Vice City: Where the Strippers are Cheap and the Music...Golden

You’ve all heard of Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto videogame series. Yeah, those “controversial” games that reward players for senselessly running over pedestrians and blowing up passing by cars with rocket launchers. But what most non-gamers don’t know is that Grand Theft Auto: Vice City contains one of the greatest licensed soundtracks ever made.

I never read reviews or previews when big games come out. I don’t want anything to spoil the fun. So when I came home and started playing Vice City, I was a bit puzzled with the music. I didn’t know what I was listening to. It took the nostalgic comments of my older brother and a friend for me to realize the soundtrack was ripped from the 80s. Prior to playing the game, I only heard about 10% of Vice City’s songs. Hall & Oates, Blondie, Human League, Foreigner, who the hell were these guys? But after hours of gameplay and listening, I fell in love with the music and artists.

Epic Records was kind enough to give fans the Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Box Set; a 7 CD collection that captures the spirit and sounds of the 80s. Each CD is a certain radio station found in the game. Stations range from pop, rock, soul, hip-hop, and jazz. There’s really something for everybody here.

The heart and soul of the collection lies within volumes 2-4. Volume 2, titled Wave 103, is filled with new wave classics. The show gets started with Frankie Goes to Hollywood’s Two Tribes. The song is frenetic, quirky, and in your face. But the disc isn’t completely reliant on fast paced moments. Tears for Fear’s Pale Shelter and Psychedelic Furs’ Love My Way are well-crafted and easier on the ears. Bouncier tracks like Human League’s Fascination and Thomas Dolby’s Hyperactive best define the genre by heavily using synthesizers and bizarre lyrics.

Volume 3, Emotion 98.3, brings songs of sorrow and heartbreak. It contains so many great love/pop songs that it’s not even funny. Toto’s Africa, Foreigner’s Waiting for a Girl Like You, Cutting Crew’s Died In Your Arms are worth the admission alone. And if these songs don’t get you in the mood, rock ballads by Night Ranger and REO Speedwagon will. Like Wave 103, Emotion does a great job of changing the tempo. Luther Vandross’ Never Too Much is a flawless R&B affair while Squeeze’s Tempted is upbeat and a great song to sing all with. And if that wasn’t enough, a couple hidden gems are spread across the disc. Jan Hammer sneaks an instrumental masterpiece into the mix with the surreal and idyllic sounds of Crockett’s Theme. Kate Bush’s tender but powerful Wow is also a delightful surprise.

Flash FM, Vol. 4, sticks with the more traditional pop songs. Hall & Oates shift into gear with the infectious Out of Touch. The action picks up with MJ’s classic Billie Jean and Wang Chung’s timeless Dance Hall Days. A few rock pieces from INXS, Bryan Adams, and Yes also give the volume a tighter feel. But besides Go West’s Call Me, there are very little surprises. Flash’s major fault is that it leaves out some cool songs that were in the videogame. A few licensing hiccups prevented some tracks from making the final cut. Joe Jackson’s Steppin' Out is nowhere to be found while Aneka’s Japanese Boy would have added some spice to the playlist.

The set takes a 180 degree turn with Vol. 5, Wildstyle. If you’ve never listened to old school hip hop/electro then some of this music will blow you away. Songs are filled with DJ scratching, bumping bass lines, voice boxes, and great lyrics. Grand Master Flash’s The Message is fresh and innovative while Run DMC mixes soaring guitars with simple raps on Rockbox. But a majority of the songs on Wildstyle are instrumental. Most people will find them repetitive and long. However, with a few repeated spins, you’ll discover the intricacies and incredible talent behind each song. These are the kind of songs that are perfect for putting your expensive car stereo system to work.

Fever 105 lays down some smooth soul and dance hits. Michael Jackson makes his second appearance with Wanna Be Starting Something. Evelyn Champagne King’s Shame and Fat Larry’s Band’s Act Like You Know keep up with the pace by unleashing tracks with great trumpet and bass work. The flow of the album mellows out with Mtume’s Juicy Fruit and the Mary Jane Girls’ funky All Night Long. I enjoyed almost every song on this disc. There are so many great artists on Fever and their music paints kick back environments.

The two discs that I don’t listen to that much are V-Rock (Vol. 1) and Radio Espantoso (Vol. 7). Let met start with V-Rock. This disc has many heavy metal acts: Ozzy Osbourne, Slayer, Judas Priest, Twisted Sister, and Motley Crue are all here. And you know what? I don’t care! Not that these songs are bad or anything; they’re just not my style. Radio Espantoso also doesn’t get much time in my cd player. Toso consists of Latin jazz, mostly Cuban flavored. There are some good songs by Mongo Santamaria and Tito Puente. But just like V-Rock, the music doesn’t do much for me.

The only major problem I have with the collection is the absence of certain songs. I mean, no freaking Cars by Gary Numan! There are a few others missing from each CD. That ticked me off because I expected to have every song that was included in the game. Each volume also contains DJ segments and commercials (at the end), but they don’t seem to disturb the flow. Overall, I’m happy as hell with this box set. It spans many genres of music, and most importantly it introduced me to 80s pop music. Fans of 80s music and the game should definitely pick this up. It’s one of the best box sets you can find for the decade and one of the cheapest too. But due to the varying styles, certain discs might not fit well with listeners. No problem though. Since volumes are also sold separately, you can take that road and not have to worry about any extra baggage.