they won't just say "DragonForce." They'll mention "Fast Solo A" in Metallica's "One."

That section is iconic. The song starts so peaceful. You're just chilling with some triplets, feeling the rhythm. Then the "darkness" hits, and suddenly you're expected to vibrate your hand fast enough to keep up with Lars Ulrich’s double bass.

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Then there's "Raining Blood." The "Mosh 1" section is infamous because the note chart is just... weird. It’s not just fast; it’s awkward. It’s the primary reason many players could beat every other song on Expert but still couldn't 5-star the Slayer track. It’s a physical endurance test more than a musical one.

Finding the Best Way to Play Today

So, you want to revisit the guitar hero legends of rock music list in 2026? It’s harder than you think. You can’t just buy it on the PlayStation Store or Xbox Marketplace. Licensing for music is a nightmare, and those old contracts expired years ago.

Most people today use Clone Hero on PC. It’s a community-driven project where you can download the entire GH3 setlist (and every other game) for free. You just need a USB guitar adapter.

If you’re a purist and want the original console experience, you're looking at eBay. A working guitar controller can cost more than the console itself these days. It’s a weird reality where plastic peripherals from 2007 have become high-value collectibles.

Actionable Tips for GH3 Completionists:

• Practice Mode is your best friend. If you can't hit the "Mosh 1" riff in Raining Blood, slow it down to 50% speed. It’s the only way to build the muscle memory.
• Calibrate your lag. If you're playing on a modern 4K TV, the input lag will ruin you. Use the "Calibrate Lag" tool in the options menu. It’s not optional; it’s mandatory.
• Hyperspeed is a cheat code that actually helps. Turning on Hyperspeed (level 2 or 3) spreads the notes out. It looks faster, but it makes the individual notes much easier to read during crowded solos.

The legacy of Guitar Hero III isn't just the plastic guitars in landfills. It’s the fact that a whole generation knows the bridge to "Cliffs of Dover" by heart. Whether you were a casual player or an Expert-level shredder, that setlist remains a definitive snapshot of rock history.

To get the most out of your next session, try focusing on the "Co-op Exclusive" tracks if you have a friend nearby. Songs like "Sabotage" by the Beastie Boys and "Helicopter" by Bloc Party have rhythm charts that are arguably more fun than the lead parts in the main career.