• Information
• Original Soundtrack

Year: 1997

Type: Original Soundtrack (OST)

Composer(s): Colin Anderson, Craig Conner, Grant Middleton

Number of tracks: 20

Rating

★★★★★

Wrong wavelength

When the first drafts for Race’n’Chase, a kind of Pacman in a realistic city scenario, were put on the table on April 4, 1995, hardly anyone would have expected that it would become one of the most successful series in video game history. Grand Theft Auto (or GTA for short), as the game would eventually be called, was innovative: a mixture of black humor and fun gameplay that captivated players and critics alike for hours despite its simplicity.

With an age rating of 16, it was of course further away from my five-year-old fingers than Thomas Gottschalk was from the very last episode of Wetten, dass..? But to be honest, I don't think I would have had that much fun with the first GTA . At least from today's perspective, the gameplay seems more than antiquated, and back then I was more of a strategy/action-adventure type. And for racing I had Need for Speed and Ignition. It doesn't matter, after all, I don't want to talk about the content of this video game dinosaur, but its soundtrack.

The first installment already established the series' characteristic design decision to rely on radio stations for the acoustic accompaniment, which should satisfy the various preferences of gamers with its wide-ranging repertoire. We shouldn't, however, expect a theme or even overarching compositions, as these should make their appearance only in the later installments.

The first Grand Theft Auto presents us with a selection of seven radio stations: N-CT FM (hip-hop, gangsta rap), Radio ’76 FM (funk), Head Radio (techno), The Fix FM (house, dance), It’s Unleashed FM (hard rock, alternative rock, trance), The Fergus Buckner Show FM (country) and Brooklyn Underground FM (drum & bass, techno). In contrast to the successors, however, only fake bands are at work here, similar to Cities: Skylines, for example. The only escapee is the track Gangster Friday by the equally fictitious band Slumpussy, which is not part of the official soundtrack and, according to the GTA-Wiki, serves as the title track and credit theme.

The pieces were composed by Colin Anderson, Craig Conner and Grant Middleton, who, apart from their involvement in the score for GTA 2 should not really be on your radar. The same applies to their compositions. They can probably best be described as utilitarian: The techno tracks in Brooklyn Underground FM klingen nach typischem 90er-Techno. Just Do It from the rock station It’s Unleashed FM better because of its distortions, while N-CT FM's 'gangsta' attitude, as with Vice Citys hip-hop station Wildstyle, turns me off.

In general, the score is nowhere near the quality of the later parts. However, it should not be underestimated that they have the advantage of featuring real-life songs. They don't necessarily make the whole thing better, but they do make it more authentic and, to a certain extent, more distinctive. Nevertheless, the music from GTA 1, although not badly done, falls well short of the rest of the series. Should you listen to it anyway? Unless you are nostalgia-driven, probably not. There may well be something for fans of the respective genre, but Spotify or similar providers will propably serve you better.

• Original Soundtrack
• N-CT FM
• Radio ’76 FM
• Head Radio
• The Fix FM
• It’s Unleashed FM
• The Fergus Buckner Show FM
• Brooklyn Underground FM

No.	Title	Artist(s)	Ratings
01	Gangster Friday	Slumpussy [Craig Conner; Robert DeNegro]	2

Hip-Hop / Gangsta Rap

No.	Title	Artist(s)	Ratings
01	Grand Theft Auto	Da Shootaz [Craig Conner; Robert DeNegro]	3
02	This Life	Slumpussy [Craig Conner; Robert DeNegro]	2
03	Blow Your Console (feat. Robert DeNegro)	CCC [Craig Conner; Robert DeNegro]	2

Funk

No.	Title	Artist(s)	Ratings
01	On the Move	Ghetto Fingers [Colin Anderson]	3
02	Aori	Ashtar [Colin Anderson]	2
03	Pootang Shebang	Stylus Exodus [Colin Anderson]	2

Techno

No.	Title	Artist(s)	Ratings
01	Days Like These	Reality Bubble [Craig Connor]	3
02	Automatic Transmission	Meme Traders [Grant Middleton]	2
03	Complications	Ohjaamo [Craig Connor]	3

House / Dance

No.	Title	Artist(s)	Ratings
01	DSP	Animal Testing Centre [Craig Connor]	3
02	Ride	Rotorman [Craig Connor]	2
03	Lagerstar	Technophiliak [Grant Middleton]	3

Hard Rock / Alternative Rock / Trance

No.	Title	Artist(s)	Ratings
01	4 Letter Love	Stikki Fingers [Colin Anderson; Brian Baglow]	3
02	Let It Out	The Hounds [Craig Connor]	3
03	Just Do It	Bleeding Stump [Colin Anderson]	4

Country

No.	Title	Artist(s)	Ratings
01	The Ballad of Chapped Lip Calquhoun	Sideways Hank O'Malley and the Alabama Bottle Boys [Colin Anderson; Brian Baglow]	3

Drum & Bass / Techno

No.	Title	Artist(s)	Ratings
01	Benzoate	Retrograde [Craig Connor]	3
02	E104	Government Listening Post [Craig Connor]	3
03	Figiwhiz	Trancefer [Craig Connor]	3