Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories  

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The soundtrack of Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories comprises radio stations that broadcast music and information to Liberty City, circa 1998. The only time a player can hear the radio is when the protagonist acquires a car (or in the "Audio" section of the pause menu). The station that will be playing when the player gets in is fairly random but it can be changed or switched off if desired. Because Liberty City Stories is set in the exact location as Grand Theft Auto III, only three years earlier, some of the radio stations featured are seen as earlier counterparts of the radio stations in GTA III, while other listed stations and radio shows have suggestively ended broadcast by GTA III's timeline.

Besides the radio stations, music can also be heard during the game's intro sequence ("March Popakov Remix" written by John Cacavas, produced by Danger Mouse) and some cutscenes ("Japanese Geisha" by Sonia Slany and "The Heist" by Bugz in the Attic).

Contents

Music Stations

Double Cleff FM

DJ: Sergio Boccino
Genre: Classical, Opera
Tracklist:

Summary: Hosted by Sergio Boccino (voiced by Robert Blumenfeld), this station is usually played when the player steals a Leone Sentinel, Sindacco Argento or Forelli Excess. Morgan Merryweather, who replaces current host Sergio by GTA III, phones in to Double Clef FM to voice his dismay of the program's present quality. Strangely, Morgan complains of the amount of music Sergio plays from Italian composers, yet Morgan plays exactly the same amount of Italian music when he replaces Sergio in GTA III.

Template:See also

Flashback FM

DJ: Reni Wassulmaier
Genre: Italo disco
Tracklist:

Summary: Reni Wassulmaier (voiced by Barbara Rosenblat) would later reappear as a character in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories, set in 1984 in Vice City, where it is revealed that Reni is a transsexual (this was briefly hinted at during her banter in between songs on Flashback FM). Reni is replaced as the station's DJ by Toni (a host of Flash FM) by 2001.

While the GTA III rendition of Flashback FM borrowed many off the Scarface soundtrack, this rendition of the station plays only songs from Giorgio Moroder, who produced it.

Head Radio

DJ: Michael Hunt
Genre: Soft Rock, Adult Contemporary
Tracklist:

  • Conor & Jay - "Train"
  • Cloud Nineteen - "The One For Me"
  • Purser - "Take The Pain"
  • L-Marie (feat. Raff) - "Free Yourself"
  • 15 Ways - "Drive"
  • Rosco Stow - "Welcome to the Real World"* Vanilla Smoothie - "Keep Dreaming"<ref>Written and produced by Alastair MacGregor. Guitars by Allan Walker. Vocals by Fiona Stoddart.</ref>

Summary: Hosted by DJ Michael Hunt (voiced by Russ Mottla<ref name="Voice credits" />), Head Radio plays Soft Rock and Adult Contemporary music. With the exceptions of Conor & Jay, L-Marie and Raff, all bands are fictional creations of Rockstar North. Singles by the band Conor & Jay are also featured for Head Radio in GTA III and GTA2. It is heard on one of the tracks "who needs Lips when you've got Head", referring to a slight competition with Lips 106 due to the fact that they both play pop songs. Take the Pain, Drive, The One For Me Appear in GTA IV as cellphone ringtones. Rockstar Games has released the Head Radio and Lips 106 soundtrack on iTunes.

K-Jah

DJ: Natalee Walsh Davis
Genre: Dancehall, Digital Reggae
Tracklist:

  • Selah Collins, Ruddy Ranks, Redeye - "Pick a Sound"
  • Errol Bellot, Ruddy Ranks, Redeye - "What a Wonderful Feeling"
  • Kenny Knots, Ruddy Ranks, Redeye - "Watch How the People Dancing"
  • Richie Davis, Ruddy Ranks, Redeye - "Lean Boot"
  • Peter Bouncer, Ruddy Ranks, Redeye - "Ready For the Dancehall Tonight"
  • Richie Davis, Ruddy Ranks, Redeye - "You Ha Fe Cool"
  • Kenny Knots, Ruddy Ranks, Redeye - "Ring My Number"
  • Kenny Knots, Ruddy Ranks, Redeye - "Run Come Call Me"

Summary: Hosted by Natalee Walsh Davis (voiced by Pascale Armand<ref name="Voice credits"/>), this station is usually played when the player steals a Yardie Lobo gang car. The station's DJ, Natalee Walsh Davis, is replaced by Horace "The Pacifist" Walsh in 2001. All of the songs are from the compilation album, Watch How The People Dancing - Unity Sounds From The London Dancehall, 1986 - 1989 released in 2002 by Honest Jon's Records.


The Liberty Jam

DJ: DJ Clue
Genre: East Coast hip hop, hardcore hip hop, gangster rap

Tracklist:

Summary: Hosted by DJ Clue (a real-life DJ<ref name="Voice credits"/>), The Liberty Jam plays East Coast hip hop. This station is bought by Game Recordings and renamed Game Radio FM by 2001. This is due to the station having songs from different record labels, instead of having songs from the same label Game Recordings.

Lips 106

DJs: Cliff Lane and Andee
Genre: Pop music
Tracklist:

  • Rudy La Fontaine - "Funk in Time"<ref>Written and produced by Jon McCavish. Guitars by Julian Pais. Vocals by Julian Pais.</ref>
  • Sawaar - "Love is the Feeling"<ref>Written by Craig Connor and Julie Wemyss. Produced by Craig Connor. Vocals by Julie Wemyss.</ref>
  • Sunshine Shine - "Mine Until Monday"<ref>Written and produced by Will Morton. Additional lyrics by Paul Mackie. Vocals by Paul Mackie and Raff.</ref>
  • Credit Check - "Get Down"<ref>Written and produced by Alastair MacGregor. Guitars by Martyn Livingstone. Bass by Andy Wilson. Vocals by Louise Ferrier.</ref>
  • Cool Timers - "Tonight"<ref>Written and produced by Craig Connor. Vocals by Julie Wemyss.</ref>
  • Nina Barry - "Bassmatic"<ref>Written and produced by Jon McCavish. Vocals by Riz Maslen.</ref>
  • The Jackstars - "Into Something (Come on, Get Down)"<ref>Written and produced by Craig Connor. Vocals by Lucie Danti-Juan. Backing vocals by Kevin Stacey and Craig Connor.</ref>

Heaven Summary: Hosted by Cliff Lane (voiced by Ed McMann<ref name="Voice credits"/>) and Andee (voiced by Shelley Miller<ref name="Voice credits"/>), just like Head Radio, all bands are fictional creations of Rockstar North. Andee is assumed to have remained as the only host of the station in 2001, as co-host Cliff Lane is not featured in GTA III. During the game, Andee mentions how she cannot wait until she is the sole host, indicating that Cliff is already on his way out due to his perverted rants about teenaged girls. Rockstar Games has released the Head Radio and Lips 106 soundtrack on iTunes.<ref name=itunes/>


MSX 98

DJs: MC Codebreaker and DJ Timecode
Genre: Drum and Bass & Jungle
Tracklist:

Summary: MSX 98s tracks are all taken from British Drum and Bass pioneers Moving Shadow records, there are many references to the artists under the Moving Shadow label by the MC. MSX 98 is usually played when the player steals a Yakuza gang car. The station loses its "98" suffix by 2001.

Radio Del Mundo

DJ: Panjit Gavaskar
Genre: World music, South Asian, Arabic
Tracklist:

Summary: Hosted by Panjit Gavaskar (voiced by Hajaz Akram<ref name="Voice credits"/>), this station is usually played in a taxi, which is usually seen driven by a sometimes angry Sikh taxi driver or a Hoods Rumpo, which is seen driven by Southside Hoods gangsters. Radio Del Mundo is taken off the air by 2001, as it is not featured in GTA III. Also the radio station was known for its humorous commentary by Panjit; he often insults relatives and the music.

Despite having a Spanish name (Radio del Mundo lit. meaning "Radio of the World"), there is no Latin music played on this station.

Rise FM

DJ: Boy Sanchez
Genre: House, Chicago house, Speed garage, UK garage
Tracklist:

Summary: Hosted by Boy Sanchez (voiced by Oliver Vaquer<ref name="Voice credits"/>), the station's DJ, Boy Sanchez, is replaced by Andre the Accelerator in GTA III. The latter, however, has also performed a cameo on the 1998 rendition of the station. In the game, Boy Sanchez is mainly based on the New York DJ and producer Roger Sanchez. The format of the station resembles Roger Sanchez and his show.


Talk Stations

LCFR

Liberty City Free Radio, abbreviated as LCFR, is a talk radio station much like WCTR in that it comprises several programs. All LCFR programs except Chatterbox are assumed to have been canceled by the time Grand Theft Auto III takes place in 2001, leading to the extinction of the station and its replacement by a new radio station, which is Chatterbox FM, a previous talk show of LCFR. Also, the shows abbreviation is made to sound like "Lucifer" when sounded out.

The Electron Zone

A talk show discussing technology related topics. Hosted by Bill (Michael Urichek<ref name="Voice credits"/>) and Steve (Ptolemy Slocum<ref name="Voice credits"/>). Bill represents the "Fruit OS" users, an obvious parody of Apple's Mac OS. Steve represents "TOS" users which stands for Technical Operating System and is a parody of Microsoft's DOS. Users of TOS are referred to as tossers, an obvious allusion to the slang term tosser, a popular insult in the UK, which is where the Grand Theft Auto games are produced, and Fruit OS users are referred to as "fruits". The talk show hosts are also apparently caricatures of Microsoft chairman Bill Gates and Apple CEO Steve Jobs. The show's callers are largely a pack of internet nerds or internet haters - a reference to the Matrix films is also made when a woman calls in asking about a virtual reality movie called The Mainframe. A woman named Denise calls the show, saying that someone has to deal with the Internet because it is ruining TV. Bill and Steve annoy her a bit, only for her to threaten to kill her husband with an axe before hanging up on them, much to their chagrin. The caller Denise appears to be the same Denise who dates Carl "CJ" Johnson in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and might explain why CJ is not heard from again after the events of that game.

In one segment, Richard Burns (Wil Wheaton<ref name="Voice credits"/>) from WCTR in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas calls in, mentioning that he was fired shortly after the (1992 Los Santos) riots (during his report on the riots in San Andreas, he was heard to brag about looting on-air, among other things) and that he now runs a website on the history of the Internet. A man named Ken from Carcer City also calls in complaining that the FBI is monitoring him for viewing child pornography.

The show no longer exists in 2001.

Chatterbox

The radio program made famous in GTA III returns with real-life talk show host Lazlow<ref name="Voice credits"/> as host (Lazlow is a recurring personality on GTA III-era radio programs). By 2001, the show will be given its own full-time frequency. An announcer on the radio station says that he was kicked out of both Vice City and San Andreas. Lazlow's callers are diverse but generally offensive, including an Internet freak who wants to knock down the Liberty City cathedral, a gothic girl wanting to cast spells on Lazlow, a foul-mouthed cannibal who asks why he can't eat people, a man obsessed with shaving and a 7-year-old girl who uses a large number of vulgarities for someone of her age (with Lazlow scolding her for "using the F-Bomb"), and a man complaining about Vinewood saying that "if I see one more damn movie with ten kids, a dog in a wheelchair and some damn baseball championship, I'm going to start killing people and blame it on Vinewood" (Gregg Hughes). The mother of the game's main character (Ma Cipriani) also calls in, but gets angry with Lazlow, calling him "Lazarus" and later threatening him with a Mafia assassination after he addresses her as "grandma" and telling her "don't get your wrinkles in a wad". This is a homage to Grand Theft Auto III when Toni calls Lazlow explaining how much his mother controls his life. At one point during the show, Lazlow makes a reference to the Y2K problem when he addresses the audience "we're supposed to be worrying about computers accidentally launching nuclear missiles on us" although in reality, the prediction did not address until New Year 1999. At the end of his broadcast he says “me and my buddy Donald (obviously Donald Love) have some big plans for this station”, presumably referencing that by Grand Theft Auto 3 which is set in 2001 Chatterbox has become its own channel.


Heartland Values with Nurse Bob

This program is a talk show parodying The Dr. Phil Show (though Dr. Phil's show started in 2003, five years after the year LCS takes place). It has a live in-studio audience and is hosted by a southern hillbilly/Redneck named Nurse Bob (Chuck Montgomery<ref name="Voice credits"/>). The name "Nurse Bob" is itself a reference to talk show host Dr. Phil, as evidenced by similar or near-direct Dr. Phil quotes made by Nurse Bob. (e.g. "My definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly, and expecting different results." which can be heard a number of times on The Dr. Phil Show). Nurse Bob also appears to be a devout Christian—as many stereotypical hillbillies/Rednecks are—and threatens many of his callers that if they don't shape up, they will be burning for eternity in the fiery pits of Hell. He also hints at having been molested by his father as a child. He insults those whom he finds incorrect by referring to them as "windbags" and other names. The show no longer exists in 2001.

Breathing World

A spiritual enlightenment talk show hosted by a new wave teenage hippie named Melissa Chowder (Ashley Albert<ref name="Voice credits"/>). Throughout the show, Melissa interviews Bernard 'Crow' Gordon (a spoof of Sting), voiced by Gregg Martin,<ref name="Voice credits"/> who was formerly a member of a band called The Toilet (in Vice City Stories, it is revealed that he was also in a band called Ambulance, a spoof of Sting's former band, The Police). Crow is on the show to promote Crowfest '98, a concert tour. The name Crowfest '98 may have been taken from Ozzfest '98. Its website features a look at his face, and has background music: a psychedelic rock rendition of "My Country, 'Tis of Thee," a parody of Jimi Hendrix's rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner from Woodstock in 1969.

Crow says on the show that after quitting The Toilet, he has seen spiritual enlightenment through the fact that he has joined a religious cult. Crow was previously referenced in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, where he had been reported to have threatened to stop singing, which Crow himself makes reference to (he explains that he had followed through on his threat but ended up breaking his silence). Crow is an egomaniac who offends Melissa greatly with his constant talk of Amazonian drugs, fleecing native tribes and "having five hours worth of Tantric Sex", another reference to Sting. The show no longer exists in 2001.

Coq O Vin

French chef Richard Goblin (Mike Shapiro<ref name="Voice credits"/>), referenced in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas during "Entertaining America" and owner of a restaurant in Los Santos with advertising billboards across the state, hosts this show where he mutilates live animals and insults the American values when it comes to cooking. He also takes calls from fans of the show, most of whom he alienates by slaughtering animals in their general direction, viciously insulting them or actually attacking them. Over the course of the show, Richard forces a cow to give birth directly into his frying pan and then butchers her, stuffs a live goose and chops up the eyeballs and perineum of a large mammal and makes them into a calzone. The show no longer exists in 2001.

Commercials

Like its predecessors, the radio in Liberty City Stories provides satirical commercials for products, events, and organizations.

  • Space Monkey — A shooting/horror video games based on a "space monkey" attack which the player must fight against. Its advertisement is seemed to be aimed at children.
  • Ammu-Nation — GTA's famous gunstore is back, providing supplies to people who want to protect themselves from the then-imminent Y2K bug. References Lager Beer and Redwood Cigarettes from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
  • Bathtub Gin Still — A working replica of the bathtubs used to secretly make booze during the Prohibition era.
  • The PastMaster - A video game based mainly around history, putting kids into historical situations with the slogan of The Future of Learning About the Past, Today. It's more than likely a parody of the video game Civilization.
  • The Mainframe - A movie parody of The Matrix which didn't premiere until 1999, the parody movie follows 5 college students as they take LSD to find they've been living inside a computer.




Unless indicated otherwise, the text in this article is either based on Wikipedia article "Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories" or another language Wikipedia page thereof used under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License; or on research by Jahsonic and friends. See Art and Popular Culture's copyright notice.

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