Shadowrun Music, Not your average SR music thread... Options

[Dax]

One thing that's always bugged me about some of the music groups listed in SOTA:2063. What the hell do they sound like? I assumed that back in the 80's Shadowrun music was based off of the Heavy Metal bands that ruled the world at the time. But what is it today? More alternitive rock based? It's just something that's been annoying me.

Also, I know that its been covered in many threads about what kinda music you play during sessions, and in one of the old threads there was a discussion about theme music for certain archtypes (street sam, corp man, etc.). But my question is, does anyone have theme songs for specific characters? You know, the theme music that would play when your character has done something really kick ass or something? Just curious.

[Dog]

Kraftwerk is great for deckers. Delerium for Shamans. Take look through some of the art in Aztlan, Threats one, and (remember?) the Neo-Anarchist's guide to North America and you'll see lots of references to Queensryche (A pre-grunge Seattle band that's still going strong), which is a staple for us, and a personal favorite of mine. Skunk Anansie is good street punk stuff. I remember using SMAP and Luna-Sea as music for a Mitsuhama-funded 'corp rave' (don't ask).

[Ancient History]

I suggest Ayumi Hamasaki for your average Idoru-type Japanese pop singer sensation. <Damnation, those words flow together far too easily.>

[Kakkaraun]

You know...if my GM whipped out Japanapop during a game session, first I'd ask him if he was about to introduce Giant Robots and Schoolgirls with Super Magic Adept Powers into the game, then I'd punch him and walk out.

Techno. Metal. The former really sucks, the latter is mediocre, but it's good for the SR setting. Techno. Metal.

[Jason Farlander]

[Dax]

Hmmm...good suggestions. But I'm still curious as to if anyone has theme songs for character's they've played. For example, here are some from my game.

Tiffany Naich- "Fuck You I'm Drunk" Irish Drinking Song
Dax- "Silver and Cold" by AFI
Durriel- "Teenaged Frankenstien" by Alice Cooper


Stuff like that kinda.

[Kakkaraun]

Speaking of Alice, right now I'm working on an 18-year old amnesiac character...

EIGHTEEN I GET CONFUSED EVERYDAY!

Heh heh.

And, of course, there's an enormous amount of material if your GM picks up on the "social commentary" aspect of Shadowrun...punk music, hippie music, probably something from Rent, if you're weird (I dunno, I've never heard/seen it).

I should make a shaman based entirely on Cream's Disraeli Gears. Heh heh.

I've never really thought of making a music-inspired character, but that would really be right up my alley...an ally spirit with mouse form named Gerald...yes...it's all taking shape, now...

[Dog]

Music for:

An orc merc: "blood red sky" judas priest

An elven samurai: "hell bent for leather" I don't remember the artist (also JP?)

A troll sammie: "Better off dumb." by Garbage.

Dante's Inferno: Prodigy or NIN

Cyberzombies: Tool

Your ex D&D player who can't give up old habits: Man o' War

Burned out mages: early Headstones

Evil mages: "Night on Bald Mountain."

I still think that movie soundtracks are the best-bet for background music.

[Kakkaraun]

Tool for CZs, that's great ;). They could also be used for Metaplanar weirdness and such.

How about Bob Dylan? A cookie to the first to find a really good SR game use for Bob Dylan. If anybody insults Bob Dylan, I will kill them. Or at least bitch at them or something.

[Ancient History]

[Kagetenshi]

[Kakkaraun]

Mmm...that's good Mescalito!

Actually, basically all of my music collection works for that purpose. Oi.

[Pistons]

[LaughingTiger]

[Lilt]

I would assume some electronica, cybergoth-style techno, dirty-techno, or some of the industrial stuff from germany would be in order. If you want a sample you could look on music grabber proggys for some stuff from the following.

Heretic II by Stromkern is a really good track

There is an ambient techno group called Astral Projection oddly enough.

I have an interesting cybergoth-style track called hackerstate-dos-attack mix by sitd-amok

You should be able to find some music by Project Pitchfork which may be appropriate.

Osiris - Destroy all humans is a cybergoth techno classic

Ultraviolence - hardcore motherfucker is a similarly classic dirty-techno track

SITD (Sometimes S.I.T.D.) are a german group.

[edit] BTW: I don't know the technical classifications of these music types. Destroy all humans may also be dirty techno [/edit]

[A Clockwork Lime]

Whenever I'm designing a character, I usually go through my list of MP3s and enqueue a bunch that put me in the mood. It really depends on the character at hand (I think I may go a little more indepth during character creation than others), so I can't really just give some examples.

But if you're just going to pick a theme song or two for some of the common archetypes, here's a few inspirational songs I'd probably use.

Adept: Drowning Pool - Bodies
Covert Ops Specialist: Green Day - Espionage
Decker: Afroman - Because I [Jacked In]
Face: Butthole Surfers - The Shame of Life
Investigator: Peter Gunn Theme
Mercenary: Pro-Pain - One Man Army
Street Mage: Type O Negative - Black No. 1
Street Samurai: Tomoyasu Hotei - Battle Without Honor or Humanity
Street Shaman: Loreena McKennitt - The Mystic's Dream
Tribal Shaman: Dead Can Dance - The Snake and the Moon
Vehicle Rigger: Fear Factory - Cars
Weapons Specialist: Marilyn Manson - The Fight Song

Any Charismatic Runner: Fun Lovin' Criminals - Scooby Snacks
CAS Rigger: Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble - Willie the Wimp & His Cadillac Coffin

Again, these are just songs that inspire the mood I'd want to focus on while designing such a character. I dunno what they'd actually like to listen to. Music trends are doubtlessly going to change in 60 years. Just look back 60 years for a comparison.

[Kagetenshi]

Any combat character: Operation Overlord, from the Quake II soundtrack.

Otaku: Serial Experiments Lain OST- Family Portrait

Female Face: Alphaville- Shadows She Said

Corporate Raider: Warren Zevon- Sacrificial Lambs

Freedom Fighter/Merc with a Good Cause™: Bruce Cockburn- If I Had A Rocket Launcher (I'd Make Somebody Pay)

Rigger or Mechanic: The Breeders- Metal Man

Any properly fatalistic runner: Warren Zevon- Life'll Kill Ya

"Fallen"-type runner: Submarine- Sunbeam

Druggie or otherwise burned-out runner (not necessarily magically burned-out, just burned-out) in the midst of self-immolation: Monster Magnet- Baby Gotterdamerung

Rigger or Decker: Sharon Apple/Yoko Kanno- Information High

Rigger: Mechwarrior II soundtrack. The whole thing. Especially Track 09, though.

Any properly fatalistic runner: Warren Zevon- The Indifference of Heaven

Any team on the run through the former central US: Kristin Hersh- Uncle June and Aunt Kiyoti

Mercenaries: Warren Zevon- Jungle Work

Dramatic, climactic scene: Akira Symphonic Suite- Requiem

Deranged, psychopathic murderer: Sweeney Todd Soundtrack- The Ballad of Sweeney Todd

~J

[BGMFH]

Bob Dylan - John Brown

[ Spoiler ]

John brown went on a run to fight on a foreign sun.
His mama sure was proud of him!
He stood so straight and tall in his uniform and all.
His mama’s face broke out all in a grin.

"Oh son, you look so fine, I’m glad you’re a son of mine,
You make me proud to know you hold a gun.
Do what the Johnson says, lots of credsticks you will get,
And we’ll put them on the wall when you come home."

As that old train pulled out, john’s ma began to shout,
Tellin’ ev’ryone in the neighborhood:
"that’s my son that’s about to go, he’s a runner now, you know."
She made well sure her neighbors understood.

She got a letter once in a while and her face broke into a smile
As she showed them to the people from next door.
And she bragged about her son with his cyberware and gun,
And these things you called a good old-fashioned war.

Oh! good old-fashioned war!

Then the letters ceased to come, for a long time they did not come.
They ceased to come for about ten months or more.
Then a letter finally came saying, "go down and meet the train.
Your son’s a-coming home from the war."

She smiled and went right down, she looked everywhere around
But she could not see her soldier son in sight.
But as all the people passed, she saw her son at last,
When she did she could hardly believe her eyes.

Oh his face was all shot up and his hand was all blown off
And he wore a metal brace around his waist.
He whispered kind of slow, in a voice she did not know,
While she couldn’t even recognize his face!

Oh! lord! not even recognize his face.

"oh tell me, my darling son, pray tell me what they done.
How is it you come to be this way? "
He tried his best to talk but his mouth could hardly move
And the mother had to turn her face away.

"don’t you remember, ma, when I went off to war
You thought it was the best thing I could do?
I was on the battleground, you were home . . . acting proud.
You wasn’t there standing in my shoes."

"oh, and I thought when I was there, god, what am I doing here?
I’m a-tryin’ to kill somebody or die tryin’.
But the thing that scared me most was when my enemy came close
And I saw that his face looked just like mine."
Oh! lord! just like mine!

"and I couldn’t help but think, through the thunder rolling and stink,
That I was just a puppet in a play.
And through the roar and smoke, this string is finally broke,
And a cannon ball blew my eyes away."

As he turned away to walk, his ma was still in shock
At seein’ the metal brace that helped him stand.
But as he turned to go, he called his mother close
And he dropped his medals down into her hand.

Cyberzombie - Pink Floyd "Comfortably Numb"
Female Social Adept - Jack off Jill "Devil with the black dress on"
Ex-Corp Runner - Marilyn Manson "Use Your Fist And Not Your Mouth"

[ Spoiler ]

(come on, come on, come on, come on)
I am overground and
Out-selling IT.
Since God thinks I don't exist
The Beatings happen Per Minute
This is not
Blue-collar-white-corrective politics
I'm on a HATE AMERICAN STYLE
Kick.
This is the black collar song
Put it in your middle finger and sing along
Use your fist and not your mouth
(come on, come on, come on, come on)
This is the black collar song
Put it in your middle finger and sing along
Use your fist and not your mouth
(come on, come on, come on, come on)
I'm on a campaign for pain
And when I get elected
I'll wipe the white of your house
The smile off your face
This is the black collar song
Put it in your middle finger and sing along
Use your fist and not your mouth
(come on, come on, come on, come on)
This is the black collar song
Put it in your middle finger and sing along
Use your fist and not your mouth
(come on, come on, come on, come on)
I woke up today and wished for tomorrow
I don't want to be like anyone else
I woke up today and wished for tomorrow
I don't want to even be myself
I said, no, this isn't your song
We can't all get along
It's too hard to hold hands when
Your hand's a fist
My hate-pop won't ever stop
I'm fucking glad we're different
This is my HATE AMERICAN STYLE
Hit.
Don't bring it, don't sing it
Use your fist and not your mouth.
This is the black collar song
Put it in your middle finger and sing along
Use your fist and not your mouth
(come on, come on, come on, come on)
This is the black collar song
Put it in your middle finger and sing along
Use your fist and not your mouth
(come on, come on, come on, come on)
This is the black collar song
Put it in your middle finger and sing along
Use your fist and not your mouth
(come on, come on, come on, come on)
This is the black collar song
Put it in your middle finger and sing along
Use your fist and not your mouth
(come on, come on, come on, come on)
I woke up today and wished for tomorrow
I don't want to be like anyone else
I woke up today and wished for tomorrow
I don't want to even be myself

Ghouls - Manson "redeemer"

[ Spoiler ]

Redeemer
The hunger inside given to me makes me what I am
Always it is calling me, for the blood of man
They say I cannot be this I am jaded
Hiding from the day
I can't bear I cannot tame the hunger in me
Oh
I say I did and always searching
you can't fuck with me
So, instead you'll taste my pain
The hunger inside given to me makes me feel alive
Always out stalking prey
In the dark I hide
Feeling, Falling, Hating, Feel like I am fading, hating LIFE!
They say I cannot be this I am jaded
Hiding from the day
I can't bear I cannot tame the hunger in me
Oh
I say I did and always searching
You can't fuck with fate
So, instead you'll taste my pain
You say your life I'm taking
Always bothering me
I can't take this anymore
I'm failing, always smothering me
You look down on me
Hey
What you see, take this gift from me
You will soon be ME!
Nothing seems exciting, always the same hiding...hiidiinnggg...
It's haunting me (x5)

Corp Secretary/Exec - Manson "New Model No. 15"

[ Spoiler ]

I'm as fake as a wedding cake
And I'm vague and I know that I'm homopolitan
Pitifully predictable
Correctly political
I'm the new, I'm the new, new model
I've got nothing inside
Better in the head and in bed
At the office
I can suck and I smile
New
New
New model
I can choke and diet on coke
I'm spun and I know
That I'm stoned and rolling
Lifelike and poseable
Hopeless and disposable
I'm the new, I'm the new, new model
I've got nothing inside
Better in the head and in bed
At the office
I can suck and I smile
New
New
New model
Don't let them know how far you go
Or that you use your "lovers"
Oh look, you're like a VCR
Stick something in to know
Just who you are
New
New
New model

Maybe more later ;)

[Lilt]

Ack. Forgot to class by characters:

Adversary Shaman: Heretic II - Stromkern

Insect Shaman/Cyberzombie/Dalek: Osiris - Destroy all humans

Any badass character: Ultraviolence - hardcore motherfucker

Decker: sitd-amok - hackerstate-dos-attack

Female Face: Avenue D - Do I Look Like a Slut
Male Face (Yeah, Right): Hed PE- Bartender

Sam: iron maiden - 2 minutes to midnight

Bubbah the love troll: Thundercats Outtake #8

Rigger: Metallica - Fuel, Iron Maiden - Aces High

Pissed-off NAN Tribal Shaman: Sepultura - Roots Bloody Roots

Weapons Expert/Merc/Sam: Nine inch nails - big man with a gun

Ghostwalker: Metallica - Master of puppets

[LaughingTiger]

[Kakkaraun]

I officially love Kage for being the first person other than me I've ever heard mention Warren Zevon. The man was--sadly, was--a God. I once started making a character based on Roland the Thompson Gunner (which, incidentally, is a very interesting song for SR...we have mercenaries AND magical weirdness).

[Kagetenshi]

I have absolutely no idea who to credit for this piece of filk, so here it is unattributed.

"Roland was a Samurai from the land of the Redmond slum
With his smartlinked guns and cyber, fighting to be done
The deal was made in Renraku on a dark and stormy day
So he set out for the Yucatan to join the bloody fray

Through '56 and 7, they fought the Mayan war
With the mages and the riggers, knee deep in gore
For days and nights they battled the Azzies to their knees
They killed to earn their living and to help set the Mayans free

Roland the Shadowrunner
Roland the Shadowrunner

His comrades fought beside him, Van Owen and the rest
But of all the Shadowrunners, Roland was the best
So the Johnsons all decided they wanted Roland dead
That son of a bitch Van Owen did a called shot to his head

Roland the headless Shadowrunner
Time, time, time, for another hidden war
Redmond's bravest son
But time stands still for Roland, 'til he evens up the score
They can still see the cyberzombie
Stalking through the night
In the muzzle flash of Roland's smartlinked guns
In the muzzle flash of Roland's smartlinked guns

Roland searched the continent for the man who'd done him in
He found him up in Denver, in a bar-room drinking gin
Roland aimed his two smartguns, he didn't say a word
But he blew Van Owen's body from there to ol' Gettysburg

Roland the headless Shadowrunner
Roland the headless Shadowrunner
Roland the headless Shadowrunner, talking about the man
Roland the headless Shadowrunner

The eternal Shadowrunner
Still stalking through the night
Now it's five years later, but he still keeps up the fight
In Tir na nOg, in Tsimshian, in the Philippines and DC
Dunklezahn heard the alarm
On Roland's explosives and bought it"

~J

[Kakkaraun]

Gapes.

Awes.

WOW! That's STYLISH!

Wow...

[Connor]

Yes, Warren Zevon was quite the god.

Kage, that's an amazing piece of work. Too bad you don't have an attribution.

[KillaJ]

For my nuyen it doesn't get any better than Darkest Hour. It's great to put everyone into an angry, fight the power kind of a mood. Any album will do nicely but I am partial to The Mark of the Judas.