I am a devoted video-game fan and a constant cheerleader for them to be considered art, but honestly, I would give up most of the compelling stories and high-definition graphics in the world for simple pinball machines. They're crafted and mechanical, and when built with a loving hand, they can turn almost anything into a game of skill while simultaneously paying homage.
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They're like themed slot machines, but with less crying...usually. Today we look at some tables based on our favorite musicians.
10. The Who Yes, yes, let's just get it out of the way. The Who has actually had two different tables dedicated to it, both of them in reference to Tommy. The first was a Bally table put out to coincide with the 1975 film version of the album. The second was made by Data East in 1994 to help promote the stage version of Tommy. A prototype of one of these actually appeared in the 1993 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
9. The Beatles One of the oldest rock-and-roll tables is the Beat Time table from 1966. It was originally put together with the band's name spelled as "The Bootles," pending final approval of use of the name, but 1967 models and later have the proper name and more accurate likenesses of the group.
8. Ted Nugent
Back before he was a professional conservative annoyance, Ted Nugent actually did put out some pretty good music. In 1978, riding on the success of Cat Scratch Fever, Sterns Electronics put out a pretty damned good table.
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7. AC/DC
There's been a nostalgic pinball rush over the past several years, and among the bands to get pinball tables for the first time is AC/DC.
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6. The Rolling Stones
Sure, there's the 2011 Sterns table, but like the Stones themselves it's not really relevant anymore. What you want to find is the 1980 Bally table, from back when the Stones were really something to see. The Sterns table just reminds you that sometimes acts go on way longer than they need to. Speaking of....
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Story continues on the next page.
5. Metallica There are three different Metallica tables, although why anyone at this point in their life would need to have three different versions of 21st-century Metallica to choose from in a game setting, I will never know. Try out the Master of Puppets table. It's the one that makes you least feel like a douchebag for playing it.
4. KISS
C'mon, everyone who clicked on this link knew for an absolute fact that there had to be a KISS pinball machine. There sure is, and it's a pretty damned successful table, all things told. Bally started making them in the '70s, and they remained a regular catalogue item through the '80s.
3. Elvis
The most exciting one is a limited-edition Elvis Gold table, in addition to the regular Sterns table that's more commonly seen. The Gold series saw a run of only 500, and each one is authenticated by Graceland. As far as the Sterns musical-nostalgia line goes, Elvis is probably the best of the bunch.
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2. Dolly Parton
Parton is one of the few non-rockers to get a table, and even that is debatable; when Bally was working on the cabinet in 1978, Parton was undergoing a shift from country to pop. Reportedly, Parton kept the production held up for quite awhile because she was worried about how she would be portrayed, either as a country singer or the crossover mainstream success she enjoys now. In the end, she got what she wanted.
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1. Guns 'N Roses Easily my favorite, and a hard one to find, is the 1994 Guns table from Data East. Don't worry, it's not the Use Your Illusion Guns, but all those hard Appetite songs we first fell in love with. Plus, I always got a kick out of the rose handle. Fun fact: The table contains an outtake from Use Your Illusion 1 called "Ain't Going Down," which is actually the track's only official release. Just one of the many reasons this table tops of the list.
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