Welcome To Liberty City!

Okay, you'd likely have to be under a rock to have missed the release of a videogame by the name of Grand Theft Auto IV. Not only is it the most expensive videogame ever made, it sold over 500 million copies - at $60 a pop. That's big money for an industry that now dwarfs Hollywood in profits.

Despite all the controversy over the cop-killing, lawbreaking, hooker-izing gameplay, there's actually a really great narrative in the game and some amazing experiences.

One of the best aspects of any of the Grand Theft Auto games were the radio stations. You could listen to many different stations, complete with fake commercials and famous DJs (Fema Kuti, Iggy Pop, George Clinton, etc.) in the various vehicles throughout the city. This version of the game is no different. I wanted to share some of my favorites with you...

Bob Marley - Stand Up Jamrock



Just a great dub version of a classic BMW song. There's a whole Tuff Gong radio station that plays nothing but stuff like this. I don't know what it is, but there's something about air raid sirens over dub that I can't get enough of.

The Boggs - Arm In Arm (Shy Child Mix)



This song was a surprise for me, having never heard of The Boggs. They featured it in one of the game's many TV commercials and it just stuck in my head. An eclectic song that's hard to nail down into one genre. Is it rock? Electro?

Minnie Riperton - Inside My Love



Okay, stop the presses. This song was on the radio all the time when I was a child. What strikes me as odd is how blatantly erotic the lyrics are. Funny how you never get that when you're young...and how the hell did it get on the radio so often? I feel the same way about Sheena Easton's Sugar Walls. Anyhow, I heard it playing in the game when I entered a strip club with the intent of forcing the owner to pay for protection. I had to physically persuade him and then try and escape with my life, but the entire time I sang along to this great R&B track. Brings back some great 70s memories and precedes Mariah Carey as the high-pitch queen.

Thin Lizzy - Jailbreak



Thin Lizzy was so good at creating memorable riffs. This one just sounds so...heavy. A classic tune from a classic rock band.

Steve Marriott All Stars - Cocaine



Do you know how many songs are titled 'Cocaine?' Seriously...a ton (or would that be a kilo?). This one I'd never heard before and it first played after I finished a coke deal that went real bad. There's a place in my heart for classic rock songs like this.

David Axelrod - Holy Thursday



From the jazz station comes this smooth joint from David Axelrod. Perfect for a late night drive through rainy Liberty City. Axelrod's work has been sampled by DJ Shadow, Dr. Dre, and Swizz Beatz. Hell, he even joined up with our next artist on a few tracks:

David McCallum - The Edge



Still up on the jazz tip, someone better call Albert Broccoli and let him know that this track is missing from a James Bond flick. This is some straight-up John Barry groove here. But it's not Barry, it's David McCallum - best known for his acting roles. Man From U.N.C.L.E. was probably where you've seen him. Seems he was a multi-talented chap, eh?

LCD Soundsystem - Get Innocuous!



Last but not least, this is probably the best track LCD Soundsystem (aka James Murphy) has ever made. It reminds me of David Bowie so much I can't help but love it, if Bowie had done heavy electronic music (Earthlings doesn't count, Sean). Sometimes when this song comes on the radio in-game, I just drive around listening to it, forgetting whatever it was I was tasked to do.