Customer Reviews

Grand Theft Auto Vice City: Flash FM Vol 4 (OST)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Flash FM (Volume 4 in the Grand Theft Auto: Vice City soundtrack series) this time makes you want to Dance! Great artist including my personal favorite Wang Chung! Get ready to pary like its 1985!

Since Amazon doesn't have a track listing, so here ya go:
01. DJ Toni Intro
02. Hall & Oates - Out Of Touch
03. Electric Light Orchestra - Four Little Diamonds
04. Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
05. The Outfield - Your Love
06. Talk Talk - Life's What You Make It
07. Bryan Adams - Run To You
08. Wang Chung - Dance Hall Days
09. DJ Toni Mid Party Announcement
10. Go West - Call Me
11. Lionel Richie - Running With The Night
12. Laura Branigan - Self Control
13. Inxs - Kiss The Dirt
14. Yes - Owner Of A Lonely Heart
15. DJ Toni Outro
16. Blox Radio Commercial (Commercial Skit)
17. Just The Five Of Us (Commerical Skit

I am a huge Grand Theft Auto fan and the third game in the series was one of the high points of my year when it was released. I played it endlessly, and thought that no game could top it. I was wrong, for when "Vice City," the fourth instalment in this phenomenally successful franchise, was released, I experienced a whole new level of the gaming experience. One of the highlights of both games, however, was the music on the radio stations as I'm sure it was for all the other players. With a wide range of music to suit all tastes, it was pure bliss. I most connected with "Flash Back FM" in the third game and with "Flash FM" in the fourth game...

These two radio stations are presented by the same DJ. She's called Toni and is a bit of a wacky lady. She's a bit dumb, but its her extreme personality that shines. These two radio stations feature some amazing music from the good old 1980's in a time when you lived life to the full and partied hard with the pure cheesy songs, most of which are on here. The music on Flash FM is on this compilation for all to own. "Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Original Soundtrack - Volume 4: Flash FM" is an essential purchase for all those who loved driving around in the game to these amazing classics.

The track listing for the entire album seems to be a bit messed up, so I'm just going to review the songs in the order that they are on my copy - UK version. It opens with "Hi I'm Toni" which is a brief introduction before the smashing mid-tempo classic "Out Of Touch" from Hall & Oates. The beat on this song is chilled and very relaxing, and you can just imagine driving around Vice City in your convertible car with this blaring out! The energetic "Four Little Diamonds" by the Electric Light Orchestra follows up. With its insanely catchy beat and vocal arrangement, this is one to rock to! Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" follows, and really needs no introduction, before "Your Love" by The Outfield. This isn't a highlight song for me, but I do like the vocals - they're very memorable and nostalgic. "Life's What You Make It" by Talk Talk follows, and has a steady beat, which is totally converted when you spin the next song...

It's Bryan Adams with his classic "Run To You." Yes, this is truly one of the finest songs on this compilation, and has a driving beat that you can drive around Vice City to like a mad man, especially on your motorbike! "Dance Hall Days" by Wang Chung follows, and is just one of the cheesiest things I've ever heard! I mean, check out the lyrics, "Take your baby by the hair, and pull her close and there, there, there! Take your baby by the ears, and play upon her darkest fears!" The lyrics are atrocious, but my GOD this song is so catchy! An interlude follows before the amazing "Call Me" by Go West. This is pure 80's pop trash at its best as well. With the glamorous beat and disco-style vocals, its a pure camp classic! Glenn Frey's "Smuggler's Blues" is not one of my favourites, but is luckily followed up by Lionel Richie's "Running With The Night." This is a slow and very chilled out song that you could drive to in Vice City while staring at the stars above. The chorus is very catchy and the synth-pop bass is just classic.

Toto's "Hold The Line" is a bit of a disappointment for me, but is saved by the fantastic "Self Control" by Laura Branigan. This is a pure funk-filled rocker that I always sing my head off to! "I Wanna Be A Cowboy" by Boys Don't Cry is up next and is a very cheesy and camp song that doesn't stick in my mind much, but this is followed by the superb "Kiss The Dirt (Falling Down The Mountain)" by legendary Aussie rockers INXS. The beat on this song is so funky and the vocal arrangement is catchy as you like! The last song on the album is "Owner Of A Lonely Heart" by Yes. This is a catchy rocking number that always gets me dancing like a crazy guy! I love it. There are three tracks after this which close out the album. The first is an Outro by DJ Toni, the second is the hilarious Blox Radio Commercial about germs and the third is the fantastic advert for "Just The Five Of Us," that new American sitcom that 'everybody loves' according to the guy narrating!

OVERALL GRADE: 9/10

I really cannot stress how amazing this album is. Sometimes I go for more mature artists such as Alanis Morissette, Bjork, Sarah McLachlan and Nirvana (Yeah, my taste is very varied), but sometimes you just need to let your hair down and party! Toni will tell you this herself! Okay, so what if this compilation is just a money spinner for Rockstar to earn an extra dollar? It's worth it when you check out the classics cuts on offer here. There are other volumes available from the various different radio stations on Vice City which I don't listen to much when I'm playing the game. Trust me, this is the best album to get!

THANKS TO TONY FROM THE UK, I have completed my tracklist for this great CD! Write this down, much better than I have seen around.

1. DJ Toni Introduction
2. Out Of Touch - Hall & Oates
3. Dance Hall Days - Wang Chung
4. Billie Jean - Michael Jackson
5. Self Control - Laura Branigan
6. Call Me - Go West
7. Kiss The Dirt - Inxs
8. Run To You - Bryan Adams
9. Four Little Diamonds - Electric Light Orchestra
10.Owner Of A Lonely Heart - Yes
11.Video Killed The Radio Star - The Buggles
12.Japensese Boy - Aneka
13.Life's What You Make It - Talk Talk
14.Your Love - The Outfield
15.Stepping Out - Joe Jackson
16.One Thing Leads to Another - The Fixx
17.Running With The Night - Lionel Ritchie

I totally agree, they need to include ALL of the best songs from Flash FM. Flash and WAVE and personally my favourites but I wish they would have been more complete. Aneka's song Japanese Boy is missing, along with a couple others, had they been there I might have given this 5 stars. It's still good though, for any of you Vice City fans or just fans of 80's music I would recommend buying it or the boxed set (which I own and love!)

Unless there is a full-blown uncut, uncensored COMPLETE soundtrack collection of each of these wonderful stations from this revolutionary and visceral video gaming experience, I almost don't want to bother buying it. I mean, my real reasons for picking up the soundtrack to FLASH FM are not even included on the disc:

"Japanese Boy"
"Stepping Out"
"One Thing Leads To Another"
"Video Killed The Radio Star"

These tracks are missing, yet they're sure to include "Self Control" and "Run To You"? Sigh...

I guess I'm just looking for more than the "Best Moments Of" from these stations. I NEED THEM IN THEIR ENTIRETY! Can I PLEASE get some help in this arena? This is seriously not too much to ask, you know.

That quibble aside, fantastic job, ROCKSTAR. Someone did their homework when they compiled this entire mid-'80s musical landscape -- all stations included, even Fernando's.

"Fernando. What the hell is wrong with me? Silk chirt, hairy chest, enough aftershave to drown a household pet, and yet I still cannot find a woman." Just plain marvelous.

Thanks everyone else for pointing this out, but i'm gonna do it again!

"Japanese Boy"
"One Thing Leads To Another"
"Video Killed The Radio Star"

WHAT THE [...]!!! These are some of the best tracks off Vice City Flash FM and they're exluded!!!??

I don't have a Playstation or Grand Theft Auto: Vice City -- I'm just a fan of 80's music! I grew up when these songs were on the radio -- and I can tell you that many of the songs collected here are very hard to find on other compilations -- specifically Yes - Owner of a Lonely Heart; Michael Jackson - Billy Jean (which is one of only a few MJ songs that have stood the test of time in my opinion); Talk Talk - Life's What you Make it, Hall & Oates - Out of Touch; etc. If you're looking for the same old songs that have been recycled on multiple other compilations -- look elsewhere (try Chart Toppers: Modern Rock Hits of the 80's OR the "Pure 80's" series). I highly reccomend this volume if you're looking to add a few hard to find hits to your 80's collection. Great sound quality, too!

"I wish old people would just go back where they came from", she exclaims in her cute air headed way. Well this might be the next best thing for us. This is all the music I couldnt stand in the '80s but I love GTA and I Love Toni on FLASH FM! I can now listen to them now that they are no longer overplayed. Cool collection.

I really love this album because I grew up in the 1980's and I liked all these songs on the album. It includes some really good ones by Michael Jackson, Talk Talk and INXS! Buy it!

Before this CD, the 80's to me were all about AIDS and freaky hairstyles. Then came this. This CD is littered with great songs from that decade. Michael Jackson(Billie Jean) tops the list which is also headlined by Hall & Oates(Out of Touch), Bryan Adams(Run to You), and INXS(Falling Down the Mountain). Every song in this CD has a killer beat and u can dance your azz off to any one. By far, best of the Vice City soundtracks. Toni ROCKS OUT LOUD!!!