Radio Stations in GTA London

The radio options listed on the official website

Although Grand Theft Auto: London 1969 was treated as an expansion for the first game (Grand Theft Auto 1), the soundtrack is completely different. Here, once more Rockstar puts radio stations that the player can listen when driving a vehicle, in addition to a police radio station.

It is worth noting that the subsequent expansion, Grand Theft Auto: London 1961 uses this same soundtrack (even though all the songs would be anachronistic, given the years they were released).

In order to capture the essence of London in the late '60s, and give the feeling of the British crime scene from the period, Rockstar decided to license music from the era. This would be the first use of licensed songs in the game series, a feature that would become recurrent in subsequent games. So, this soundtrack uses a combination of early reggae and Italian pop, beat, soul and jazz from film scores of the period.

All radio stations have DJs, but unlike GTA 1 which had a couple of DJs named, in GTA London only one is named.

Running time for all the stations in GTA London is very short, even shorter than the GTA 1 standards, they play only 1 or 2 songs (Westminster Wireless being the sole exception, playing 3 instead). In fact all the 12 stations rank among the shortest stations in the game series.

Radio stations

^† - The song is an original creation, and thus its year of release is that of GTA London: 1999.

Authors of the song, at the side, in superscript (if it is an original creation).

Bush Sounds

Bush Sounds plays reggae by The Upsetters. "Dollar in the Teeth" was released as part of the double A-side of "Return of Django", reflecting its presence alongside "Return of Django" in the station.

• The Upsetters - "Return of Django" (1969)
• The Upsetters - "Dollar in the Teeth" (1969)

Heavy Heavy Monster Sound

Heavy Heavy Monster Sound plays reggae and ska. Unlike Bush Sounds, it features two varied bands as opposed to centering around one. The bands are seminal skinhead acts.

• Harry J All Stars - "The Liquidator" (1969)
• Symarip - "Skinhead Moonstomp" (1969)

Blow Upradio

Blow Upradio plays beat. This station is notable because, at a running time of only 1 minute and 55 seconds, it is effectively the shortest radio station in the entire GTA series. "Beat Fuga Shake" is taken from the soundtrack for the 1967 Italian film "Il mistero dell'ombra" (also known as "Tiffany Memorandum").

• Riz Ortolani - "Beat Fuga Shake" (1967)

Kaleidoscope

Kaleidoscope plays pop and beat. The tracks are taken from the 1967 Italian film "Troppo per vivere... poco per morire" (also known as "Your Turn to Die").

• Francesco De Masi & Alessandro Alessandroni - "Hot Camera Shake" (1967)
• Francesco de Masi & Alessandro Alessandroni - "L'Uomo Che Saprà" (1967)

Sound of Soho

Sound of Soho plays jazz. "Tema di Londra M. 1" is taken from the soundtrack for the 1967 Italian film "Colpo maestro al servizio di Sua Maestà britannica" (also known as "Master Stroke"), while "Latin Quarter" is taken from the soundtrack of the 1969 Italian film "Una sull'altra" (also known as "One on Top of the Other").

• Francesco De Masi & Alessandro Alessandroni - "Tema di Londra M. 1" (1967)
• Riz Ortolani - "Latin Quarter" (1969)

Radio Penelope

Radio Penelope is hosted by Doctor Peter Pants-On, the only named DJ in GTA London. The station plays pop and soul. "The Roaring Twenties" is taken from the soundtrack of "Una sull'altra", while "Teresa L'Illusa" is taken from the soundtrack of the 1973 Italian film "Teresa la ladra" (also known as "Teresa the Thief").

• Riz Ortolani - "The Roaring 20's" (1969)
• Riz Ortolani - "Teresa L'Illusa" (1973)

Radio Andorra

Radio Andorra plays pop and beat. The tracks are taken from the soundtrack for "Il mistero dell'ombra".

• Riz Ortolani - "Tiffany Sequence M. 8" (1967)
• Riz Ortolani - "Tiffany Sequence M. 22" (1967)

Westminster Wireless

Westminster Wireless plays soul and jazz. The tracks are taken from the soundtrack for the 1969 Italian film "Le malizie di Venere" (also known as "Devil in the Flesh"). "Le Malizie Di Venere - Seq. 3" is also used as the game's theme song, and it also plays during the credits. Its DJ states that the station broadcasts on 666, on the medium wave.

• Piero Umiliani & Gian Franco Reverberi - "Le Malizie Di Venere - Seq. 3" (1969)
• Piero Umiliani & Gian Franco Reverberi - "Le Malizie Di Venere - Seq. 4" (1969)
• Piero Umiliani & Gian Franco Reverberi - "Le Malizie Di Venere - Seq. 6" (1969)

Radio 7

Radio 7 plays beat and funk.

• Rockstar Games - "Saturday Nite at Dirty McNasty's" ^{(Chris Sears, Jim Browski, Dr.Gilo Allen, Duncan "limpdick" Scott) †}
• Rockstar Games - "BOOK 'EM (Murder One)" ^{(Chris Sears, Jim Browski, Dr.Gilo Allen, Duncan "limpdick" Scott) †}

GTA Pomp

GTA Pomp plays classical.

• Rockstar Games - "GTA Pomp" ^{(Charlie Clarke, JL, Sarah Daly, Paul Powell) †}

GTA Spy Theme

GTA Spy Theme plays jazz.

• Rockstar Games - "Spy Theme" ^{(Charlie Clarke, JL, Sarah Daly, Paul Powell) †}

Austin Allegro Chase

Austin Allegro Chase plays funk.

• Rockstar Games - "Austin Allegro Chase" ^{(Chris Sears, Jim Browski, Dr.Gilo Allen, Duncan "limpdick" Scott) †}

Trivia

• The use of obscure Italian film soundtracks and early reggae by Rockstar can be understandable because at that point (1999) it was still a small company and couldn't afford to buy the rights for more widely known songs.
• Both Grand Theft Auto: London 1969 and Grand Theft Auto: London 1961 use the same soundtrack.
  • Which makes its use in GTA London 1961 anachronistic given the years in which the songs where released (with the earliest songs being from 1967), with the exception of the songs that are original creations by the Rockstar staff.
• The only song that is anachronistic in the GTA London 1969 soundtrack is Riz Ortolani's "Teresa l'illusa" (1973).
• GTA 1 had 2 DJs named, but GTA London has one - Doctor Peter Pants-On from Radio Penelope.
• First use in the GTA series of an original police radio track: Rockstar created a police track for this game with appropiate British accents and references to locations in London. In contrast, GTA 1, GTA 2, and GTA III use a generic police track used in countless films, series and games ("5 George K, number 30 Broad street" is said) with American accents. Original police tracks wouldn't be repeated until GTA Vice City.